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. 2022 Feb;57(2):239-243.
doi: 10.1007/s00127-021-02196-5. Epub 2021 Nov 12.

Longitudinal association between smartphone ownership and depression among schoolchildren under COVID-19 pandemic

Masaki Adachi  1   2 , Michio Takahashi  3   4 , Hiroki Shinkawa  4   5 , Hiroyuki Mori  4   6 , Tomoko Nishimura  7 , Kazuhiko Nakamura  4   6
Affiliations

Longitudinal association between smartphone ownership and depression among schoolchildren under COVID-19 pandemic

Masaki Adachi et al. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Under the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding prolonged screen time and mental health effects in children have increased. We examined the association of depression with smartphone ownership in school children at four time points: September 2019, July 2020, December 2020, and March 2021. The analysis revealed an interaction between group and time, indicating that depressive symptoms among smartphone owners were significantly more severe than in the other group. These results were clearer for fourth-year students, pointing that smartphone possession at younger ages may be a risk factor for mental health in the new lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Depression; Schoolchildren; Screen time; Smartphone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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