Internet use and electronic gaming by children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems in Australia – results from the second Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

BackgroundConcerns have been raised of a potential connection between excessive online activity outside the academic realm and increased levels of psychological distress in young people. Young Minds Matter: the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing provides estimates of the prevalence of online activity and allows an exploration of associations between this activity, a range of mental disorders, socio-demographic characteristics and risk taking behaviour.MethodsBased on a randomized nationally representative sample, a household survey of mental health and wellbeing (Young Minds Matter) was conducted in 2013-14. Interviews were conducted with 6,310 parents and carers of 4–17 year-olds (55 % response rate), together with self-report questionnaires completed by 2,967 11–17 year-olds in these households (89 % response rate). The survey identified a range of mental disorders and emotional problems using a variety of diagnostic tools, with the self-report including questions about use of the Internet and electronic games. Five behaviours were measured related to this activity, with ‘problem behaviour’ being defined as exhibiting at least four out of five behaviours.ResultsLevels of Internet use (98.9 %, CI 98.5–99.3 %) and electronic gaming (85.3 %, CI 83.9–86.6 %) were high, and 3.9 % (CI 3.2–4.6 %) of young people reported problem behaviour. The proportion of girls with very high levels of psychological distress and problem behaviour (41.8 %,CI 28.8–54.9 %) was twice that for boys (19.4 %, CI 7.7–31.1 %). Those engaging with a range of risk factors reported higher prevalence of problem behaviour than others. Youth who suffered from emotional problems or high levels of psychological distress spent the most time online or playing games. Multivariate analysis showed associations with problem behaviour and having attempted suicide, experiencing high to very high levels of psychological distress, using alcohol, and living in a poorly functioning family. It was not possible to determine the direction of the associations.ConclusionThere are links between problem behaviours associated with Internet use and electronic gaming, and mental disorders and risk-taking behaviour in young people. Further studies are required to determine whether these are precursors or sequelae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3058-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Depression, psychological distress and Internet use among community-based Australian adolescents: a cross-sectional study

“…Evidence exists for the unique experiences of mental health for male and females and defining such differences is another critical aspect of this research. The associations between problematic Internet use (addiction) and mental disorders among Australian adolescents has recently been reported [17]. However the relationship between duration of time spent online (spanning low to high users) and mental health status requires further investigation.…”

Problematic gaming behaviour and health-related outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several studies also reported PGB to be associated with greater impulsivity (Kim et al, 2016b;Walther et al, 2012), poorer self-control (Kim et al, 2008), increased attention deficit (Andreassen et al, 2016;Gentile, 2009;Müller et al, 2015;Walther et al, 2012), hyperactivity (Baer et al, 2012;Rikkers et al, 2016;Strittmatter et al, 2015), concentration prob-lems (Kim et al, 2016b), augmented self-dis-crepancy (Kwon et al, 2011), lower self-esteem (Festl et al, 2013;Lemmens et al, 2015;Papay et al, 2013;Van Rooij et al, 2012;Walther et al, 2012), impaired life skills (Baer et al, 2012) and low school well-being (Rehbein and Baier, 2013). Wan and Chiou (2006) reported that dissatisfaction concerning safety, love, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation were key risk factors for PGB.…”

“…Additionally, PGB was found to be positively associated with the following outcomes: attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Andreassen et al, 2016), psychoticism (Starcevic et al, 2011), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD;Andreassen et al, 2016;Kim et al, 2016b;Starcevic et al, 2011;Vukosavljevic-Gvozden et al, 2016), obsessive passion disorder (Lafreniere et al, 2009) and general psychiatric distress (Király et al, 2015;Rikkers et al, 2016). One study (Li et al, 2011) reported that gamers exhibiting greater actual-ideal self-discrepancy and depression were more likely to present with higher levels of escapism and PGB symptoms.…”

“…Regarding social health factors, it was found that PGB was mostly associated with problems in interfamily relationships (Jeong and Kim, 2011), familial harmony (Rikkers et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2014), social integration at school (Rehbein and Baier, 2013), parent-child attachment and parental rearing attitudes (Kim and Kim, 2015) and social selfefficacy (Rehbein et al, 2010;Walther et al, 2012). Additionally, shyness (Peng and Liu, 2010), social phobia (Lehen-bauer-Baum et al, 2015), decreased openness (Wang et al, 2015) and interpersonal difficul-ties (Baer et al, 2012;Festl et al, 2013;Kim et al, 2008;Müller et al, 2015;Rikkers et al, 2016;Strittmatter et al, 2015) were positively associated with PGB. Furthermore, social self-efficacy in the virtual world and preferences for online interactions correlated positively…”

Regulating consumer use of transcranial direct current stimulation devices

“…There may also be risks faced by children whose brains are still developing, particularly those with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism or schizophrenia. 10 With thinner skulls, the amount and frequency of stimulation applied to a child's brain could potentially have a much greater adverse effect. 11 This is particularly troubling given evidence that shows that home users of tDCS devices, such as children involved in online gaming, often use higher currents for extended periods of time.…”