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Cited by 149Youth Development and Social SupportImpact of Technology on AdolescentsPhysical Activity and Health

Screen time and extracurricular activities as risk and protective factors for mental health in adolescence: A population-level study

Oberle, Eva, Ji, Xuejun Ryan, Kerai, Salima, Guhn, Martin, Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly A., Gadermann, Anne M.·2020·Preventive Medicine
DOI 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106291
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Abstract

This study examines adolescents' (N = 28,712; 49% female; M age = 12.25, SD age = 0.51) recreational screen time and participation in extracurricular activities during after-school hours in association to indicators of positive (optimism, satisfaction with life) and negative (anxiety, depressive symptoms) mental health and wellbeing. Data were drawn from a population-level study with the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) with grade 7 students in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The research was implemented in public school districts between 2014 and 2018. We found that adolescents who participated in extracurricular activities (e.g., sports, arts programs, community programs) were significantly less likely to engage in recreational screen-based activities (e.g., watching programs, browsing the internet, playing computer games) for 2 or more hours after school. Findings from Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling analyses showed that extracurricular participation was associated with higher levels of satisfaction with life and optimism, and lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. In contrast, longer screen time (≥2 h/day) was associated with lower levels of satisfaction with life and optimism, and higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms; shorter screen time (<2 h/day) was associated with favorable mental health and wellbeing. For screen time, the effect was moderated by gender; the association between longer screen time and poorer mental health and wellbeing was significantly more pronounced for girls than boys. For both boys and girls, mental health and wellbeing were most favorable if they participated in extracurricular activities and reported less than 2 h of recreational screen time per day.

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  • An adult figure other than a parent (such as a teacher, coach, etc.) or engagement with community activities can serve as informal sources of mental health help-seeking and as positive elements, respectively, in young people's lives, which may help them cope with mental health difficulties.

    “For example, research shows that an adult figure other than a parent (such as a teacher, coach, etc.) or engagement with community activities can serve as informal sources of mental health help-seeking and as positive elements, respectively, in young people’s lives, which may help them cope with mental health difficulties [55,56].”

    From Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review (2020) · cites this paper as [56]

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Authors
Oberle, E., Ji, X. R., Kerai, S., Guhn, M., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Gadermann, A. M.
Affiliations
University of British Columbia (CA)
Corresponding author
Oberle, Eva
ORCID
Venue
Preventive Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-12
Volume
141
Pages
106291
ISSN
0091-7435 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106291
OpenAlex
W3093399866
Cited by
149
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 1
FWCI
24.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
Keywords
recreational screen time, extracurricular activities, adolescent mental health, anxiety, depressive symptoms, optimism, life satisfaction, well-being, gender differences, junior high school students, after-school activities
MeSH terms
Screen Time, Adolescent, British Columbia, Child, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Mental Health, Sports, Protective Factors

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