How AI Use Ties to Stress and Sleep in Chinese College Students

Researchers wanted to see how university students in China use generative AI and whether that use links to feelings of worry, poor sleep, or low mood. They asked students from six schools across the country to fill out a questionnaire. Over two thousand forms were returned, and after checking for quality, about eighteen hundred answers were kept for analysis.

Using a method that looks for hidden groups, the team found four patterns of AI use and mental health. The biggest group, about forty percent, used AI in a balanced way and showed low risk. Another quarter felt anxious while relying on AI. Roughly twenty percent reported losing sleep because they used AI too much. The remaining fifteen percent had high scores on both AI overuse and stress indicators.

The study also measured how well students understand health information and how they manage their own learning. Higher scores on these two traits made it more likely a student fell into the low‑risk group. Statistical checks confirmed the questionnaire worked well, and the group solution was stable (entropy near 0.9). A network look at the items showed which symptoms were most central and which acted as bridges between AI habits and mental health.

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