A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents

Attention control moderates the relationship between social media use and psychological distress

BACKGROUND

Research has suggested a potential link between social media use and psychological distress, though findings have been somewhat inconsistent. Importantly, relatively few studies have examined potential moderators of this relationship, and the majority have relied upon self-report social media use. The present study examined the potential moderating role of attention control, in the relationship between social media use and anxiety and employed an objective measure of social media use via smartphone data.

METHODS

Social media use was captured via participants smartphones over a one-week period. Inhibitory attention control was assessed via antisaccade task performance. In addition to a measure of psychological distress that was completed by participants (final n = 69, female = 35, male = 31, did not specify = 3).

RESULTS

Attention control, as indexed via total antisaccade accuracy, moderated the relationship between social media use and psychological distress. This relationship was such that those with lower levels of attention control showed a significant positive relationship between social media use and psychological distress, whereas no relationship was observed among those with average or high attention control.

LIMITATIONS

While capturing objective mobile social media data, future research could also benefit from incorporating usage data from computers and other devices.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study highlight a potential important factor that may alter the impact of social media use on emotional wellbeing. One possible implication of this finding is that heavy social media use may have problematic mental health consequences specifically for those who experience difficulties with attention control.

Heterogeneity of Prevalence of Social Media Addiction Across Multiple Classification Schemes: Latent Profile Analysis

Background

As social media is a major channel of interpersonal communication in the digital age, social media addiction has emerged as a novel mental health issue that has raised considerable concerns among researchers, health professionals, policy makers, mass media, and the general public.

Objective

The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of social media addiction derived from 4 major classification schemes (strict monothetic, strict polythetic, monothetic, and polythetic), with latent profiles embedded in the empirical data adopted as the benchmark for comparison. The extent of matching between the classification of each scheme and the actual data pattern was evaluated using sensitivity and specificity analyses. The associations between social media addiction and 2 comorbid mental health conditions—depression and anxiety—were investigated.

Methods

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted, and the replicability of findings was assessed in 2 independent samples comprising 573 adults from the United Kingdom (261/573, 45.6% men; mean age 43.62 years, SD 12.24 years) and 474 adults from the United States (224/474, 47.4% men; mean age 44.67 years, SD 12.99 years). The demographic characteristics of both samples were similar to those of their respective populations.

Results

The prevalence estimates of social media addiction varied across the classification schemes, ranging from 1% to 15% for the UK sample and 0% to 11% for the US sample. The latent profile analysis identified 3 latent groups for both samples: low-risk, at-risk, and high-risk. The sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values were high (83%-100%) for all classification schemes, except for the relatively lower sensitivity (73%-74%) for the polythetic scheme. However, the polythetic scheme had high positive predictive values (88%-94%), whereas such values were low (2%-43%) for the other 3 classification schemes. The group membership yielded by the polythetic scheme was largely consistent (95%-96%) with that of the benchmark.

Conclusions

Among the classification schemes, the polythetic scheme is more well-balanced across all 4 indices.

Mental Health Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Children and Adolescents: What Do We Know so Far?

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time in global history and has many emerging challenges and consequences. While much of the world was focused on the physiological effects and medical interventions or preventions, this article highlights the effects on pediatric mental health. While research is still ongoing, preliminary data suggest a significant impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of the pediatric population. This article hopes to highlight the underlying etiology for this effect and possible mitigations including emphasis on mHealth as well as the future of telemedicine.

Priorities for Future Research About Screen Use and Adolescent Mental Health: A Participatory Prioritization Study

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to identify research priorities for future research on screen use and adolescent mental health, from the perspectives of young people, parents/carers, and teachers.

METHODS

The study design was informed by the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership approach. A three-stage consensus-based process of consultation to identify research priorities using qualitative and quantitative methods. Research was guided by a steering group comprising researchers, third sector partners, clinicians, parents/carers and young people. A Young People's Advisory Group contributed at each stage.

RESULTS

Initial steps generated 26 research questions of importance to children and young people; these were ranked by 357 participants (229 children and young people and 128 adults). Consensus was reached for the prioritization of four topics for future research: (i) the impact of exposure to adult content on young people's mental health and relationships; (ii) the relationship between screen use and the well-being of young people from vulnerable groups; (iii) the impact of screen use on brain development; and (iv) the relationship between screen use and sleep.Additionally, young participants prioritized questions about online bullying, advertisements targeting young people, and the relationship between social media and specific mental health conditions. Research topics of interest arising specifically during the pandemic included the effects on adolescent mental health of exposure to constant news updates and online racial bias, and how young people take part in activism online.

CONCLUSION

These findings will enable researchers and funders to conduct research that is needs-oriented and relevant to the target audience.

Associations of depressive symptoms and perceived social support with addictive use of social media among elderly people in Turkey

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of addictive use of social media (AUSM) with depressive symptoms, perceived social support and demographic variables among people aged 65 years and older.

METHODS

People aged 65 years and older who use social media constituted the study sample. The data were obtained from social networking sites via Google survey link. Bergen social media addiction scale (BSMAS) for determining AUSM, Multidimensional Scale of Social Support for determining social support, Geriatric Depression Scale to identify depressive symptoms and sociodemographic data form were administered to the participants.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sample was 68.86 ± 2.0 years. AUSM showed significant differences depending on gender, marital status, economic status, educational level, settlement, occupation, and time spent in social media (P = 0.00). AUSM had correlations with both sub-dimensions of perceived social support and depressive symptoms (P < 0.01). In the regression analysis, it was found that the depressive symptoms, social support from family (P = 0.00) and from a significant other (P = 0.001) had significant effects on AUSM.

CONCLUSIONS

When evaluating elderly individuals with depressive symptoms, it is important to evaluate these individuals in terms of social media addiction. Interventions to improve social support systems, especially for older people with little perceived social support can help prevent the development of AUSM.

The light and the dark side of social media use: Depression, anxiety, and eating attitudes among adolescents

In the current study, we explored the links between social networking activity, eating attitudes (EA), anxiety, and depression among adolescents. We used a cross-sectional design. Our sample consisted of 532 males and females, aged 12 to 15 (M = 13.55, SD = 0.90), from the Eastern side of Romania. We analyzed our data using three different pathways to explore these relationships on the overall sample, as well as the at-risk for eating disorders (ED) group (n = 134), and the non-ED-risk (n = 398) samples. The results suggested that depressive and anxiety symptoms partially mediated the relationship between social networking and eating attitudes in the overall group and in the not-at-risk for ED group, but not in the at-risk for ED sample. When controlling for gender, social networking use partially mediated the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms and eating attitudes in the overall group and the not-at-risk for ED group, and a total mediating effect within this relationship in the at-risk ED sample was also found. In adolescents with symptoms of potential ED, social networking use seemed to have a protective role compared to the not-at-risk sample. The present study suggested that social networking use might increase the chances of developing unhealthy eating attitudes in adolescents who are not-at risk to develop an eating disorder, but, at the same time, it might play a protective role (instead of a harmful one) for adolescents who already developed such symptoms. Results are discussed concerning their clinical and practical implication for adolescents? physical and mental health, especially during the COVID?19 pandemic, and the potential protective role of social media use for adolescents with ED symptoms.

Impulsivity and Depressive Brooding in Internet Addiction: A Study With a Sample of Italian Adolescents During COVID-19 Lockdown

This contribution presents a study conducted on a sample of Italian adolescents (n = 411) in the period of the first COVID-19 lockdown. The study investigated the role and predictive weight of the impulsivity and depressive brooding variables on Internet addiction, using a hierarchical regression analysis. The participants were administered the Uso-Abuso e Dipendenza da Internet [Internet Use-Abuse and Addiction] (UADI-2), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). In terms of percentage distribution, 28% of the participants were in the full dependency range, while 34.7% demonstrated Internet abuse behavior. The results highlighted not only the predictive value of impulsiveness (β = 0.323) and ruminative thinking (β = 0.258), but also the role of gender (β = -0.205) on Internet addiction. Thus, male participants showed higher levels of Internet addiction, with higher scores on impulsiveness and brooding way of thinking. The study shows that the issue in question is significantly present among adolescents; in addition, not only targeted awareness programmes but also psycho-educational and clinical interventions to promote greater emotional and cognitive control would be necessary as a preventive and mitigating measure. Psychological interventions can help increase self-awareness, develop emotional regulation and impulse control, and correct maladaptive cognitions which in adolescents are mostly driven by a ruminative cognitive style.

What criteria are young people using to select mobile mental health applications? A nominal group study

Objective

The popularity of smartphone technology provides a unique opportunity to make mental health support widely accessible, especially among young people. Despite the promising results of some mobile mental health support applications, the overwhelming number of available applications (apps) on the market makes it difficult to make a choice that will be safe and effective. Currently, widely available tools are either developed by experts, without end user input or are solely based on usability rankings. Thus, it remains unclear what aspects of mental health apps are important for young people. The purpose of this study was to determine what criteria young adults use when they select mental health applications and what is the relative importance of these criteria to inform the development of a user-driven app-rating platform.

Methods

We conducted 4 group sessions with 47 youth and young adults aged 15-25 in British Columbia, Canada using a modified nominal group technique. This method allows for establishing the relative importance of criteria in a structured group discussion. We recorded, transcribed and analysed the resulting data using qualitative content analysis and quantitative methods.

Results

Criteria that are the most important to young adults when selecting mental health apps include accessibility, security and grounding in scientific evidence. We identified specific aspects of the discussed criteria which were ranked in the order of importance.

Conclusion

Consulting end users about their priorities when evaluating mental health apps ensures that their values and priorities are incorporated into future app-rating platforms, alongside expert opinions. The present study also outlines the common contexts in which apps are used as well as their desirable features to inform mental health app development.

The Rise of Functional Tic-Like Behaviors: What Do the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Media Have to Do With It? A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

There has been a rise in explosive onset of tic-like behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, this is an uncommon phenomenology of functional movement disorders across all ages. Both the psychological burden of the pandemic and social media usage have been implicated in the rise of these tic-like behaviors.

METHODS

This paper provides a narrative review of the literature on chronic tic disorders, functional tics, and mass functional illness with particular focus on the key distinguishing features, role of social media, and the role of COVID-19.

RESULTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the mental health of many individuals, including children, adolescents, and their caregivers. Implementation of lockdowns, lifestyle disruptions, school closures, and social distancing have driven a surge in social media and digital technology use. The combination of predisposing factors, the psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, and social media are implicated in the rise and spread of tic-like behaviors; which may represent a modern-day form of mass functional illness. While many of the features overlap with functional tics, there are emerging distinctive features that are important to recognize. A more encompassing term, Functional Tic-Like Behaviors, is used to better reflect multiple contributing factors.

CONCLUSION

Knowledge of these differences is essential to mitigate downstream health effects and poor outcomes.

The Paradoxical Relationship Between Health Promotion and the Social Media Industry

Mounting evidence suggests that problematic adolescent social media use is associated with poor mental health. To respond to increased adolescent mental health concerns, health promoters increasingly rely on social media initiatives to promote their resources, programs, and services. This creates a paradoxical situation where social-media-linked adverse mental health outcomes are addressed using the same tools and platforms that can contribute to the development of such issues. It also highlights several areas of needed critical assessment in health promotion usage of social media platform features and products, such as addictive platform design, targeted marketing tools, data collection practices, impacts on underserved groups, and conflicts of interest. To advance subsequent action on these tensions, we offer three recommendations for health promoters that build upon existing scholarship and initiatives, including adapting ethical guidelines for health promoters using social media, adopting conflicts of interest policies, and promoting interdisciplinary scholarship.

Unfolding Media Source Characteristics Regarding Food Fraud Misinformation: A Comparative Study of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) in China

BACKGROUND

The ongoing rumors and fake news regarding food fraud, adulteration, and contamination are highly visible. Health risk information circulating through media and interpersonal communication channels has made health crisis an important research agenda.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the issue of food fraud and the effect of rumors, incidents, and misinformation. Further, it studies whether and how these issues have provided evidence-based interventions for food handlers and regulators to mitigate food fraud misinformation.

METHODS

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) was adopted for collaborative study in China, after which a cross-sectional survey with door-to-door interviews was performed. Participants from Beijing and Hefei were selected using multistage sampling of adults during May, 2017. Based on four government surveillance reports on food rumors and safety incidents, a descriptive, correlation, and multivariate variance analysis was applied to the data.

RESULTS

A total of 3,090 results were gathered and analyzed. An average of 83.6% (n = 2,584) respondents heard at least one food rumor. Learning about food fraud is correlated with interpersonal connections (e.g., doctors or health specialists) for accessing food health information. Overall, Chinese citizens with a higher level of interpersonal connection were more likely to be concerned about food incidents with the statistical difference (P< .001). The Interpersonal connection was the highest frequency of communication sources (n = 698, 55.7%), followed by traditional media (n = 325, 25.9%) and Internet portal (n = 144, 11.5%). There was a significant relationship between media use and media category in Beijing (P<.001) and in Hefei (P<.001). Overall, Beijing's responses to the food fraud and incidents risks were lower than in Hefei (P < .01). The respondents in Beijing were confronted more frequently by food rumors (range 346-1253) than those in Hefei (range 155-946). The urban dwellers in Beijing and their rural counterparts in Hefei also differ in terms of perceiving different levels of food risk from different media sources. The food rumor narratives examined the conspiracy belie finds that social media play a more important role in influencing attitude against misinformation for users in Hefei, rather than in Beijing.

CONCLUSIONS

A media complementarity and food fraud information acquisition examined food fraud rumors and incidents with intent to harm, mainly done for economic gain. The HINTS China reports that around 73.6% out of 2,584 Chinese respondents prefer to go to their physicians for quarrying food health information first; however, when asked where they actually went and got access to food rumors, up to 36.6% of out of 1,462 Beijing respondents and 55.6% out of 1,122 Hefei respondents reported going online first. This study extends beyond local food products to foreign countries that import conspiracy beliefs with fake food. Nonetheless, consumers have to be on guard not just against fake food, but also spreading fake information and rumors about food. The aim of this study is to focus on characterizing media sources, types of food fraud misinformation, and risk perception of food safety, which mixes urgency and suspicions, and to provide evidence-based interventions for risk management guidance, with the hypotheses of the significant correlations between media types and sources and consumers' exposing and perceiving levels of food rumors and risks.

CLINICALTRIAL

An Introduction, Review, and Conceptual Analysis of Mattering as an Essential Construct and an Essential Way of Life

While the importance of having self-esteem is widely recognized and has been studied extensively, another core component of the self-concept has been relatively neglected—a sense of mattering to other people. In the current article, it is argued that mattering is an entirely unique and complex psychological construct with great public appeal and applied significance. The various ways of assessing mattering are reviewed and evidence is summarized, indicating that mattering is a vital construct in that deficits in mattering are linked with consequential outcomes at the individual level (i.e., depression and suicidal tendencies), the relationship level (i.e., relationship discord and dissolution), and the societal level (i.e., delinquency and violence). Contemporary research is described which shows that mattering typically predicts unique variance in key outcomes beyond other predictor variables. Mattering is discussed as double-edged in that mattering is highly protective but feelings of not mattering are deleterious, especially among people who have been marginalized and mistreated. The article concludes with an extended discussion of key directions for future research and an overview of the articles in this special issue. It is argued that a complete view of the self and personal identity will only emerge after we significantly expand the scope of inquiry on the psychology of mattering.

Pandemic Information Dissemination and Its Associations With the Symptoms of Mental Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic has added to the mental health strain on individuals and groups across the world in a variety of ways. Viral mitigation protocols and viral spread affect people on all continents every day, but at widely different degrees. To understand more about the mental health consequences of the pandemic, it is important to investigate whether or how people gather pandemic-related information and how obtaining this information differentially affects individuals.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent higher levels of COVID-19-related media consumption across information sources are associated with the symptoms of anxiety, health anxiety, and depression, and whether and to what extent using social media and online interactive platforms versus traditional media platforms is associated with the symptoms of anxiety, health anxiety, and depression. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether and to what extent avoidance of COVID-19-related information is associated with the aforementioned symptoms.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional preregistered survey, 4936 participants responded between June 22 and July 13, 2020. Eligible participants were adults currently residing in Norway and were thus subjected to identical viral mitigation protocols. This sample was representative of the Norwegian population after utilizing an iterative raking algorithm to conduct poststratification. As 2 subgroups (transgender and intersex individuals) were too small to be analyzed, the final sample for descriptive statistics and regressions included 4921 participants. Multiple regressions were used to investigate associations between the symptoms of psychopathology and COVID-19-related information dissemination. Part correlations were calculated as measures of the effect size for each predictor variable. Due to the large anticipated sample size, the preregistered criterion for significance was set at P<.01.

RESULTS

The symptoms of anxiety and health anxiety were significantly associated with obtaining information from newspapers (P<.001), social media (P<.001), and the broader categories of online interactive (P<.001) and traditional media (P<.001). The symptoms of depression were significantly associated with obtaining information from newspapers (P=.003), social media (P=.009), and the broader category of online interactive media (P<.001). Additionally, avoidance of COVID-19-related information showed a significant association in all 3 domains of psychopathological symptoms (anxiety and depression, P<.001; health anxiety, P=.007).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found significant associations between the symptoms of psychopathology and the use of media for obtaining information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant findings for obtaining information through newspapers, social media, and online interactive media were seen across all 3 measures of psychopathology. Avoidance of COVID-19-related information and associations with the symptoms of psychopathology emerged as core findings, with generally higher effect sizes compared with information attainment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04442360; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04442360.

Problematic Social Network Use: Structure and Assessment

Using social networks (SNs) inappropriately can lead to psychological problems. The objective of this study was to develop a new measuring instrument of problematic use of SNs. The sample comprised 1003 participants over 18 years old (M = 42.33; SD = 14.32). Exploratory factor analysis was performed with a randomly selected 30% of the sample, and confirmatory factor analysis with the remaining 70%. The reliability of the instrument was estimated, and evidence of validity in relation to the variables-anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life-was obtained. The new scale demonstrated a two-dimensional structure (GFI =0.99; RMSEA= 0.06), with one factor of negative social comparison (α = 0.94) and another of addictive consequences (α = 0.91). Clear evidence of validity related to other variables was found. The new scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. The advantage of this questionnaire is that it assesses not only excessive use but also social comparison through SNs.

Anti-depressant effects of ethanol extract from Cannabis sativa (hemp) seed in chlorpromazine-induced Drosophila melanogaster depression model

CONTEXT

Depression is a severe mental illness caused by a deficiency of dopamine and serotonin. Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has long been used to treat pain, nausea, and depression.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the anti-depressant effects of C. sativa (hemp) seed ethanol extract (HE) in chlorpromazine (CPZ)-induced Drosophila melanogaster depression model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The normal group was untreated, and the control group was treated with CPZ (0.1% of media) for 7 days. The experimental groups were treated with a single HE treatment (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% of media) and a mixture of 0.1% CPZ and HE for 7 days. The locomotor activity, behavioural patterns, depression-related gene expression, and neurotransmitters level of flies were investigated.

RESULTS

The behavioural patterns of individual flies were significantly reduced with 0.1% CPZ treatment. In contrast, combination treatment of 1.5% HE and 0.1% CPZ significantly increased subjective daytime activity (p < 0.001) and behavioural factors (p < 0.001). These results correlate with increased transcript levels of dopamine (p < 0.001) and serotonin (p < 0.05) receptors and concentration of dopamine (p < 0.05), levodopa (p < 0.001), 5-HTP (p < 0.05), and serotonin (p < 0.001) compared to those in the control group.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, HE administration alleviates depression-like symptoms by modulating the circadian rhythm-related behaviours, transcript levels of neurotransmitter receptors, and neurotransmitter levels in the CPZ-induced Drosophila model. However, additional research is needed to investigate the role of HE administration in behavioural patterns, reduction of the neurotransmitter, and signalling pathways of depression in a vertebrate model system.

The Effects of Reducing Social Media Use on Body Esteem Among Transitional-Aged Youth

Introduction. Social media use (SMU) and body image concerns are highly prevalent in youth. Although several studies have shown that high SMU is crosssectionally associated with lower body esteem, experimental evidence is lacking. This pilot study experimentally evaluated the effects of reducing SMU on body esteem among transitional aged youth (TAY) with emotional distress. Methods. Thirty-eight undergraduate students presenting with elevated symptoms of anxiety/depression were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 16), where SMU was restricted to 60 minutes/day, or to the control group (n = 22), where SMU was not restricted. SMU was monitored via screen-time trackers in participants’ smartphone submitted daily during baseline (1-week) and intervention (3-week) periods. Baseline and post-intervention measurements were taken to assess appearance and weight esteem as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression as secondary outcomes. Results. A significant group × time interaction emerged indicating that the intervention participants showed a significantly greater increase in appearance esteem over the 4 weeks compared to controls. There was no significant between-group difference on change in weight esteem. A significant group × time interaction emerge on anxiety indicating that intervention participants showed a significantly greater improvement in anxiety over the study period compared to controls. There was no significant between-group difference on change in depressive symptoms. Discussion. Reducing SMU may be a feasible and effective method of improving appearance esteem and reducing anxiety in a high-risk population of TAY with emotional distress; however, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm findings.

Suicide Risk in Emerging Adulthood: Associations with Screen Time over 10 years

Suicide rates have increased over the past decade, and screen media (and social media in particular) are often blamed for this marked increase. However, there is little longitudinal research on this topic. The current study examined the link between various types of screen media use over a 10-year period (from adolescence to emerging adulthood) to suicide risk in emerging adulthood. Participants included 500 adolescents (51% female) who were first surveyed in 2009, when they were an average of 13.82 years old (range 12-15 years). For girls, a high level of social media or television use in early adolescence followed by a marked increase over time was most predictive of suicide risk in emerging adulthood. Additionally, video game use that increased over time was also associated with a higher risk for developing suicide risk for girls. A passive sensing measurement was also included at the final wave of data collection to obtain a more accurate and complete picture of phone use in particular. The use of entertainment apps was risky for girls while reading apps were risky for boys. Additionally, video game use (for boys) was associated with suicide risk when cyberbullying was also high. Identifying nonnormative patterns of media during adolescence may be instructive in terms of suicide prevention efforts.

Predictors of Problematic Social Media Use in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents in Luxembourg

Social media use has increased substantially over the past decades, especially among adolescents. A proportion of adolescents develop a pattern of problematic social media use (PSMU). Predictors of PSMU are insufficiently understood and researched. This study aims to investigate predictors of PSMU in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in Luxembourg. Data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Luxembourg were used, in which 8687 students aged 11–18 years old participated. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. A range of sociodemographic, social support, well-being and media use predictors were added to the model in four blocks. The predictors in the final model explained 22.3% of the variance in PSMU. The block of sociodemographic predictors explained the lowest proportion of variance in PSMU compared with the other blocks. Age negatively predicted PSMU. Of the predictors related to social support, cyberbullying perpetration was the strongest predictor of PSMU. Perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints positively predicted PSMU. The intensity of electronic media communication and preference for online social interaction were stronger predictors of PSMU than the other predictors in the model. The results indicate that prevention efforts need to consider the diverse range of predictors related to PSMU.

Invited Commentary: Population Health in Peril-Needed US Science and Public Policy Action

With unprecedented increases, mortality trends in the United States have received significant attention in recent years. To date, research on this topic has emphasized specific causes of death and proximal behavioral or physiological determinants. In this commentary, I consider novel contributions of Zheng and Echave (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(11):2242-2255) in examining trends in mental health, health behaviors, and physiological dysregulation. I then discuss broader developments in related research and make a case for: 1) not allowing recent health trends among Whites to overshadow the urgent work that needs to be done to mitigate persistent racial inequities, 2) further investigation of what accounts for increases in income inequality and its life-span health consequences, and 3) broadening the scope of mechanisms considered to include underdiscussed topics such as the role of increases in social media use or environmental toxicant exposures. Underlying several potential explanations for observed trends in health and mortality is the fact that substantial change has occurred on multiple fronts in US society and that policy responses to these changes have been insufficient. An enhanced emphasis on innovative population health research will be essential to provide the evidence base needed for policy makers to rise to these urgent challenges.

Family functioning as a moderator in the relation between perceived stress and psychotic-like experiences among adolescents during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased psychological stress among adolescents, and the relation between perceived stress (PS) and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) has been well-established. However, little is known about the role of family functioning (FF) in this relation, especially when adolescents experienced the extended lockdown period with family members.

METHODS

A total of 4807 adolescents completed this retrospective paper-and-pencil survey after school reopening between May 14th and June 6th, 2020 in Hunan Province, China. We measured PS with the Perceived stress scale (PSS-10), PLEs with the eight positive items from Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-8), and FF with the Family APGAR scale. We conducted subgroup analysis based on three FF levels (good, moderate, and poor) determined by previous studies. Finally, correlation and moderation analysis were performed to detect the effect of FF in the relation between PS and PLEs after adjusting for demographic variables.

RESULTS

Adolescents with poor FF had higher levels of PS and higher prevalence of PLEs compared to those with good FF (both p < 0.001). FF was negatively associated with both PS (r = -0.34, p < 0.001) and PLEs (r = -0.29, p < 0.001). Higher FF significantly attenuated the effect of PS on PLEs after adjusting for sex and age (effect = -0.011, bootstrap 95% CI -0.018, -0.005).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that well-functioned family could protect against stress-induced PLEs among adolescents during this crisis. Thus family system could be an early interventional target for distressing psychotic-like experiences in youngsters.

Increasing rate of diagnosed childhood mental illness in the United States: Incidence, prevalence and costs

Objective

This study examined the rate and economic burden of pediatric mental illness from 2012 to 2018.

Study design

Observational, retrospective analysis of administrative healthcare data.

Methods

This retrospective study of the MarketScan Commercial Research Database included calendar year-based samples (2012-2018) of children aged 4-17 with continuous medical, pharmacy, and mental health/substance abuse coverage for the year of interest and prior year. Incidence and prevalence rates of overall and specific mental illness diagnoses were calculated based on the appearance of diagnosis codes on claims: alcohol/substance abuse, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar, schizophrenia, developmental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity, and conduct disorders. Annual direct medical costs were compared between children with any mental illness and a matched non-mental illness control population.

Results

Between 2.4 and 4.1 million children qualified for each calendar year sample. From 2012 to 2018, there was a 34.6% increase in the prevalence of mental illness. Attention deficit/hyperactivity, conduct disorders, anxiety, and depression were the most common conditions, while eating disorders, anxiety, and depression presented the greatest increases at 96%, 95%, and 73% respectively. Children with a mental illness incurred significantly greater medical costs compared to matched controls in all years assessed (2018 comparison: $6,055±$27,198 vs. $1,629±$7,274; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Childhood mental illness diagnoses have increased substantially in the United States from 2012 to 2018. In addition to patient impacts, mental health diagnoses also place a notable burden on the healthcare system via increased medical costs. As mental illness is known to be underdiagnosed, the true rate of mental illnesses among children is likely even greater.

How compulsive WeChat use and information overload affect social media fatigue and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? A stressor-strain-outcome perspective

Social media has been increasingly utilized as an effective avenue for individuals to obtain needed social support and health-related information, especially during the on-going global COVID-19 pandemic. However, surprisingly few empirical studies have concentrated on the detrimental impact of social media adoption on young adults' psychosocial well-being and mental health. Drawing upon previous stressor-strain-outcome theoretical paradigm (SSO), the present research investigates how psychosocial well-being assessments, especially compulsive WeChat use and information overload could trigger social media fatigue and, furthermore, how social media fatigue would ultimately result in emotional stress and social anxiety. This article utilized the cross-sectional design whereby statistical data were collected from 566 young people to test the conceptual research model. This research results demonstrate that perceived information overload through WeChat could significantly trigger social media fatigue among young people. Moreover, perceived information overload could indirectly predict emotional stress and social anxiety through the mediation of social media fatigue. This present work has vital theoretical and practical implications for widespread adoption of newly emerging communication technologies to enhance mental health and well-being among younger generation during recent public health crises.

A Review of the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Online Prosocial Behavior Among Adolescents

Social media (SoMe) activity constitutes a large part of the lives of adolescents. Even though the behavior on SoMe is complex, the research on SoMe has mostly focused on negative effects, bad content, and online antisocial behavior (OAB). Less research has been conducted on online prosocial behavior (OPB), and to what extent OPBs are widespread is relatively unknown. A review was conducted to investigate to what extent OPB is related to SoMe use among adolescents based on studies published from 2014 to May 2021. To be included, the studies had to be quantitative, non-experimental, have participants aged 13–18, include measures of SoMe and OPB, and be published in peer-reviewed journals with full text available in English, Swedish, Danish or Norwegian. A research was conducted in databases PsychINFO, Ovid MEDLINE(R), EMBASE, COCHRANE Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, Sociological Services Abstracts, and Eric. Two studies met the eligibility criteria. Both studies found an association between OPB and SoMe use. Methodological issues, however, were identified through a quality assessment using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cross-sectional studies, and the small samples in the studies prevent us from drawing any firm conclusions. Possible reasons for the scarcity of eligible studies and directions for future research are discussed.

Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO; ID CRD42020162161 and CRISTIN; ID 2038994.

How do attitudes toward Covid-19 vaccine impact intentions to vaccinate in an emerging economy? The moderating effect of risk perception and Covid-19 anxiety

This article aims to investigate the factors influencing the relationship between attitudes toward Covid-19 vaccines and intention to vaccinate, specifically, risk perception and Covid-19 anxiety. The study's results clearly demonstrate that only when the risk perception is minimal does vaccination intention improve with improved vaccine attitudes. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers, non-government organizations, marketers, and practitioners about the possible challenges in the execution of a Covid-19 vaccination program in an emerging economy. There is a need for tailored communication, community engagement and strictly following the standard operating procedure (SOP) inside the vaccination centers.

Trait Anxiety and Social Media Fatigue: Fear of Missing Out as a Mediator

Background

Interdisciplinary literature indicates different correlates of social media fatigue (hereinafter: SMF). Some studies show that high levels of anxiety may induce lowered Internet use and lead social media users to withdraw from Internet activities. Since the relationship between anxiety and social media use is complex, it is important to investigate mediating factors that may indirectly contribute to or exacerbate this association. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to verify whether fear of missing out (hereinafter: FoMO) is a potential factor accounting for why anxiety is associated with SMF.

Participants Methods and Data Collection

The research was conducted on a group of 264 adolescents and adults (85% women). The mean age of the respondents was M = 23.76 with SD = 5.98 (range = 14-50 years). The data were collected via online social networking among college students, their family members and friends. The participants answered the Trait Anxiety Scale (TAS), Social Media Fatigue Scale (SMFS), Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO), and  Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R).

Results

The outcomes showed that respondents with higher levels of trait anxiety report more intense cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and overall online fatigue. Concurrently, individuals who experience  FoMO on the Internet declare being tired of social media use. Moreover, FoMO mediates the association between trait anxiety and all three dimensions of SMF, and its overall result.

Conclusion

The present research increases our understanding of the possible role of apprehension related to missing out on the anxiety and fatigue connected to engagement in social media. It is possible to assess that trait anxiety might induce higher SMF when individuals experience a general apprehension that others are doing or having things that they do not.

Exploring the Association Between Social Media Addiction and Relationship Satisfaction: Psychological Distress as a Mediator

Social media use has become part of daily life for many people. Earlier research showed that problematic social media use is associated with psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between social media addiction (SMA) and romantic relationship satisfaction (RS). Participants comprised 334 undergraduates from four mid-sized universities in Turkey who completed an offline survey. The survey included the Relationship Assessment Scale, the Social Media Disorder Scale, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. According to the results, there were significant correlations between all variables. The results also indicated that depression, anxiety, and stress partially mediated the impact of SMA on RS. Moreover, utilizing the bootstrapping procedure the study found significant associations between SMA and RS via psychological distress. Consequently, reducing social media use may help couples deal with romantic relationship dissatisfaction, thereby mitigating their depression, anxiety, and stress.

The Global Business of Sport in a Brave New World: Conceptualising a Framework for Alternative Futures

In July 1991, Sports Illustrated published a special issue featuring two articles that prognosticated about what sport would look like 10 years later. As the world entered the 21st century, Sports Illustrated writers, Oscar Johnson and Ron Fimrite, offered their visions of sport in the year 2001. Their analysis highlighted how a range of economic, social and technological changes in society would impact on how sport is structured, produced and consumed, but also offered insights into the future of the major professional sport leagues in North America. It has been 30 years since they publicised their views and, while technology continues to impact sport, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the world to pause and to consider a range of deep, soul-searching questions about the nature of society, including sport. Against this background, we consider the opportunities and challenges for sport in the 21st century. The paper is divided into three sections including: (1) a reflection on the meaning, value and significance of sport including its privileged position in society, or what we refer to as “sporting exceptionalism”; (2) a brief overview of a case study that illustrates the challenges facing the global business of sport; and, (3) a framework for conceptualising alternative futures in the global business of sport, drawing on examples from women's sport.

Evaluating a Middle-School Digital Citizenship Curriculum (Screenshots): Quasi-Experimental Study

BACKGROUND

Screenshots is an in-school curriculum that seeks to develop positive digital social skills in middle school students with the long-term goal of improving their health and well-being. The program imparts knowledge and teaches skills upon which young adolescents can build a set of beliefs and behaviors that foster respectful interactions, prosocial conflict resolutions, and safe and secure use of communication technology. Intervening in this way can improve young people's mental health by limiting their exposure to cyberbullying and other forms of negative online interactions. This study reports on an evaluation of the Screenshots program conducted with seventh graders in a public school system in a midsized New England city.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the Screenshots program in increasing participants' knowledge about key concepts of digital citizenship and in shifting beliefs and intended behaviors to align with prosocial and safe online interactions. In addition, the study examines whether the program has varying effects on males' and females' conflict and bullying resolution strategies.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted in four middle schools in which one group of seventh graders received the Screenshots curriculum and another did not. Before and after the curriculum, all students completed a questionnaire that measured their knowledge of and beliefs about digital citizenship and related online behavioral concepts, their attitudes regarding strategies for stopping online bullying, and their intended online conflict resolution behaviors.

RESULTS

The sample included 92 students who received the curriculum and 71 students who were included in the comparison group. Pre- to postinstruction retention rates ranged from 52% (33/63) to 84% (21/25), varying by school and condition. The results showed an increase in knowledge about key curricular concepts for some students (F_1,32=9.97; P=.003). In response to some individual items, students decreased their belief supportive of a negative online behavior (F_1,76=9.00; P=.004) and increased their belief consistent with an online safety behavior (F_1,42=4.39; P=.04) compared with the comparison group. Gender moderated the results related to conflict resolution, with males from one school reducing their endorsement of an aggressive option (F_2,40=5.77; P=.006) and males from another school increasing their reported tendency to pursue a nonaggressive option (F_2,28=3.65; P=.04). On average, participants reported learning something new from the classes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents a rare evaluation of an in-school digital citizenship program and demonstrates the effectiveness of Screenshots. Students' increased knowledge of key curricular concepts represents a foundation for developing future beliefs and healthy behaviors. Differences in how adolescent males and females experience and perpetrate online aggression likely explain the conflict resolution findings and emphasize the need to examine gender differences in response to these programs. Students' high ratings of the relevance of Screenshots' content reinforce the need for this type of intervention.

Social Media Use, Physical Activity, and Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescence: Cross-sectional Analysis

BACKGROUND

Most American adolescents have access to smartphones, and recent estimates suggest that they spend considerable time on social media compared with other physical and leisure activities. A large body of literature has established that social media use is related to poor mental health, but the complicated relationship between social media and symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents is yet to be fully understood.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to investigate the relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents by exploring physical activity as a mediator.

METHODS

A Qualtrics survey manager recruited adult panel participants between February and March 2019, who indicated that they had adolescent children who spoke English. A total of 4592 adolescent-parent dyads completed the survey that took approximately 39 minutes. The survey entailed completing web-based questionnaires assessing various aspects of social media use, psychological symptoms, and psychosocial factors. The average age of the adolescent participants was 14.62 (SD 1.68; range 12-17) years, and the majority of the adolescent sample was male (2392/4592, 52.09%).

RESULTS

Total social media use was associated with more depressive symptoms (multiple R²=0.12; F_3,4480=207.1; P<.001), anxiety (multiple R²=0.09; F_3,4477=145.6; P<.001), and loneliness (multiple R²=0.06; F_3,4512=98.06; P<.001), controlling for age and gender. Physical activity was associated with decreased depression and anxiety symptoms after controlling for other extracurricular activities and social media use (multiple R²=0.24; F_5,4290=266.0; P<.001). There were significant differences in symptoms based on gender: female adolescents reported higher rates of social media use and males reported higher rates of depression. Nonbinary and transgender adolescents had higher rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness than the female and male adolescents in the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

In a nationally representative sample of adolescents, more social media use was associated with more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Increased physical activity was associated with decreased depression and anxiety symptoms. Physical activity partially mediated the relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety. As this was a cross-sectional study, we cannot conclude that social media use causes internalizing symptoms or that physical activity leads to decreased internalizing symptoms-there may be additional confounding variables producing the relationships we observed. Physical activity may protect against the potentially harmful effect of social media on some adolescents. The effect sizes were small to medium, and the results should be interpreted with caution. Other limitations of this study include our reliance on self-reporting. Future work should examine social media use beyond how much time adolescents spend using social media and instead focus on the nature of social media activity.

Association between the use of social networking sites and mental health of young generation in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

The social networking sites (SNS) are popular among people of all levels. Here we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the use of SNS and the mental health of the young generation in Bangladesh. We conducted this cross-sectional study among 791 subjects aged between 15 and 40 years. Self-reported questionnaires were used to collect demographics and SNS usage patterns of the respondents. We have measured the levels of loneliness, depression, generalized anxiety, and sleep disturbance using the recommended mental health assessment scales. The estimations of loneliness, depression, generalized anxiety, and sleep disturbance among the respondents were 64%, 38%, 63%, and 75%, respectively. Young adults, female sex, unmarried individuals, students, and urban residents reported higher psychological issues regarding the SNS use. Reported mental health issues were associated with time spent in SNS, the number of friends and groups connected with, personal beliefs, and feeling about SNS. A notable association between the use of SNS and the mental health issues of users has been ascertained. The present study findings might have significant implications in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy. Therefore, we recommend more comprehensive clinical interventions to find the tangible impact of SNS on the mental health of users.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Problematic Media Device Use and Its Association With Executive Function and Behavioral Problem Among Children: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVE

Despite the rapid increase in problematic media device use, relatively little is known about specific characteristics and extent of problematic media device and how they relate to different psychological features.

METHODS

Data extracted from the Panel Korea Study for the Child Cohort Study were used. At the age of 9 years, media device addiction severity was assessed using the K-scale, and children's behavioral outcomes were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Among children with problematic media device use (n=339), we performed latent profile analysis using the K-scale to identify subtypes of problematic media device use, and then compared the child behavioral problems and executive function according to the different subtypes of problematic media device use.

RESULTS

Children with problematic media device use were divided into class 1 (n=51), class 2 (n=138), and class 3 (n=150). Compared with classes 2 and 3, class 1 had more severe problematic media device use, including daily activity disturbance, withdrawal, and tolerance. Class 1 had the most serious behavioral problems and executive function difficulties among classes. Class 2 had greater daily activity disturbance and tolerance than those of class 3, but executive function showed no significant difference between the two classes. In logistic regression analysis, behavioral problems except for somatization were more common in class 1 than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that problematic media device use is associated with significant behavioral problem and executive function difficulties and underscore the need for further clinical and research attention for these specific subgroup members.

#Grateful: Longitudinal Associations Between Adolescents' Social Media Use and Gratitude During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some ways of using social media-such as directly communicating with friends-may have helped adolescents thrive. We examined longitudinal associations between high school adolescents' social media use and gratitude across a 15-month period before and during the pandemic (n = 704, Mage  = 15.10; 52% girls). The trajectories of gratitude and the importance of social media for meaningful conversations with friends-but not frequency of social media use-were positively associated over time. At the within-person level, gratitude predicted increased importance of social media for meaningful conversations, but not vice-versa. Findings suggest that gratitude may be associated with and may motivate using social media to foster social connection, but may not increase overall social media use.

Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence

Literature reviews on how social media use affects adolescent mental health have accumulated at an unprecedented rate of late. Yet, a higher-level integration of the evidence is still lacking. We fill this gap with an up-to-date umbrella review, a review of reviews published between 2019 and mid-2021. Our search yielded 25 reviews: seven meta-analyses, nine systematic, and nine narrative reviews. Results showed that most reviews interpreted the associations between social media use and mental health as 'weak' or 'inconsistent,' whereas a few qualified the same associations as 'substantial' and 'deleterious.' We summarize the gaps identified in the reviews, provide an explanation for their diverging interpretations, and suggest several avenues for future research.

The Relationship Between Technology Use and Problem Technology Use and Potential Psychosocial Mechanisms: Population-Based Telephone Survey in Community Adults During COVID-19

Background: Although digital technology enables people to stay connected during COVID-19, protracted periods of isolation, crisis-induced stress, and technology-based activity may intensify problem technology use (PTU), such as social media addiction (SMA) and Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Objective: This study aimed to characterize the patterns and levels of SMA and IGD during COVID-19 in the general population of Hong Kong. We also tested the associations between prolonged use of social media/Internet games and SMA/IGD and the mediation effects of psychosocial statuses (i.e., loneliness, boredom, and post-traumatic stress) on these associations. Methods: A population-based random telephone survey was conducted in community adults in May 2020; 658 social media users and 177 Internet gamers were identified. A structured questionnaire, including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder IGD Symptoms Checklist, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, was used. Time spent on social media and Internet games during and before COVID-19 was also asked. Results: There were 66.2-81.8% increases in time use of social media or Internet games during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 self-reported information of the participants. The estimated IGD prevalence rate in the gamers based on the sample weighted to the age distribution and gender ratio of the Hong Kong population was 9.7%, higher than that of pre-COVID-19 research. Age, marital status, education levels, time use of social media, COVID-19-related post-traumatic stress, boredom, and emotional loneliness were significantly associated with SMA, while time spent on Internet games, boredom, and emotional loneliness was significantly associated with IGD. Boredom positively mediated the associations between time spent on social media/Internet games and SMA/IGD, whereas social loneliness negatively mediated the association between time spent on social media and SMA. Conclusion: These findings highlight the concern of prolonged use of digital platforms during COVID-19 and its role as a "double-edged sword" for psychosocial wellbeing and behavioral health during COVID-19. It also highlights a need to monitor and prevent PTU in the general public. The observed psychosocial mechanisms are modifiable and can inform the design of evidence-based prevention programs for PTU.

Assessing the Impact of Social Media Use on Everyday Emotion in Health Crises: A Study of International Students in China during COVID-19

Social media has become a valuable tool in providing an opportunity to stay in touch with one's social networks, providing reassurance and practical advice to individuals to pre-empt panic and rumors in COVID-19. However, the implications of social media use on the everyday emotion (anxiety and depression) of users especially, international students, are not well understood. Thus, this study sought to examine the impact of social media use on the everyday emotion of international students in China during COVID-19. Using a structured online questionnaire based on modified questions from the generalized anxiety disorder 7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and social media use instruments, data were collected from 480 participants. Of the total responses received, 474 were further analyzed employing the Partial Least Squares Path Modelling (PLS-PM). This study showed a significant positive relationship between social media use and everyday emotion (B = 0.34, 95% CI (0.26, 0.44)). Additionally, self-rated anxiety and depression associated with social media use among international students were generally mild (n = 249, 52.50% and n = 350, 73.80%, respectively). Moderating effects revealed that age and sex do not significantly moderate the relationship between social media use and everyday emotion in COVID-19. Given the nature of social media among international students, who are also prone to suffering from anxiety and depression associated with social media use, the positive effect of social media use and everyday emotion, especially in COVID-19, has important implications for international students' education stakeholders. Thus, gaining a deeper understanding of this relationship could enable them to harness social media and use it as a valuable tool to overcome the social distancing constraints in COVID-19.

Social media use in China before and during COVID-19: Preliminary results from an online retrospective survey

BACKGROUND

More people reported symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression during the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). They might have increased their social media use during the outbreak of COVID-19 compared to before COVID-19.

METHODS

An online retrospective survey was conducted on a total sample of 10,963 participants. Social media use patterns before and during COVID-19, Social media addiction (SMA), and mental health problems (stress, anxiety, and depression) were assessed.

RESULTS

This study found that, compared with before COVID-19, weekly social media use was significantly increased during COVID-19 (from 17.2 to 21.4 h). Nearly 40% of SMA respondents increased their weekly social media use ≥3.5 h. The prevalence rate of was 6.8%, and the prevalence rates of moderate or severe stress, anxiety, and depression were 10.8%, 26.4%, and 18.2%, respectively, during COVID-19. Female gender, experiencing moderate or severe stress, and SMA were associated with increased weekly social media use ≥3.5 h. Male gender, experiencing moderate or severe stress, anxiety, depression, and increased weekly social media use ≥3.5 h were associated with SMA.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests a significant increase in social media use and a relatively high prevalence rate of SMA in China during COVID-19. Our findings identify factors associated with increased social media use and SMA that could be used to develop psychological interventions to prevent SMA during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Mobile Attention Bias Modification Training Is a Digital Health Solution for Managing Distress in Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study in Pediatric Onset

Introduction: Emotional health is important dimension of care for patients living with pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), but few options are available for stress and anxiety reduction. The high burden of interventions requiring regular in person and onsite visits for treatment are less feasible. Attention bias modification training (ABMT) is effective for anxiety reduction in adult and adolescent populations. We tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of ABMT delivered through a mobile gamified version as a digital emotional health tool for patients with POMS.

Methods: Participants with POMS were consecutively recruited from the NYU Langone Pediatric MS Care Center and enrolled to complete a 1-month intervention with use of the Personal Zen ABMT app on their mobile personal device. Feasibility was evaluated by use of the 1-month intervention and efficacy was measured by changes in depression, anxiety, and affect.

Results: A total n = 35 patients with POMS were enrolled in the study (M_age = 17.7, SD = 2.2 years, range 14–23). Feasibility criteria were met with 74% completing the full intervention time, and 100% of the sample completing at least 50% of targeted intervention use. Initial efficacy was found for a reduction in negative affect from baseline to intervention end [M = 22.88, SD = 9.95 vs. M = 19.56, SD = 7.37; t₍₃₃₎ = 2.47, p = 0.019]. Anxiety also significantly decreased from pre to post-intervention in adults [M = 11.82, SD = 9.90 vs. M = 7.29, SD = 7.17; t₍₁₆₎ = 3.88, p = 0.001] and youth [M = 51.14, SD = 19.66 vs. M = 40.86, SD = 27.48; t₍₁₃₎ = 3.17, p = 0.007].

Conclusion: Mobile ABMT with the Personal Zen app is a feasible and accessible digital emotional health tool for patients with POMS and may have broader application for managing distress across chronic neurological conditions.

Historical language records reveal a surge of cognitive distortions in recent decades

Can entire societies become more or less depressed over time? Here, we look for the historical traces of cognitive distortions, thinking patterns that are strongly associated with internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety, in millions of books published over the course of the last two centuries in English, Spanish, and German. We find a pronounced “hockey stick” pattern: Over the past two decades the textual analogs of cognitive distortions surged well above historical levels, including those of World War I and II, after declining or stabilizing for most of the 20th century. Our results point to the possibility that recent socioeconomic changes, new technology, and social media are associated with a surge of cognitive distortions.

Individuals with depression are prone to maladaptive patterns of thinking, known as cognitive distortions, whereby they think about themselves, the world, and the future in overly negative and inaccurate ways. These distortions are associated with marked changes in an individual’s mood, behavior, and language. We hypothesize that societies can undergo similar changes in their collective psychology that are reflected in historical records of language use. Here, we investigate the prevalence of textual markers of cognitive distortions in over 14 million books for the past 125 y and observe a surge of their prevalence since the 1980s, to levels exceeding those of the Great Depression and both World Wars. This pattern does not seem to be driven by changes in word meaning, publishing and writing standards, or the Google Books sample. Our results suggest a recent societal shift toward language associated with cognitive distortions and internalizing disorders.

Sense of Coherence and Mental Health in College Students After Returning to School During COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Media Exposure

The COVID-19 pandemic not only threatens people's physical health, but also affects their mental health in the long term. Although people had returned to work and school, they are closely monitoring the development of the epidemic and taking preventive measures. This study attempted to examine the relationship between media exposure, sense of coherence (SOC) and mental health, and the moderating effect of media exposure in college students after returning to school. In the present study, we conducted a cross sectional survey on 424 college students returning to school around May 2020. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess media exposure scale, SOC, depression, anxiety and stress. Correlation and moderation analysis was conducted. The results showed that (1) negative epidemic information exposure, rather than positive epidemic information exposure, was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. (2) SOC was also associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. (3) The effect of SOC on depression was modified by negative epidemic information exposure. With the increase of negative epidemic information exposure, the predictive effect of SOC on depression is increasing gradually. These findings demonstrated that negative epidemic information exposure was associated with an increased psychological distress in the sample. A high SOC played a certain protective role in the adaptation of college students in the post-epidemic period. It is important to find more ways to increase the colleges' SOC level and avoid negative information exposure.

Adolescent development and growing divides in the digital age

Adolescents are constantly connected to their devices, and concerns have been raised that this connectivity is damaging their development more generally, and their mental health in particular. Recent narrative reviews and meta-analyses do not support a strong linkage between the quantity of adolescents' digital technology engagement and mental health problems. Instead, it appears that offline vulnerabilities tend to mirror and shape online risks in ways that may further amplify mental health inequalities among youth. New approaches for supporting youth mental health, especially for vulnerable youth and those typically excluded from traditional services, are now both possible and required.
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Electronic media use and symptoms of depression among adolescents in Norway

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between electronic media use, including use of social media and gaming, and symptoms of depression, and whether gender or having friends moderated these associations.

METHODS

This study was based on self-reported cross-sectional data from the Ungdata survey, conducted in 2018 by the Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) Institute in cooperation with seven regional drug and alcohol competence centres. The target group comprised 12,353 15-16 years old adolescents. Binominal logistic regression was used to analyse the association between electronic media use and symptoms of depression.

RESULTS

The odds of having symptoms of depression were higher for those who used social media more than 3 hours per day (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.43-1.80), compared to those who used social media 3 hours or less per day. Additionally, the odds of having symptoms of depression was higher for those who used more than 3 hours on gaming per day (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.36-1.80), compared to those who used 3 hours and less on gaming per day after adjustment for potential confounders. There were no interaction effects between social media and gaming use with symptoms of depression. Neither were the associations between social media use and gaming with symptoms of depression moderated by gender or having friends.

CONCLUSIONS

The odds of having symptoms of depression were significantly higher for adolescents with a more frequent use of electronic media.

Social media use informing behaviours related to physical activity, diet and quality of life during COVID-19: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

This mixed methods study explored how social media use informed physical activity and diet-related behaviours, and self-perceived Quality of Life (QoL) during COVID-19, and assessed the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change in diverse groups. During the COVID-19 lockdown periods there were reported changes to social media use and health behaviours, and this gave an opportunity to investigate potential relationships.

METHODS

An explanatory sequential research design of two parts was used: (1) An online survey that assessed social media use in relation to physical activity levels, diet quality and QoL (n = 786; Mage 45.1 ± 19.1 (range 16-88) years; Female =69%); (2) 20 purposive focus groups (n = 69; Mage = 52.88 ± 18.45 years, Female n = 68%) to understand the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change. Descriptive and thematic analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

Participants in this study reported that social media facilitated the self-management of behaviours related to physical activity, diet and QoL, through access to information to inform workouts and dietary quality, and the opportunities for interaction with peers, family members and within social groups. Contextual factors including work, home and lifestyle arrangements, pre-existing health-related knowledge and behaviours, and the perceived value of social media for health influenced the relationship between social media use and self-reported outcomes. Social media influencers, peers/family members, and official organisations influenced the application of health-related information accessed via social media.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence shows that participants were critical users of social media and were able to use social media to derive benefit for their health and wellbeing. Detailed guidance for those who use social media, as well as those who recommend and endorse social media content is required to maximise the potential of social media to support health behaviours. Future public health strategies and social media interventions should acknowledge diversity in contextual factors driving social media use for health behaviour change.

Social media use and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite considerable public and scholarly debate about the role of social media in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), no comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of this literature has previously been undertaken. The current systematic review and meta-analysis examines associations between social media use and SITBs, including suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). A range of social media behaviors and experiences were identified, including cybervictimization and perpetration, exposure to and generation of SITB-related content, problematic use, sexting, social media importance, and frequency of use. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and the references of prior reviews yielded 61 eligible studies. Results largely suggested medium effect sizes for associations between specific social media constructs (cybervictimization, SITB-related social media use, problematic social media use) and SITBs. There was no association between frequency of social media use and SITBs; however, studies on this topic were limited. The majority of studies identified focused on cybervictimization, and results suggested positive associations with all SITBs, with the association between cybervictimization and suicidal ideation stronger for adolescents than adults. Overall, findings highlight the utility of examining specific social media behaviors and experiences, and point to the need for more research in this area.

Effect of cognitive behaviour therapy on the improvement of psychological stress

BACKGROUND

College freshmen, as a special group who are far away from their parents and begin to study and live independently, will face psychological stress in adaption to the college life, which may affect their working and living conditions in the university and even after entering the society if not solved reasonably. Hence, it is necessary to explore how to relieve the psychological stress of freshmen.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to analyze the intervention effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on social psychological stress of freshmen under different demographic variables.

METHODS

108 freshmen of Northeast Agricultural University were divided into the experimental group and control group. The correlation between psychological stress and impulse, self-esteem, and loneliness was analyzed using structural equation model and multiple regression. The experimental group received group training for one month, while the control group did not accept any intervention. The Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scale, Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), and Interpersonal Efficacy Scale (IES) were used to score students before and after activities and three months after activities. The relevant information was collected for students' self-evaluation and the evaluation results from group teachers.

RESULTS

The subjects' social psychological stress was positively correlated with loneliness and unplanned impulse, and negatively correlated with self-esteem (P < 0.001); the IAS and FNE scores of the experimental group after test were greatly lower than those of the control group, while the scores of affinity efficacy, communication efficacy, and emotional control were greatly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05); the tracking IAS and FNE scores of the experimental group were greatly lower than those of the control group, while the scores of affinity efficacy, self-impression efficacy, communication efficacy, and emotional control were greatly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). All students in the experimental group were satisfied with the cognitive behavioral group training. Under the positive guidance of the team teacher, the students' psychological stress was released.

CONCLUSIONS

The cognitive behavior group training based on impulse, self-esteem, and loneliness can effectively improve the affinity efficacy, self-impression efficacy, communication efficacy, and negative evaluation fear of freshmen, which is instrumental in easing the psychological stress of students and can maintain long-term effects.

The Human Digitalisation Journey: Technology First at the Expense of Humans?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the impact of digitalisation as a driver of transformation and advancements across almost every aspect of human life. With the majority actively embracing smart technologies and their benefits, the journey of human digitalisation has begun. Will human beings continue to remain solitary unaffected beings in the middle of the whirlpool—a gateway to the completely digitalised future? This journey of human digitalisation probably started much earlier, before we even realised. This paper, in the format of an objective review and discussion, aims to investigate the journey of human digitalisation, explore the reality of domination between technology and humans, provide a better understanding of the human value and human vulnerability in this fast transforming digital era, so as to achieve valuable and insightful suggestion on the future direction of the human digitalisation journey.