%0 Journal Article
%@ 2368-7959
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 2
%P e44
%T Internet Use, Depression, and Anxiety in a Healthy Adolescent Population: Prospective Cohort Study
%A Thom,Robyn Pauline
%A Bickham,David S
%A Rich,Michael
%+ Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 60 Fenwood Road, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, 02115, United States, 1 857 307 5521, rthom@bidmc.harvard.edu
%K mental health
%K psychiatric disorders
%K internet use
%K social networking sites
%D 2018
%7 22.05.2018
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Ment Health
%G English
%X Background: Psychiatric disorders, including conduct disturbances, substance abuse, and affective disorders, emerge in approximately 20% of adolescents. In parallel with the rise in internet use, the prevalence of depression among adolescents has increased. It remains unclear whether and how internet use impacts mental health in adolescents. Objective: We assess the association between patterns of internet use and two mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety) in a healthy adolescent population. Methods: A total of 126 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 years were recruited. Participants reported their typical computer and internet usage patterns. At baseline and one-year follow-up, they completed the Beck Depression Index for primary care (BDI-PC) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory for Primary Care (BAI-PC). Individual linear regressions were completed to determine the association between markers of internet use at baseline and mental health outcomes at one-year follow-up. All models controlled for age, gender, and ethnicity. Results: There was an inverse correlation between minutes spent on a favorite website per visit and BAI-PC score. No association was found between internet use and BDI-PC score. Conclusions: There is no relationship between internet use patterns and depression in adolescents, whereas internet use may mitigate anxiety in adolescents with higher levels of baseline anxiety. 
%R 10.2196/mental.8471
%U http://mental.jmir.org/2018/2/e44/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.8471