Can insomnia prevention alleviate problematic mobile phone use in college freshmen? A short-term prospective study at construct and symptom levels.

Previous research has tended to view problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) as a cause of insomnia. However, few studies have employed prospective designs to examine the reverse relationship at both the construct and symptom levels, particularly during the critical transitional period of the first year of university. Therefore, this study adopted a prospective two-wave follow-up design to investigate the longitudinal association between insomnia and PMPU, with the aim of informing health intervention strategies for university students. A total of 634 first-year Chinese university students (Mean age = 19.44 years, SD = 1.49) participated. Using cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM; construct level), cross-lagged panel network analysis (CLPN; symptom level), and Network Intervention Routing Algorithm (NIRA) simulations, we examined temporal relationships and identified intervention priorities. CLPM results showed that baseline insomnia significantly predicted subsequent PMPU three months later at the construct level, whereas the reverse pathway was not significant. CLPN identified three key symptom-level connections: distress due to sleep difficulties (ISI6) strongly predicted loss of control (PMPU3) and negative life consequences (PMPU4); and peer dependence (PMPU5) was negatively associated with daytime functioning interference (ISI4). Finally, NIRA simulations suggested that craving (PMPU1) was the most effective intervention target, whereas sleep maintenance problems (ISI2) represented the optimal prevention target. These findings underscore the role of insomnia as a precipitating factor for PMPU rather than solely as a consequence, and highlight the potential of sleep-focused interventions in preventing PMPU during the critical university transition period.