The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology of National Health Commission, Beijing, China.
Hospital Administration Office, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatrics Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Front Public Health. 2022 May 4;10:881074. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.881074. eCollection 2022.
Smartphone-based online education gained popularity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although recent studies have highlighted the association between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and mental health symptoms, the potential role of online learning in this relationship remains unclear. This study aimed o analyze the relationships between higher education modes, PSU, and related psychological symptoms in university students.
A total of 1,629 Chinese university students from five provinces completed a web-based questionnaire survey between March 2020 and October 2021. Demographic characteristics and learning conditions were recorded. All participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and Athens Insomnia Scale. Multiple regressions models and stratified analyses were used to examine the association between online education mode, PSU, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
The prevalence of PSU was 58.5%. Students who relied primarily on online learning had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (29.95% vs. 22.24%), anxiety symptoms (25.13% vs. 18.91%), and insomnia symptoms (75.89% vs. 70.27%) than those who relied on traditional face-to-face learning ( < 0.05). After adjusting for covariates, subjects with PSU were more likely to report depressive symptoms (AdjOR = 3.14, 95% CI = 2.26-4.37), anxiety symptoms (AdjOR = 3.73, 95% CI = 2.13-4.59), and insomnia symptoms (AdjOR = 2.96, 95% CI = 2.23-3.92) than those without PSU. Furthermore, the associations of PSU with depressive symptoms (OR = 4.66 vs. 2.33, for interaction = 0.015) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 6.05 vs. 2.94, for interaction = 0.021) were more pronounced in the online learning group.
Our study provides preliminary evidence that Chinese university students have serious smartphone addiction problems, which are associated with depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms. Online learning is found to exacerbate PSU and mental health problems. Our findings provide valuable information for targeted psychological interventions in the post-COVID-19 era.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间和之后，基于智能手机的在线教育变得流行起来。尽管最近的研究强调了智能手机使用问题（PSU）与心理健康症状之间的关联，但在线学习在这种关系中的潜在作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在分析高等教育模式、PSU 与大学生相关心理症状之间的关系。
2020 年 3 月至 2021 年 10 月，来自中国五个省份的 1629 名大学生通过网络完成了问卷调查。记录了人口统计学特征和学习条件。所有参与者都完成了智能手机成瘾量表-短版、患者健康问卷、广泛性焦虑症量表和雅典失眠量表。采用多元回归模型和分层分析方法，研究了在线教育模式、PSU 与抑郁、焦虑和失眠症状之间的关系。
PSU 的患病率为 58.5%。主要依赖在线学习的学生中，抑郁症状（29.95%比 22.24%）、焦虑症状（25.13%比 18.91%）和失眠症状（75.89%比 70.27%）的发生率更高（<0.05）。在校正了协变量后，PSU 患者更有可能报告抑郁症状（调整后的 OR = 3.14，95%CI = 2.26-4.37）、焦虑症状（调整后的 OR = 3.73，95%CI = 2.13-4.59）和失眠症状（调整后的 OR = 2.96，95%CI = 2.23-3.92）（<0.05）。此外，PSU 与抑郁症状（OR = 4.66 比 2.33，交互作用 = 0.015）和焦虑症状（OR = 6.05 比 2.94，交互作用 = 0.021）的关联在在线学习组中更为明显。
本研究初步证明中国大学生存在严重的智能手机成瘾问题，与抑郁、焦虑和失眠症状有关。在线学习被发现会加剧 PSU 和心理健康问题。我们的研究结果为 COVID-19 后时代的有针对性的心理干预提供了有价值的信息。
