Associations among problematic smartphone use, depression, and sleep disturbance in Chinese college students: a three-wave longitudinal study

Sleep disturbance (SD) is highly prevalent among college students and has been consistently linked to depressive symptoms (DEP). Problematic smartphone use (PSU), increasingly common among young people, has similarly been implicated in sleep problems and psychological distress. Nevertheless, the longitudinal relationship between PSU and SD and the role of DEP within this association remain insufficiently understood. Using three-wave longitudinal data collected between April 2024 and April 2025 from 6,153 Chinese college students, this study applied a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) and cross-lagged panel network analysis (CLPN) to examine the bidirectional associations among PSU, DEP, and SD and identify core and bridge symptom nodes. At the between-person level, PSU, DEP, and SD were significantly and positively correlated. At the within-person level, increases in depressive symptoms consistently predicted subsequent increases in PSU and SD, whereas no stable bidirectional relationship was found between PSU and SD. CLPN analysis identified “Inattention,” “Withdrawal,” “Tolerance/Compulsive use,” “Daily life affected,” and “Early awakening” as core nodes with high expected influence, while “Concentration” emerged as a key bridge node across symptom domains. These findings suggest that PSU and SD may reflect behavioral and functional impairments associated with depressive symptoms rather than a stable reciprocal relationship. Depressive symptoms may be an important underlying factor in the co-occurrence of PSU and SD. These findings may provide useful implications for early screening and interventions targeting depressive symptoms, attentional/concentration difficulties, and addiction-related PSU symptoms to reduce the co-occurrence of PSU and SD and promote psychological adjustment and sleep health among college students.