Early Electronic Screen Exposure and Autistic-Like Behaviors among Preschoolers: The Mediating Role of Caregiver-Child Interaction, Sleep Duration and Outdoor Activities

The Effect of Passion for Outdoor Activities on Employee Well-Being Using Nature Connectedness as the Mediating Variable and Environmental Identity as the Moderating Variable

PURPOSE

Although prior research has found outdoor activities to be an important effect on employee well-being, the mechanisms of their effect are understudied. This study integrated the Broaden-and-Build Theory, Attention Restoration Theory and Cognitive Assessment Theory to examine the relation between passion for outdoor activities (two dimensions, namely, harmonious passion, obsessive passion) and employee well-being (three dimensions, namely, life well-being, workplace well-being, psychological well-being) by the mediating role of nature connectedness and the moderating role of environmental identity.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Data were collected from 403 employees of Guangxi enterprises in China. The structural equation model was constructed using AMOS and SmartPLS to test the hypotheses proposed in this study.

RESULTS

Our results confirm that harmonious passion for outdoor activities had a positive effect on employee nature connectedness, workplace well-being and psychological well-being. Obsessive passion for outdoor activities had a negative effect on employee nature connectedness, life well-being and psychological well-being. Natural connectedness has a positive effect on all three dimensions of employee well-being. Nature connectedness mediates between harmonious passion for outdoor activities and all three dimensions of employee well-being. Environmental identity positively moderated the relationship between nature connectedness and the three dimensions of employee well-being. Harmonious passion for outdoor activities has no direct effect on employee life well-being. Obsessive passion for outdoor activities had no direct effect on employee workplace well-being.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the mechanism of passion for outdoor activities on employee well-being from a new perspective and unveils that the two dimensions of passion for outdoor activities have different effects on employees' life well-being, workplace well-being, and psychological well-being. Business managers should give attention to the benefits of outdoor activities and nature connectedness for their employees, through which they can relieve stress at work, recover attention and improve well-being.

Associations between Symptom Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Screen Time among Toddlers Aged 16 to 36 Months

There is growing evidence that prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasing. A number of factors appear to contribute to this increase, including excessive screen time. Screen time seems to be linked to the severity of the symptoms of ASD. Given this, the aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between early screen time and ASD symptoms severity in the first 36 months of life. To this end, sixty-eight Iranian toddlers (mean age: 27.09 months; 22.1% females) with ASD were recruited. Parents completed the modified checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT), the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), and a lifestyle checklist. Next, parents rated children’s daily exposure to content specifically designed (foreground media) and not specifically designed (background media) for children, along with their daily exposure to social interaction. Per day, toddlers spent 5.12 h (±3.77) with foreground media, 3.72 h (±3.57) with background media, and 2.89 h (±2.74) in interaction with other people (parents). To test the hypotheses, we performed a series of Pearson’s correlations and multiple regression analyses. Toddlers’ higher severity scores for ASD symptoms were associated with longer foreground (r = 0.234, p = 0.001) and longer background (r = 0.180, p = 0.012) media duration, and with shorter duration of interaction with others (r = 0.192, p = 0.009). Toddlers spending 1 h more in foreground screen time and background screen time have 0.38 and 0.29 more units in the ASD symptom severity scale, respectively, while toddlers spending 1 h more in social interactions have 0.42 fewer units in the ASD symptom severity scale. The screen time and interaction duration are related to ASD symptoms severity of toddlers. The cross-sectional study design precludes causal associations, although bi-directional relationships appear plausible.

Differentiating Post-Digital Nannying Autism Syndrome from Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Excessive exposure of young children to digital devices has increased in recent years. Much research has shown that early excessive screentime is associated with autistic-like symptoms. This study aimed to differentiate children with Post-Digital Nannying Autism Syndrome (PDNAS) from children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing children (TDC), both behaviorally and cognitively. This study is comparative and cross-sectional and included three groups of children. The first group consisted of 15 young children with subthreshold autism symptoms. They had not received a formal diagnosis of ASD and had been exposed to digital devices for more than half of their waking time. The second group consisted of 15 young children with ASD, and the third group consisted of 15 young TDC. A lifestyle checklist, a modified checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT), a behavioral flexibility rating scale-revised (BFRS-R), the Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS-2), and a behavior rating inventory of executive functioning-preschool version (BRIEF-P) were used to compare the three groups. The results showed that executive functions and behavioral flexibility were more impaired in children with ASD than in children with PDNAS and in TDC. Also, we found that there was no significant difference in the severity of autism symptoms between the children with ASD and the children with PDNAS. Early excessive exposure to digital devices may cause autism-like symptoms in children (PDNAS). Children with PDNAS are different from children with ASD in executive functions and behavioral flexibility. Further research is needed in this area.

Bibliometric analysis of research themes and trends in childhood autism spectrum disorders from 2012 to 2021

Background

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions that affect people worldwide. Early diagnosis and clinical support help achieve good outcomes. However, medical system structure and restricted resource availability create challenges that increase the risk of poor outcomes. Understanding the research progress of childhood ASD in recent years, based on clinical literature reports, can give relevant researchers and rehabilitation therapists more resonable research guides.

Objective

This bibliometric study aimed to summarize themes and trends in research on childhood ASD and to suggest directions for future enquiry.

Methods

Citations were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection database on childhood ASD published from 1 January 2012, to 31 December 2021. The retrieved information was analyzed using CiteSpace.5.8. R3, and VOS viewer.

Results

A total of 7,611 papers were published across 103 areas. The United States was the leading source of publications. The clusters that have continued into 2020 include coronavirus disease 2019, gut microbiota, and physical activity, which represent key research topics. Keywords with frequency spikes during 2018-2021 were "disabilities monitoring network," "United States," and "caregiver."

Conclusions

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network in the United States can be used as a reference for relevant workers worldwide. An intelligent medical assistant system is being developed. Further studies are required to elucidate challenges associated with caring for a child with ASD.

Relationships between screen viewing and sleep quality for infants and toddlers in China: A cross-sectional study

AIM

Currently young children have more opportunity to access all kinds of media, while their sleep duration has been steadily decreasing. However, little is known about the relationships between screen viewing and sleep quality, and the reasons of screen viewing for children under three years old in China. This study aimed to describe the relationships between screen viewing and sleep quality of infants and toddlers in mainland China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Eight hundred twenty-seven children were recruited at a health care unit from a university affiliated hospital in China, and the questionnaires were completed by their parents. An extended Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire and a Screen Viewing Questionnaire were used to collect information on children's sleep quality and screen viewing. Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the relationships between screen viewing and sleep quality among infants and toddlers, adjusted for sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS

Of the 827 children, 26.9% of the infants and 61.4% of the toddlers did not comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline on screen time. Even after adjusting for the sociodemographic covariates for both infants and toddlers, negative relationships between screen time and total sleep time (P < 0.001), and screen time and nighttime sleep (P < 0.001) existed. TV viewing time was negatively related to infants' total sleep time (β = -0.15, P < 0.001) and toddlers' nighttime sleep (β = -0.1, P < 0.05). Smartphone viewing time was negatively related to toddlers' total sleep time (β = -0.12, P < 0.05) and daytime sleep (β = -0.22, P < 0.05). Parents who offered screen media for children when they needed to do house chores were more likely to report that their children had less total sleep time (β = -0.1, P < 0.05) and shorter longest sleep episode (β = -0.1, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The majority of toddlers did not meet the WHO guidelines on screen time in China. Screen time was negatively related to total sleep time and nighttime sleep among infants and toddlers. Practical strategies, such as education programs on children's screen viewing, more outdoor exercises and indoor parent-child activities, providing other educational materials instead of screening, early sleep, restricted use of TVs and smartphones, and screen co-viewing, are needed to improve young children's sleep quality and promote their development.