The Association Between Bedtime Procrastination, Sleep Quality, and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents: A Mediation Analysis

Background: This study investigated the relationships between smartphone use, bedtime procrastination, and adolescent sleep quality. Specifically, the study investigated whether bedtime procrastination mediates the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and sleep quality. Methods: A sample of 245 adolescents aged 13-18 participated in the study. The Smartphone Addiction Scale—Short Version, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and Adolescent Sleep–Wake Scale were used to assess PSU signs, bedtime procrastination, and sleep quality, respectively. In addition, smartphone usage habits were assessed through a purpose-built questionnaire. Results: It was found that 46.9% of the adolescents had PSU signs, they used smartphones for an average of 2.8 hours per day, 90.6% used smartphones in bed, they used smartphones in bed for an average of 4.9 days per week, and the average duration of smartphone use in bed was 2.3 hours per day. Correlation analyses showed that poor sleep quality was positively associated with the duration of smartphone use in bed, number of smartphone activities, PSU signs, and bedtime procrastination. The relationship between PSU and sleep quality is mediated by bedtime procrastination, according to mediation analysis. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the negative effect of smartphone use on sleep quality in adolescents. The results also indicate that bedtime procrastination may play a mediating role between PSU and sleep quality. Thus, interventions such as sleep hygiene targeting bedtime procrastination may improve adolescents’ sleep quality with PSU signs.