Publication: Smartphone Addiction among Students of Medical College in Kathmandu
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background
Smartphones have become an important device in current day living. With the
advent of technology, smartphones have become a necessity of life. However, every
technological invention has brought both comfort and problems.
Objective
To explore the prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students and the
associated factors.
Method
A cross sectional study was conducted with the sample size of 358. Convenient
sampling method was used among medical students. Smartphone addiction scale
short version was used to find participants those having an addiction and not having
an addiction. The Perceived Stress Scale, and Loneliness Scale was used to assess
perceived stress, personality, and loneliness. The analysis featured both descriptive
and inferential statistics, utilizing the Chi-square test and Pearson correlation,
conducted with SPSS. In all statistical tests, p < 0.05 was considered statistically
significant.
Result
Smartphone addiction among medical students was 117 (32.6%) with 95% CI (0.275,
0.377). Self-reported addiction was found to be the biggest predictor of smartphone
addiction. There was a significant association between smart phone addiction and
psychological factors such as perceived stress (p < 0.001), loneliness (p < 0.001), and
various personality traits, including conscientiousness (p < 0.022), emotional stability
(p < 0.045), and openness to experiences (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Smartphone addiction was common among the medical college students investigated.
There was an increased level of stress and loneliness who were addicted to their
smartphones. Therefore, it is essential to implement awareness programs that
educate students about the risks associated with excessive smartphone use.
KEY WORDS
Addiction, Medical students, Mental health, Smartphones
Description
Shrestha MV, Manandhar N, Joshi SK
Department of Community Medicine
Kathmandu Medical College, Sinamangal
Kathmandu, Nepal
Keywords
Addiction, Medical students, Mental health, Smartphones