Technology Addiction, Sleep Disturbance and Physical Inactivity Among Psychiatric Patients

Corresponding Author:

Sayed Shahbal Imtiaz
Department of Psychology
International Islamic University
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tell: +923125622832;
E-mail: syedshahabal@gmail.com

:

Ali Ibrahim Noshili
Infection Prevention & Control Unit, Alhurrath General Hospital
Saudi Arabia

 

Received: 14-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. ijocs-22-57156; Editor assigned: 16-Mar-2022, PreQC No. ijocs-22-57156(PQ); Reviewed: 26-Mar-2022, QC No. ijocs-22-57156(Q); Revised: 28-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. ijocs-22-57156(R); Published: 31-Mar-2022, DOI: 10.37532/1753-0431.2022.16(3).231

Abstract

Background & Aim: The rapid expansion in the global prevalence of technology addiction suggests that it has vital role in the quality of sleep and physical inactivity. Current study investigated the increased use of technology is associated with increased rates of cardiac diseases to declines in physical activity. As well as quality of sleep and sleeping habits disturbed due to the internet and smartphone use on bed and in sleeping hours. People who are diagnosed with different psychological disorders, neglected from the assessment of technology addiction, whereas the health practitioners also ignore these kinds of vital roles in patient’s psychological health.

Method: This research was completed in 6 months from March 3, 2021, to September 3, 2021 with cross cultural research design. For the sample of 100 [(n=50 Males, n=50 females) (Islamabad=50, Makkah=50)] psychiatric patients, online-survey method was used with the help of purposive sampling technique. Five self-report measures including Internet Addiction Test, The Smartphone Addiction Scale, Pornography Craving Questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was applied for testing the hypotheses. The findings revealed that predictive role of Technology Addiction on Physical Inactivity positively whereas the predictive role of Technology Addiction on quality of sleep negatively. The findings empirically established that use of technology related psychological issues in clinical settings by clinicians is essential. As well as technology addiction is cause of reducing quality of sleep as well increasing in physical inactivity

Introduction

The modern era is derived from the life based on technology as every human now days connected with the internet with each other corner of the modern world. Through this human life is bound and heavily relaying on technology and internet. No doubt such advancements made human life easier faster than as it was in the past. But as usual many of the major issues also happened due to this. As excessive use of technology made human somehow addicted to this, which laid towards the internet and smartphone addiction as well.Human involvement in such issues triggered many of serious psychological issues which also effected human physical and physiological aspects as well. As medical scientists suggested 8 hours sleep considered as necessary element for health. Similarly on daily bases there is need of adequate physical activity to keep human physic and psyche in balance. While failure to get adequate sleep can lead towards insomnia or other sleep disorders as well the physical inactivity can lead towards the cardiovascular disease which is the among highest global health issues [1].

Addiction is a disease in which a person finds themselves unable to stop using a substance or engaging in a behaviour [2]. Although technology addiction is not currently included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), its symptoms are like that of another behavioral addition that is included in the manual, compulsive gambling. As with other impulse control disorders, tech addicts can experience short periods of time in which symptoms subside and long periods of time when symptoms are stronger. Technology Addiction includes; Smartphone Addiction, Internet Addiction and Porn Addiction [3].

Current study is established on the three major domains of the technology addiction, which are Internet Addiction, Smartphone Addiction and Pornography Craving and consumption [4]. The smartphones can distract us to a point where we are unable to achieve a state of flow at work [5]. Alton et al. (2014) found that interruptions as brief as 2.8s disrupted participants’ flow of concentration and led to increased errors on a sequence-based cognitive task [6]. Thus, smartphones with their visual and acoustic signals alerting the owner to incoming messages from social networks, etc. act as interrupters, which have the potential to hinder flow experience and may have an associated negative impact on productivity [7].

Experimental research of the Korot et al. (2021) showed the significant relationship between IA and psychiatric symptoms such as depression, obsessive compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism [8]. With longer use, more psychiatric symptoms occur.

Terms used in the literature to describe closely related phenomena include “Internet addiction disorder,” “pathological Internet use,” “problematic Internet use,” “excessive Internet use,” and “compulsive Internet use” [9]. Recent research has documented different patterns of prevalence of smartphone addiction throughout the world. For instance, smartphone addiction rates in European countries, like Switzerland, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom were 16.90%, 12.50%, 21.59% and 10% respectively. In contrast, smartphone addiction rates in the Middle East and Asian countries, like Saudi Arabia, India, and South Korea, were 48%, 55.70% and 35.20% respectively [10].

Several researched have indication of smartphone addiction’s harmful effects not only on the physical health like brain and eyesight, but also psychological and psychosocial effects as well [10]. As well as internet access is very easy for all range of ages which is leading towards the pornography and porn content as well. As google reported that Pakistan is on 2nd in this list in worldwide [11].

Smartphone addiction is observed across all age groups and other socio-demographic classes, diverse cultural and ethnic settings. Although, many surveys and studies have demonstrated the prevalence and risk factors of chemical addiction in Pakistan but there is paucity of empirical studies indicating the rates and predictors of non-chemical addictions [12]. Whereas, KSA also among top countries where everyone has access to the smartphone as 85% population of KSA is frequent smartphone user as suggested by Hasan et al., (2022) in their literature.

Porn addiction is considered a behavioral addiction that is characterized by an evergrowing compulsion to view pornographic content or material. Now, the tools available to feed a porn addiction have since evolved thanks to the internet and other technologies, allowing anonymous access to unlimited pornography at all levels of explicitness [13].

Adequate sleep is essential for growth hormone secretion that is required for normal physical development, particularly in adolescents. Previous studies revealed sleep problems in up to 51% of hospitalized patient in the Netherlands’ hospital. [14]. With the increasing popularity of smartphones together with all its advanced technology, the use of the smartphone before sleep has become a habit for adolescents that could prolong sleep latency and decrease sleep duration [15]. Of all the factors affecting sleep quality in college students, internet use is among one of the most prevalent. A previous study has shown that college students in Taiwan spend an average of up to 16.27 hour per week on the Internet. Furthermore, the sleep quality of over half of those students was found to be adversely affected using internet for chatting, playing games, and watching movies before sleeping [16]. Previous studies have already underscored the link between internet use and sleep quality. A study investigating the correlation between internet use and sleep in 380 medical students concluded that overuse of mobile phones and social networks could impair sleep quality [17].

Physical activity was defined in its broadest sense as any movement of the body caused by skeletal muscles resulting in energy expenditure [18]. This definition was chosen to encompass as many related physical activities as possible, such as exercise, fitness, resistance training, yoga, and so forth. The theoretical underpinnings of physical activity in relation to health and aging are well established. There are several biological mechanisms through which physical activity enhances health and prevents disease. Specifically, physical activity decreases heart rate, systolic blood pressure and myocardial oxygen requirements, while enhancing the endothelial function of blood vessels [19,20].

???Significance of the Research

Technology addiction has been a widely studied domain of research, but with an inevitable limitation, and that happens to be the narrow focus of such studies on the student population. The student sample happens to be widely distributed and heterogeneous in nature and ultimately such studies just give general outcomes related to the various factors studied along with technology addition. Just like that, recent research in Karachi University about internet addiction was also conducted on the sample of student [21]. As well as another study about Internet Addiction, Insomnia and Mental Health Problems, which was conducted by University of Punjab, its sample was also limited in university students [22].

Recent research from India based on Technology addiction among treatment seekers for psychological seems to address this limitation but no research study could be identified in Pakistan that has its focus on Technology addiction and its associated factors in the clinical settings comprised of both in and outpatient facility [23]. This research aims to overcome this shortcoming.

One reason for this gap can be that the cases of technology addiction either go largely unreported or, if reported, our clinicians and practitioners lack the clinical insight, expertise, and readiness to identify and assess these kinds of cases. As it has been observed that in clinical settings the practitioners largely possess screening and diagnostic instruments for depression, anxiety or OCD but do not seem to possess psychometric tools for the assessment of technology related addictions. This is an ironic situation because a study has concluded that in Pakistan, users of networking sites are tremendously increasing. Among Asia’s top ten internet using countries, Pakistan is ranked 7th with 17.5 million internet users and out of them 50% use online SNS. A cross sectional study amongst 412 medical students at Agha Khan university indicated that 74% of the sample was minimal addicts, 24% were moderate addicts and 2% were severe addicts. This research will also aid clinicians in identifying technology addiction as a contributing factor to various other psychological issues when it studies the presence of technology addiction in their patients [24].

This research also aims to identify and fill the gap existing in the Saudi Arabian and Pakistani literature pertaining to technology related addictions coupled with physical inactivity and sleep deprivation in clinical patients. The present research has included physical inactivity and sleep deprivation as mediators because when clinical patients become the victims of technology addiction, their physical activity tends to decline and according to a report by the world health organization a decline in physical activity and lack of exercise leads to cardiovascular diseases in clinical patients [4]. Lack of sleep and sleep deprivation also occurs since most people using technology devices in late resting hours, by lying on their beds thus disturbing their sleep cycles.

The concept of internet addiction having clinical roots will introduce a new trend in the attitudes of clinicians regarding technology related addictions.

???Objectives

•To access the prevalence rate of Technology Addiction in the clinical settings of Makkah and Islamabad. (Main objective)

•To investigate the to identify the predictive role of Technology Addiction on quality of sleep.

•To explore the predictive role of Technology Addiction on physical inactivity.

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