Rimel Sarah E, Bam Dina, Farren Laura, Thaanum Ayana, Smith Alessandro, Park Susanna Y, Boeldt Debra L, Nicksic Sigmon Chloe A
National Mental Health Innovation Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2023 Mar 8;7:e41694. doi: 10.2196/41694.
Most adolescents in the United States engage with technology. Social isolation and disruptions in activities owing to the COVID-19 pandemic have been linked to worsening mood and overall decreased well-being in adolescents. Although studies on the direct impacts of technology on adolescent well-being and mental health are inconclusive, there are both positive and negative associations depending on various factors, such as how the technology is used and by whom under certain settings.
This study applied a strengths-based approach and focused on the potential to leverage technology to benefit adolescent well-being during a public health emergency. This study aimed to gain an initial and nuanced understanding of how adolescents have used technology to support their wellness throughout the pandemic. In addition, this study aimed to further motivate future large-scale research on how technology can be leveraged to benefit adolescent well-being.
This study used an exploratory qualitative approach and was conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 consisted of interviewing subject matter experts who work with adolescents to inform the creation of a semistructured interview for phase 2. Subject matter experts were recruited from existing connections with the Hemera Foundation and National Mental Health Innovation Center's (NMHIC) networks. In phase 2, adolescents (aged 14-18 years) were recruited nationally through social media (eg, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram) and via email to institutions (eg, high schools, hospitals, and health technology companies). High school and early college interns at NMHIC led the interviews via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications) with an NMHIC staff member on the call in an observational role. A total of 50 adolescents completed interviews regarding their technology use and its role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overarching themes identified from the data were COVID-19's impact on adolescent lives, positive role of technology, negative role of technology, and resiliency. Adolescents engaged with technology as a way to foster and maintain connection in a time of extended isolation. However, they also demonstrated an awareness of when technology was negatively affecting their well-being, prompting them to turn to other fulfilling activities that do not involve technology.
This study highlights how adolescents have used technology for well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines based on insights from the results of this study were created for adolescents, parents, caregivers, and teachers to provide recommendations for how adolescents can use technology to bolster overall well-being. Adolescents' ability to recognize when they need to engage in nontechnology-related activities and their ability to use technology to reach a larger community indicate that technology can be facilitated in positive ways to benefit their overall well-being. Future research should focus on increasing the generalizability of recommendations and identifying additional ways to leverage mental health technologies.
美国大多数青少年都与科技有所接触。由于新冠疫情导致的社交隔离以及活动中断，与青少年情绪恶化和整体幸福感下降有关。尽管关于科技对青少年幸福感和心理健康的直接影响的研究尚无定论，但根据各种因素，如科技的使用方式以及在特定环境下由谁使用等，存在着积极和消极的关联。
本研究采用基于优势的方法，重点关注在公共卫生紧急情况下利用科技促进青少年幸福感的潜力。本研究旨在初步且细致地了解青少年在整个疫情期间如何利用科技来支持自身的健康。此外，本研究旨在进一步推动未来关于如何利用科技促进青少年幸福感的大规模研究。
本研究采用探索性定性方法，分两个阶段进行。第一阶段包括采访与青少年打交道的主题专家，以便为第二阶段创建半结构化访谈提供信息。主题专家是从与赫墨拉基金会和国家心理健康创新中心（NMHIC）网络的现有联系中招募的。在第二阶段，通过社交媒体（如脸书、推特、领英和照片墙）以及向机构（如高中、医院和健康科技公司）发送电子邮件，在全国范围内招募青少年（14 - 18岁）。NMHIC的高中和早期大学实习生通过Zoom（Zoom视频通讯）进行访谈，NMHIC的一名工作人员以观察的角色参与通话。共有50名青少年完成了关于他们在新冠疫情期间科技使用情况及其作用的访谈。
从数据中确定的总体主题是新冠疫情对青少年生活的影响、科技的积极作用、科技的消极作用以及恢复力。青少年将科技作为在长期隔离期间促进和维持联系的一种方式。然而，他们也意识到科技何时会对他们的幸福感产生负面影响，促使他们转向其他不涉及科技的充实活动。
本研究突出了青少年在整个新冠疫情期间如何利用科技促进幸福感。根据本研究结果的见解为青少年、家长、照顾者和教师制定了指导方针，以提供关于青少年如何利用科技增强整体幸福感的建议。青少年识别何时需要参与与科技无关活动的能力以及他们利用科技接触更广泛社区的能力表明，可以以积极的方式利用科技来促进他们的整体幸福感。未来的研究应侧重于提高建议的普遍性，并确定利用心理健康科技的其他方法。
