Influence of smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in university students: a cross-sectional study

Objective: This study examined the relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ((ADHD)) symptoms, smartphone addiction, and poor sleep quality in university students, and identified factors affecting ADHD symptoms. Participants: Data were collected from 197 students from March to June 2017. Methods: We adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Results: ADHD symptoms were positively correlated with smartphone addiction (r = .424, p < .01) and poor sleep quality (r = .313, p < .01). The regression analysis showed that academic achievement (ß =.128, p = .038), smartphone addiction (ß =.327, p < .001), sleep disturbance (ß = .197, p = .003), and daytime dysfunction (ß = .269, p < .001) were identified as factors significantly influencing ADHD symptoms, accounting for 31.1% of their variance. Conclusions: Interventions for university students with ADHD symptoms should involve the evaluation of these four factors as a multifaceted approach to reducing ADHD symptoms.