Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Quality in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of smartphone addiction and poor sleep in high school adolescents and to evaluate the relationship between phone addiction and sleep, together with demographic characteristics. Methods: A face-to-face survey was applied to 730 high school students in the Kahta district of Adıyaman, Turkey, between November 2021 and January 2022. The Smartphone Addiction Inventory-Short Form (SPAI-SF) was used to assess smartphone addiction, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. Results: The rate of smartphone addiction in adolescents was 41%, and poor sleep quality was 61%. When smartphone addiction increases, sleep quality decreases, and when sleep quality decreases smartphone addiction increases. Smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality were higher in girls compared to boys. As the parents’ education level and family income increase, the level of addiction increases, but sleep quality remain the same. We found that as age increases, the risk of smartphone addiction and the risk of deterioration in sleep quality increase. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality trigger each other in a vicious circle. The COVID-19 pandemic may have made smartphone addiction the most common addiction in the world. This addiction can increase the risk of substance addiction by impairing the quality of sleep in adolescents and lead to many physical, social, and mental problems. A multidisciplinary approach is vital for solving the problem.