Screen Time and Level of Perceived Stress Among Students of University of Peradeniya During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: In this digital age, the use of screens has become an essential part of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the use of screens, especially among students. This study aimed to find the association between screen time and the level of perceived stress among students of University of Peradeniya during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a pretested questionnaire consisting of the 18-item screen time questionnaire and perceived stress scale (PSS) questionnaire was distributed among all the undergraduate students of the University of Peradeniya at the time of the study, via email, and a representative sample (N = 387, mean age = 22.964 ± 1.818 years) was selected from the responses received. Results: Mean screen time was found to be 13h 27 min± 4h 52 min, and the most used screen type among males was laptop/computer, and among females, smartphone. The mean perceived stress of the sample was 20.499 ± 5.393. Spearman correlation for screen time and perceived stress showed a significant weak positive correlation (Spearman rho = 0.132, p = 0.009) between screen time and perceived stress. Neither screen time nor perceived stress was associated with gender [F (1, 385) = 1.05, p = 0.307]. Conclusions: Most students have moderate perceived stress, and the study shows a significant weak positive correlation between screen time and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was observed that perceived stress is not significantly deviate from pre-pandemic values. Longitudinal studies for assessing perceived stress are necessary to find a cause-effect relationship.