Impact of Social Media Addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder on Sleep Quality: Serial Mediation Analyses

• Published in: Psychiatric quarterly 2024-06, Vol.95 (2), p.185-202
• Main Authors: Krishnan, Arya, Chew, Peter K. H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictions; Adolescent; Adult; Behavior, Addictive - epidemiology; Female; Games; Humans; Hypotheses; Immunoglobulin D; Impulsive behavior; Internet; Internet Addiction Disorder - epidemiology; Male; Mediation Analysis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Procrastination; Psychiatry; Public Health; Sleep; Sleep Quality; Social media; Social Media - statistics & numerical data; Social networks; Sociology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0033-2720; 1573-6709; 1573-6709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11126-024-10068-9

Poor sleep quality is a concerning and prevalent consequence of social media addiction (SMA) and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Due to the lack of research examining how SMA and IGD lead to poor sleep quality, the current study aimed to understand the relationship between SMA and sleep quality, as well as that between IGD and sleep quality, through impulse control and bedtime procrastination. The study tested the hypotheses that higher levels of SMA and IGD would predict lower levels of impulse control, which would then predict higher levels of bedtime procrastination, leading to poorer sleep quality. A serial mediation analysis was performed with a sample of 221 participants (63.3% females, 34.4% males, and 2.3% prefer not to say) aged 18 to 53 years ( M  = 23.64 , SD  = 5.72). Participants completed questionnaires that assessed for social media addiction, internet gaming disorder, impulse control factor, bedtime procrastination, and sleep quality. There was a full serial mediation of impulse control and bedtime procrastination in the relationship between SMA and sleep quality, as well as that between IGD and sleep quality, providing support for the hypotheses. The findings provide the knowledge needed to develop and implement strategies that target impulse control issues and reduce bedtime procrastination to improve sleep quality.