Background: Smartphone overuse is associated with sleep disturbances among medical students. The present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its relationship to sleep quality among Taif University undergraduate medical students, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 372 medical students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used, and participants’ demographics were collected. The Arabic version of the Problematic Use of Mobile Phones (PUMP) scale was used to assess smartphone usage patterns, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess students’ sleep quality.
Results: Fifty-four percent of the students had smartphone addiction. First-year students, smokers, those who began using a smartphone for 1-3 years, those who spent more than 10 hours on the smartphone, those who used the smartphone for games, and those whose most frequently used Netflix had a significantly higher percentage of smartphone addiction. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that being a smoker, starting to use the smartphone for 1-3 years, and spending more than 10 hours on the smartphone were independent predictors (risk factors) of smartphone addiction. Of the students, 43.3% had poor sleep quality, with females, married participants, and those with higher mean PUMP scores having a significantly higher percentage. The correlation between PUMP and PSQI scores was found to be highly significant.
Conclusion: Smartphone addiction in this study was linked to decreased sleep quality and quantity. Health education campaigns are needed to raise students' awareness of the negative effects of smartphone overuse.
Key words: Smartphone, overuse, sleep, quality, medical, Taif
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