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Longitudinal Effects of Screen Time on Depressive Symptoms among Swedish Adolescents: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Coping Engagement Behavior

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  • Sebastian Hökby

    (National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Centre for Health Economics, Informatics and Health Services Research (CHIS), Stockholm Health Care Services, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Joakim Westerlund

    (National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Centre for Health Economics, Informatics and Health Services Research (CHIS), Stockholm Health Care Services, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Jesper Alvarsson

    (National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Centre for Health Economics, Informatics and Health Services Research (CHIS), Stockholm Health Care Services, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    Stockholm Centre for Health and Social Change (SCOHOST), Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, 141 89 Huddinge, Sweden)

  • Vladimir Carli

    (National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Centre for Health Economics, Informatics and Health Services Research (CHIS), Stockholm Health Care Services, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Gergö Hadlaczky

    (National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP), Centre for Health Economics, Informatics and Health Services Research (CHIS), Stockholm Health Care Services, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

Studies suggest that hourly digital screen time increases adolescents’ depressive symptoms and emotional regulation difficulties. However, causal mechanisms behind such associations remain unclear. We hypothesized that problem-focused and/or emotion-focused engagement coping moderates and possibly mediates this association over time. Questionnaire data were collected in three waves from a representative sample of Swedish adolescents (0, 3 and 12 months; n = 4793; 51% boys; 99% aged 13–15). Generalized Estimating Equations estimated the main effects and moderation effects, and structural regression estimated the mediation pathways. The results showed that problem-focused coping had a main effect on future depression ( b = 0.030; p < 0.001) and moderated the effect of screen time ( b = 0.009; p < 0.01). The effect size of this moderation was maximum 3.4 BDI-II scores. The mediation results corroborated the finding that future depression was only indirectly correlated with baseline screen time, conditional upon intermittent problem-coping interference (C’-path: Std. beta = 0.001; p = 0.018). The data did not support direct effects, emotion-focused coping effects, or reversed causality. We conclude that hourly screen time can increase depressive symptoms in adolescent populations through interferences with problem-focused coping and other emotional regulation behaviors. Preventive programs could target coping interferences to improve public health. We discuss psychological models of why screen time may interfere with coping, including displacement effects and echo chamber phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebastian Hökby & Joakim Westerlund & Jesper Alvarsson & Vladimir Carli & Gergö Hadlaczky, 2023. "Longitudinal Effects of Screen Time on Depressive Symptoms among Swedish Adolescents: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Coping Engagement Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3771-:d:1075009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Clifton C. Addison & Brenda W. Campbell-Jenkins & Daniel F. Sarpong & Jeffery Kibler & Madhu Singh & Patricia Dubbert & Gregory Wilson & Thomas Payne & Herman Taylor, 2007. "Psychometric Evaluation of a Coping Strategies Inventory Short-Form ( CSI-SF ) in the Jackson Heart Study Cohort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Siti Hajar Shahidin & Marhani Midin & Hatta Sidi & Chia Lip Choy & Nik Ruzyanei Nik Jaafar & Hajar Mohd Salleh Sahimi & Nur Aishah Che Roos, 2022. "The Relationship between Emotion Regulation (ER) and Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-26, November.
    3. Rosseel, Yves, 2012. "lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i02).
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