Citation

Tao S, Wu X, Zhang Y, Zhang S, Tong S, Tao F. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017; 14(2): e14020185.

Affiliation

Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health & Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China. fbtao@ahmu.edu.cn.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph14020185

PMID

28216583

Abstract

Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) is a risk factor for both adolescents' sleep quality and mental health. It is important to examine the potential negative health effects of PMPU exposure. This study aims to evaluate PMPU and its association with mental health in Chinese college students. Furthermore, we investigated how sleep quality influences this association. In 2013, we collected data regarding participants' PMPU, sleep quality, and mental health (psychopathological symptoms, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) by standardized questionnaires in 4747 college students. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to assess independent effects and interactions of PMPU and sleep quality with mental health. PMPU and poor sleep quality were observed in 28.2% and 9.8% of participants, respectively. Adjusted logistic regression models suggested independent associations of PMPU and sleep quality with mental health (p < 0.001). Further regression analyses suggested a significant interaction between these measures (p < 0.001). The study highlights that poor sleep quality may play a more significant role in increasing the risk of mental health problems in students with PMPU than in those without PMPU.

Language: en

Keywords

anxiety; cellular phone; cross-sectional studies; depression; sleep