Using touchscreen mobile devices-when, where and how: a one-week field study

"It helps and it doesn't help": maternal perspectives on how the use of smartphones and tablet computers influences parent-infant attachment

As families increase their use of mobile touch screen devices (smartphones and tablet computers), there is potential for this use to influence parent-child interactions required to form a secure attachment during infancy, and thus future child developmental outcomes. Thirty families of infants (aged 9-15 months) were interviewed to explore how parents and infants use these devices, and how device use influenced parents' thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards their infant and other family interactions. Two-thirds of infants were routinely involved in family video calls and one-third used devices for other purposes. Parent and/or child device use served to both enhance connection and increase distraction between parents and infants and between other family members. Mechanisms for these influences are discussed. The findings highlight a new opportunity for how hardware and software should be designed and used to maximise benefits and reduce detriments of device use to optimise parent-infant attachment and child development.Practitioner Summary: Many families with infants regularly use smartphones and tablet computers. This qualitative study found that how devices were used either enhanced or disrupted feelings of parent-infant attachment. Practitioners should be aware of the potential beneficial and detrimental impacts of device use among families given implications for attachment and future child development.

Assessing electronic device use behaviours in healthy adults: development and evaluation of a novel tool

BACKGROUND

Chronic exposure of the macula to blue light from electronic devices has been identified as a potential macular health concern. The impacts remain poorly investigated as no validated methods to capture usual device use behaviours exist.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Electronic Device Use Questionnaire (EDUQ) against multiple 24-h electronic device use diaries in healthy Australian and United Kingdom adults.

METHODS

The EDUQ and diaries were developed to capture device use across categories (television, computer and handheld devices). Over eight weeks 56 Australian and 24 United Kingdom participants completed three questionnaires and eight diaries via online platforms. Tool validity was determined through Bland-Altman plot analysis of mean daily hours of device use between the tools.

RESULTS

The EDUQ demonstrated poor validity in both cohorts with poor agreement when compared with the diaries. When the device categories were combined, a mean difference between the tools of 1.54 h/day, and 95% limits of agreement between -2.72 h/day and 5.80 h/day was observed in the Australian cohort. Across both cohorts and all device categories the mean differences indicated individuals were more likely to report higher device use through the questionnaire rather than diaries.

CONCLUSIONS

The EDUQ is a novel tool and demonstrated the difficulty for participants of accurately recalling usual behaviour of device use. Poor agreement in reported device use occurred across all device categories. The poor agreement may be related to factors such as memory recall bias, and the number of diaries captured not being reflective of usual use. Future studies should look to address these factors to improve validity of device use capture.

The association between smartphone use and sleep quality, psychological distress, and loneliness among health care students and workers in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

The use of smartphones among the general public and health care practitioners, in particular, is ubiquitous. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and sleep quality, psychological distress, and loneliness among health care students and workers in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to collect data on smartphone addiction, sleep quality, psychological distress, and loneliness as well as demographic information.

RESULTS

A total of 773 health care students and workers participated in the study, with an average age of 25.95 ± 8.35, and 59.6% female participants. The study found a positive significant association between smartphone addiction and psychological distress (F(1,771) = 140.8, P < 0.001) and emotional loneliness (F(1,771) = 26.70, P < 0.001). Additionally, a significant negative association between smartphone addiction and sleep quality was found (F(1,771) = 4.208, P = 0.041). However, there was no significant relationship between smartphone addiction and social loneliness (F (1,771) = 0.544, P < 0.461).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that smartphone addiction has a negative impact on psychological distress, sleep quality, and emotional loneliness among health care students and workers. It is important to promote strategies to reduce smartphone dependency in order to avoid the harmful consequences of smartphone addiction.

'There's good and bad': parent perspectives on the influence of mobile touch screen device use on prenatal attachment

The potential for human-computer interaction to have a substantial impact on adults is well documented. However, its potential importance prior to birth has rarely been reported. Parental use of smartphones and tablet computers could influence the relationship between parent and baby during pregnancy (prenatal attachment) and thus child development. Twenty-seven families were interviewed to explore how parents used these devices during pregnancy, and how device use influenced parents' thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards their baby while in utero. All used devices for a variety of purposes, and all described good levels of prenatal attachment. Parents described both disrupted and enhanced connectedness as a result of device use, and increased parental stress. The findings highlight a new opportunity for how device design and use guidelines could support families to maximise benefits and reduce detriments of device use to optimise prenatal attachment, and thus future parent-child attachment and child development. Practitioner summary: Many parents regularly use smartphones and tablet computers while pregnant. This qualitative study found that how devices were used either enhanced or disrupted feelings of prenatal attachment. Practitioners should be aware of potential beneficial and detrimental impacts of device use during pregnancy given implications for future attachment and child development.