Smartphone usage at bedtime: The effect of sleep–smartphone hygiene, trait anxiety, and FOMO on sleep quality

Abstract

The present study was aimed to examine the relationship of sleep–smartphone hygiene, i.e., the habits of smartphone usage in the sleep environment, with the sleep quality among students and whether this relationship could be explained through psychological factors. A total of 467 Israeli college students were investigated using five questionnaires, namely, Sleep–Smartphone Hygiene Questionnaire (SSHQ), Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs), Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a demographic questionnaire. The analysis of the collected data revealed positive Pearson’s correlations among sleep–smartphone hygiene, trait anxiety, FOMO, and sleep quality. The moderation model was observed to be significant, indicating that sleep quality could be predicted on the basis of sleep–smartphone hygiene, trait anxiety, and FOMO, which together explained 20% of the variance in the sleep quality. Trait anxiety was determined to be a moderating variable for the relationship between sleep–smartphone hygiene and sleep quality. These findings have important implications in understanding the effect of smartphone usage on sleep quality and developing an evidence-based intervention program for the students to cope with the impairment of sleep quality. It is recommended to design interventions that would address both behavioral change and the intrapersonal aspects such as trait anxiety.