Smartphone usage in adolescents – motives and link to sleep disturbances, stress and sleep reactivity

Abstract

Using a smartphone in bed (SPiB) before going to sleep is associated with sleep problems; however, it remains unclear whether it is not the duration but rather the individual motives behind the usage that cause the problems. This was studied in late adolescents. A total of 201 participants aged 16–21 years were questioned about their sleep and stress as well as their smartphone usage habits in bed and the reasons for this use. The Motives of Smartphone Usage Scale (MSPUS) was developed to measure motives behind phone use such as “use for entertainment”, “avoidance of worries”, “sleep aid” and “fear of missing out (FoMO)”. Sleep was analysed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Insomnia Questionnaire for Adults (IQA), and other parameters; stress was assessed with the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST). Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between the motives of usage, duration of SPiB and sleep parameters. Correlations with stress and differences in sleep reactivity were examined. The usage motives “entertainment”, “FoMO” and “avoiding worries” predicted a longer smartphone usage duration (SPiB-d). Sleep problems were associated with longer use in general, particularly to avoid worries, but less with use for entertainment. Adolescents with high sleep reactivity did not use their phone longer, but more often because of FoMO and to avoid worrying. What becomes clear is that smartphone use duration is not the main sleep-disruptive factor. Adolescents with sleep difficulties and stress seem to suppress worries and rumination by using their smartphone in bed. This problem-avoidant use behaviour should be considered in intervention approaches and, correspondingly, active problem-solving behaviour should be trained.