Prevalence of digital amnesia, somatic symptoms and sleep disorders among youth during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: The proliferation of COVID-19 radically altered people’s daily routines over the last two years, particularly among young. Closures of schools and colleges resulted in virtual learning that increased reliance on gadgets causing digital dependency among youth. The prevalence of digital amnesia, somatic symptoms and sleep disorders among youth during this pandemic require considerable attention since it has not been addressed widely. Methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out among 326 youth aged between 18 to 25 years. Digital Amnesia Scale, Somatic Symptom Disorder-B Criteria Scale (SSD-12) and Sleep disorders Symptom Checklist (SDS-CL-17) were used to collect data from participants. Results: Significant positive relationship was found between digital amnesia, somatic symptoms and sleep disorders among youth. Youth differed significantly in their somatic symptoms based on demographic variables such as gender, family type and area of residence. Digital amnesia had significant impact on somatic symptoms through the mediation effect of insomnia and circadian rhythm dimensions of sleep disorders. Conclusion: Productive use of digital devices would help youth reduce digital amnesia. Practicing digital break/digital detox could also help them improve their cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects, as well as their quality of sleep.

Keywords

• Digital amnesia
• Google effect
• Somatic symptoms
• Sleep disorders
• COVID-19
• Youth