SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AND POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: BEDTIME PROCRASTINATION AS A MEDIATOR

With the increasing prevalence of smartphone addiction among university students, understanding its impact on mental health and related behaviors is critical. This research aimed to examine the association between smartphone addiction and positive mental health among university students, with bedtime procrastination as a mediating factor. A total of 389 university students were recruited through purposive sampling from four public and private universities in the Lahore and Faisalabad divisions of Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected using four research instruments: the Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and Positive Mental Health Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Bivariate correlation results indicated that smartphone addiction was significantly positively correlated with bedtime procrastination and significantly negatively correlated with positive mental health. Additionally, bedtime procrastination was significantly negatively associated with positive mental health. Mediation analysis revealed that bedtime procrastination partially and complementarily mediated the relationship between smartphone addiction and positive mental health. While, smartphone addiction showed significant direct and indirect effects on positive mental health, with bedtime procrastination as a significant predictor. Similarly, smartphone addiction significantly predicted bedtime procrastination, while bedtime procrastination negatively predicted positive mental health. These findings highlight the importance of addressing bedtime procrastination in interventions aimed at reducing the negative mental health impacts of smartphone addiction among university students. Keywords: Smartphone Addiction, Bedtime Procrastination, Positive Mental Health, University Students.