Psychosocial predictors of problematic internet use and quality of sleep among nursing students

Background and purpose: Internet use has increased in India and globally; every field occupies the internet, but excessive use leads to negative consequences, too. Students use the internet for various purposes, leading to dependence and problematic internet use. India has the second highest internet consumption; nursing students are no exception. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study examined internet use, sensation seeking, social support, coping, sleep quality, self-esteem, and smartphone use among nursing students in Jharkhand state, India. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 167 nursing students. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The statistical method was determined based on the normality test. Results: The current study shows that problematic internet use correlated with experience-seeking, boredom, susceptibility, disinhibition, adventure or thrill-seeking, smartphone addiction, Facebook intensity, and sleep quality index. It is also evident that their sleep quality index negatively correlated with family support and coping self-efficacy. Future studies need to look into various etiological factors of internet use, as there was no consensus for excessive internet use. Conclusions: There is a need to address problematic internet use at multiple levels, like academic institutions and family levels, to prevent dependency and promote healthy internet use.