Nomophobia Questionnaire Short-Form: Psychometric Properties and Longitudinal Association with Anxiety, Stress, and Depression in Adolescents

Abstract

Nomophobia has been extensively assessed with the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). A shortened version of the NMP-Q has not been developed and longitudinal studies linking nomophobia to internalizing problems in adolescents have been limited. The aims are: (1) to reduce the NMP-Q and validate the short version (Nomophobia Questionnaire Short Form (NMPQ-SF) in a sample of Spanish adolescents; (2) to analyze the stability of NMPQ-SF scores; (3) to relate nomophobia to internalizing problems over time. A longitudinal study was conducted in two waves, with 2.066 Spanish adolescents. Results suggest that the NMPQ-SF is a valid and reliable instrument. Girls and the middle adolescence stage have significantly higher scores of nomophobia. A direct effect of nomophobia on anxiety, stress, and depression at six months has been found.