ArticlePloS one2021
Internet addiction and sleep quality among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational cross-sectional survey.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Investigating the mediating roles of psychological resilience and digital addiction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and mental health: a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Sleep quality and associated factors among university students in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- The prevalence and risk factors of mental problems in medical students during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Subjective sleep alterations in healthy subjects worldwide during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.Sleep medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Cyberchondria, Health Anxiety, and Sleep Quality: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study of Adults with and Without Psychosomatic Disorders.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Chinese Adolescents in Relation to Negative Life Events, Internet Addiction, and Sexual Abuse: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Evolving diagnosis and comorbidities of gaming disorder: Insights from psychiatry departments in five Chinese hospitals from 2018 to 2023.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Observational
- Exploring associations between problematic technology-dependent behaviors, physical and mental health, sleep quality, and academic procrastination among medical students.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Exploring the Link Between Caffeine Intake, Sleep Quality, and Restless Legs Syndrome Among Medical Students.Cureus · 2025Article
- Sleep quality and associated factors in Latin American medical students: a cross-sectional and multicenter study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Psychometric properties of anxiety sensitivity Index-3 among Chinese college students and its preliminary application among this population experiencing campus lockdown.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
- Sleep hygiene and sleep quality among yoga and naturopathy medical students in India: a multisite cross-sectional study.Frontiers in sleep · 2025Article
- Smartphone dependence, addiction, and insomnia among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2025Article
- Internet addiction and mental health: a cross-sectional study and mediation analysis in medical students with a psychiatric major.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Loneliness and mental burden among German medical students during the fading COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods approach.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Association between internet addiction and sleep quality in medical students: a longitudinal study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Cross-Sectional Study on Analysis of the Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Sleep Disorders among College Students in a Certain University in China.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2024Article
- The association between internet addiction and sleep quality among medical students in Saudi Arabia.Annals of medicine · 2024Article
- Association between internet addiction and musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian medical sciences students.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Prevalence and influencing factors of sleep disorders in medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
26 authors at 20 institutions in 13 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many people, including medical students. The present study explored internet addiction and changes in sleep patterns among medical students during the pandemic and assessed the relationship between them.
methodsA cross-sectional study was carried out in seven countries, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guyana, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and Sudan, using a convenience sampling technique, an online survey comprising demographic details, information regarding COVID-19, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT).
resultsIn total, 2749 participants completed the questionnaire. Of the total, 67.6% scored above 30 in the IAT, suggesting the presence of an Internet addiction, and 73.5% scored equal and above 5 in the PSQI, suggesting poor sleep quality. Internet addiction was found to be significant predictors of poor sleep quality, causing 13.2% of the variance in poor sleep quality. Participants who reported COVID-19 related symptoms had disturbed sleep and higher internet addiction levels when compared with those who did not. Participants who reported a diagnosis of COVID-19 reported poor sleep quality. Those living with a COVID-19 diagnosed patient reported higher internet addiction and worse sleep quality compared with those who did not have any COVID-19 patients in their surroundings.
conclusionThe results of this study suggest that internet addiction and poor sleep quality are two issues that require addressing amongst medical students. Medical training institutions should do their best to minimize their negative impact, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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