Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire in Jordan.

Introduction: Nomophobia is one of the modern concepts dealing with the interaction between humans and new technologies especially for Smartphone use. The current study aims to translate (to the Arabic language) and to estimate the psychometric properties Nomophobia questionnaire (NMPQ). Methods: The sample consisted of 1005 students (412 males, 593 females) who were registered in the health faculties at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for the second semester for the academic year of 2016/2017. NMPQ was translated using forward backward translation method. Acceptability, items ace validity, construct validity and reliability were evaluated. Excessive smartphone use was also evaluated as a part of nomophobia dimensions. Results: The mean (SD) of NMPQ subscales ranged from 3.7 (1.5) for ‘Losing connectedness’ to 4.8 (1.5) for ‘Not being able to access information’. All item-scale correlations exceeded the minimum correlation of 0.40 for adequate item internal consistency. For all scales, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient exceeded the minimum criterion of 0.7. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the Arabic version of the NMPQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring nomophobia among university students in Jordan. Nomophobia is affected by the period of smartphone ownership, time spent on a smartphone daily and by having an Internet package or not. Recommendations: Studying the effect of nomophobia on the daily human activities, such as academic performance, sleep, and physical activity, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]