The relationship between internet addiction, sleep quality, and psycho‐social problems among secondary school students in Erbil, 2023–2024.

Objective: This study aimed to show the association between internet addiction (IA), sleep quality, and psycho‐social problems among secondary school students Design: A cross‐sectional, descriptive, and correlational study design was used. Sample: A total of 557 students from four secondary schools in Erbil were selected using multistage cluster sampling Measurements: The questionnaires of this research contained socio‐demographic data, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Pediatric Symptom Checklist—Y (PSC‐Y) questionnaire. Results: Findings indicated that students displayed a mild IA, averaging a score of 42.9 ± 19.18. Furthermore, the average sleep quality (PSQI) score was 8.95 ± 2.75, indicating moderate sleep disturbance, and the average score for psycho‐social problems was 27.78 ± 13.29. Importantly, there was a strong and positive association between IA and psycho‐social issues, as shown by a correlation coefficient of 0.31 (p <.001). Sleep quality was correlated with IA and psychosocial issues (p <.001, correlation values:.23 and.27, respectively) Conclusions: The study highlights the urgent need for health policymakers and nursing managers in Erbil to develop targeted interventions, such as awareness campaigns and digital well‐being programs in school curricula, to mitigate the interlinked issues of IA, sleep quality, and psycho‐social problems among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]