Problematic internet use and subjective sleep quality among college students in China: Results from a pilot study

Abstract

Objective poor subjective sleep quality (SSQ) and problematic Internet use (PIU) were common among college students in China, but their prevalence and interconnections were understudied. Participants: 1040 college students (60.0% females), ranging in age from 16 to 26 (mean = 20.32; SD = 1.43). Methods: Participants completed a survey assessing their SSQ, PIU, and other covariates. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to test association between SSQ and PIU. Results: Around 46.8% of the sample reported poor SSQ, 17.3% was diagnosed with Internet addiction, and 64.3% were Internet overusers. Poor sleepers had 2.03 times greater odds (95%CI: 1.41-2.91) of being Internet overusers, and 3.25 greater odds (95%CI: 2.05-5.17) of being Internet addicts. Conclusions: Poor SSQ was strongly associated with elevated odds of PIU over and above the contributions of poor psychological functioning, substance use, and physical activity. Programs aimed at enhancing SSQ among college students should take reducing PIU into perspective.

Keywords:

• subjective sleep quality
• problematic internet use
• college students
• China

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the urban university in the northeast for providing funding for this study, and for all the participants who completed the survey.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of China and received approval from the Ethics Committee of the College of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, QW, upon reasonable request.

Authors' contributions

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Additional information

Funding

This research received funding from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (grant numbers 19 × 100040041 and BJ13000190104)

This was supported by School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Notes on contributors

Qian Wang

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Yujie Liu

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Baohong Wang

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Yang An

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Haolin Wang

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Yaya Zhang

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.

Komi Mati

As the manager of the project, QW contributed to the conception of the study, design of the protocols and questionnaire. QW and KM participated in data analysis and critical review of the manuscript. QW and YJL contributed to drafting of the manuscript. BHW, YA, HLW, and YYZ contributed to questionnaire design and data collection.