Correlation Between Smartphone Addiction and Academic Performance Among Nursing Students of Private Institutes at Peshawar

Background: Problematic smartphone use is increasingly recognized among university students and may interfere with learning and academic activities; however, evidence regarding its relationship with academic performance among nursing students remains inconsistent. Objective: To assess the relationship between smartphone addiction and academic performance among nursing students enrolled in selected private institutions in Peshawar. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study included 103 sixth- and eighth-semester nursing students from Al Shahama Medical Institute and Rehman College of Nursing. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, smartphone-related behaviours, and self-reported grade point average (GPA). Smartphone addiction levels and GPA categories were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between total smartphone-addiction score and GPA, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Of 103 participants, 83.5% were male, 72.8% were younger than 25 years, and 71.8% were single. High smartphone addiction was reported in 56.3%, while 39.8% had moderate addiction. Good academic performance was observed in 47.6% of participants. Smartphone addiction showed a negligible negative correlation with GPA (r=−0.032, 95% CI −0.224 to 0.163; p=0.752). Conclusion: Smartphone addiction was common among the participating nursing students, but no statistically significant relationship with academic performance was demonstrated.