Prevalence of smartphone addiction and its effect on psychological stress and quality of sleep among a sample of Egyptian physician

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

2 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.

3 The Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Personal mobile phones have become indispensable in our daily lives. In the medical field, the increasing use of medical applications has enabled healthcare workers to communicate and access useful information quickly. However, using smartphones at work can lead to distractions and mistakes during health procedures. The objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of smartphone addiction among physicians and to examine how smartphone addiction and psychological distress affect sleep quality in a sample of Egyptian physicians. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected information on demographics, smartphone addiction, sleep quality, and psychological distress through an online questionnaire. Data were collected through an online survey that target physicians. Results: The study included 176 Egyptian physicians. The mean age was 42.4 ± 6.3 years and 63.1% were female. The average smartphone addiction score was 22.4 ± 5.4. Nearly two-thirds of the participants (64.8%) show high levels of smartphone addiction. Physicians who did not walk regularly and those who did not typically eat healthy foods had significantly higher scores for both smartphone addiction and psychological distress. A significant positive correlation was found between smartphone addiction and psychological distress (r=0.423, p<0.001). Conversely, there were significant negative correlations between both smartphone addiction (r=-.168, p=0.026) and psychological distress (r=-0.443, p<0.001), and sleep quality. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that smartphone addiction among physicians has a detrimental effect on psychological distress and sleep quality. To mitigate the negative impacts of smartphone addiction, it is essential to promote strategies for reducing dependency on smartphones

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The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine
Volume 43, Issue 2
April 2025
Pages 135-141

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