Cross-national validation of the Social Media Disorder-scale: Findings from adolescents from 44 countries

Background and aims: There is currently no cross-national validation of a scale that measures problematic social media use (SMU). The present study investigated and compared the psychometric properties of the social media disorder (SMD) scale among young adolescents from different countries. Design: Validation study. Setting and participants: Data came from 222 532 adolescents from 44 countries participating in the health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC) survey (2017/2018). The HBSC survey was conducted in the European region and Canada. Participants were on average aged 13.54 years (standard deviation = 1.63) and 51.24% were girls. Measurement: Problematic SMU was measured using the nine-item SMD scale with dichotomous response options. Findings: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed good model fit for a one-factor model across all countries (minimum comparative fit index (CFI) and Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.963 and 0.951, maximum root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.057 and 0.060), confirming structural validity. The internal consistency of the items was adequate in all countries (minimum alpha = 0.840), indicating that the scale provides reliable scores. Multi-group CFA showed that the factor structure was measurement invariant across countries (ΔCFI = −0.010, ΔRMSEA = 0.003), suggesting that adolescents’ level of problematic SMU can be reliably compared cross-nationally. In all countries, gender and socio-economic invariance was established, and age invariance was found in 43 of 44 countries. In line with prior research, in almost all countries, problematic SMU related to poorer mental wellbeing (range βSTDY = 0.193–0.924, P < 0.05) and higher intensity of online communication (range βSTDY = 0.163–0.635, P < 0.05), confirming appropriate criterion validity. Conclusions: The social media disorder scale appears to be suitable for measuring and comparing problematic social media use among young adolescents across many national contexts

Associations of Electronic Media Communication with Adolescent Substance Use (HBSC)

With the increase in electronic media communication (EMC; e.g., texting, instant messaging) among adolescents (Valkenburg and Peter 2010), the contexts important for adolescents’ interactions with peers have expanded from the physical (offline) to the virtual (online) world (Brechwald and Prinstein 2011). Adolescents use EMC frequently to communicate and to develop and maintain close relationships with their peers (Lenhart, 2012).Previous research has shown that EMC is positively associated with adolescent substance use (e.g., Ohannessian 2009; Osaki et al. 2012). However, it remains unclear how these associations should be interpreted. On the one hand, these associations may reflect already established associations between offline interactions and adolescent substance use (e.g., Chassin et al. 2009; Kuntsche et al. 2009a). On the other hand, there may be unique and independent associations of EMC with adolescent substance. Hence, EMC is frequently used to display engagement in substance use (e.g., texting about or posting pictures of partying and drinking; Loss et al. 2013), and exposure to online displays of substance use by peers has been associated with adolescents own substance use (e.g., Huang et al. 2014; Stoddard et al. 2012).Given this gap in the literature, the current study examined the unique effects of EMC with friends on adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis), over and beyond the effects of face-to-face (FTF) interactions with friends and the classroom norm (i.e., the average level of substance use by classmates) in a sample of 5.642 12- to 16-year-old Dutch adolescents drawn from the 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (Roberts et al. 2009). Given the two-level hierarchical structure of the data (participants nested within classrooms), multilevel analyses were run.Descriptive statistics and correlations are presented in Table 1. The distributions of the behaviours were positively skewed (most adolescents did not engage in substance use). Table 1 shows that substance use behaviours were significantly and positively correlated with all predictor variables. More EMC, more FTF interactions, and a higher classroom norm were associated with more individual substance use. Results of the final multilevel Model 6 (including all fixed and random effects) are presented in Table 2. Use of each substance was significantly and positively associated with EMC. These main effects weakened slightly though remained significant after including FTF interactions and the classroom norm. Additional analyses revealed that the standardized effect of EMC was significantly stronger for alcohol use (β = .15) than for tobacco (β = .05, t(5180) = 3.33) or cannabis use (β = .06, t(5160) = 2.79, all ps < .01). Further, EMC strengthened the positive effects of FTF interactions after school on tobacco use, FTF interactions in the evening on tobacco and cannabis use, and classroom norm on alcohol use (all simple slopes p < .05).In summary, this study demonstrated that EMC is uniquely associated with adolescent substance use, over and beyond the effects of FTF interactions and the classroom norm. These findings imply that online behaviours should not be left unnoticed in both research and in substance use prevention programs

Diabète insulino-dépendant et parachutisme

Définition des règles de dérogation autorisant la pratique du parachutisme chez les sujets diabétiques insulino-dépendants

The decline in adolescent substance use across Europe and North America in the early twenty-first century : A result of the digital revolution?

Objectives: Increases in electronic media communication (EMC) and decreases in face-to-face peer contact in the evening (FTF) have been thought to explain the recent decline in adolescent substance use (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis). This study addresses this hypothesis, by examining associations between (time trends in) EMC, FTF, and substance use in more than 25 mainly European countries. Methods: Using 2002–2014 data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, we ran multilevel logistic regression analyses to investigate the above associations. Results: National declines in substance use were associated with declines in FTF, but not with increases in EMC. At the individual level, both EMC and FTF related positively to substance use. For alcohol and cannabis use, the positive association with EMC was stronger in more recent years. Associations between EMC and substance use varied across countries, but this variation could not be explained by the proportion of young people using EMC within countries. Conclusions: Our research suggests that the decrease in FTF, but not the increase in EMC, plays a role in the recent decrease in adolescent substance use

Frequent electronic media communication with friends is associated with higher adolescent substance use

Gommans R, Stevens GWJM, Finne E, Cillessen AHN, Boniel-Nissim M, ter Bogt TFM. Frequent electronic media communication with friends is associated with higher adolescent substance use. International Journal of Public Health. 2015;60(2):167-177.Objectives This study investigated the unique associations between electronic media communication (EMC) with friends and adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis), over and beyond the associations of face-to-face (FTF) interactions with friends and the average level of classroom substance use. Methods Drawn from the cross-national 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in The Netherlands, 5,642 Dutch adolescents (M-age = 14.29) reported on their substance use, EMC, and FTF interactions. Two-level multilevel analyses (participants nested within classrooms) were run. Results Electronic media communication was positively associated with adolescent substance use, though significantly more strongly with alcohol (beta = 0.15, SE beta = 0.02) than with tobacco (beta = 0.05, SE beta = 0.02, t (5,180) = 3.33, p < 0.001) or cannabis use (beta = 0.06, SE beta = 0.02, t (5,160) = 2.79, p < 0.01). Further, EMC strengthened several positive associations of FTF interactions and average classroom substance use with adolescent substance use. Conclusions Electronic media communication was uniquely associated with substance use, predominantly with alcohol use. Thus, adolescents' EMC and other online behaviors should not be left unnoticed in substance use research and prevention programs

Can an equal world reduce problematic social media use? Evidence from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study in 43 countries

Research on the social determinants of Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) among adolescents is scant and focused on proximal contexts and interpersonal relationships. This study examines the relation of PSMU with economic inequality, measured at country, school and individual levels. It also evaluated the moderating role of family and peer support in these associations. The 2017/18 Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study measured PSMU in 179,049 adolescents aged 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 43 countries and sub-regions of Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia) and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Wales). Associations between inequality and PSMU were tested using multilevel logistic regression analyis. Results showed that adolescents who were relatively more deprived than their schoolmates and attended more economically unequal schools had a higher likelihood of reporting PSMU. In addition, school wealth inequality was more closely related to PSMU among adolescents with lower levels of peer support. A similar effect of country income inequality was found, but only in adolescents who reported low family support. Our findings expand the existing literature on the detrimental impact of inequalities in different social contexts on adolescent wellbeing by showing the role of inequalities in the engagement in PSMU

International perspectives on social media use among adolescents: Implications for mental and social well-being and substance use

In the present study, we aimed to explore the relationship between intensity of social media use (SMU), problematic SMU and well-being outcomes. Four categories of SMU were developed taking into account both intensity of use and problematic SMU simultaneously: non-active; active; intense; and problematic use. Using these four categories, we assessed associations between SMU and mental and social well-being, and substance use. Data from 190,089 respondents aged 11, 13, and 15 years from 42 countries involved in the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study were analyzed. With a slight cross-national variance, 78% of adolescents in the sample were classified as active or intense users, and 7% showed signs of problematic SMU. The remaining 15% belonged to the non-active users. Three-level regression analyses revealed that the problematic users showed the least favorable mental and social well-being profile and the highest level of substance use. Compared with active users, non-active users reported lower mental and social well-being, but also the lowest substance use levels. Intense non-problematic users showed the highest levels of social well-being. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing both the intensity and problematic component of SMU to reliably assess associations with mental and social well-being and substance use

Cross-national validation of the social media disorder scale: findings from adolescents from 44 countries

Background and aims: There is currently no cross-national validation of a scale that measures problematic social media use (SMU). The present study investigated and compared the psychometric properties of the social media disorder (SMD) scale among young adolescents from different countries. Design: Validation study. Setting and participants: Data came from 222 532 adolescents from 44 countries participating in the health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC) survey (2017/2018). The HBSC survey was conducted in the European region and Canada. Participants were on average aged 13.54 years (standard deviation = 1.63) and 51.24% were girls. Measurement: Problematic SMU was measured using the nine-item SMD scale with dichotomous response options. Findings: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed good model fit for a one-factor model across all countries (minimum comparative fit index (CFI) and Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.963 and 0.951, maximum root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.057 and 0.060), confirming structural validity. The internal consistency of the items was adequate in all countries (minimum alpha = 0.840), indicating that the scale provides reliable scores. Multi-group CFA showed that the factor structure was measurement invariant across countries (ΔCFI = −0.010, ΔRMSEA = 0.003), suggesting that adolescents’ level of problematic SMU can be reliably compared cross-nationally. In all countries, gender and socio-economic invariance was established, and age invariance was found in 43 of 44 countries. In line with prior research, in almost all countries, problematic SMU related to poorer mental wellbeing (range βSTDY = 0.193–0.924, P < 0.05) and higher intensity of online communication (range βSTDY = 0.163–0.635, P < 0.05), confirming appropriate criterion validity. Conclusions: The social media disorder scale appears to be suitable for measuring and comparing problematic social media use among young adolescents across many national contexts