Italian Adaptation of the No-Mobile-Phone-Phobia Questionnaire: Factorial Validity with the ESEM Technique and Population-Based Cut-Off Scores

Nomophobia is a multifaceted phenomenon characterized by fear and anxiety when individuals feel disconnected from their technological environment. Its assessment remains difficult due to limited tools and lack of empirically supported cut-off points. This study aimed to contribute to the Italian validation of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), testing a four-factor structure and establishing normative data by age and gender. Data were collected from 1447 participants. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) assessed different factorial configurations. A bifactor ESEM (B-ESEM) with a four-factor solution showed the best fit (CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06), offering a more accurate representation than the three-factor model. Scores were computed for the 1st and the 99th percentile and for each ventile; the 80th and 95th percentiles indicate risk and presence of nomophobia, respectively. Females scored highest across age groups, while older adults reported the lowest levels. These findings support the NMP-Q’s reliability and use in the Italian context.