Assessment of Validity and Reliability of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) Among Iranian Medical Students

Abstract

Background: With the rise of technology, new challenges and fears, such as nomophobia — the fear of being without a mobile phone — have emerged. Nomophobia consists of four factors: Lack of access to information, loss of convenience, inability to communicate, and loss of communication. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) among Iranian medical students. Methods: This field study included 369 students (209 female, 160 male) from Ilam University of Medical Sciences, selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The sample size was determined based on factor analysis guidelines to ensure adequate statistical power for the validation process. The NMP-Q was translated into Persian using the forward-backward translation method and reviewed by bilingual experts to ensure conceptual equivalence. The final version was administered to 50 students. The Cronbach’s alpha for the entire scale and its components showed satisfactory results. Results: Face validity was confirmed by experts and target participants. Content validity was also acceptable, with an average Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.885 and content validity ratio (CVR) values ≥ 0.60 for all items. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted four distinct factors — inability to access information, giving up convenience, inability to communicate, and losing connectedness — with all items loading above 0.60 on their respective factors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed this structure, with the model fit indices indicating an excellent fit [root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.017, NFI = 0.95, Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI) = 0.99, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.99, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = 0.95, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI) = 0.88]. The convergent validity of the Nomophobia construct and its four dimensions was greater than 0.50. The Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was 0.93, indicating good internal consistency. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that the NMP-Q can be used as a reliable and appropriate tool to measure Nomophobia in Iranian students. However, the study is limited by its focus on a single university population, which may affect the generalizability of the results. It is recommended to assess the validity of this questionnaire in a broader population sample, including individuals outside the student group, to ensure its generalizability.