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Abstract
Introduction: The widespread use of technology and prolonged screen exposure have significant implications for sleep quality and mental health, especially among students.
Objectives: To measure daily screen time among students from different academic fields and assess its association with demographic variables, sleep quality, and mental health symptoms.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Isra University, Hyderabad, from August 2023 to February 2024 among undergraduate students. A total of 152 participants who provided informed consent were included, while those with diagnosed psychiatric conditions or sleep disorders were excluded. Data on demographics, daily screen time, sleep quality, and mental distress were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Standardized tools included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42) for mental distress. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS v22, assessing correlations between screen time, PSQI, and DASS scores (p ≤ 0.05, 95% confidence).
Results: Participants had a mean age of 20.59 ± 2.16 years; most were urban residents (87.5%) and day scholars (74.34%). Mean daily screen time was 5.85 ± 1.14 hours. Mean scores were: depression 13.34 ± 12.01, anxiety 11.17 ± 9.41, stress 15.32 ± 11.09, and PSQI 6.45 ± 3.48. Screen time showed significant positive correlations with depression (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), anxiety (r = 0.78, p < 0.01), stress (r = 0.83, p < 0.01), and PSQI (r = 0.75, p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Longer daily screen time is strongly associated with poorer sleep quality and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in undergraduate students.
Keywords: Screen Time; Mental Health; Sleep Quality; Depression; Anxiety