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Association between quality of sleep and screen time during the COVID ‐19 outbreak among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates
Author(s) -
BaniIssa Wegdan,
Radwan Hadia,
Saqan Roba,
Hijazi Heba,
Fakhry Randa,
Alameddine Mohamad,
Naja Farah,
Ibrahim Ali,
Lin Naing,
Naing Yuwadi Thein,
Awad Manal
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/jsr.13666
Subject(s) - pittsburgh sleep quality index , screen time , covid-19 , medicine , sleep (system call) , sleep quality , names of the days of the week , univariate analysis , demography , gerontology , multivariate analysis , psychology , physical therapy , physical activity , psychiatry , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , disease , sociology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , operating system , cognition
Summary The COVID‐19 pandemic had a major impact on people of all ages. Adolescents' exposure to online learning is linked to excessive screen time on digital devices, which leads to poor sleep quality. This study aimed to investigate the association between screen time on different electronic devices and sleep quality among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates. This study was based on a self‐reported questionnaire, which was administered online to school‐aged adolescents (aged 12–19 years). The multicomponent questionnaire collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and screen time (minutes) on TV, TV‐connected devices, laptops, smartphones, and tablets on weekdays, weeknight, and weekends using the Screen Time Questionnaire (STQ). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors correlated with poor sleep quality. A total of 1720 adolescents were recruited from private and public schools (mean age 14.6 ± 1.97 years). The mean PSQI score was 8.09 ± 3.37, and 74.3% of participants reported poor sleep (cutoff score >5). Mean scores were highest for the sleep latency (1.85 ± 0.97) and sleep disturbance (1.56 ± 0.62) domains. The highest STQ score was observed for smartphones, with a median screen time of 420 min on weekdays and 300 min on weekends. Screen time related to smartphones on weekends ( p = 0.003) and increased screen time in bed ( p < 0.001) were significantly associated with poor sleep. Our results confirmed the correlation between sleep and screen time in adolescents. The results may inform educational polices that target screen time and sleep among adolescents during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic.