The Relationship between Problematic Mobile Use and Sleep Quality among Nursing Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

Abstract

Background and Aims: Excessive and problematic use of mobile phones could have several negative effects on different aspects of students’ lives. The current study aimed to explore the relationship between excessive mobile use and sleep quality among nursing students by considering the mediating role of perceived stress. Material & Methods: The present study was descriptive with a correlational design. 138 nursing students (103 females, 35 males) were chosen through random sampling. The data collection instruments included Cell-Phone Over-Use Scale (COS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale. Pearson Product Moment Correlation, Independent Samples t Test, and Hierarchical Regression Analysis were run in SPSS (version 22) to analyze the data. Result: The mean of students’ mobile use, sleep quality, and perceived stress were 52.17±14.70, 11.8±2.69, and 22.60±6.45, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of the aforementioned variables among male and female nursing students. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that mobile use in the first model can predict students’ sleep quality (β=.38). Upon entering the perceived stress to the equation, β of mobile use decreased, indicating the incomplete mediating role of perceived stress. Conclusion: Problematic mobile use has not only direct adverse health consequences but also indirect negative effects on students’ sleep quality through perceived stress. The findings yield significant insights for parents, education practitioners, health specialists, and policy makers in making interventions regarding the excessive, problematic mobile use among nursing students.