Loneliness and problematic social networking sites use in young adults with poor vs. good sleep quality: The moderating role of gender

Despite the evidence of a relationship between loneliness, problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU), and sleep quality, associations between specific PSNSU symptoms and loneliness in individuals with poor vs. good sleep quality and possible gender differences have yet to be understood. We examined the relationships between loneliness and PSNSU symptoms (i.e., preference for online social interaction – POSI, mood regulation, deficient self-regulation, and negative outcomes), and possible moderating effects of gender for individuals with poor vs. good sleep quality. Seven hundred and sixty-three young adults completed an online survey including self-report measures of sleep quality, loneliness, and PSNSU symptoms. Individuals with poor sleep quality reported higher levels of loneliness and greater scores on all PSNSU domains than those with good sleep quality. Slope analyses revealed that in men vs. women with poor sleep quality, greater deficient self-regulation of social networking sites use was associated with lower levels of loneliness. Conversely, in men vs. women with good sleep quality, greater POSI was associated with higher levels of loneliness. Our findings showed that individuals with poor sleep quality are characterized by higher levels of loneliness and more severe PSNSU symptoms that may be the result of sleep disturbance-related metabolic, neural, and hormonal processes. Moreover, our results highlight gender differences for individuals with poor vs. good sleep quality which may help clarify the nature of the association between loneliness and PSNSU.