Investigating the Correlation between the Excessive use of Mobile Phones and Depression among Students at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences

The mobile phone has become an indispensable tool for communication and interactions. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between excessive mobile phone use, depression, and social loneliness among students at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive-analytical study, conducted in 2019, employed stratified random sampling to survey 313 students from Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. Data collection involved demographic questions, a harmful mobile phone use scale, and depression scale (Kavaja and Bryden). Collected data were entered into SPSS 18 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics.

The study included 313 participants with an average age of 22.16 ± 3.41 years. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed a positive correlation between depression scores and various variables, including education level, interest in the field, native status, place of residence, history of taking antidepressants, employment status, financial problems, family life status, father's age, and excessive use of mobile phones. The results of linear regression analysis, as indicated by the coefficient of determination (0.603) demonstrated a high intensity of correlation between factors influencing depression and the actual depression scores.

According to the results of the study, there is a significant relationship between excessive use of mobile phones and depression and social loneliness in students, which requires proper planning for intervention.