Nomophobia and its connections to career satisfaction, burnout, work-life balance and life satisfaction

As the name itself reveals, nomophobia (No Mobile Phone Phobia) is considered a 21st century disorder resulting from usage of new technologies that are almost inevitably connected to internet, especially smartphones. It is a construct describing discomfort, anxiety and fear of being without smartphones that individuals who use them habitually experience. There are many factors that can exacerbate or mitigate nomophobia, consequentially causing changes in daily habits and behaviours. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore how nomophobic behaviours contribute to everyday adult life, especially related to work. In detail, 172 individuals currently employed in Italy and at least 18 years old participated in online survey that consisted of five scales: nomophobia, career satisfaction, burnout, work-life balance and life satisfaction. The results pointed out that nomophobia was significantly associated only with burnout, not with other variables. Additionally, work-life balance fully mediated the relationship between burnout and career satisfaction. Finally, no significant gender differences in nomophobia were observed, suggesting that nomophobia may affect men and women similarly. Limitations, future directions and practical implications were discussed.