Abstract
Ongoing smartphone use links to heightened technostress. However, the content types of smartphone use are various, and little is known about which types of content use are significantly associated with technostress. This study aims to examine the impacts of specific types of smartphone use (i.e., learning-related use, entertainment-related use, social networking sites (SNS) use, and game use) on university students’ technostress, and looks further into the relationship between technostress and sleep difficulty. Empirical data was collected from 512 university students studying at two Chinese public universities and analysed using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that both SNS and game use are positively associated with technostress. Both of the relationships mentioned above are significantly influenced by gender, specifically, female students are likely to experience a higher level of technostress than male students. The use of smartphones for learning and entertainment does not contribute to technostress. In addition, technostress positively predicts students’ sleep difficulty. The nuanced findings of this study have practical implications for educators to intervene in university students’ smartphone use.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Abbasi, G. A., Jagaveeran, M., Goh, Y. N., & Tariq, B. (2021). The impact of type of content use on smartphone addiction and academic performance: Physical activity as moderator.Technology in Society, 64(C). https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v64y2021ics0160791x20313245.html
About, & WeChat. Retrieved from https://www.askci.com/news/chanye/20190516/1346051146282.shtml
Ahmad, U., Amin, S., & Wan Ismail, W. K. (2012). The Relationship Between Technostress Creators and Organisational Commitment Among Academic Librarians. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 40, 182–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.179
Al-Fudail, M., & Mellar, H. (2008). Investigating teacher stress when using technology. Computers & Education, 51(3), 1103–1110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2007.11.004
Alzahrani, A., Mahmud, I., Ramayah, T., Alfarraj, O., & Alalwan, N. (2016). Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to Explain Online Game Playing among Malaysian Undergraduate Students. Telematics and Informatics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.07.001
Ayyagari, R. (2012). Impact of information overload and task-technology fit on technostress. Proceedings of the Southern Association for Information Systems Conference, 18–22
Ayyagari, R., Grover, V., & Purvis, R. (2011). Technostress: Technological antecedents and implications. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 831–858
Bae, S. M. (2017). The relationship between the type of smartphone use and smartphone dependence of Korean adolescents: National survey study. Children and Youth Services Review, 81(C), 207–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.08.012
Bian, M., & Leung, L. (2015). Linking Loneliness, Shyness, Smartphone Addiction Symptoms, and Patterns of Smartphone Use to Social Capital. Social Science Computer Review, 33(1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439314528779
Boonjing, V., & Chanvarasuth, P. (2017). Risk of overusing mobile phones: Technostress effect. Procedia Computer Science, 111, 196–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.06.053
Cable, D., & DeRue, D. (2002). The Convergent and Discriminant Validity of Subjective Fit Perceptions. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 875–884. https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.87.5.875
Cao, X., & Sun, J. (2018). Exploring the effect of overload on the discontinuous intention of social media users: An S-O-R perspective. Computers in Human Behavior, 81, 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.11.035
Chisholm, R., Kasl, S., & Eskenazi, B. (1982). Job Related Tension in a Crisis Situation. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1982, 156–160. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.1982.4976512
Çoklar, A. N., & Sahin, Y. L. (2011). Technostress levels of social network users based on ICTs in Turkey. European Journal of Social Sciences, 23(2), 171–182
Derevensky, J. L., Hayman, V., & Lynette Gilbeau. (2019). Behavioral Addictions: Excessive Gambling, Gaming, Internet, and Smartphone Use Among Children and Adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 66(6), 1163–1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.008
Dong, Y., Xu, C., Chai, C. S., & Zhai, X. (2020). Exploring the Structural Relationship Among Teachers’ Technostress, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Computer Self-efficacy and School Support. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 29(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-019-00461-5
Dscout (2016). Mobile touches report. Retrieved 3rd November 2017. https://blog.dscout.com/hubfs/downloads/dscout_mobile_touches_study_2016.pdf
Duke, É., & Montag, C. (2017). Smartphone addiction, daily interruptions and self-reported productivity. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 6, 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.07.002
Edwards, J., & Caplan, R. (1998). Person-Environment Fit Theory: Conceptual Foundations, Empirical Evidence, and Directions for Future Research. Theories of Organizational Stress
Facebook Reports First Quarter (2015 (April, 2015)). Retrieved from Facebook Investor Relations website: http://investor.fb.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=908022
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Sage CA
Foulkes, L., McMillan, D., & Gregory, A. M. (2019). A bad night’s sleep on campus: An interview study of first-year university students with poor sleep quality. Sleep Health, 5(3), 280–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2019.01.003
Gardani, M., Bradford, D. R. R., Russell, K., Allan, S., Beattie, L., Ellis, J. G., & Akram, U. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of poor sleep, insomnia symptoms and stress in undergraduate students. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 61, 101565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101565
Goggin, G. (2014). Facebook’s mobile career. New Media & Society, 16(7), 1068–1086. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814543996
Hou, J., Nam, Y., Peng, W., & Lee, K. M. (2012). Effects of screen size, viewing angle, and players’ immersion tendencies on game experience. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 617–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.11.007
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural equation modeling: a multidisciplinary journal, 6(1), 1–55
Hsiao, K. L. (2017). Compulsive mobile application usage and technostress: The role of personality traits. Online Information Review, 41, 272–295. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2016-0091
Hsiao, K. L., Shu, Y., & Huang, T. C. (2017). Exploring the effect of compulsive social app usage on technostress and academic performance: Perspectives from personality traits. Telematics and Informatics, 34(2), 679–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.11.001
Hwang, I., & Cha, O. (2018). Examining technostress creators and role stress as potential threats to employees’ information security compliance. Computers in Human Behavior, 81, 282–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.022
iiMedia-Research (2018). 2018 Chinese college students online leisure entertainment behavior monitoring analysis report. Retrieved from https://www.iimedia.cn/c400/62969.html
Jackson, L. A., von Eye, A., Fitzgerald, H. E., Witt, E. A., & Zhao, Y. (2011). Internet use, videogame playing and cell phone use as predictors of children’s body mass index (BMI), body weight, academic performance, and social and overall self-esteem. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1), 599–604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.10.019
Jena, R. K. (2015). Technostress in ICT enabled collaborative learning environment: An empirical study among Indian academician. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 1116–1123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.020
Jena, R., & Mahanti, P. (2014). An Empirical study of Technostress among Indian Academicians. International Journal of Education and Learning, 3, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.14257/ijel.2014.3.2.01
Jeong, S. H., Kim, H., Yum, J. Y., & Hwang, Y. (2016). What type of content are smartphone users addicted to?: SNS vs. Games. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.035
Junco, R. (2012). In-class multitasking and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2236–2243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.031
Kalmbach, D. A., Anderson, J. R., & Drake, C. L. (2018). The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. Journal of Sleep Research, 27(6), e12710. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12710
Lee, J. S., & Sylvén, L. K. (2021). The role of Informal Digital Learning of English in Korean and Swedish EFL learners’ communication behaviour. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(3), 1279–1296. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13082
Lee, Y. K., Chang, C. T., Lin, Y., & Cheng, Z. H. (2014). The dark side of smartphone usage: Psychological traits, compulsive behavior and technostress. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 373–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.047
Li, L., & Wang, X. (2021). Technostress inhibitors and creators and their impacts on university teachers’ work performance in higher education. Cognition Technology & Work, 23(2), 315–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-020-00625-0
Lin, T. T. C., & Chiang, Y. H. (2017). Investigating predictors of smartphone dependency symptoms and effects on academic performance, improper phone use and perceived sociability. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 15(6), 655. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMC.2017.10005647
Marchiori, D. M., Mainardes, E. W., & Rodrigues, R. G. (2019). Do Individual Characteristics Influence the Types of Technostress Reported by Workers? International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 35(3), 218–230
Miller, H., & Cuevas, J. (2017). Mobile Learning and its Effects on Academic Achievement and Student Motivation in Middle Grades Students. International Journal for Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning, 1, 91–110
Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J. R., Dave, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Grossman, J. C. (2019). Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. NPJ Science of Learning, 4, 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z
Owajeme, J., Ofua, Tiemo, A., & Pere_ware_ (2011). Technostress: Effects and Measures Among Librarians in University Libraries in Nigeria.International Journal of Digital Library Systems
Özgür, H. (2020). Relationships between teachers’ technostress, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), school support and demographic variables: A structural equation modeling. Computers in Human Behavior, 112, 106468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106468
Panda, A., & Jain, N. (2018). Compulsive Smartphone Usage and Users’ Ill-Being among Young Indians: Does Personality Matter? Telematics and Informatics, 35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.03.006
Qi, C. (2019). A double-edged sword? Exploring the impact of students’ academic usage of mobile devices on technostress and academic performance. Behaviour & Information Technology, 38(12), 1337–1354
Ragu-Nathan, T. S., Tarafdar, M., Ragu-Nathan, B. S., & Tu, Q. (2008). The consequences of technostress for end users in organizations: Conceptual development and empirical validation. Information Systems Research, 19(4), 417–433
Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2004). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling. psychology press
Song, Y., Sznajder, K., Cui, C., Yang, Y., Li, Y., & Yang, X. (2022). Anxiety and its relationship with sleep disturbance and problematic smartphone use among Chinese medical students during COVID-19 home confinement—A structural equation model analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 296, 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.095
Suh, A., & Lee, J. (2017). Understanding teleworkers’ technostress and its influence on job satisfaction. Internet Research, 27(1), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-06-2015-0181
Syahrin, M., & Ardi, Z. (2020). The Contribution of Mobile Game Addiction To Student Academic Procrastination. Jurnal Aplikasi IPTEK Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.24036/4.34370. 4
Syvänen, A., Mäkiniemi, J. P., Syrjä, S., Heikkilä-Tammi, K., & Viteli, J. (2016). When does the educational use of ICT become a source of technostress for Finnish teachers?Seminar.Net, 12(2), Article 2. https://journals.oslomet.no/index.php/seminar/article/view/2281
Tarafdar, M., Tu, Q., Ragu-Nathan, B. S., & Ragu-Nathan, T. S. (2007). The impact of technostress on role stress and productivity. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(1), 301–328
Tarafdar, M., Tu, Q., & Ragu-Nathan, T. S. (2010). Impact of technostress on end-user satisfaction and performance. Journal of Management Information Systems, 27(3), 303–334
Tarafdar, M., Tu, Q., Ragu-Nathan, T. S., & Ragu-Nathan, B. S. (2011). Crossing to the dark side: Examining creators, outcomes, and inhibitors of technostress. Communications of the ACM, 54(9), 113–120
Tossell, C. C., Kortum, P., Shepard, C., Rahmati, A., & Zhong, L. (2015). You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him learn: Smartphone use in higher education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(4), 713–724. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12176
Upadhyaya, P., & Acharya, V. (2020). Impact of technostress on academic the productivity of university students. Education & Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10319-9
Wang, X., Tan, S. C., & Li, L. (2020). Technostress in university students’ technology-enhanced learning: An investigation from multidimensional person-environment misfit. Computers in Human Behavior, 105, 106208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106208
Wei, R. (2008). Motivations for using the mobile phone for mass communications and entertainment. Telematics and Informatics, 25(1), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2006.03.001
Yanqing, L., Liu, Y., Fan, W., Tuunainen, V., & Deng, S. (2021). Revisiting the Relationship Between Smartphone Use and Academic Performance: A Large-Scale Study. Computers in Human Behavior, 122, 106835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106835
Young, B. J. (2000). Gender differences in student attitudes toward computers. Journal of research on computing in education, 33(2), 204–216
Yu, K. (2014). Inter-Relationships among Different Types of Person–Environment Fit and Job Satisfaction. Applied Psychology, 65. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12035
Zhai, X., Ye, M., Wang, C., Gu, Q., Huang, T., Wang, K. … Fan, X. (2020). Associations among physical activity and smartphone use with perceived stress and sleep quality of Chinese college students. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 18, 100323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100323
Zhang, X. (2021). Preparing first-year college students’ academic transition: What is the value of complementary web-based learning? Computers & Education, 172, 104265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104265
Zhao, G., Wang, Q., Wu, L., & Dong, Y. (2021). Exploring the Structural Relationship Between University Support, Students’ Technostress, and Burnout in Technology-enhanced Learning. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00588-4
Acknowledgements
This study was partially funded by the Hunan social science achievements Committee (Project Number: XSP22YBZ009). The authors would like to thank all the students who participated in the study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
None.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, Q., Zhong, Y., Zhao, G. et al. Relationship among content type of Smartphone Use, Technostress, and Sleep Difficulty: a study of University students in China. Educ Inf Technol 28, 1697–1714 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11222-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11222-1