Exploring reasons and coping strategies among nursing students with nomophobia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND

Accumulating research suggests that nomophobia is common among nursing students and has been linked to adverse outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the reasons for nomophobia and coping strategies employed by nursing students.

METHODS

This research employed a qualitative design. 13 s-year undergraduate nursing students in Guizhou Province, China with moderate to severe nomophobia were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. In the discussion section, the findings were interpreted through Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping.

RESULTS

Nursing students' nomophobia was associated with perceived disruptions caused by smartphone unavailability in daily life functioning, academic routines, psychosocial support, and coping with developmental uncertainty. Additionally, coping strategies mainly involved sleeping or emptying the mind, diverting attention, and chatting with friends, while adopting alternative approaches was less frequently reported.

DISCUSSION: Nomophobia among nursing students may reflect the disruption of smartphone-supported resources related to multidimensional needs. Students appear to rely mainly on emotion-focused coping, which may provide only limited relief, whereas problem-focused coping is limited. Efforts to reduce nomophobia should consider educational support, mental health services, and individualized intervention design.