Kuwabara Yuki, Imamoto Aya, Hori Norie, Kim Hongja, Kinjo Aya, Osaki Yoneatsu
Division of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan.
Division of Pediatrics and Perinatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan.
Pediatr Int. 2025 Jan-Dec;67(1):e70063. doi: 10.1111/ped.70063.
The rapid increase in depression among adolescents is an urgent concern. This study examined the association between depression and digital device use, among adolescents. Furthermore, we explored the time thresholds of specific digital device use.
This cross-sectional study administered self-reported questionnaires to all 467 students of a junior high school in Japan. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression (cut-off values 0-4: no or minimal, 5-9: mild, 10-27: moderate to severe). Data on participants' dietary habits, sleep habits, physical activity, and time spent on digital devices (total, gaming, social media, and video watching) were obtained. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the abovementioned association.
The response rate was 92.9% and data from complete case analyses with 357 participants were analyzed. Of the participants, 11.8% reported depressive symptoms. Lifestyle factors and digital device use were consistently associated with depression. Total time spent on any digital device was not significantly associated with depression, adjusted for selected lifestyles. However, ≥3 h of gaming (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.32 [95%CI, 1.66-6.65], p = 0.001) and social media use (AOR 2.56 [95%CI, 1.28-5.11], p = 0.008) on non-school days were significantly associated with depression, regardless of adjustment.
Moderate use of digital technology to avoid disrupting lifestyles is desirable for adolescents' mental health. Furthermore, gaming or social media use for ≥3 h was consistently significant factors. Health education to control these factors for <3 h is favorable to maintain mental health.
青少年抑郁症的迅速增加是一个亟待关注的问题。本研究调查了青少年抑郁症与数字设备使用之间的关联。此外，我们还探讨了特定数字设备使用的时间阈值。
这项横断面研究对日本一所初中的467名学生进行了自我报告问卷调查。采用患者健康问卷-9来评估抑郁情况（临界值0-4：无或轻微，5-9：轻度，10-27：中度至重度）。获取了参与者的饮食习惯、睡眠习惯、身体活动以及在数字设备上花费的时间（总计、游戏、社交媒体和视频观看）的数据。使用多元逻辑回归分析来检验上述关联。
回复率为92.9%，对357名参与者的完整病例分析数据进行了分析。在参与者中，11.8%报告有抑郁症状。生活方式因素和数字设备使用与抑郁症始终相关。在对选定的生活方式进行调整后，在任何数字设备上花费的总时间与抑郁症无显著关联。然而，在非上学日，游戏时长≥3小时（调整后的优势比[AOR]为3.32[95%置信区间，1.66-6.65]，p = 0.001）和社交媒体使用时长≥3小时（AOR为2.56[95%置信区间，1.28-5.11]，p = 0.008）与抑郁症显著相关，无论是否进行调整。
适度使用数字技术以避免扰乱生活方式对青少年心理健康有益。此外，游戏或社交媒体使用时长≥3小时始终是显著因素。开展健康教育将这些因素控制在<3小时有利于维护心理健康。
