Abstract
An aim of this study was to evaluate the precision and reliability of the problematic mobile phone use scale in the context of Russia and to investigate the frequency and associated factors of problematic mobile phone use among university students. The survey included a random sample of 481 university students from Moscow, Russia. The dataset was randomly split into two groups in order to support exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). An EFA helped to build the five-component framework including social dissonance, emotional impact, cognitive impact, psychosomatic impact, and loss of control. The CFA validated this structure by obtaining favorable model fit indices. Both Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s (2013) omega coefficients for all subscales demonstrated a high level of dependability. The application of latent profile analysis revealed three clearly defined user profiles: high-risk users, moderate users with social concerns, and low-risk users. This study presents a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating problematic mobile phone usage in the Russian setting and provides significant insights into the complex and multifaceted nature of this phenomena. The results emphasize the need to implement focused intervention measures, especially for vulnerable populations, and add to the expanding repository of research on problematic cell phone usage in many cultural settings.