Department of Psychology, SUNY Brockport, Brockport, New York, USA.
Psychological Science Department, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, USA.
Sleep Health. 2023 Aug;9(4):524-531. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.005. Epub 2023 Jul 16.
With such high rates of sleep and mental health problems among undergraduate students, understanding potential antecedents of these interrelated problems has emerged as a critical area of examination. One potential factor underlying these problems is problematic smartphone use, which is defined as excessive phone use, impulse control problems related to the use, and negative consequences stemming from these behaviors. Accordingly, the current study sought to examine how relative changes in problematic smartphone use might impact college students' sleep disturbance via their psychological functioning (ie, psychological inflexibility and anxiety symptoms).
The 2-wave (baseline and 2-month follow-up) online sample consisted of 385 undergraduates (81% female; M = 20.0, SD = 1.6), who reported problematic smartphone use, psychological flexibility, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbance.
Controlling for baseline levels of sleep hygiene, age, and gender, our model demonstrated a significant indirect effect from problematic smartphone use to sleep disturbance. Specifically, relative increases from baseline to the 2-month follow-up in students' problematic smartphone use predicted subsequent increases in psychological inflexibility, which predicted increases in anxiety symptoms, which, in turn, predicted increases in sleep disturbance.
Given the ubiquity of college students' smartphone use, the potential for problematic use remains high. Results suggest that the negative consequences of problematic smartphone use not only can include college students' mental health but also their sleep. With such high levels of college students suffering from mental health and sleep problems, clinicians and college administrators should consider the potential sequelae of the problematic use of smartphones.
由于大学生的睡眠和心理健康问题发生率如此之高，理解这些相互关联问题的潜在前兆已成为一个关键的研究领域。这些问题的一个潜在因素是有问题的智能手机使用，其定义为过度使用手机、与使用相关的冲动控制问题，以及这些行为所带来的负面后果。因此，本研究旨在探讨有问题的智能手机使用的相对变化如何通过心理功能（即心理灵活性和焦虑症状）影响大学生的睡眠障碍。
这项两波（基线和 2 个月随访）在线研究样本包括 385 名大学生（81%为女性；M=20.0，SD=1.6），他们报告了有问题的智能手机使用、心理灵活性、焦虑症状和睡眠障碍。
在控制基线睡眠卫生、年龄和性别水平的情况下，我们的模型显示有问题的智能手机使用与睡眠障碍之间存在显著的间接效应。具体来说，学生从基线到 2 个月随访期间有问题的智能手机使用的相对增加预测了随后心理灵活性的增加，这又预测了焦虑症状的增加，而焦虑症状又预测了睡眠障碍的增加。
鉴于大学生智能手机使用的普及，有问题的使用仍然存在很大的可能性。研究结果表明，有问题的智能手机使用的负面影响不仅包括大学生的心理健康，还包括他们的睡眠。由于如此高比例的大学生患有心理健康和睡眠问题，临床医生和大学管理人员应该考虑智能手机有问题使用的潜在后果。
