Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Nov 9, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 9, 2024 - Jan 4, 2025
Date Accepted: Apr 4, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Exploring sleep quality as a mediator in Internet Gaming Disorder and executive dysfunction in a representative sample of adolescents
ABSTRACT
Background:
The link between Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) symptoms and executive dysfunction is well established. However, few studies have explored how sleep quality, which is known to be associated with both executive functioning and internet gaming, might mediate this relationship.
Objective:
To explore the contribution of sleep quality as a mediator between IGD symptoms and executive dysfunction.
Methods:
The current study used bootstrap structural equation modelling to assess the direct and indirect relationships between IGD, sleep quality, and executive dysfunction in a representative sample of 1000 adolescents (53.9% male), aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.52, SD = 1.64).
Results:
Indirect (i.e., mediation) effects indicated with 95% confidence that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between IGD symptoms and executive dysfunction.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that sleep quality may be an important intermediary mechanism by which IGD might contribute to executive dysfunction and provide basis for the development and implementation of strategies that target sleep issues in IGD. Prospective longitudinal research is needed to examine the directionality of the relationships between IGD, sleep quality, and executive dysfunction longitudinally.
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Copyright
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