Distribution of Phantom Vibration Syndrome and Its Association on Psychological Morbidity among Medical Students, South India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5455/njcm.20211106050942Keywords:
Mobile, stress, anxiety, depressionAbstract
Introduction: With the advancement of cellular technology at its peak, the rise in obsession for mobile phone usage has ended up in psychological dependency towards it resulting in emergence of 'Phantom Vibration Syndrome', described by Mr. Robert D Jones in 2003 as a 'tactile hallucination of mobile phone vibration'. This study was conducted to estimate the distribution of phantom vibration syndrome among medical students using smart phone and its impact on level of stress, anxiety and depression.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted among 200 final year private medical college students in Kancheepuram district. A semi - structured questionnaire, including Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating score and Hamilton depression rating scale was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: Almost 74% of study population experienced phantom vibration syndrome (PVS). It was estimated that about 74% experienced moderate stress, 77.41% from mild anxiety and 45.16% from mild depression.
Conclusion: Excessive problematic usage of mobile phone has resulted in various disorders like phantom vibration syndrome, Phubbing, Ringxiety and Nomophobia that deals with psychological or socio-behavioral changes. By limiting mobile phone use in a productive way, these health-related problems can be avoided.
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