The Relationship Between Internet Addiction, Sleep Quality, and Cyberchondria in Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of nursing students experience challenges related to internet addiction and cyberchondria, the intensification of health anxiety through excessive online health-related searching. Poor sleep quality may exacerbate the relationship between cyberchondria severity and internet addiction. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the associations between internet addiction, sleep quality, and cyberchondria severity in nursing students. METHODS: A web-based, cross-sectional, and correlational research design was used. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Cyberchondria Severity Scale, Internet Addiction Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Analyses were conducted using jamovi 2.3.28 software. Harman's single-factor test, descriptive analyses, correlation analyses, and mediation analyses were applied. RESULTS: Sleep quality was good in 41.7% of the 360 participants and poor in 58.3%. The level of internet addiction and the severity of cyberchondria varied according to good and poor sleep quality (Mann-Whitney U = -2.78, P = 0.06 and t = -3.10, P = 0.002, respectively). Mediation analysis showed that sleep disturbance mediated the statistical association between internet addiction and cyberchondria severity (β = 0.02, P = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that sleep disturbance may contribute to both increased cyberchondria severity and heightened internet addiction among nursing students, underscoring the importance of addressing sleep quality in this population.