The effects of mobile phone addiction on bedtime procrastination in university students: the masking effect of physical activity and anxiety.

Purpose: Good sleep is one of the necessary conditions to ensure the normal performance of the physiological and psychological functions of college students. This study aimed to explore the relationship between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination among Chinese college students and the mediating mechanisms of physical exercise and anxiety between the two, with a view to seek ways to prevent and intervene in college students' sleep procrastination and improve their sleep quality.

Methods: Using SPSS 29.0 analysis with Bootstrap's method, 3,800 first-year students, sophomores, and juniors were given the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, Physical Activity Scale, and Anxiety Scale. The results of the analyses included mediation tests and effect analyses of anxiety and physical activity.

Results: The correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination (r = 0.149, p < 0.01) as well as anxiety (r = 0.497, p < 0.01). Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between mobile phone addiction and physical activity (r = -0.447, p < 0.01). Physical activity was also found to have significant negative correlations with anxiety (r = -0.506, p < 0.01) and bedtime procrastination (r = -0.424, p < 0.01). Furthermore, anxiety showed a significant positive correlation with bedtime procrastination (r = 0.334, p < 0.01). Physical activity and anxiety acted as substantial mediators between mobile phone addiction and nighttime procrastination. Both mediators had considerable masking effects, with the mediating effect amounting to 50.3% and 25.1%, respectively. Physical exercise and anxiety played a chain mediating role between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination, and the masking effect was also significant, with a mediating effect size of 13.4%.

Conclusions: This study reveals the special characteristics of the influencing factors and pathways of bedtime procrastination in this group of college students, providing targeted evidence for the prevention and intervention of bedtime procrastination in college students. It also has an important reference value for the effects of exercise and comprehensive intervention to improve bedtime procrastination and enhance the quality of sleep in college students.