Digital engagement and adolescent depression: A longitudinal mediation analysis adjusting for selection

Abstract

ObjectivesTo quantify the association between high digital engagement at age 17/8 and subsequent depressive symptoms at age 20 adjusting for selection into high digital engagement. To examine the role of social comparison, displacement and online harassment in mediating the relationship between digital engagement and depressive symptoms. MethodsUsing four waves of longitudinal data on the same individuals from the Growing Up in Ireland Cohort98 at ages 9, 13, 17/8 and 20, we apply propensity score methods (PSM) with matching to estimate selection into high digital engagement at age 17/8. Poisson regression is applied to individuals matched according to their propensity to high digital engagement to quantify the role of self-esteem, body weight satisfaction, quality and duration of sleep and online harassment in mediating the association between high digital engagement at 17/8 and depression risk at age 20. ResultsEstimates within matched strata suggest a 9.7% increase in depressive symptoms for high digital engagement, over moderate engagement for females. No significant association with high engagement was found for males. Adjustment for self-esteem at 17/8 reduces the association by 26%; adjustment for sleep duration and quality leads to a 23% reduction. Online harassment and body weight satisfaction reduce the association by <2% individually. Our fully adjusted model reduced the association by 41% overall. ConclusionsHigh digital engagement is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms compared to moderate engagement, but only among young women. Reductions in self-esteem and sleep duration and quality appear to be more important mediators of the association of high engagement with depressive symptoms than online harassment or body weight satisfaction, but more research is needed on the precise mediating processes.