Prevalence and associated factors of smartphone addiction among caregivers of children with physical disabilities in Nepal: A cross-sectional study.

Authors

Shreesti Sharma, Rajan Bhusal, Sanjiv Prasad Khatiwada, Prakash Kumar Yadav, Bibek Banskota

Published in

Journal of public health research. Volume 15. Issue 3. Pages 22799036261480306. Epub Aug 14, 2026.

Abstract

Smartphone addiction is an emerging public health concern, particularly among caregivers experiencing chronic stress. Caregivers of children with physical disabilities may be especially vulnerable, yet research on this topic in low-resource settings like Nepal is scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction and identify its sociodemographic, psychological, and social determinants among caregivers of children with physical disabilities.
A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at the country's only specialized pediatric rehabilitation center in Nepal, a national referral hub providing comprehensive care for children with physical disabilities. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 227 primary caregivers. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years, primary responsibility for the child's daily care, and ability to complete a structured questionnaire. Exclusion criteria included caregivers with severe cognitive impairments or acute illness preventing participation. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire incorporating the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, t-tests, and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations between smartphone addiction and participant characteristics.
In this sample of 227 caregivers, 62.1% (n=141) screened above the SAS-SV risk threshold for problematic smartphone use. Significant determinants identified in multivariable logistic regression included female gender (AOR=5.83, 95% CI 1.58-21.45, p=0.008), unemployment (AOR=19.17, 95% CI 1.14-323.85, p=0.041), ethnicity (Brahmin/Chhetri: AOR=0.009, 95% CI 0.000-0.234, p=0.005; Janajati: AOR=0.015, 95% CI 0.001-0.420, p=0.014), chronic illness (AOR=0.009, 95% CI 0.000-0.514, p=0.022), frequent headaches (AOR=0.004, 95% CI 0.000-0.093, p<0.001), and occasional eye strain (AOR=0.081, 95% CI 0.009-0.748, p=0.027).
In this sample, a high proportion of caregivers screened at risk for problematic smartphone use, with female gender and unemployment associated with higher adjusted odds. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings are preliminary and hypothesis-generating, and further longitudinal research is needed before screening or intervention strategies can be recommended.

PMID:
42605257
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.