Screen Time and Sleep Quality Among Deaf Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study examined the connection of screen time with quality sleep among adolescents with hearing impairment. In the modern digital era, the screen time has become and crucial element of daily life that influencing individual health and behaviour pattern. This cross-sectional study investigates the connection between screen time and the quality sleep related functional outcome among deaf adolescents in Punjab Pakistan. The purposive sample of 202 hearing impaired students age ranging from 13 to 19 years, surveyed using the questionnaire for screen time of adolescents (QueST) and functional outcomes of sleep questionnaire (FOSQ-10). The results of study revealed the prominant negative correlation between excessive screen time and both general productivity and physical activity while there was a positive correlation found with vigilance. However, the overall screen time was not directly connected with the sleep but there is an indirect effect of excessive screen time observed. Moreover, adolescence who became hearing impaired after birth shows significantly higher screen time as compared to those deaf by birth. Additionally, the results showed the length of enrollment in specialized education was inversely effective screen usage, with shorter duration liked higher screen time while the longer duration in the specialized education linked with lower screen time. Moreover, vigilance, productivity, and activity level as a significant predictor of the screen time.