BACKGROUND: Adolescents exposed to substance-related content online appear to have higher rates of substance use; youth with a history of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) also may be more likely to struggle with substance use. There is limited data examining what types of digital media may be more significantly associated with use of substances, or whether youth with active PIU symptoms are more likely to use substances. This study used smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment to gather pilot data on potentially relevant relationships between PIU, digital media exposures, and substance use.
METHODS: Youth aged 13-23 were recruited from outpatient mental health clinics at Cambridge Health Alliance. Participants used the app MindLamp for 6 weeks to record daily substance use, online exposures to drug-related content, PIU (via the PIU-SF-6 screen), and most frequently used apps or websites that day. Digital media content was extracted from daily iPhone screen time reports. Multilevel mixed effects regression models were used to analyze data, controlling for random effects at the level of the participant.
RESULTS: The pilot study recruited 26 participants (61.5% female, mean age 15.96). There was a significant positive correlation between PIU score and the active urge to use substances; however, controlling for urge to use substances and online substance-related exposures, PIU scores were significantly lower on days with reported substance use. Days with frequent use of direct messaging social media platforms were associated with greater risk for both exposure to substance-related content online and substance use. Substance use was specifically linked to viewing social media posts where peers had disclosed their own substance use.
CONCLUSION: Use of social media platforms that allow for direct messaging appear to be associated with a greater risk of both exposure to substance-related content and substance use. Our data also suggest that excessive Internet use may actually represent a coping skill to avoid engagement in substance use. More highly powered longitudinal studies are needed to confirm and expand upon our findings. / 2025-02-26T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/48266 |
| Date | 27 February 2024 |
| Creators | Horton, AnnaKatharine |
| Contributors | Bragdon, Beth, Gansner, Meredith |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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