Longitudinal associations of the duration of mobile phone use with suicidal behavior in adolescents: The mediating role of depressive symptoms

Ying-Ying Zhang; Zhen-Zhen Liu; Bao-Peng Liu; Xiao-Fan Yang; Li-Peng Wan; Xianchen Liu; Cun-Xian Jia

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.035

Longitudinal associations of the duration of mobile phone use with suicidal behavior in adolescents: The mediating role of depressive symptoms

J Affect Disord. 2022 Oct 1:314:365-371. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.035. Epub 2022 Jul 22.

Authors

Ying-Ying Zhang¹, Zhen-Zhen Liu², Bao-Peng Liu¹, Xiao-Fan Yang¹, Li-Peng Wan¹, Xianchen Liu³, Cun-Xian Jia⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Jinan, Shandong, China.
² Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Jinan, Shandong, China; School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
³ Center for Public Health Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Jinan, Shandong, China. Electronic address: jiacunxian@sdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35878828
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.07.035

Abstract

Background: Prolonged mobile phone use has been demonstrated to be associated with mental health problems and suicidal behavior in adolescents. This study examined the mediating role of depressive symptoms in the association between duration of mobile phone use (DMPU) and suicidal behavior in adolescents.

Methods: A total of 6,923 participants from the Shandong Adolescent Behavior & Health Cohort (SABHC) were included in the analysis. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire to assess DMPU on weekdays and weekends, mental disorders, insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, suicidal behavior (thought, plan, or attempt), and family demographics in November-December 2015. One year later, a follow-up survey was conducted to ask participants to report their depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. Path analyses with logistic regressions were performed to examine the mediating role of depressive symptoms in the DMPU-suicidal behavior link.

Results: Of the sample, mean age was 14.58 (SD = 1.45) and 3,455 (49.9 %) were female at baseline. 12.12 % of participants reported having ever suicidal behavior during the past 12 months at baseline, and 10.63 % reported having ever suicidal behavior during 1-year follow-up. Path analyses showed that the depressive symptoms played a partial mediating role in the association of DMPU on weekdays and weekends with subsequent suicidal behavior. After controlling for covariates, depressive symptoms accounted for 33.6 % and 58.6 % of the total effect of DMPU on weekdays and weekends on suicidal behavior, respectively.

Limitation: All variables were measured based on self-report.

Conclusions: The link between DMPU and suicidal behavior was partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Prolonged mobile phone use and depressive symptoms should be assessed and intervened to prevent suicidal behavior in adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; Depressive symptoms; Mobile phone use; Suicidal behavior.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior* / psychology
Cell Phone Use*
Depression / epidemiology
Depression / psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* / epidemiology
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* / etiology
Suicidal Ideation