Excessive Smartphone Use is Associated with Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Sleep Quality of Australian Adults.

Problematic smartphone use has been associated with poorer mental health in different population groups; however, little is known about how levels of smartphone use were associated with mental health outcomes of adults in Australia. Using data from a cross-sectional survey among Australian adults aged 18-59 years (n = 655, Mean = 24.55 [SD = 5.59] years; 66% female), the current study aimed to examine association between problematic smartphone use and different psychological outcomes. Participants completed measures of problematic smartphone use with Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS), mental health outcomes with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), in addition to some socio-demographics. Smartphone use was categorised into three groups: low-moderate, moderate-high, and high-severe. A total of 160 adults (24.4%) reported high-severe smartphone use. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that smartphone use was inversely associated with psychological outcomes in a dose-dependent manner with high-severe smartphone uses having the most adverse effects. Compared to low-moderate use, average depression score was 3.5 points higher for moderate-high smartphone use (ß = 3.51, 95% CI: 1.63-5.40) and 6.9 points higher for high-severe smartphone use (ß = 6.91, 95% CI: 4.74-9.07). Similarly, average stress score was 3.4 points higher for moderate-high smartphone use (ß = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.75-5.06) and 7.0 points higher for high-severe smartphone use (ß = 7.02, 95% CI: 5.11-8.93). Similar association estimates were found for anxiety and sleep quality. Reducing smartphone use has the potential to optimise depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality; however, longitudinal research is warranted to establish directionality of the association.

An unexpectedly progressed lumbar herniated disk.

The authors describe a case of a 26-year-old female military veteran who presented with low back pain that she attributed to a recent foot injury. The patient reported a history of lumbar pain while in the military that had been treated successfully with high-velocity, low-amplitude osteopathic manipulative treatment. The patient's current pain was improved with osteopathic manipulative treatment and gait correction. Several weeks after her initial presentation, the patient reported that she had had a herniated disk diagnosed 2 years earlier by means of magnetic resonance imaging. Updated magnetic resonance imaging was performed, the results of which revealed a large herniated disk that had caused severe stenosis. The patient was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon for consultation and subsequently underwent surgical treatment.