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Correlation Between Screen Time, Sleep Duration, and Stroop Effect Among First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students: A
Raju Panta1, Pedro Del Corral2, Summer Hales3
1Physiology and Pathology, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Melbourne, USA.
Cureus
|June 19, 2026
Summary
Screen time and sleep duration did not impact Stroop test performance in medical students. However, increased screen time was linked to reduced sleep duration, highlighting a common association between digital device use and sleep quality.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Sleep science
- Medical education
Background:
- The Stroop test measures selective attention and inhibitory control.
- The relationship between screen time, sleep, and executive function in medical trainees is unclear.
- Existing research on executive function in this context shows mixed results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between daily screen time, sleep duration, and Stroop test performance in first-year osteopathic medical students.
- To analyze Stroop performance using congruent reaction time, incongruent reaction time, and Stroop interference.
- To examine screen time and sleep duration using the EncephalApp.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 49 first-year osteopathic medical students (March-July 2025).
- Participants completed the EncephalApp Stroop test and an anonymous survey on screen time and sleep duration.
- Simple linear regression analyses were used to assess associations.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between Stroop interference and screen time or sleep duration.
- Higher average daily screen time (6.10 ± 3.12 hours) was inversely associated with sleep duration (past week: 6.93 ± 1.26 hours; past month: 7.04 ± 1.16 hours).
- A moderate association was observed between increased screen time and shorter sleep duration.
Conclusions:
- Variations in screen time and sleep duration were not linked to Stroop-indexed selective attention in this student population.
- Higher screen time was moderately associated with shorter sleep duration.
- These findings align with existing evidence on electronic media use and reduced sleep, suggesting that typical variations may not significantly impact Stroop performance.
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