Relationships between personality traits and nomophobia: Research on nurses working in public hospitals

Determining the effects of nomophobia on nurses and midwives in a maternity and child health hospital: A cross-sectional study

AIM

This study aims to assess the levels of nomophobia among nurses and midwives employed at a gynecology and children's hospital and to explore its impact on their lives.

METHODS

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a gynecology and pediatrics hospital situated in the western region of Turkey. The research sample comprised 112 nurses and midwives. Data collection was facilitated through an "Introductory Information Form" and the "Nomophobia Scale," with adherence to the STROBE checklist for reporting this cross-sectional study.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 34.50 ± 9.98 years. The average total score on the nomophobia scale was 68.45 ± 24.62, with 54.5% of participants classified as having moderate levels of nomophobia. Factors such as age, years of experience in nursing or midwifery, work patterns, and the habit of checking their phones immediately upon waking and before sleeping were found to influence their levels of nomophobia.

CONCLUSION

The study observed that mobile phone usage among nurses and midwives in a gynecology and pediatrics setting negatively affects their mental and physical health, with a moderate level of nomophobia being prevalent. Notably, older age and increased work experience were associated with lower nomophobia scores.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Initiatives aimed at preventing the onset of nomophobia are recommended, especially targeting younger nurses and midwives who play a crucial role in health service delivery.

The effect of nomophobic behaviors among nurses on their clinical decision-making perceptions

AIM

This study aimed to explore the impact of nomophobic behaviors among hospital nurses on their clinical decision-making perceptions. This understanding can offer insights to enhance the work environment, improve the clinical decision-making ability of nurses and guide medical institutions in the management of related equipment and policy development.

BACKGROUND

The term "nomophobia" refers to the anxiety and fear individuals experience when they cannot use their smartphones or when smartphones are not accessible. Nursing clinical decision-making is a complex process, including a meticulous assessment of the patient's pathological condition and medical history, alongside the application of nursing knowledge and experiential learning rooted in critical thinking. The concept of clinical decision-making perceptions is defined as a deliberate cognitive understanding of one's decision-making processes, which significantly influences the clinical decision-making capabilities of healthcare professionals, thereby impacting the quality of patient care. The factors influencing these clinical decision-making perceptions have been the subject of extensive research. However, there is no Chinese research on the impact of nurses ' nomophobic behaviors on their clinical decision-making perception.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive survey using online-based delivery modes was used.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. Using convenience sampling, we surveyed the nurses from a tertiary hospital in Nanjing in May 2023. Data were gathered using a sociodemographic data form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire and the Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale. Techniques including the independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were employed to probe the degree of nomophobia and its effects on their perception of clinical decision-making. Out of 284 questionnaires gathered, 272 were deemed valid, resulting in a 95.8% effective response rate.

RESULTS

The data revealed that participants exhibited a medium level of nomophobia (54.01 ± 24.09) and clinical decision-making perceptions (144.94 ± 20.08). A robust negative correlation was discerned between nomophobia and clinical decision-making perceptions (r: -0.365, P<0.001). This study highlighted that as the degree of nomophobia intensified, nurses' clinical decision-making perceptions decreased with the increase in nomophobia.

CONCLUSION

Nomophobic behaviors can hamper nurses' perception of clinical decision-making, potentially leading to inaccuracies or errors. Nurses must use mobile phones judiciously, practice self-regulation and mitigate the disruptive effects of nomophobia on their decision-making. In addition, medical institutions should foster relevant education or craft policies to regularize mobile phone use, augmenting nurses' efficiency and decision-making prowess, enhancing patient care quality, diminishing medical errors and ensuring patient health and safety.

Touch-operated world of teenagers in the distance education process: A cross-sectional study on nomophobia, netlessphobia and fear of missing out in nursing students

AIM

To determine the levels of nomophobia, netlessphobia and fear of missing out of nursing students in this digital era and to perform comparison according to their personal and smartphone usage characteristics.

BACKGROUND

The time we live in has provoked some digital diseases along with many developments that have made our lives easier. Nomophobia, netlessphobia and fear of missing out, which develop due to excessive or inappropriate use of smartphones, the Internet and social media, are among those digital diseases.

DESIGN

This is a descriptive, comparative, correlational and cross-sectional study.

METHODS

The data were obtained from 802 volunteer students at the nursing faculties of three public universities in Istanbul between 15 April and 15 May 2022. The personal information form, Nomophobia Questionnaire, Firat Netlessphobia Scale and Fear of Missing Out Scale were used as data collection instruments. The data were analyzed using Cronbach's alpha and descriptive, correlative and comparative analyses.

RESULTS

The scale scores of nursing students were below the average in general; however, it was determined that the nomophobia scores were higher than the netlessphobia and fear of missing out scores. While gender and grade variables made a significant difference with nomophobia (p < 0.05), no significant difference was found with netlessphobia and fear of missing out (p > 0.05). Those who connect to the Internet from home; use the Internet for distance education and social media; use the Internet on their smartphones for a longer period in a day; check their smartphone more often; carry a phone charger with them; spend time on their smartphones before sleeping and after waking up; and consider themselves addicted obtained higher scores (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Digital issues of our time are both associated with the interaction among each other and smartphone usage characteristics. It is considered important to evaluate themselves regarding inappropriate or excessive use and risky behavior, as well as adapting approaches to protect young people.

Profiling health professionals' personality traits, behaviour styles and emotional intelligence: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Non-cognitive traits have been theorised to predict characteristics, career choice and outcomes of health professionals and could represent a homogenous group. This study aims to profile and compare personality traits, behaviour styles and emotional intelligence of health practitioners across a variety of professions.

METHODS

Empirical literature was systematically reviewed. A two-concept search strategy was applied to four databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, ProQuest). Title/abstract and full text articles were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data was synthesised narratively and meta-aggregated where feasible.

RESULTS

Three hundred twenty-one studies representing 153 assessment tools of personality (n = 83 studies), behaviour (n = 8), and emotional intelligence (n = 62) were included. Most studies (n = 171) explored personality (medicine, nursing, nursing assistants, dentistry, allied health, paramedics), revealing variation in traits across professions. Behaviour styles were least measured with only ten studies exploring these across four health professions (nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, psychology). Emotional intelligence (n = 146 studies) varied amongst professions (medicine, nursing, dentistry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiology) with all exhibiting average to above-average scores.

CONCLUSION

Personality traits, behaviour styles and emotional intelligence are all key characteristics of health professionals reported in the literature. There is both heterogeneity and homogeneity within and between professional groups. The characterisation and understanding of these non-cognitive traits will aid health professionals to understand their own non-cognitive features and how these might be useful in predicting performance with potential to adapt these to enhance success within their chosen profession.

Nomophobia, netlessphobia, and fear of missing out in nursing students: A cross-sectional study in distance education

BACKGROUND

In the pandemic, along with distance education, nursing students' smartphone and internet usage habits have changed and their duration has been extended. However, the effect of this situation on problems that may develop due to excessive/inappropriate use of smartphones and the internet such as nomophobia, netlessphobia, fear of missing out is unknown. This study was conducted to measure nursing students' nomophobia, netlessphobia, and fear of missing out levels and identify the correlations between them.

METHODS

This descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted on 802 students studying in 3 nursing faculties between November 2021 and February 2022. Introductory Information Form, Nomophobia Questionnaire, Fırat Netlessphobia Scale and Fear of Missing Out Scale were used to collect the data.

RESULTS

The nursing students used their smartphones for 5.13 ± 2.26 h on average per day and used internet from their smartphones for 4.65 ± 2.74 h. They considered themselves as partly smartphone addicts and they were active users on social media platforms such as WhatsApp (97.3 %) or Instagram (82.2 %). The students' nomophobia mean score was 2.98 ± 0.78, their netlessphobia mean score was 2.53 ± 0.87, and their fear of missing out mean score was 2.18 ± 0.80. Netlessphobia alone accounted for 44.4 % of nomophobia and there was a positive and moderate correlation between them (r = 0.666; p < .001). Fear of missing out alone accounted for 18.5 % of nomophobia and there was a positive and moderate correlation between them (r = 0.430; p < .001). Both of them affected nomophobia by 45.4 %.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the increase in the digital activities of nursing students in the distance education process, it is positive that the netlessphobia and fear of missing out scores are low. However, higher nomophobia scores and strong relationships between concepts require being aware of possible problems, monitoring and taking precautions.

An investigation of the relationship between smartphone addiction and job performance of healthcare employees

PURPOSE

To determine the smartphone addiction and employee performance levels of healthcare personnel working in a university hospital and to investigate their relationship.

DESIGN AND METHOD

This study is descriptive and correlational design. The data collection tool consisted of the Descriptive Information Form, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Employee Performance Scale.

FINDINGS

The majority of participants were female, aged 30 and younger, working night shifts, and physicians. The majority of those who run out of monthly data bundles said they purchase once-off bundles. There was a negative statistically significant relationship between smartphone addiction and employee performance.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Healthcare employees' level of smartphone addiction adversely affects employee performance and it is recommended for the managers of the institution to develop internal strategies to prevent those effects.