Sleep Quality Mediates the Relationship between Internet Addiction and Psychological Distress among In-School Adolescents

Adolescent psychological distress is linked to internet addiction; however, the processes behind this association are still poorly understood. This study looked at whether sleep quality among in-school adolescents in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria, mediated the association between internet addiction and psychological distress (anxiety and depression). An ex post facto research design was used to select 405 students aged 12 to 21 years (M = 14.91, SD = 1.33) across six selected secondary schools and administered the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to gather data. The proposed mediation models were examined using PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Internet addiction significantly predicted depression (B = 0.11, β = 0.34, SE = 0.02, t = 7.234, p < .001) and anxiety (B = 0.07, β = .26, SE = 0.01, t = 5.25, p < .001) after sleep quality was included in the models. Higher internet addiction was associated with poorer sleep quality, and poorer sleep quality was associated with higher depression and anxiety. Bootstrapped indirect effects were significant for depression (B = 0.02, 95% CI [0.007, 0.029]) and anxiety (B = 0.01, 95% CI [0.005, 0.025]), indicating partial statistical mediation. The findings suggest that poorer sleep quality represents one pathway through which problematic internet use is associated with psychological distress. School-based interventions that address responsible digital use and healthy sleep routines may be useful for at-risk adolescents.