Internet Addiction and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness among Adolescents Attending Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background/Aim: Internet addiction is an emerging social problem which has been linked with psychosocial dysfunctions. Adolescents are more vulnerable with high rise of internet use globally. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common sleep disorder found in adolescents with associated social behavioural problems. The aim of this study was to determine the level of internet addiction and the effect it has on adolescent daytime sleepiness in Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in January 2026 among adolescents. The internet addiction test, Paediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and a self-administered questionnaire were used to obtain data. The dependent variable was internet addiction rate while independent variable was excessive daytime sleepiness and sociodemographic and economic characteristics of participants. Inferential statistics was carried out with a p value of < 0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 600 adolescents aged 10-19 years participated in the study. Females were 334 (55.7%). One hundred and sixty-seven (27.8%) students were addicted to the internet. There was a sex difference in internet addiction (p=0.0001) with more males (32.3%) compared to females (23.5%) reporting internet addiction. The prevalence of EDS was 40.2% and was higher among females (n=145, 43.4%) than males (n= 96, 36.1%) p= 0.04. Those with internet addiction were 8 times more likely to have EDS compared to those without internet addiction. (p= 0.0001, OR; 8.50, CI; 5.62-12.83). There was also a significant positive correlation between internet addiction and EDS, as the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) scores increased, the PDSS scores also increased (Spearman Rho=0.184; p=0.0001). Conclusion: The finding of this study highlights the negative impact of Internet addiction among adolescents. To address this issue, interventions that will enhance sleep hygiene as well as a greater offline participation with their peers both at school and at home is needed.