AUTHOR=Ma Yifan , Li Jingya , Zhang Meng , Zuo Tiantian , Kong Linghua , Yang Ying 

TITLE=Relationship between social anxiety and sleep quality in depressed adolescents: the mediating role of internet addiction

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1416130

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1416130

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>This study investigated the association between social anxiety and sleep quality and further explored the potential mediating role of internet addiction in depressed adolescents.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This study included 440 Chinese depressed adolescents (mean age = 15.0 years, SD = 2.0). Participants completed questionnaires, including Social Avoidance and Social Distress Scale, Internet Addiction Test, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. A structural equation model was used to analyze the association between social anxiety and sleep quality, with internet addiction as a mediator. Gender differences were examined by multi-group analysis.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Among participants, 61.8% reported poor sleep quality. The sleep quality was significantly different on the level of gender (<italic>p</italic> = 0.016), education level (<italic>p</italic> = 0.043), and family history (<italic>p</italic> = 0.002). Sleep quality was positively associated with social anxiety (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and internet addiction (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, internet addiction partially mediated the relationship between social anxiety and sleep quality, and the mediation effect ratio was 16.1% (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Finally, no significant differences were found in this mechanism.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>We concluded that both social anxiety and internet addiction were risk factors for depressed adolescents’ poor sleep quality. Social anxiety further affected sleep quality through internet addiction.</p></sec>