Longitudinal relationships among physical activity, internet gaming disorder, and insomnia: a cross-lagged panel...

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and insomnia are highly prevalent and comorbid public health issues among college students. While physical activity (PA) is a recognized protective factor, the longitudinal dynamic interactive mechanisms among PA, IGD, and insomnia remain unclear. This study investigated the longitudinal bidirectional relationships among these variables, focusing on the mediating role of IGD between PA and insomnia.

A three-wave longitudinal study (3-month intervals) was conducted with 475 Chinese college students (aged 18.43 ± 1.71). Assessments included the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, the Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist, and the Athens Insomnia Scale. A cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was constructed, and mediation was tested using the bias-corrected Bootstrap method.

CLPM analysis revealed that: (1) PA was significantly and negatively correlated with subsequent IGD (T1→T2: β = -0.113, p < 0.001; T2→T3: β = -0.081, p = 0.029) and insomnia (T1→T2: β = -0.098, p = 0.003; T2→T3: β = -0.089, p = 0.003), whereas later-stage IGD was significantly and inversely correlated with subsequent PA (T2→T3: β = -0.123, p = 0.003), but the earlier-stage correlation was not significant (T1→T2: β= -0.052, p=0.175); (2) IGD was consistently and positively correlated with subsequent insomnia (T1→T2: β = 0.131, p=0.010; T2→T3: β = 0.137, p = 0.005), whereas insomnia was positively correlated with subsequent IGD only in the early stage (T1→T2: β = 0.132, p = 0.001), with the later-stage correlation being non-significant (T2→T3: β = 0.103, p = 0.055); (3) insomnia was not significantly correlated with subsequent PA (T1→T2: β = -0.030, p = 0.408; T2→T3: β = -0.065, p = 0.151); (4) T1 PA predicted lower T3 insomnia both directly and indirectly via lower T2 IGD (indirect effect = -0.005, 95% CI [-0.010, -0.002]).

longitudinal associations exist among PA, IGD, and insomnia. PA emerges as a key prospective protective factor, and IGD plays a significant longitudinal mediating role in the association between PA and sleep, providing practical insights for preventing IGD and insomnia through increased physical activity.