Adolescents’ Electronic Media Use at Night, Sleep Disturbance, and Depressive Symptoms in the Smartphone Age

Abstract

Adolescence is a time of increasing vulnerability for poor mental health, including depression. Sleep disturbance is an important risk factor for the development of depression during adolescence. Excessive electronic media use at night is a risk factor for both adolescents' sleep disturbance and depression. To better understand the interplay between sleep, depressive symptoms, and electronic media use at night, this study examined changes in adolescents' electronic media use at night and sleep associated with smartphone ownership. Also examined was whether sleep disturbance mediated the relationship between electronic media use at night and depressive symptoms. 362 adolescents (12-17 year olds, M = 14.8, SD = 1.3; 44.8% female) were included and completed questionnaires assessing sleep disturbance (short sleep duration and sleep difficulties) and depressive symptoms. Further, participants reported on their electronic media use in bed before sleep such as frequency of watching TV or movies, playing video games, talking or text messaging on the mobile phone, and spending time online. Smartphone ownership was related to more electronic media use in bed before sleep, particularly calling/sending messages and spending time online compared to adolescents with a conventional mobile phone. Smartphone ownership was also related to later bedtimes while it was unrelated to sleep disturbance and symptoms of depression. Sleep disturbance partially mediated the relationship between electronic media use in bed before sleep and symptoms of depression. Electronic media use was negatively related with sleep duration and positively with sleep difficulties, which in turn were related to depressive symptoms. Sleep difficulties were the more important mediator than sleep duration. The results of this study suggest that adolescents might benefit from education regarding sleep hygiene and the risks of electronic media use at night.

Prevalence of smart phone addiction, sleep quality and associated behaviour problems in adolescents

“…Present study found strong correlation between smart phone over usage and prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress, which is not consistent with results of previous study conducted by Lemola et al, did not find any relationship between smartphone ownership and symptoms of depression. 15 However, Hwang et al found that state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression were higher in the smartphone overuse group than in the normal use group among college students which is similar to results of this study. 16 Present findings on depression and anxiety are highly consistent with those of previous studies.…”

Impact of smartphone use on quality of sleep among medical students

“…Lemola et al reported that smartphone ownership was related to late bedtimes in adolescents but it was unrelated to sleep disturbance. 22 Various studies have reported that the addiction or overuse of electronic devices, Internet and smartphone are similar as for as their effect on sleep is concerned as they lead to exposure to either bright light of the screens or electromagnetic radiations or both.…”

Advancing a Biopsychosocial and Contextual Model of Sleep in Adolescence: A Review and Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Intriguingly, Lemola et al (2015) found electronic media use before bed to be associated with teens' depressive symptoms, with reduced sleep duration accounting for this association. Although the cross-sectional design precludes making causal inferences, these findings nonetheless point to the importance of considering adolescent-salient contextual factors when examining the concurrent and longitudinal link between sleep and depression.…”