Rethinking Screen Time during COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Well-Being in Physiotherapy Students

Abstract

We do not just use technology; we live with it. Much more deeply than ever before, we are aware that interacting with technology involves us emotionally, intellectually, and sensually. As the popularity of the internet and digital devices grows so do concerns over their excessive use. This is worth drawing attention to, though, considering the widely established consequences excessive screen time can have on someone’s sleep, mental and physical health. This paper describes the pattern of screen use, sleep and psychological well being in physiotherapy students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The study also throws light on the fact that physical exercises could be a mediating factor for effect on sleep pattern and overall perception of well-being. A representative sample of 150 Physiotherapy students was surveyed to assess technology use, sleep pattern, mental and physical health through a self-reported questionnaire. Around 52% students admitted that excessive screen use has affected their sleep quality and linked it to sleeping problems such as reduced sleep durations with mobile phone use-awakenings. 48% of the students believe that excessive hours spent in front of the screen has affected their physical well being and 28.7% of students reported negative effects on their mental health. 65.27% of the exercising participants experienced beneficial effects due to performance of physical exercises and reported decreased sleeping complaints or mental health issues. The present study strengthens the existing scientific evidence for the negative impact of excessive screen time on mental and physical health while providing new insights on the digital media use during pandemic situation. In addition, this study also attempts to determine the mediating effect of physical exercise on ill effects of screen use.