Fear of detachment from mobile phone: nomophobia and suicidality among Malaysian university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The attachment to mobile devices during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the possibility of increased nomophobia, which is the intense fear of losing access to one's mobile device. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if nomophobia was independently associated with suicidality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among university students in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study had two-time points in data collection: one year before and one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. N = 806 university students aged ≥ 18 years completed an online questionnaire comprising the Nomophobia Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. A multiple logistic regression (controlling for gender, age, and social support) was conducted to determine the association between nomophobia and suicidality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of severe nomophobia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was 15.7% and 35.6% respectively. The level of nomophobia was significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Pre-pandemic, there were no significant associations. During the pandemic, participants with moderate (aOR 3.09, 95% CI [1.14-8.40], p = .027) and severe (aOR 3.57, 95% CI [1.25-10.20], p = .018) nomophobia had higher odds of suicide plan. During the pandemic, moderate and severe nomophobia were independently associated with more than three times higher odds for a lifetime suicide plan. Our study findings carry implications for the well-being of university students.

Social support as a mediator in the relationship between perceived stress and nomophobia: An Investigation among Malaysian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between perceived stress and nomophobia among Malaysian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted with N = 547 university students. Participants answered a self-administered questionnaire measuring nomophobia, social support, and perceived stress. Exploratory analyses were conducted using partial least square structural equation modelling. We found that perceived stress was positively associated with nomophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst social support partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and nomophobia. The results of this study indicated that stress may be buffered by social support in individuals with higher levels of nomophobia.