Daily Screen Time and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among University Students in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the association between daily screen time and the self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression among university students in Pakistan, while exploring the analysis through the time-displacement hypothesis and social comparison theory. While the negative impact of excessive recreational screen use on psychological well-being has been established multiple times in high-income countries, the evidence in student populations from South Asia is limited and somewhat methodologically diverse, especially when connected to Pakistani students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students aged 18-24 years. Daily average time spent on screens was reported, including the duration spent on education, social media, or entertainment/gaming, and both the Urdu-validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were completed. The associations between total screen time, social media time, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were examined using hierarchical multiple regression, controlling for age, gender, sleep duration, and physical activity. The findings indicated a moderate positive correlation between screen time and both analytically expected outcomes: depressive symptoms and anxiety; and the association between screen time and depressive symptoms was partly explained by sleep quality. The findings are discussed in relation to converging and diverging results presented in the international literature, especially in recent years, large-scale critiques of the ‘screen time causes harm’ narrative, and implications for university counselling services, digital-wellness policy, and future longitudinal and experimental studies in Pakistan. 

Keywords: Daily Screen Time and Anxiety and Depression symptoms among University Students in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study