TY  - JOUR
AU  - Magantor, Jamal
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/22
TI  - Digital Stress, Sleep Quality, and Emotion Regulation as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being Among Migrant University Students in the United Arab Emirates
JO  - OBM Neurobiology
SP  - 341
VL  - 10
IS  - 03
AB  - The proliferation of digital technology has introduced novel stressors that may disproportionately affect migrant adolescents and young adults, a growing demographic in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to investigate the associations between digital stress, emotion regulation, sleep quality, and psychological well-being (depression and anxiety) in this population. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted with 275 multinational migrant university students (≥18 years) residing in the UAE. Participants completed an online survey comprising the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short Form (ERQ-SF), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. The mean age of participants was 21.1 years (SD = 2.3), with 62.5% identifying as female. Significant positive correlations were found between digital stress (SAS scores) and symptoms of depression (PHQ-9; r = 0.58, p < 0.001) and anxiety (GAD-7; r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Poor sleep quality (PSQI scores) was also strongly associated with higher depression (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) and anxiety (r = 0.59, p < 0.001). Emotion regulation strategies showed varied associations, with expressive suppression being linked to poorer mental health outcomes. Multiple regression analysis revealed that digital stress (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) and poor sleep quality (β = 0.41, p < 0.001) were significant independent predictors of depressive symptoms, explaining 48% of the variance (R2 = 0.48, F(3, 271) = 83.1, p < 0.001). Digital stress and poor sleep quality are potent risk factors for adverse psychological well-being among migrant young adults in the UAE. The findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive, targeted interventions within university and community settings to mitigate the negative impacts of digital life and promote healthy coping mechanisms and sleep hygiene in this vulnerable population.
SN  - 2573-4407
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2603341
DO  - 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2603341
ID  - Magantor2026
ER  -