Search

Purpose: Nomophobia refers to a psychological state in which individuals experience anxiety or fear at the thought of being disconnected from their mobile phone. The Nomophobia Questionnaire was developed to assess dimensions of nomophobia among native English-speaking populations. The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate the Nomophobia Questionnaire in the Tunisian context based on Western Arabic dialects. Methods: This cross-sectional design using a non-probability sampling method was conducted from September 05 to October 06, 2022. A total of 644 participants, with an average age of 21.04 ± 1.59 years, completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and an Arabic version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups to perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The first group consisted of 200 students (56% female and 44% male with an average age of 21.10 ± 1.64), with 33% (n = 66) freshmen, 41.5% second-year students (n = 83) and 25.5% (n = 51) of third-year students. The second group was collected one month later in the same establishment and was composed of 444 students (52% men and 48% female with an average age of 21.01 ± 1.57). Results: The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 20 items and the second order four-factor structure should be retained. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Arabic version of the NMP-Q gave the following statistics: χ 2/df= 1.47; Fit Index = 0.997; Adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.996; Tucker-Lewis index = 1.003; Comparative Fit Index = 1; Root mean square error of approximation = 0.000 (90% CI 0– 0) and standardized mean residual = 0.030, indicating good model fit. McDonald's ω internal consistency indexes for the four factors, namely giving up convenience, not being able to access information, not being able to communicate, and losing connectedness were 0.821, 0.841, 0.851, and 0.897, respectively. These values demonstrated good scale consistency. Conclusion: The Arabic Version of the Nomophobia questionnaire has been found to be a reliable and valid psychometric tool, and can be effectively used to measure nomophobia in countries where western Arabic dialects are spoken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the potential risks associated with preprints in scientific research, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence. It emphasizes that preprints can disseminate inaccurate or incomplete information, which can lead to confusion and misinformation. The use of AI technologies like ChatGPT can further exacerbate these risks by generating misleading summaries and analyses of research. The article suggests implementing measures such as fact-checking procedures, human supervision, and limiting access to preprints to mitigate these risks and ensure responsible use of AI technologies. Additionally, the article discusses a study that exposed the lack of quality control in some open access journals, which charge authors a fee to publish their work. This raises concerns about the credibility and reliability of research published in these journals. [Extracted from the article]