Prevalence of smartphone addiction and its effects on sleep quality: A cross-sectional study among medical students

AIMS: The study aims to assess the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its effects on sleep quality among medical students. STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was carried out by convenience sampling of medical students at a tertiary care hospital in South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) Edition, Text Revision axis I disorders research version was used for screening past and current psychiatric illness. A semi-structured pro forma was used to obtain demographic details. Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version was used to assess smartphone addiction in the participants. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh's Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: Among 150 medical students, 67 (44.7%) were addicted to smartphone usage. Despite the preponderance of male students (31 [50%]) being addicted, there was no statistically significant gender difference in smartphone addiction (P = 0.270). The PSQI revealed poor sleep quality in 77 (51.3%) which amounts to half of the participants. Smartphone addiction was found to be statistically significantly associated with poor sleep quality (odds ratio: 2.34 with P < 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among younger population is higher compared to those of contemporary studies. No gender difference in smartphone addiction could be made out in the current study. Smartphone addiction was found to be associated with poor sleep quality. The findings support screening for smartphone addiction which will be helpful in early identification and prompt management.