The drawbacks of Information and Communication Technologies: Interplay and psychopathological risk of nomophobia and cyber-bullying, results from the bullying and youth mental health Naples study (BYMHNS)

Nomophobia and cyber-bullying are of particular interest for their intrinsic interplay. This study aims to describe the association between the two phenomena. The data presented in this study derived from a large school-based population survey that included 2959 students in 12 middle schools in the (place omissed for double blind peer review metropolitan city of Naples, Italy). The survey included several questions for nomophobia phenomena (smartphone addiction (SA), Check the smartphone (CS), Phantom phone signal (PPS), and for cyber-bullying (victimization and perpetration). SA was associated with cyber-perpetration; CS was associated with both cyber-victimization and cyber-perpetration. PPS was associated with both cyber-victimization and cyber-perpetration. Correlation analyses confirmed the association of nomophobia and cyber-bullying with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Nomophobia and Cyber-bullying were widespread phenomena among adolescent population. Data on their interplay showed that nomophobia was associated with an increase in cyber-perpetration behaviours. Both phenomena are associated with emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems and total problems. Therefore these situations should be assessed and targeted carefully in their intrinsic relationship and potential impact on psychopathological risk. Information interventions are needed and psychotherapeutic treatments should consider these findings. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, the direction of the relationships remains uncertain and will require longitudinal and intervention studies to determine.