Sleep problems: Predictor or outcome of media use among emerging adults at university?
Abstract
The pervasiveness of media use in our society has raised concerns about its potential impact on important lifestyle behaviours, including sleep. Although a number of studies have modelled poor sleep as a negative outcome of media use, a critical assessment of the literature indicates two important gaps: (i) studies have almost exclusively relied on concurrent data, and thus have not been able to assess the direction of effects; and (ii) studies have largely been conducted with children and adolescents. The purpose of the present 3-year longitudinal study, therefore, was to examine whether both sleep duration and sleep problems would be predictors or outcomes of two forms of media use (i.e. television and online social networking) among a sample of emerging adults. Participants were 942 (71.5% female) university students (M = 19.01 years, SD = 0.90) at Time 1. Survey measures, which were assessed for three consecutive years starting in the first year of university, included demographics, sleep duration, sleep problems, television and online social networking use. Results of a cross-lagged model indicated that the association between sleep problems and media use was statistically significant: sleep problems predicted longer time spent watching television and on social networking websites, but not vice versa. Contrary to our hypotheses, sleep duration was not associated with media use. Our findings indicate no negative effects of media use on sleep among emerging adults, but instead suggest that emerging adults appear to seek out media as a means of coping with their sleep problems.
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People who have difficulty sleeping may subsequently spend more time using social media.
“Alternatively, those who have difficulty sleeping may subsequently spend more time using SM.”
From The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults (2016) · cites this paper as [37]
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- Authors
- Tavernier, R., & Willoughby, T.
- Affiliations
- Brock University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Tavernier, Royette
- ORCID
- Willoughby, Teena
- Venue
- Journal of Sleep Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-02-19
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 389-396
- ISSN
- 0962-1105 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2869
- OpenAlex
- W2115492841
- Cited by
- 190
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 17.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Sleep Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Keywords
- sleep disorders, media use, emerging adults, university students, television viewing, online social networking, sleep duration, direction of effect, longitudinal associations
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Sleep, Sleep Wake Disorders, Students, Television, Time Factors, Universities, Young Adult, Social Networking
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