Zhang Lirong, Zhao Shuangyin, Zhao Shaocong, Ke Yizhen, Yang Weichen, Lei Mingxing
Department of Physical Education, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen, Fujian, People's Republic of China.
Department of Orthopaedics, Hainan Hospital of Chinse PLA General Hospital, Sanya, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2025 Apr 15;21:885-902. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S510287. eCollection 2025.
The use of electronic screens has become ubiquitous in modern society, but the specific relationship between hours of electronic screen exposure and mental health outcomes needs to be further investigated. Hence, this study aims to examine the detailed relationship between electronic screen exposure time and mental health status.
A sample of 2896 university students were recruited and their baseline characteristics, including demographics, lifestyle habits, and mental health status, were collected. The association between electronic screen exposure time and mental health status was investigated using linear regression analysis. The predictive performance of electronic screen exposure time for predicting mental health status, including severe anxiety and depression was, also analyzed using the area under the curve (AUC) analysis.
The time of exposure to electronic screen was significantly associated with anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p < 0.001). The AUC value was 0.641 (95% CI: 0.571-0.712) for severe anxiety and 0.665 (95% CI: 0.613-0.716) for severe depression. The optimal cut-off value for predicting anxiety and depression based on electronic screen exposure time was found to be both 6.5 hours. A subgroup analysis confirmed that participants with higher exposure time to electronic screens had significantly higher anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression scores (p < 0.001). The association between the hours of exposure to electronic screen and severe anxiety (p = 0.042) and severe depression (p < 0.001) remained significant after controlling for demographics, exercises, and other lifestyle factors.
The findings suggest that excessive electronic screen exposure time is associated with increased risk of anxiety and depression among university students. These findings highlight the need for interventions targeting electronic screen use to improve mental health outcomes, and less than 6.5 hours per day of exposure to electronic screen are recommended among university students.
电子屏幕的使用在现代社会已无处不在，但电子屏幕暴露时长与心理健康结果之间的具体关系仍需进一步研究。因此，本研究旨在探讨电子屏幕暴露时间与心理健康状况之间的详细关系。
招募了2896名大学生作为样本，收集他们的基线特征，包括人口统计学信息、生活方式习惯和心理健康状况。采用线性回归分析研究电子屏幕暴露时间与心理健康状况之间的关联。还使用曲线下面积（AUC）分析来分析电子屏幕暴露时间对预测心理健康状况（包括严重焦虑和抑郁）的预测性能。
电子屏幕暴露时间与焦虑（p<0.001）和抑郁（p<0.001）显著相关。严重焦虑的AUC值为0.641（95%CI：0.571-0.712），严重抑郁的AUC值为0.665（95%CI：0.613-0.716）。基于电子屏幕暴露时间预测焦虑和抑郁的最佳截断值均为6.5小时。亚组分析证实，电子屏幕暴露时间较长的参与者焦虑（p<0.001）和抑郁得分（p<0.001）显著更高。在控制了人口统计学、运动和其他生活方式因素后，电子屏幕暴露时长与严重焦虑（p=0.042）和严重抑郁（p<0.001）之间的关联仍然显著。
研究结果表明，电子屏幕暴露时间过长与大学生焦虑和抑郁风险增加有关。这些发现凸显了针对电子屏幕使用进行干预以改善心理健康结果的必要性，建议大学生每天电子屏幕暴露时间少于6.5小时。
