Teens, screens and a hill of beans?

shutterstock_1119694730

Lucinda Powell looks at a recent study which finds little clear-cut evidence that screen time decreases adolescent well-being.

[read the full story...]

Is too much screen time bad for our children? Perhaps, but how much do we really know?

hal-gatewood-alntq-WvZZM-unsplash

David Turgoose explores a systematic review of reviews that looks at the effects of screen time on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The review found that higher levels of screen time were related to some physical and mental health concerns, such as poor diet, obesity and depression.

[read the full story...]

BlueIce app for managing self-harm: what do young people think?

justin-main-189770-unsplash

Bethan Davies shares her thoughts on a qualitative study of service users’ experience about the acceptability, use and safety of the BlueIce app for young people who self-harm.

[read the full story...]

The cost of persuasive design: digital media use and ADHD

play-again

Elvira Perez Vallejos and David Daley consider the findings of a recent cohort study in JAMA that looks into the association between digital media use and subsequent symptoms of ADHD in adolescents.

[read the full story...]

Can eCBTi improve adolescents’ sleep?

victoria-heath-597279-unsplash

Jack Barton marvels at the paradox that the very digital devices that harm our sleep patterns so terribly, may also be a possible solution to insomnia and sleep problems in young people. A new systematic review on digitally-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (eCBTi) for youth insomnia shows a little promise.

[read the full story...]

Moderated online social therapy: relapse prevention for youth depression

annie-spratt-385366-unsplash

Sarah Knowles looks at a next-generation social media-based relapse prevention intervention for youth depression, explored in an Australian qualitative study looking at social networking, safety and clinical benefit.

[read the full story...]

Youth online discussion forums: how do young people support each other and what do they talk about?

helena-lopes-459331

Masters students from the ICH Child and Adolescent Mental Health course explore a recent qualitative study into how young people use the Kooth online discussion forum for emotional and mental health issues.

[read the full story...]

Can gamified cCBT prevent depression in secondary school students?

Screen Shot 2017-12-21 at 10.55.55

Lisa Burscheidt summarises a school-based RCT of an online gamified cCBT intervention (SPARX-R) for preventing depression in final year secondary school students in Australia.

[read the full story...]

Mental health apps for young people: an evidence-free zone?

32739984993_daa016485c_b

Natalie Nelissen from mHabitat publishes her debut elf blog on a recent systematic review of mental health apps for young people, which highlights the current dearth of reliable research to support the efficacy and safety of mobile apps.

[read the full story...]

Can digital communication improve relationships between young people and clinicians?

16100299707_d7ab7ba904_h

Victoria Betton reports on the LYNC study; mixed methods research into timely digital patient-clinician communication in specialist clinical services for young people.

[read the full story...]