NONE 20260102085746350 wseas/wseas content-registration-form+ja@crossref.org content-registration-form WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON BIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICINE 1109-9518 2224-2902 Adriana Vilela Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas – ESPE, Rumiñahui Avenue S/N, Sangolqui, EC171103, ECUADOR Lorena Balseca Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas – ESPE, Rumiñahui Avenue S/N, Sangolqui, EC171103, ECUADOR Daniel Armas Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas – ESPE, Rumiñahui Avenue S/N, Sangolqui, EC171103, ECUADOR Diego Naunay Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas – ESPE, Rumiñahui Avenue S/N, Sangolqui, EC171103, ECUADOR With the aim of analyzing nomophobia in university students using advanced statistical modeling techniques, including structural equations (SEM) and multilevel analysis (MLM). A sample of 700 students was studied. A strong negative correlation between anxiety and self-esteem was identified (r =-0.915). The multilevel model showed that the variation in nomophobia levels between universities is minimal, indicating that individual factors have greater weight. The analyses revealed that anxiety (coefficient=0.037; p<0.001) and cell phone use (coefficient=0.020; p=0.018) are significant positive predictors of nomophobia, while self-esteem (coefficient=0.043; p<0.001) acts as a protective factor. On the other hand, variables such as digital infrastructure and institutional policies showed no significant effects. The SEM model confirmed these findings, explaining 19% of the variance of nomophobia. Ratifying the strong negative correlation between anxiety and self-esteem. 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