Online Course Time and Wellbeing: Mediating Role of Psychological Distress and Insomnia and Moderation Role of Perceived Social Support

The extended duration of screen time associated with online courses may adversely impact the health and wellbeing of college students. This research aimed to investigate the indirect relationship between the duration of online coursework and the wellbeing of college students, considering insomnia and psychological distress as mediating variables, and to assess whether perceived social support could modulate both the direct and indirect relationships between online course duration and student wellbeing. A cross-sectional study was conducted in China utilizing an online survey targeting college students. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were performed using the PROCESS version 4.1 within SPSS 26.0. A total of 831 college students participated in the online survey. The duration of online coursework exhibited a negative correlation with wellbeing and perceived social support (r = − 0.095 to − 0.337), while it showed a positive correlation with insomnia and psychological distress (r = 0.358–0.420). Insomnia and psychological distress were found to partially mediate the relationship between online course duration and wellbeing, accounting for 31.9% and 38.9% of the mediating effects, respectively. Importantly, perceived social support was identified as a moderating factor in the relationship between online course duration and wellbeing, as well as in the connection with psychological distress (β = − 0.070 and 0.070, respectively, p < 0.05). The findings of this study indicate that insomnia and psychological distress serve as potential mediators in the relationship between online course duration and the wellbeing of college students. Additionally, perceived social support may play a crucial role in enhancing the wellbeing of college students.