Sleep Quality and Its Associations with ADHD Symptoms, Smartphone Use, and Social Support in University Students

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether university students differ in terms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, smartphone overuse levels, and perceived social support based on their sleep quality. The goal was to examine how common sleep problems in young adulthood may influence behavioral and social functioning by analyzing these three critical variables. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used, involving 311 university students aged 18–35 from a public university. Participants were grouped based on their self-reported sleep quality into “good” and “poor” sleep quality categories. Data were collected through an online survey including sociodemographic questions and three psychometric scales: the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (AADHDS), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0. Results: Students with poor sleep quality scored significantly higher in ADHD symptoms and smartphone overuse while reporting lower levels of perceived social support. Significant differences were observed in the SAS-SV subscales of preoccupation, loss of control, and neglect of other areas, as well as in the AADHDS subscales of attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity. All MSPSS subscales (family, friend, and significant other support) showed significantly lower scores among students with poor sleep quality. Conclusion: The results indicate that university students experiencing poor sleep quality tend to report more pronounced symptoms of ADHD, engage in more problematic patterns of smartphone use, and perceive lower levels of social support. These outcomes underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive intervention strategies aimed at improving sleep quality by targeting key areas such as attentional control, responsible use of digital media, and the reinforcement of interpersonal support systems.