Investigation of university students' exposure to phubbing and being phubbed

Aim: This study was carried out as an investigation of university students' exposure to phubbing and being phubbed. Method: The sample of the descriptive and relationship-seeking study consisted of students studying at a university located in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey (n=1005). The data were collected online by the researchers between September and October 2022 using the Personal Information Form, the General Exposure to Phubbing (GEP) Scale, and the General Being Phubbed (GBP) Scale. Results: The average age of the students was 20.41±2.02 (min=18, max=36). 71.4% of them were female students, 67.5% of them were studying at the faculty and 56.6% were in the first year. The mean GEP score of the students was 77.86±26.28 and the mean GBP score was 48.48±18.52. According to the results of the Pearson correlation test, which was conducted to determine the relationship between students' exposure to phubbing and being phubbed, a moderate, positive linear relationship was found between GEP and GBP (r=0.418, p=0.000). Conclusion: As a result, it can be said that the GEP and GBP status of the students are moderate. In addition, students who are exposed to phubbing may exhibit more phubbed behaviors. It can be suggested that healthcare professionals, who have an important role in improving public health, should conduct effective identification and awareness studies for university students, who constitute an important risk group in terms of phubbing.