Objectives

The present longitudinal study investigates associations between changes in externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties and changes in problematic smartphone usage within the same 1-year period in healthy adolescents.

Methods

The project is part of the LIFE Child cohort study conducted in Leipzig, Germany. Ten- to 16-year-old adolescents (n = 363) provided information on behavioral difficulties [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)], the duration of daily smartphone use, and symptoms of smartphone addiction [Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS)] at two consecutive study visits, t1 and t2 (1 year after t1). In the first of two analysis phases, we applied linear regression analyses to assess cross-sectional associations between externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties and the duration of smartphone use and symptoms of smartphone addiction (at t1 and t2). In the second, we assessed associations between the changes measured in these variables over the period of a year. All associations were adjusted for age, sex, and soci-economic status.

Results

Children who reported prolonged periods of smartphone use or more symptoms of smartphone addiction exhibited significantly higher levels of externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties at t1 and t2. Further, children who increased their usage or developed addiction symptoms between t1 and t2 also developed more externalizing behavioral difficulties. We found the same tendencies in regard to internalizing behavioral difficulties, although the associations did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

The present findings suggest that externalizing behavioral difficulties and problematic smartphone use are mutually dependent in the long term.

中文翻译：

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一年内青少年行为困难的变化与有问题的智能手机使用水平之间的关联

目标

本纵向研究调查了健康青少年在同一 1 年期间外化和内化行为困难的变化与有问题的智能手机使用变化之间的关联。

方法

该项目是在德国莱比锡进行的 LIFE 儿童队列研究的一部分。10 至 16 岁的青少年 ( n = 363) 在 t1 和 t2 (1 t1 后的一年）。在两个分析阶段的第一个阶段，我们应用线性回归分析来评估外化和内化行为困难与智能手机使用持续时间和智能手机成瘾症状（在 t1 和 t2）之间的横截面关联。第二，我们评估了一年中这些变量测量的变化之间的关联。所有协会都根据年龄、性别和社会经济地位进行了调整。

结果

报告长时间使用智能手机或出现更多智能手机成瘾症状的儿童在 t1 和 t2 表现出明显更高水平的外化和内化行为困难。此外，在 t1 和 t2 之间增加使用量或出现成瘾症状的儿童也会出现更多的外化行为困难。我们在内化行为困难方面发现了相同的趋势，尽管这些关联没有达到统计显着性。

结论

目前的研究结果表明，从长远来看，外化行为困难和有问题的智能手机使用是相互依赖的。