From smartphone use to psychological distress: the mediating role of nomophobia among university students in Oman.

The swift incorporation of smartphones into everyday academic and social activities has elicited worries regarding their psychological effects among university students. This study investigated the correlations among smartphone usage, nomophobia, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support within a cohort of Omani undergraduate students. A cross-sectional survey approach was utilised, and data were analysed by correlational and mediation-moderation statistical models. The findings indicated that heightened smartphone usage strongly forecasted elevated levels of nomophobia, which, in turn, was identified as a robust predictor of both anxiety and depression. The use of smartphones did not directly predict depression, indicating that emotional dependency, rather than frequency of use, influences depressed symptoms. Nomophobia was identified as a mediator in the association between smartphone usage and psychological discomfort, indicating that reliance on smartphones exacerbates mental health risks via the emergence of dependency-related anxiety. Perceived social support did not mitigate the relationship between nomophobia and anxiety; rather, it significantly reduced the association between nomophobia and depression, suggesting a protective effect of supportive networks on long-term emotional well-being. These results underscore the necessity of treating emotional attachment to digital gadgets instead of concentrating exclusively on measures for reducing screen time. The study offers culturally pertinent insights on digital mental health within the Omani context and underscores the importance of enhancing social support systems to alleviate the adverse effects of nomophobia.