Multiple Screen Addiction and Mental Fatigue Among Adults Attending Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Problematic engagement with multiple digital screens may be associated with subjective mental fatigue. This study aimed to investigate this association among adults attending family medicine outpatient clinics. Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional study included 375 voluntarily recruited adults aged 18–65 years. Participants completed the 15-item Multiple Screen Addiction Scale (MSAS) and the Mental Fatigue Scale (MFS; items 1–14). Associations were examined using Spearman’s correlation analysis and multivariable linear regression. Results: The mean MSAS and MFS scores were 39.27 (SD 10.68) and 14.91 (SD 6.87), respectively. A moderate positive correlation was observed between MSAS and MFS scores (ρ = 0.443, p < 0.001). This association remained statistically significant after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and reported screen-use duration (B = 0.241; 95% CI 0.177–0.305; p < 0.001; adjusted R2 = 0.229). Internal consistency was high for MSAS (Cronbach’s α = 0.903) and good for MFS (α = 0.875). Conclusions: Greater problematic multiple-screen-use symptoms were associated with higher self-reported mental fatigue, independent of the measured covariates. These findings suggest that problematic digital-device use may be relevant to the assessment of mental fatigue in primary care. Further longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the temporal nature of this relationship.