The relationship between cellular phone dependency and academic performance of students of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Background : Cellular phones can cause some inappropriate consequences, in addition to having wide applications. Due to the growing popularity of this technology among students, the current study aimed to determine the level of dependency on the cellular phone and its relationship with the academic performance of students  of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analysis study was conducted on students of the faculties of Paramedicine, Health and Nutrition at Lorestan University of Medical Sciences in the first semester of 2015-2016. Stratified random sampling was used. Data were collected using a Cellular Phone Dependency Questionnaire (CPDQ), the  psychometrics properties of which had been approved. Data analysis was conducted with  SPSS software and independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA and Duncan's post hoc tests. Results: The mean of cellular phone dependence score of students was 40.61 ± 8.08, which was at the average level. The findings of the study showed that 24.7 percent of participants had a weak dependency level, 51.3 percent were average, and 24 percent had a strong level. Furthermore, there was a significant inverse relationship between the cellular phone dependence score and the previous semester's grade point average (r = -0.19, p = 0.03) and overall grade point average (r = -0.2, p = 0.006). Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that cellular phone dependency causes a reduction in academic performance. Considering the increasing spread of cellular phones among students, performing of planning and controls is essential to prevent its negative consequences