The Relationship Between Electronic Gaming Addiction, Sleep Disorders, and Social Anxiety Among High School Students

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the complex network of relationships between electronic gaming addiction, sleep disorders, and social anxiety among high school students in Bani Walid, seeking to address a research gap in the Arabic literature that has often examined these variables in isolation rather than collectively. Based on the global recognition of gaming disorder as a clinical condition by the World Health Organization and an awareness of adolescence as a sensitive developmental stage, the research sought to answer a central question regarding the nature of this triadic relationship and the potential for gaming addiction to predict sleep problems and social anxiety.

The study employed a descriptive correlational methodology to determine the extent and strength of the relationships between the variables. A stratified random sample of 350 male and female students (185 males, 165 females) was drawn from public high schools. The study used three reliable and valid scales: a scale for electronic gaming addiction developed based on WHO criteria (Cronbach's α = 0.88), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure sleep disorders (reliability = 0.84), and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (SASC-R) (reliability = 0.91). Data were collected in the field and analyzed using SPSS statistical software, applying methods such as Pearson's correlation coefficient, simple linear regression analysis, and the t-test.

The results revealed high and concerning prevalence rates: 23% of students fell into the "gaming addict" category, 41% suffered from a clinical sleep problem (PSQI score >5), while 35% showed high levels of social anxiety. Regarding relationships, statistical analyses revealed the existence of strong, positive, and statistically significant correlations: the correlation coefficient between gaming addiction and sleep disorders was 0.58, and between gaming addiction and social anxiety was 0.54. A moderate positive correlation (0.49) was also found between sleep disorders and social anxiety themselves. Most importantly, regression analysis showed that the degree of gaming addiction could predict approximately 34% of the variance in sleep disorder scores (β = .581, p < .001) and 29% of the variance in social anxiety scores (β = .544, p < .001). The results also showed significant gender differences in addiction levels in favor of males, while there were no differences in the level of sleep disorders or social anxiety between genders.

The study concludes that electronic gaming addiction is not a normal behavior but a central psycho-social risk factor strongly associated with physiological (sleep) and psychological (social anxiety) disturbances among high school students. The high predictive power of addiction suggests it can be considered an early warning sign for accompanying problems. The study concludes with a set of integrated recommendations for educational policymakers to integrate digital citizenship into curricula, for schools to implement preventive and counseling programs, for families to foster dialogue and establish healthy usage rules, and for researchers to conduct longitudinal studies and develop evidence-based therapeutic interventions within the Arab context.