Lebanese American University
ENG101
Fall 2020-2021
Zinnia Shweiry
Synthesis Writing
Extract 1
The association between screen time per day in hours and poor mental health was studied in the overall population and in sex and age
groups with adjusted logistic regression models.
Nine hundred and thirty-two adults were included in this cross-sectional study. There were 36.1% of men, and 50.4% of the
population was aged between 35 and 64 years.
Younger age (18–34 years), single/separated/divorced/widowed, employment, high annual income (≥£60,000), living in England, and
current smoking were more common in people with higher screen time per day (≥6 hours/day) than those with low screen time
(<6 hour/days). The number of chronic physical conditions and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day during
self-isolation were lower and sitting time per day during self-isolation higher in the high screen time compared to the low screen time
per day group. The mean (standard deviation) number of hours of screen time per day was 7.2 (3.8) in the overall population, and this
was higher in younger adults [8.8 (3.7) hours in adults aged 18–34 years versus 5.2 (2.9) hours in those aged ≥65 years].
After adjusting for several potential confounding factors, a positive association between screen time per day in hours and poor mental
health in the overall sample (OR=1.07, 95% CI=1.02–1.13) was noted. The relationship between screen time per day and poor mental
health was also found to be significant in women (OR=1.07, 95% CI=1.01–1.14) and adults aged 35–64 years irrespective of sex
(OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05–1.22).
Smith, L., Jacob, L., Trott, M., Yakkundi, A., Butler, L., Barnett, Y., . . . Tully, M. A. (2020). The association between screen time and
mental health during COVID-19: A cross sectional study. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113333-113333. doi:10.1016/[Link].2020.113333
Extract 2
Within the mental health field, we spend a lot of time talking with parents and patients about screens and digital media. We bond with
patients over their favorite movies, we see the effects of bullying over social media, and we work with parents and patients to create
limits around technology use when it seems to be interfering with well‐being and functioning. It is a common focus of our treatment
of adolescents; however, there are no clear recommendations for “screen‐time” limits in adolescents and children over 5, other than
“less is more.” Although there are clearer guidelines for younger children, we do not often talk to parents about why the guidelines
were developed. There have been many studies with a wide range of results, making opinions about how to counsel families varied;
however, the progression of the evidence shows more and more correlation between increased screen time and poorer social,
emotional, and cognitive outcomes, as well as physical changes to the brain.
Williams, C. (2020). Screen time and mental health: No easy solutions. The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 36(2),
1-6. doi:10.1002/cbl.30439
Extract 3
Excessive screen-time has emerged as a behavior that may contribute to mental health (both well-being and ill-being) during
adolescence (Hamer, Yates, Sherar, Clemes, & Shankar, 2016). The use of screens is often necessary for educational purposes, and
some recreational screen-time (i.e., using television, DVD, computer, and tablet/mobile phone) may support young people's well-
being (Houghton et al., 2015). However, time spent using screens for leisure has dramatically increased in recent decades (Houghton
et al., 2015), and now typically exceeds what can be considered ‘healthy’ use. Indeed, the vast majority of adolescents (70–80%)
exceed the recreational screen-time guidelines of less than 2 h per day (Hardy, 2013, Morley et al., 2012, Owens et al., 2013).
Babic, M. J., Smith, J. J., Morgan, P. J., Eather, N., Plotnikoff, R. C., & Lubans, D. R. (2017). Longitudinal associations between changes
in screen-time and mental health outcomes in adolescents. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 12, 124-131.
doi:10.1016/[Link].2017.04.001
Extract 4
Prior research indicates that excessive screen time (ST) can impact negatively on youths’ health: For instance, it is associated with a
high body mass index, overweight and obesity, increased cardiovascular health-risks, sleep disturbances as well as back pain and
unhealthy eating. Current studies indicate that excessive ST can also impact negatively on mental health. Mental health can be
understood as the absence of mental disorders, but also more broadly as a state of subjective well-being, perceived autonomy, as well
as psychological resilience in terms of stress and adversity, as defined by the World Health Organization (World Health Organization
[WHO], 2002). Systematic reviews demonstrated that ST is associated with more depressive symptomatology, less self-esteem,
negative body image and eating disorders and less psychological well-being. Moreover, statistical estimations suggest that replacing 1
hour of video gaming with 1 hour of outdoor play leads to improved mental health in youths (Janssen, 2016).
Mutz, M., Müller, J., & Göring, A. (2019). Outdoor adventures and adolescents' mental health: Daily screen time as a moderator of
changes. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 19(1), 56-66. doi:10.1080/14729679.2018.1507830
Extract 5
To test the independent and interactive associations of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) with self-reported mental health
and sleep quality among Chinese college students, data were collected in October, 2013. The gender, age, residential background,
body mass index (BMI), perceived family economy and perceived study burden were obtained from a total of 4747 college students
(41.6% males and 58.4% females). The outcomes were self-reported PA status, ST, anxiety, depression, psychopathological
symptoms and sleep quality. Overall, 16.3%, 15.9% and 17.3% of the students had psychological problems, such as anxiety,
depression and psychopathological symptoms, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 9.8%. High ST was
significantly positively associated with anxiety, depression, psychopathological symptoms, and poor sleep quality. High PA was
insignificantly negatively associated with anxiety, depression, psychopathological symptoms and poor sleep. Low PA and high ST
were independently and interactively associated with increased risks of mental health problems and poor sleep quality. Interventions
are needed to reduce ST and increase PA in the lifestyles of young people.
Wu, X., Tao, S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, S., & Tao, F. (2015). Low physical activity and high screen time can increase the risks of mental health
problems and poor sleep quality among chinese college students. PloS One, 10(3), e0119607-e0119607.
doi:10.1371/[Link].0119607
Extract 6
Highlights
• In 13–15 year old girls, greater use of social media is associated with self-harm.
• In 13–15 year old girls, greater use of social media is associated with depression.
• In 13–15 year old girls, greater use of social media is associated with lower self-esteem.
• The size of these associations was similar for weekday and weekend use.
There is increasing concern regarding the potential impact of social media use on the mental health of young people. Social media is a
relatively new phenomenon, though today's adolescents have grown up in a world in which it has always been present. Social media
use amongst adolescents has risen rapidly over the last 16 years since the launch of Facebook; according to Ofcom (2019) just under
70% of 12–15 year-olds in the UK have a social media profile, with over a third agreeing that they found it difficult to control their
screen-time ( Ofcom, 2019 ). Over the same period of time, rates of suicide, non-suicidal self-harm and common mental disorder
amongst young people in the UK have increased, particularly amongst females. Given the ramifications of poor mental health in
adolescence, in terms of academic attainment, employment and mental health in adulthood, it is vital that we enhance understanding
about the potential relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health.
Findings from several studies suggest that social media use may be associated with poorer mental health in adolescents. With poor
mental health becoming increasingly prevalent amongst female adolescents in particular, the question has been raised as to whether
social media – used more intensively by females – may be an important contributor to this gender difference. Using cross-sectional
questionnaire data derived from the Millennium Cohort Study, Kelly et al. (2018) found that time spent on social media at age 14 was
associated with depressive symptoms, with a stronger association in females than males. Prior studies of the impact of social media
on mental health have largely focused on depression, anxiety and cognitive or affective wellbeing. To date, little research exists
examining an association between social media screen-time and risk of self-harm. Self-harm not only has immediate physical
consequences but is associated with increased risk of suicide. Levels of self-harm have risen substantially over recent years,
particularly amongst 13–16 year-old girls, making the lack of evidence about associations with social media use a key knowledge
gap.
Barthorpe, A., Winstone, L., Mars, B., & Moran, P. (2020). Is social media screen time really associated with poor adolescent mental
health? A time use diary study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 864-870. doi:10.1016/[Link].2020.05.106
