Electronic Media Use and Sleep Disturbance in German Adolescents Aged 11 to 17 Years: A Focus on Insomnia

Abstract

Objective: Electronic media play an important role in the everyday lives of children and adolescents and have been shown to be associated with sleep problems. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between electronic media use and insomnia complaints (IC) in German adolescents with respect to gender differences in media use patterns and sleep problems. Design: Cross-sectional data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) was obtained from 2003 – 2006 for a total of 7533 adolescents aged 11 – 17. Methods: The assessment of IC and time spent using each type of electronic media (television, computer/internet, video games, total screen time, mobile phones and music) was included in a self-report questionnaire. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations between time spent per day with each media device and IC. Age, SES, anxiety/depression and medical condition werde considered as confounders in the adjusted model. Males and females were considered separately. Results: Males: Computer/internet use of ≥3h/d (AOR=2.56 , p<0.05) and total screen time of ≥8h/d (AOR=2.45, p<0.01) were associated with IC in users. Females: Listening to music for ≥3h/d was associated with increased odds for IC (AOR=4.24, p<0.05) compared to non-listeners. Conclusion: Everyday use of electronic media is variously associated with insomnia complaints in adolescents. Clinicians dealing with youths referred for sleeping problems should be aware of gender specific patterns of media use and sleep problems.