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Smartphone Screen Time Characteristics in People With Suicidal Thoughts: Retrospective Observational Data Analysis
Marta Karas1, Debbie Huang1, Zachary Clement1
1Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States.
JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|October 11, 2024
Summary
This study shows that passively collected smartphone data can accurately measure screen time in individuals with suicidal thoughts, offering a reliable alternative to self-reports for mental health research.
Area of Science:
- Digital Phenotyping
- Mental Health Technology
- Psychiatric Research
Background:
- Smartphone monitoring offers novel ways to track mental health behaviors, including suicidal ideation.
- Traditional research relies on self-reported data, which can be unreliable.
- Passive data collection from smartphone sensors provides objective behavioral insights, such as screen time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop methods for identifying screen-on bouts and screen time characteristics from passive smartphone logs.
- To estimate daily smartphone screen time in individuals experiencing suicidal thinking.
- To offer a more reliable alternative to self-report measures for assessing screen time in this population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Beiwe app to passively collect phone state logs from 126 participants for up to 6 months.
- Derived daily screen time metrics: screen-on time, screen-on/off bout durations, and screen-on bout count.
- Analyzed data across age subgroups, operating systems, and monitoring periods, including sensitivity analyses and daylight saving time impact.
Main Results:
- Mean daily screen-on time was approximately 255-271 minutes for adolescents and adults, with no significant differences by operating system.
- Most daily screen time measures did not significantly differ between the first 4 weeks and later monitoring periods.
- Sensitivity analysis revealed the significant impact of bout identification parameters on screen time measures; daylight saving time showed a statistically significant effect on screen-on time.
Conclusions:
- Passively collected smartphone logs provide a viable alternative to self-report measures for studying screen time in individuals with suicidal thinking.
- This approach demonstrates feasibility for future research on the links between daily screen time, mental health, and other factors.
- Further research can leverage passive data collection for a deeper understanding of mental health conditions.
