Longitudinal associations between different types of screen use and depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents

Abstract

BackgroundEvidence examining the longitudinal associations between different types of screen behaviours and mental health among adolescents is limited. The present study examined the association between five types of screen behaviours and symptoms of anxiety and depression one year later. This study also assessed how changes in screen time were associated with changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms and whether the observed relationships were moderated by sex.MethodsLongitudinal data of 17,174 students in grades 9–12 (53.5% females; mean age: 15.1 ± 0.9 years) attending high schools in Canada from two waves (year 6: 2017/18, year 7: 2018/19) of the COMPASS study were analyzed. Leisure screen time and mental health measures were self-reported. To test if the associations between screen time and anxiety, and depression vary by sex, two-way interactions were examined for sex. Analyses accounted for school clustering, race/ethnicity, sex, age, income, body mass index z-score, and previous year anxiety and depression symptoms.ResultsThere were significant longitudinal associations between time spent on each type of screen and subsequent anxiety and depression symptoms. The strength of the associations varied by type of screen behaviour. Interaction analysis indicated a sex difference for television viewing and anxiety and depression symptoms, and internet surfing and anxiety symptoms. A dose-response relationship was observed between phone talking and anxiety symptoms. Beta estimates indicated that an increase in screen duration was associated with a further increase in anxiety and depression symptoms.ConclusionHigher screen time was longitudinally associated with higher anxiety and depression symptoms at one-year follow-up in adolescents. Time-change associations between screen usage and depressive and anxiety symptoms were observed. Also, associations differed based on sex and scree-type, whereby greater increases in screen use predicted greater emotional distress. Findings from this prospective analysis suggest that screen time is an important determinant of anxiety and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Future studies are recommended to help inform programs promoting screen time reduction with a goal to enhance adolescents’ mental health.

Parental Mental Health, Gender, and Lifestyle Effects on Post-Pandemic Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Problems: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Northern Italy

“…Fifth, the high level of digital media use among children and adolescents is an ongoing concern. Although its use for educational purposes has also decreased since school closures and distance learning in South Tyrol [10,11], screen time for private purposes remains high and has been implicated as a significant predictor of mental health problems [43][44][45][46]. These non-pandemic-related items as well as sports behaviors were clearly associated with adolescents' mental health, suggesting that the best mental health outcomes are achieved by doing four or five days a week for at least 60 minutes of sports and using digital media for private concerns one hour or less per day.…”

‘There’s more to life than staring at a small screen’: a mixed methods cohort study of problematic smartphone use and the relationship to anxiety, depression and sleep in students aged 13–16 years old in the UK

“…While there is little debate of the role of smartphones on poor sleep, 6 7 there is limited evidence in longitudinal studies of the role in other mental health outcomes. 8 11 This may be explained by the phenomenon of problematic smartphone use (PSU), a pattern of behaviour towards smartphones similar to other behavioural addictions. 12 13 We might expect adverse health outcomes to relate to addictive behaviour towards smartphones rather than smartphone use, or screentime, in general.…”