The association between internet addiction and sleep quality among medical students in Saudi Arabia

Sleep is one of the fundamental human needs, essential for maintaining a high quality of life and mental and physical well-being across all age groups. Poor sleep quality often stems from negative lifestyle habits, including excessive internet usage. Therefore, it is important to determine the prevalence of internet gaming disorder among youth in Saudi Arabia and to examine the relationship between internet addiction levels and sleep quality.

Data were collected from 338 medical students in the southern region of Saudi Arabia (mean age = 21.2 years, standard deviation = 3.29 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data analysis employed iterations, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, and ANOVA.

The results revealed that 21% of the participants exhibited severe internet addiction, while 31% displayed moderate internet addiction. Furthermore, the findings indicated a positive correlation between sleep quality and the severity of internet addiction. Sleep quality symptoms explained 75% of the variance in Internet addiction scores, even after controlling for demographic variables. Additional bivariate analyses revealed that individuals who spent six or more hours online daily were more likely to experience symptoms of poor sleep quality and exhibit a higher severity of internet addiction. Additionally, Men were more susceptible to developing internet addiction compared to women. Moreover, students with internet addiction tended to have lower academic achievements.

These findings, while exploratory, offer valuable insights into potential interventions, strategies, and programs for mitigating internet addiction and enhancing sleep quality among medical college students.