Temporal patterns of smartphone-mediated digital engagement and mental health symptomatology

Current ubiquitous information and communication technologies are reshaping human behaviours and could have profound implications for mental health. To investigate the dynamic patterns of daily interactions with the digital environment-particularly via smartphones-a novel, ecological approach is implemented which incorporates the use of innovative sensors. Data was collected from 31 healthy individuals from the general population living in Jerusalem who were tracked using objective smartphone logs of digital activity and daily self-reports of anxiety and depression symptoms. Significant associations were found between temporal patterns of smartphone usage and momentary anxiety symptomatology. Higher levels of overall phone usage in the morning hours were a significant predictor of anxiety while high levels of phone usage in the rest of the day were associated with decreased anxiety symptoms. A more nuanced analysis of usage types revealed that high levels of social and process-related digital activity in the morning were associated with a reduction in anxiety symptoms, with evidence of a dose-response relationship. These findings highlight the importance of context, user motivation, and the complex relationship between smartphone usage and mental health which warrant further research.