During COVID-19 Pandemic, Increased Screen Time Linked With Increased Mental Distress

According to research led by researchers at the Saint James School of Medicine in the Caribbean island nation of Saint Vincent, increased screen time among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with an increase in pandemic distress. The increase in time spent watching on-screen entertainment, both before and during the pandemic, was accompanied by an increase in anxiety scores. Students scored higher than non-students in pandemic distress. Surprisingly, the results showed no association of depression with screen time use, despite such associations having been found in previous research. The research will be presented at the World Microbe Forum, taking place online from June 20-24.

“This study highlights that the pandemic has not only affected people physically, but also emotionally and mentally, affecting different groups to a greater extent than others,” said Michelle Wiciak, the study’s presenting author, MD candidate at Saint James. School of Medicine. “It reiterates that there is a greater need for mental health support in disastrous times.”

Nearly half of the participants showed mild to moderate depression, with over 70% ranging from mild to severe depression. Seventy percent of participants experienced mild to severe anxiety and just over 30% could potentially meet the DSM-IV-TR criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Two hundred and ninety-four responses were collected and validated based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria used in the surveys. The participants ranged from 18 to 28 years old.

Screen time use was not different between genders. Still, there were gender differences in mean scores for depression, anxiety, and anxiety from COVID-19.

“The study is unique in that it assessed mental health status as a function of screen time,” Wiciak said. The authors also collected data from multiple countries. “Since the pandemic shifted work and education to online, we wanted to gain more insight into the impact of that transition. We found unexpected results, potentially paving the way for future research and several protective factors, which could be vital to keep a person healthy during tumultuous times,” Wiciak added.

Omar Shazley (medical student), Alexis Sotomayer (medical student), Sreenivas Sappati-Biyyani (medical student), and Dr. Daphne Santhosh, MSc., MS, Ph.D. (mentor/faculty member) also contributed to this research. The research committee of the Saint James School of Medicine Saint Vincent and the Grenadines approved this study. All participants in this study voluntarily signed a consent form to participate once informed of the purpose of the study and could stop the survey at any time.

The research will be presented at the World Microbe Forum, a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), and several other associations that will take place online from June 20-24.