Relationship between depression, smartphone addiction, and sleep among Chinese engineering students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Existing research has demonstrated that depression is positively related to smartphone addiction, but the role of sleep has not been discussed thoroughly, especially among engineering undergraduates affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. AIM: To evaluate sleep as a mediator of the association between smartphone addiction and depression among engineering undergraduates. METHODS: Using a multistage stratified random sampling method, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 692 engineering undergraduates from a top engineering university in China, and data were collected by self-reported electronic questionnaires. The data included demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between smartphone addiction and depression, while structural equation models were established to evaluate the possible mediating role of sleep. RESULTS: < 0.01; 95%CI: 0.024-0.059). The influence of sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction accounted for 18.42%, 28.95%, and 52.63% of the total mediating effect, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that reducing excessive smartphone use and improving sleep quality can help alleviate depression.