ABSTRACT
With about 300 million affected people, major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common diseases worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases increased even further, by 28%. Many factors may be correlated with MDD, including the excessive use of social media apps. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between the use of social media and communication apps and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and social distancing like lockdowns probably changed smartphone usage times and usage patterns. While previous studies have shown an association between depression and social media usage, we report about the situation during these special circumstances. We employed a log-linear regression to examine the association of social media and communication app usage and depression. To quantify the usage, we applied the total usage time in hours of social media apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook) as well as communication apps (Phone and Messaging) within one week. To measure depressive symptoms, we used the PHQ-9 score. We discovered a significant association between the usage time and the PHQ-9 score (beta=0.0084, p-value=0.010). We conclude that social media usage is a robust marker for depression severity and future research should focus on a better understanding of the underlying causality and potential counter-measures. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Depression and anxiety in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have a negative impact on physical health, therapy adherence, and the quality of life of those affected. At the moment there is hardly any research on the optimal and early treatment of these comorbidities. The COACH project (Chronic Conditions in Adolescents: Implementation and Evaluation of Patient-centered Collaborative Healthcare), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, aims to identify psychological stress in chronically ill adolescents at an early stage, to gain a better understanding and optimise treatment. Methods: As part of the COACH project, an anxiety and depression screening tool was implemented in the German CF register Mukoweb. Based on the current international guidelines, the evaluated questionnaires PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are completed once a year in participating German clinics by adolescents with CF aged 12 to 21 years and transferred directly to Mukoweb. Patients are then offered the opportunity to participate in further sub-projects, which are intended to improve depressive and anxiety distress by supporting strengths and strategies in coping with their illness. Results: So far, 7 CF centres are participating in the COACH project. Screening was performed in 96 patients with a median age of 16.6 years, 56.3% of which were female. In 19.8% of the patients screened, the result was in the abnormal range with a screening result of PHQ-9 ≥7 or GAD-7 ≥7 (as of Dec 31, 2020). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, recruitment has been very delayed in 2020. Conclusion: The first interim results show that one in five of the adolescents with CF examined suffers from anxiety or depression and the care for these comorbidities is of high relevance. Based on the study results of the COACH project, the aim is to raise awareness of Mental Health Screening and to provide evidence-based recommendations for collaborative care of those affected.