The relationship between internet addiction, sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among secondary school students in Erbil, 2023-2024

Objective: This study aimed to show the association between internet addiction (IA), sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among secondary school students Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study design was used. Sample: A total of 557 students from four secondary schools in Erbil were selected using multistage cluster sampling Measurements: The questionnaires of this research contained socio-demographic data, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Y (PSC-Y) questionnaire. Results: Findings indicated that students displayed a mild IA, averaging a score of 42.9 +/- 19.18. Furthermore, the average sleep quality (PSQI) score was 8.95 +/- 2.75, indicating moderate sleep disturbance, and the average score for psycho-social problems was 27.78 +/- 13.29. Importantly, there was a strong and positive association between IA and psycho-social issues, as shown by a correlation coefficient of 0.31 (p < .001). Sleep quality was correlated with IA and psychosocial issues (p < .001, correlation values: .23 and .27, respectively) Conclusions: The study highlights the urgent need for health policymakers and nursing managers in Erbil to develop targeted interventions, such as awareness campaigns and digital well-being programs in school curricula, to mitigate the interlinked issues of IA, sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among students.