Leisure experience as a predictor of nomophobic tendency

Nomophobic tendency is an increasingly widespread issue and has become a significant societal concern. Identifying the factors that influence the reduction or elimination of this negative behavior is a subject of interest. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of leisure experience on nomophobia among university students. This research, designed according to the relational screening model, examines the relationship between leisure experience and nomophobic tendency within a large sample group. The study sample consists of 423 associate and undergraduate students, selected through purposive sampling from a population of 14.236 students enrolled in various departments of Bingöl University during the spring semester. In addition to descriptive questions, the questionnaire administered to the students included scales measuring leisure experience and nomophobia. The data obtained were subjected to reliability and validity analyses, followed by structural model testing. For this purpose, SPSS and AMOS software were used. The subdimensions of leisure experience—boredom, awareness, challenge, and anxiety—were found to explain 11.6% of the variance in the 'functional impairment' subdimension of nomophobia, 21.5% in the 'excessive use' subdimension, and 17.5% in the 'inability to communicate' subdimension. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that nomophobic tendencies are closely related to individuals' leisure experiences, highlighting the importance of considering not only technology use but also the ways individuals spend their free time in efforts to combat digital addiction. In particular, in order to prevent the rapidly growing prevalence of nomophobia among young adults, it is essential to implement awareness-raising and emotionally balancing interventions that enhance the quality of leisure time.