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Unpacking Associations between Mood Symptoms and Screen Time in Preadolescents: a Network Analysis
Sin-Ying Lin1, Nicholas R Eaton2, Jessica L Schleider2
1Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA. sin-ying.lin@stonybrook.edu.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|September 14, 2020
Summary
Age-inappropriate screen time is linked to more mood symptoms in preadolescents. This type of screen use also alters symptom patterns, suggesting a significant role in youth mood problems.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Neurodevelopment
- Digital Media Effects
Background:
- Growing evidence links adolescent screen time to mood issues.
- Existing research often overlooks preadolescents, symptom-level analysis, and specific screen time types.
- Key factors like parental monitoring and behavioral inhibition/activation systems (BIS/BAS) are rarely integrated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mood symptoms in relation to diverse screen time types among preadolescents.
- To explore the influence of parental monitoring and BIS/BAS on these relationships.
- To identify unique symptom profiles associated with specific screen time behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 9986 families in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study.
- Employed mixed graphical models to analyze mood symptoms and screen time.
- Accounted for parental monitoring and behavioral inhibition/activation systems (BIS/BAS).
Main Results:
- Screen time with age-inappropriate content showed a significant association with elevated mood symptoms, independent of other factors.
- Age-inappropriate screen time was linked to increased overall symptom connectivity.
- Preadolescents with high exposure to age-inappropriate content displayed distinct mood symptom profiles.
Conclusions:
- Age-inappropriate screen time plays a multifaceted role in preadolescent mood problems, directly impacting symptoms and symptom relationships.
- This screen time is associated with unique symptom profiles, differing from common pediatric mood disorders.
- Findings support early detection strategies for preadolescents at risk for mood problems.
