Sleep patterns, mobile phone use and psychological symptoms among adolescents in coastal developed city of China: an exploratory cross-sectional study

To better understand the interplay between mobile phone use, sleep pattern, and psychological symptoms, this study examined changes in adolescents’ mobile phone use and sleep associated with mobile phone demand. Also examined was whether sleep duration mediated relationship between mobile phone use and psychological symptoms among adolescents in coastal developed areas of China. A cross-sectional study which includes 3020 students was performed. Students completed general situation questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale, insomnia severity index, Epworth sleepiness scale, Beck depression inventory, self-rating anxiety scale, and mobile phone use questionnaire. Regarding the most time-consuming function, gender differences emerged, with more boys using game function, whereas girls reported higher use of surfing the Internet and music players. Regarding mobile phone use before sleep, for those who often used mobile phone before sleep, sleep duration was significantly shorter and sleep onset latency was significantly longer than those who either sometimes or never used the function except study (P < 0.05). Regression models revealed that mobile phone use before sleep was related to higher levels of depressive symptoms (β = 0.89, P < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (β = 1.22, P < 0.001). There was a significant mediation effect of the relationship between mobile phone use before sleep and psychological symptoms by sleep duration. Frequent mobile phone use before sleep was associated with significant adverse effects on multiple sleep parameters and psychological symptoms. Sleep duration may be a potential underlying mechanism behind the association between mobile phone use and health symptoms.