{
  "abstract": "BackgroundLeisure-time sedentary behavior is strongly linked to poorer psychosocial wellbeing among adolescents. In Saudi Arabia, however, where adolescents have among the highest reported levels of screen-based media use, this association is notably under-researched. To address this gap in the literature, the current study investigated the association between leisure-time sedentary behavior and psychosocial wellbeing using the metrics of loneliness and anxiety-related sleep disturbance among Saudi intermediate-school adolescents.MethodsAdopting a cross-sectional research design, a stratified multi-stage sample of Saudi adolescents (N = 5,895; grades 7–9) was recruited from 40 public intermediate schools across five Saudi cities in 2019 using a modified Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Leisure-time sedentary behavior (a single self-report sitting/screen-time item) was dichotomized at ≥3 h/day (“high”). Loneliness and anxiety-related sleep disturbance were assessed individually and as a composite distress score (two items, 0–3 each, summed; distress = score ≥3). Logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, nationality, city, physical activity, and sleep duration, estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR), with standard errors clustered by school (N = 40) to account for students being sampled within, rather than independently of, schools.ResultsJust over half (52.2%) reported high sedentary behavior (≥3 h/day), which was significantly associated with composite psychological distress (aOR 1.55, 95% CI 1.33–1.80), loneliness (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.19–1.58), and anxiety-related sleep disturbance (aOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.38–1.94); crude and adjusted estimates were similar. An exploratory dose–response analysis showed a pattern visually consistent with a threshold, with odds rising significantly only beyond 6–7 h/day; the significant ≥3 h/day association was likely driven by this highest-exposure subgroup. Distress similarly increased with age from 14 onwards, and girls were approximately twice as likely to report distress as boys (aOR 2.09).ConclusionHigh leisure-time sedentary behavior was independently associated with loneliness and anxiety-related sleep disturbance among the sampled Saudi intermediate-school adolescents, particularly at the highest exposure levels. As the design was cross-sectional, these findings describe an association, not causation; longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to establish direction and to test whether reducing sedentary behavior improves psychosocial outcomes in this population.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Original Research",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Abdulrahman I. Alaqil"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohummed H. Alkhraiji"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zg2jjpk75jg3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.2000797",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6zg2jjpk75jg3",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2565"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.2000797",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "feed-journal",
      "medicine/epidemiology-public-health"
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  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-03",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zg2jjpk75jg3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T06:20:20Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.2000797",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "feed-journal:medicine/epidemiology-public-health",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Leisure-time sedentary behavior and psychosocial distress among intermediate-school adolescents in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study",
  "title_text": "Leisure-time sedentary behavior and psychosocial distress among intermediate-school adolescents in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-05T00:21:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6zg2jjpk75jg3",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Public Health",
  "versions": []
}