Association of Internet Addiction and Gaming Disorder with Sleep Quality Among University Students: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Problematic Internet use and online gaming are increasingly reported among university students and may adversely affect sleep quality. AIM: The aim of the study was to examine the association of internet addiction and gaming disorder with sleep quality among university students. METHODS: This institution-based cross-sectional study included 217 undergraduate students from a university in Western Uttar Pradesh. Internet addiction was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test, gaming disorder risk using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, and sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Poor sleep quality was defined as PSQI >5. Associations were analyzed using Spearman's correlation, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-square/Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic regression. RESULTS: At least mild internet addiction was present in 137 (63.1%) students, and moderate-to-high gaming-related risk was present in 114 (52.5%). Poor sleep quality was observed in 156 (71.9%) students. Internet addiction score showed a significant positive correlation with PSQI total score (rho = 0.345, P < 0.001) and a significant negative correlation with sleep duration (rho = -0.284, P < 0.001). Gaming disorder score was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (rho = -0.176, P = 0.0097) but not with PSQI total score (rho = 0.034, P = 0.620). In adjusted logistic regression, internet addiction remained independently associated with poor sleep quality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.027, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001-1.054, P = 0.043), while gaming disorder did not (aOR: 0.974, 95% CI: 0.907-1.046, P = 0.471). CONCLUSION: Poor sleep quality was common among university students. Internet addiction, but not gaming disorder, was independently associated with poor sleep quality after adjustment.