Can media use in youth increase the risk of psychotic experiences in early adulthood?

In a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatrya team of Canadian scientists used longitudinal data on media use to investigate the association between adolescent media use and the occurrence of psychotic experiences at age 23.

study: Relationship between adolescents' media use trajectories and psychotic experiences. Image credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

background

A growing number of studies report an association between abnormal media use and mental health problems in adolescents.

Although academic, recreational, and social media use is considered normal for adolescents, increased screen-based media use is associated with loneliness, parent-child relationships, and There seem to be risk factors such as problems with children and bullying.

These associations suggest that increased media use may also be a risk factor for psychotic experiences.

Research shows that the prevalence of psychotic experiences is 5% to 7% in adults, and the risk of psychotic experiences by age 24 is 13%. These experiences can range from mild, consisting of doubts and strange thoughts, to severe, consisting of hallucinations and delusions.

Psychotic experiences usually appear in the mid- to late-teens, and although they do not necessarily develop into mental illness, they significantly increase the risk of substance abuse, emotional disorders, and mental disorders. However, it is still unclear whether frequent media use is associated with psychotic experiences.

About research

In this study, scientists looked at four types of media use over a 17-year period, starting at age 12, to determine whether media use is related: video games, TV viewing, reading, and computer use. I investigated the trajectory. Accompanied by psychotic experiences.

They used longitudinal trajectories to account for changes in the association between media use and psychotic experiences over time and by media type.

The participants enrolled in this study were part of the Longitudinal Study of Child Development conducted in Quebec, Canada, and included more than 2000 children born between 1997 and 1998. Ta.

Participants and families were randomly selected and covered the entire socio-economic spectrum of the state.

A 15-item Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences questionnaire was used to determine the frequency of psychotic experiences in 23-year-old participants.

Items in this questionnaire addressed aspects of psychotic experiences such as persecutory delusions, strange experiences, and paresthesias that are only experienced when the participant is not under the influence of a substance.

The four types of media use included social, recreational, and academic purposes, and participants were required to report how much time they typically spent using each type of media each week. Responses ranged from less than an hour to 1-2 hours, and responses were obtained from ages 12, 13, 15, and 17.

We obtained data from parents on sociodemographic characteristics such as household income, racial group, and gender, as well as parental mental health when the child was 5 months to 2.5 years old.

Teacher reports of anxiety, depression, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity, and inattention were also obtained when participants were 12 years old.

In addition, self-reported data from participants regarding exposure to bullying, parental support and monitoring, and quality of friendship with best friends were also included in the analysis.

result

Results showed a moderate association between longitudinal trajectories of adolescents' media use and the development of psychotic experiences at age 23, indicating the role of common risk factors.

The study found that 10% to 29% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 had curvilinear or elevated trajectories of media use, which led to a 4% to 5% increase in psychotic experiences by age 23. It turns out that they are even more related.

Relationship difficulties and mental health issues associated with increased video game use at age 12 were found to be associated with a 3% to 7% increase in psychotic experiences.

Computer use was found to decline sharply after mid-adolescence, which was in contrast to the current observed use of technology and social media to stay connected.

For computer use, this curvilinear trajectory was also associated with an increased incidence of psychotic experiences at age 23 years.

conclusion

Overall, the findings suggested that increased media use during adolescence was not strongly associated with the incidence of psychotic experiences at age 23, but a moderate association did suggest that media use and psychotic experiences were This showed that they may share risk factors.

Researchers believe that further investigation of the psychosocial functions and environmental determinants of media use among adolescents is needed to develop prevention and management strategies for psychotic experiences.