Problematic Smartphone Use and Depressive Symptoms Among Moroccan Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Bedtime Procrastination

Background: Problematic smartphone use is associated with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depressive disorder, as well as with sleep disturbances. Bedtime procrastination has recently been identified as a potential explanatory mechanism of this relationship. However, few studies have investigated this link in the Moroccan context. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 113 Moroccan adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), problematic smartphone use with the Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version (SAS-SV), and bedtime procrastination with the Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BPS). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and a mediation analysis with bootstrapping. Results: The mean PHQ-9 score was 11.1 (SD = 5.5), with 61% of participants presenting at least moderate depressive symptomatology. More than half (57.5%) met the criteria for smartphone addiction. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between smartphone addiction and depression (r = 0.24; p = 0.012), between bedtime procrastination and depression (r = 0.32; p < 0.001), and between smartphone addiction and bedtime procrastination (r = 0.86; p < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that bedtime procrastination fully mediated the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression (indirect effect = 0.21; 95% CI [0.07 – 0.34]). Conclusion: Our findings confirm that the impact of smartphone use on adolescent mental health is primarily mediated through sleep disturbances. This study, one of the first conducted in Morocco on this topic, underscores the importance of simultaneously addressing problematic smartphone use and sleep hygiene in prevention and intervention programs targeting youth.