The influence of smartphone addiction on sleep quality among college students: The parallel mediating roles of perceived stress and health-promoting lifestyle

Objectives This study investigated the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep quality among college students, focusing on the parallel mediating roles of perceived stress and health-promoting lifestyle. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2025 among 2,317 students from Xuzhou Medical University using an online questionnaire. Data were collected via questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS 21.0. The study used the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Statistical methods included normality tests, descriptive statistics, and mediation analysis. Results A prevalence rate of 51.9% for sleep disorders was identified among the university student population. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality (r = 0.259, p < 0.01). Additionally, perceived stress (r = 0.408, p < 0.01) and health-promoting lifestyle (r = −0.182, p < 0.01) were identified as parallel mediators in this relationship. Mediation analysis indicated a significant total effect of smartphone addiction (SAS-SV) on sleep quality (PSQI) (path c = 0.0863, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.0730, 0.0995). Furthermore, a significant direct effect of SAS-SV on PSQI was noted (path c′ = 0.0325, 95% CI = 0.0188, 0.0461). The health-promoting lifestyle (HPLP) (path a1b1 = 0.0128, 95% CI = 0.0086, 0.0176) and perceived stress (PSS) (path a2b2 = 0.0410, 95% CI = 0.0332, 0.0491) were found to partially mediate the relationship between SAS-SV and PSQI, accounting for 14.83% and 47.51% of the total effect, respectively. These findings highlight the dual mediating roles of perceived stress and health-promoting lifestyle in the association between smartphone addiction and sleep quality. Conclusions Smartphone addiction negatively affects sleep quality, both directly and indirectly through increased perceived stress and reduced engagement in a health-promoting lifestyle. Interventions targeting stress management and healthy behaviors are recommended to mitigate these effects.