Epidemiologia do Uso de Internet numa População Adolescente e Sua Relação com Hábitos de Sono

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decades, the great technological development increased Internet popularity, emerging the concern about its overuse. The objectives of this study were to assess and characterize Internet use in adolescence, determine Internet addiction and clarify its association with sleep disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness.Material and Methods: It was performed an observational, cross sectional and community-based study. The target were students attending 7th and 8th grades, to whom was applied an online self-report questionnaire to assess sociodemographic features, Internet use, Internet dependence, sleep characteristics and excessive daytime sleepiness.Results: A total of 727 adolescents were included with a mean age 13 ± 0.9 years. Three-quarters of teenagers use Internet daily and 41% do it for three or more hours/day, mainly at home. The phone and laptop were the main devices used. Online games and social networks use were the main activities performed. Internet dependence was observed in 19% of adolescents, and it was associated with male gender, social networks use, mainly Twitter and Instagram use, self-perceived sleep problems, initial and middle insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05).Discussion: The results confirm the highlight that Internet has in adolescents routine, who prioritize in their use access to social networks and online games, using single devices, less subject to parental control.Conclusion: The Internet addiction rate observed and its association with sleep alterations and daytime sleepiness emphasizes the importance of this issue.

Adolescent internet addiction - role of parental control and adolescent behaviours

“…Following an update of the original suggested cut-off criteria [ 2 ], it was possible to define four categories of IA risk: normal range (0-30), mild addiction (31–49), moderate addiction (50–79) and severe addiction (80–100). However, as no clinical or empirical cut-off criteria for the IAT have yet been validated, studies have proposed an alternate categorisation including average Internet users (IAT 0–50) and Internet-addicted users (IAT 51–100) [ 3 , 16 ], which we have also decided to use. Regarding the IAT, the collected data produced a highly consistent internal reliability (Cronbach’s = 0.85).…”

“…The Internet has become such an integral part of our social, professional, and academic life, among others, that its excessive consumption has raised concerns about potential harmful health-related consequences [ 2 ]. It is estimated that nearly 75% of European adolescents spend up to 4 h a day on online activities [ 3 , 4 ]. Therefore, adolescents and young adults are at a higher risk of excessive use owing to multiple factors such as peer rejection and alienation [ 5 ].…”

“…It remains, however, consensual that IA is a problematic behaviour not to be ignored. Different scales have been used to assess IA, of which Young’s Internet Addiction Test is one of the most used and accepted [ 3 ]. Several studies using this scale have shown the negative impact of IA in adolescents’ psychosocial development [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Reorganização do autocomhecimento e adaptação psicológica na adolescência

“…Além disso, os adolescentes passam mais tempo com os seus pares, sozinhos no seu quarto ou na internet (jogando ou participando em redes sociais), e menos tempo com os pais, sob a sua supervisão ou de outros adultos (Ferreira et al, 2017;Smetana, Robinson, & Rote, 2014). Têm assim mais autonomia na gestão do seu comportamento e na tomada de decisões no seu quotidiano.…”

Validação Clínica da Versão Portuguesa do Questionário de Hábitos de Sono das Crianças (CSHQ-PT) em Crianças com Perturbações do Sono e PHDA

“…1 As perturbações ou distúrbios do sono atingem cerca de 25% das crianças em alguma altura da sua vida e podem estar subdiagnosticados. [2][3][4] Algumas populações, como as crianças com perturbação de hiperatividade e défice de atenção (PHDA), evidenciam maior prevalência de perturbações do sono do que a população em geral. 5 Estas perturbações podem ter impacto no desempenho cognitivo e académico das crianças, na regulação emocional e no comportamento, no risco de quedas acidentais e de obesidade.…”