Association for Socially Applicable Research, Pune, India.
Department of Pediatrics, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, NY, United States.
JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Jul 16;13:e39707. doi: 10.2196/39707.
Screen use time has increased in the past decade owing to the increased availability and accessibility of digital devices and the internet. Several studies have shown an association between increased screen use time and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. However, studies in the young adult population-a demographic with high screen use-and in low- and middle-income country settings are limited.
This protocol describes a study that aims to measure self-reported screen use times and patterns in young adults (18-24 y) in India and assess if increased screen use time is associated with poorer mental well-being.
This protocol describes a cross-sectional study of a pan-India, web-based convenience sample of young adults (18-24 y) with access to digital devices with a screen and a minimum of secondary school education. Participants will be recruited through people in the professional networks of the investigators, which includes pediatricians. The survey will also be distributed via the social media pages of our organization (X [X Corp], Instagram [Meta], Facebook [Meta], etc). Sociodemographic details will be collected through a questionnaire designed by the authors; screen use time and patterns will be assessed using an adaptation of the Screen Time Questionnaire to include data on different apps and websites used on digital devices; and mental health parameters will be gauged using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire. For statistical analysis, we will consider the following variables: (1) the primary independent variable is screen use time; (2) other independent variables include age, gender, residence: rural or urban, educational qualifications, employment status, stress associated with familial financial status, average sleep time, number of people living in a house or rooms in that house, BMI, substance use, and past psychiatric history; and (3) dependent variables include mental well-being, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. To quantify the association between screen use time and mental health, we will perform a Bayesian multivariate multiple regression analysis that models the possibility of multiple alternative hypotheses while accounting for relevant sociodemographic covariables.
The survey instrument has been designed, and feedback has been obtained from the domain experts and members of our organization whose profile is similar to the potential study participants. The final data received after this study has been conducted will be analyzed and shared. As of January 2023, we have not yet initiated the data collection.
Based on the findings of this study, we will be able to establish a correlation between device- and use-specific screen use time and various mental health parameters. This will provide a direction to develop screen use time and mental health guidelines among young adults.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/39707.
由于数字设备和互联网的普及和可及性增加，过去十年中屏幕使用时间增加了。多项研究表明，屏幕使用时间增加与焦虑和抑郁等心理健康问题之间存在关联。然而，在屏幕使用时间较高的年轻成年人人群（18-24 岁）和中低收入国家的研究有限。
本方案描述了一项旨在测量印度年轻成年人（18-24 岁）自我报告的屏幕使用时间和模式的研究，并评估增加屏幕使用时间是否与较差的心理健康有关。
本方案描述了一项横断面研究，研究对象为印度全国范围内、通过数字设备上网且具有屏幕、至少接受过中等教育的年轻成年人（18-24 岁）。将通过研究人员的专业网络中的人员（包括儿科医生）招募参与者。调查还将通过我们组织的社交媒体页面（X [X 公司]、Instagram [Meta]、Facebook [Meta] 等）进行分发。将通过作者设计的问卷收集社会人口统计学详细信息；使用对 Screen Time Questionnaire 的改编来评估屏幕使用时间和模式，以包括数字设备上使用的不同应用程序和网站的数据；使用 Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale、Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale、Perceived Stress Scale 和 Patient Health Questionnaire 来衡量心理健康参数。对于统计分析，我们将考虑以下变量：（1）主要自变量是屏幕使用时间；（2）其他自变量包括年龄、性别、居住地：农村或城市、教育程度、就业状况、与家庭经济状况相关的压力、平均睡眠时间、居住在一个房子或房间中的人数、BMI、物质使用和过去的精神病史；（3）因变量包括心理健康、抑郁、焦虑和感知压力。为了量化屏幕使用时间与心理健康之间的关联，我们将进行贝叶斯多元多重回归分析，该分析在考虑相关社会人口统计学协变量的同时，对多个替代假设的可能性进行建模。
已设计了调查工具，并从领域专家和与潜在研究参与者相似的组织成员那里获得了反馈。在进行这项研究后，将对收到的最终数据进行分析和共享。截至 2023 年 1 月，我们尚未开始数据收集。
根据这项研究的结果，我们将能够确定设备和使用特定的屏幕使用时间与各种心理健康参数之间的相关性。这将为制定年轻成年人的屏幕使用时间和心理健康指南提供方向。
国际注册报告标识符（IRRID）：PRR1-10.2196/39707。
