Teens addicted to digital screens more susceptible to suicide

A new study published in JAMA (June) reveals that adolescents who become addicted to social media, mobile phones or video games are at higher risk of harbouring suicidal tendencies and suffering socio-emotional problems.

Researchers of Weill Cornell Medicine, Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley (USA) tracked 4,300 children in the 9-10 age group for four years. Using machine learning and data from participant interviews, they characterised three addictive use trajectories for social media and mobile phone usage and two for video games. By age 14, one-third had a high addictive use trajectory for social media, one-fourth for mobile phones and over 40 percent for video games.

“For parents and educators, the discussion around mobile phones and social media has focused on banning use, but our results indicate more complex factors are involved. Clinical trials have shown that limiting cell phone use during school hours was ineffective in reducing the risk of suicidal behaviour or improving other aspects of mental health,” says first author Dr Yunyu Xiao, assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Regular sleep speeds recovery of cardiac patients

Heart failure patients with a regular sleep schedule face fewer health risks and better recovery after hospital, says a study conducted by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Researchers found that even moderately irregular sleep doubles the risk of a relapse within six months.

“Going to bed and waking up at consistent times is important for overall health. Our study suggests that consistency in sleep timings may be especially important for adults with heart problems,” says Brooke Shafer, lead author and a research assistant professor at OHSU School of Nursing.

The study published in JACC Advances (August) surveyed 32 patients who had been hospitalized for acute heart problems. For a week following hospital discharge, participants used sleep diaries to record their sleep patterns. Following discharge from the hospital, 21 participants experienced a relapse within six months. Of that group, 13 were moderately irregular sleepers compared with eight having a regular sleep schedule. The study concluded that irregular sleepers had more than double the risk of a relapse within six months.

Socio-economic deprivation prompts adolescence eating disorders

Teenage children from socio-economically deprived backgrounds are more likely to experience eating disorders, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.  Moreover, teens whose parents had only compulsory level of education were at a higher risk of developing eating disorders compared with teens whose parents had university education.

The study analyzed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK-based birth cohort that studied more than 14,000 pregnant women between 1991 and 1992. Data collection spanned from gestation to 18 years, with outcome assessments conducted at ages 14, 16, and 18 years. Primary exposure included parental income, education, occupation, reported financial hardship, and area-level deprivation. “Lower parental educational attainment was strongly associated with increased odds of offspring’s disordered eating in adolescence,” says the study.

Pandemic schools closure had multiple effects on students

Researchers of an international study led by UNESCO Chair ‘Global Health and Education’, hosted jointly by the University of Huddersfield (UK) and University of Clermont Auvergne (France), have identified multiple effects of Covid-19 pandemic school closures on adolescent well-being.

Some respondents, particularly health professionals, highlighted that suicides and behavioural abnormalities such as eating disorders, video game/screen addiction, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, delinquency, and self-harm had increased among  students. Moreover, students’ physical activity had decreased because of confinement and isolation, and eating disorders had increased, leading to obesity.

The study concluded that education policies need to view schools as infrastructure that supports multiple aspects of adolescent well-being — not just as teaching-learning institutions. In addition, the authors asserted that during recovery from a pandemic, holistic strategies related to adolescent well-being, not just focus on educational catch-up — are necessary to mitigate the long-term consequences of school closures.