Biggest benefits seen for internalizing behavioral issues and prosocial behavior<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Short-term reduction in leisure-time screen media use within families positively affects psychological symptoms in children and adolescents, according to a study published online July 12 in\u00a0JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jesper Schmidt-Persson, Ph.D., from the Centre of Research in Childhood Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, and colleagues investigated the effects of a two-week screen media reduction intervention on children’s and adolescents’ mental health. Analysis included 181 children and adolescents from 89 participating families.<\/p>\n The researchers found that there was a statistically significant mean difference in the total difficulties score, favoring the screen media reduction intervention (\u00e2\u0088\u00921.67; Cohen d, 0.53). The greatest benefits were seen for internalizing symptoms (emotional symptoms and peer problems; between-group mean difference, \u00e2\u0088\u00921.03) and prosocial behavior (between-group mean difference, 0.84).<\/p>\n “Future research should explore the potential differential effects of various types of screen media use and look deeper into whether collective family participation in such interventions is a pivotal component for observed benefits,” the authors write. “Moreover, more research is needed to confirm whether these effects are sustainable in the long term.”<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text<\/a><\/p>\n