Hyperconnectivity and sleep quality in Italian students: multidimensional preliminary Results

Background

Sleep disturbances and hyperconnectivity can impact psychological, physical, and social wellbeing especially in young adults, who are more prone to irregular daily habits and frequently exposed to internet-connected devices.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Savigliano Campus of the University of Turin. 91 undergraduate students filled a questionnaire collecting information on sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index – PSQI), Internet use (Internet Addiction Test – IAT), psychological wellbeing (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales – DASS-21 and Perceived Stress Scale – PSS), quality of life (QOL) (Healthy Days), and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire – IPAQ). Non-parametric tests were employed for statistical analyses.

Results

Participants had a mean age of 23.36 y.o. (s.d. 5.41), mainly females (81%). Despite sleeping on average 7.81h/die (s.d. 1.45), the average PSQI score was 6.82 (s.d. 3.10), with 54.9% of participants reporting a poor sleep quality (PSQ), 15.4% sleeping less than 7h and 19.8% having a bedtime later than 1:00 AM. Compared with the good sleep quality group, students with PSQ experienced a higher obesity prevalence (p < 0.05), shorter sleep duration (p = 0.041), higher depression (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.007), and stress (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003). 75% of the participants reported a mild/moderate Internet Addiction (IA), which was positively correlated with depression (Rho=0.222, p = 0.048), perceived stress (Rho=0.440, p < 0.001), a worse health perception (Rho=0.266, p = 0.016), and a higher number of suboptimal mental health days (Rho=0.249, p = 0.026). Being engaged in physical activity was negatively correlated with depression (Rho=-0.239, p = 0.023), stress (Rho=-0.232, p = 0.029), and reduced QOL (ps < 0.05).

Conclusions

Findings reveal critical issues for students’ wellbeing and mental health, posing the urgent need to clarify potential health risks, establish causation and assess biological impacts.

Key messages

• Despite sleeping on average more than 7 hours/die, an association between sleep quality and psychological wellbeing has been demonstrated in students. The latter was also correlated with internet use.

• Criticalities to students’ wellbeing were demonstrated, posing the urgent need to clarify the potential health risks for their health, establishing causation and potential biological impacts.