The impact of digital addiction and nomophobia on academic procrastination behavior among university students

The rapid growth of digital technology use among university students has led to maladaptive usage patterns associated with psychological and behavioral problems, such as digital addiction and nomophobia, which may increase academic procrastination. This study examined the effects of digital addiction and nomophobia on academic procrastination among university students and investigated the mediating role of digital addiction in the relationship between nomophobia and academic procrastination. A predictive correlational design was employed with a sample of 306 undergraduate students from a private university in Jordan. Data were collected using the Digital Addiction Scale, the Fırat Nomophobia Scale (FNS), and the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Structural equation modeling showed that nomophobia had a significant positive direct effect on academic procrastination (β = 0.240, CR = 6.77, p < 0.001), whereas digital addiction did not exhibit a significant direct effect (β = −0.013, p = 0.664). Mediation analysis revealed a full mediation effect, with digital addiction exerting a significant indirect effect on academic procrastination (β = 0.153, z = 4.51, p < 0.001), while the direct effect remained non-significant. Multiple regression analysis indicated that digital addiction was the strongest predictor of academic procrastination (β = 0.405, t = 4.95, p < 0.001), and the overall model explained 14.7% of the variance in academic procrastination (R² = 0.147). The structural model demonstrated acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.913, TLI = 0.925, RMSEA = 0.063), supporting the robustness of the findings.