Data Sheet 1_Differential associations of the timing and amount of social media use with sleep quality and academic performance among undergraduate medical and dental students in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.docx

Conversely, each one-category increase in total daily use was associated with examination scores that were 1.40 percentage points lower (B = −1.404, 95% CI −2.053 to −0.756, p < 0.001). The classification of platform-derived purpose was not associated with either outcome; however, a secondary measure of purpose, the proportion of use devoted to academic work, was associated with a higher examination percentage (B = 2.148, 95% CI 1.513 to 2.782, p < 0.001).

Thus, conclusions about purpose depended on how it was measured. Nocturnal checking was not associated with either outcome. Fitting both outcomes in a single model supported outcome specificity, most clearly for pre-sleep use (difference in standardized β = −0.271, p = 0.006; total daily use, 0.235, p = 0.023).</p>Conclusion<p>Sleep quality was primarily associated with when social media was used, while examination performance was related to how much social media was used.

These exploratory associations from a convenience sample cannot establish causal direction, apply to the participating institutions rather than to Pakistani students generally, and require replication with prospective designs and objective measures in future studies.</p>