Comparison between problematic use of social media and YouTube to insomnia among Iranian adolescents: A mediating role of psychological distress

Elahe Jafari; Po-Ching Huang; Fatemeh Zanjanchi; Marc N Potenza; Chung-Ying Lin; Amir H Pakpour

doi:10.1177/20552076241261914

Comparison between problematic use of social media and YouTube to insomnia among Iranian adolescents: A mediating role of psychological distress

Digit Health. 2024 Sep 24:10:20552076241261914. doi: 10.1177/20552076241261914. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Elahe Jafari¹, Po-Ching Huang², Fatemeh Zanjanchi¹, Marc N Potenza^{3

4

5

6

7

8}, Chung-Ying Lin^{9

10

11

12}, Amir H Pakpour^{1

13}

Affiliations

¹ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
² School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁴ Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁵ Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA.
⁶ Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁷ Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁸ Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁹ Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹² Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹³ Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.

Abstract

Objective: Problematic use of the internet has been linked to emotional and sleep concerns, although relationships with specific types of internet use are less well understood. YouTube, as an online platform with video-watching features, may attract individuals to spend considerable time, for those experiencing problematic use be termed problematic use of social media (PUSM) or problematic use of YouTube (PUY). Therefore, the present study investigated relationships between PUSM/PUY, psychological distress, and insomnia among the Iranian adolescents.

Methods: An online survey comprising Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, YouTube Addiction Scale, Depression, Anxiety, Stress-21 Scale, and Insomnia Severity Index recruited 1352 participants.

Results: Results of Hayes' Process Macro showed significant correlations between the two types of problematic use and insomnia, with psychological distress as a mediator (unstandardized coefficient = 0.096 and 0.100).

Conclusion: The findings implied the effect of psychological distress in mediating the relationships of PUSM and PUY to insomnia.

Keywords: Addictive behaviors; YouTube; internet addiction; psychological distress; sleep; social media.