Screen use habits among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders: A cross-sectional study from Turkey

Abstract

In this cross-sectional study, we investigated screen use habits, problematic internet use (PIU), and screen–psychopathology relationship in a clinical sample of children and adolescents. The study included 277 children and adolescents (129 [46.4%] girls) aged between 6–17 years referred to a psychiatry outpatient setting for various reasons. All parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), while adolescents also completed the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The mean screen time was 3.85 (SD = 2.72) hours per day. Longer screen times were found among children and adolescents with specific psychiatric disorders compared to those with no psychiatric symptoms; especially among those with internalizing disorders (i.e., an anxiety disorder and/or depression), but also with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or conduct disorder. Longer screen time may be related with more functioning impairments. Based on the IAT, 2.1% of adolescents may have PIU. The findings from this study suggest that children and adolescents with psychiatric symptoms may have prolonged screen times. This needs to be taken into account during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Keywords

• screen time
• digital media
• problematic internet use
• mobile phone
• internalizing
• externalizing