The Relationship Between Nomophobia, Depressive Symptoms, and Achievement Motivation among Female Secondary School Students
by: Khawla Abdelaziz Alghaith, Prof. Lulwa Saleh AL Rasheed
Abstract:
The study aimed to measure the prevalence of nomophobia among high school female students and to explore the possibility of predicting depressive symptoms and achievement motivation based on the level of nomophobia. It examined the nature of the relationship between nomophobia, depressive symptoms, and achievement motivation in this population. The study adopted a descriptive correlational approach. The main sample consisted of 393 female high school students. Several measurement tools were used to collect data, including the Nomophobia Questionnaire developed by Yildirim & Correia (2015), translated by Ali Hanafy (2021), which comprises four dimensions and 20 items; the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), translated by Gharib (2000), consisting of 21 depressive symptoms; and an achievement motivation scale developed by the researcher, consisting of five dimensions and 20 items. The results indicated that the prevalence of nomophobia among high school students was moderate. There was a moderate positive correlation between nomophobia and depressive symptoms, both in the total score of the nomophobia scale and across all its subdimensions. The study also found a strong negative correlation between nomophobia and achievement motivation in the overall score and all subdimensions, except for the dimensions of “difficulty accessing information” and “loss of entertainment,” where the negative correlation was moderate. The findings also revealed that depressive symptoms could be positively predicted by levels of nomophobia, while achievement motivation could be negatively predicted by nomophobia. The study recommended implementing psychological and educational awareness programs targeting students, parents, and teachers regarding nomophobia, and incorporating topics related to digital balance and digital mental health into curricula or extracurricular activities at the secondary level.
Keywords:
Achievement Motivation
Depressive Symptoms
High School Female Students
Nomophobia
