Smartphone addiction among Qatar University students: a cross-sectional study

Aims: The aims of this study were to: (I) estimate the prevalence of SPA among students in Qatar University (QU); (II) assess the correlation between daily duration of smartphone use (SPU) and SPA; (III) assess the relationship between SPA with (a) current Grade point Average (GPA), (b) psychological distress, and (c) students' perceived negative impact of SPU on their learning and academic performance, sleep at night, social activity, and physical and mental health. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study using a self-administered survey to address the aims of the study. An electronic survey was distributed to all QU students registered in the Fall 2019 in addition to a paper survey distribution to fifteen classes, selected at random from all colleges in QU. The survey used smartphone addiction scale (SAS) to measure SPA; General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28) to measure the likelihood of student having 'psychological distress'; ten statements to identify students perceived negative impact of SPU on academic performance, sleep at night, physical and mental health, and social activity; current GPA as a measure of academic performance. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear and logistics regression analyses were performed to analyses the data. The Study was ethically approved QU institutional review Board. Results: A total of 717 students participated in the study. The mean daily duration of SPU among students was 6.5 hours per day (SD= 3.7), and he prevalence of SPA was 59%. Duration of SPU in hours and SPA score (r=0.282, p=