The clinical and behavioral cardiometabolic risk of children and young people on mental health inpatient units: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Over the past decade, smartphone use has become widespread amongst today’s children and young people (CYP) which parallels increases in poor mental health in this group. Simultaneously, media concern abounds about the existence of ‘smartphone addiction’ or problematic smartphone use. There has been much recent research concerning the prevalence of problematic smartphone use is in children and young people who use smartphones, and how this syndrome relates to mental health outcomes, but this has not been synthesized and critically evaluated. Aims To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of PSU and quantify the association with mental health harms. Methods A search strategy using Medical Subject Headings was developed and adapted for eight databases between January 1, 1st 2011 to October 15th 2017. No language restriction was applied. Of 924 studies identified, 41 were included in this review, three of which were cohort studies and 38 were cross sectional studies. The mental health outcomes were self-reported: depression; anxiety; stress; poor sleep quality; and decreased educational attainment, which were synthesized according to an a priori protocol. Results The studies included 41,871 CYP, and 55% were female. The median prevalence of PSU amongst CYP was 23.3% (14.0–31.2%). PSU was associated with an increased odds of depression (OR = 3.17;95%CI 2.30–4.37;I2 = 78%); increased anxiety (OR = 3.05 95%CI 2.64–3.53;I2 = 0%); higher perceived stress (OR = 1.86;95%CI 1.24–2.77;I2 = 65%); and poorer sleep quality (OR = 2.60; 95%CI; 1.39–4.85, I2 = 78%). Conclusions PSU was reported in approximately one in every four CYP and accompanied by an increased odds of poorer mental health. PSU is an evolving public health concern that requires greater study to determine the boundary between helpful and harmful technology use. Policy guidance is needed to outline harm reduction strategies.

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Correction to: Prevalence of problematic smartphone usage and associated mental health outcomes amongst children and young people: a systematic review, meta-analysis and GRADE of the evidence

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-019-2393-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samantha Sohn ◽

Philippa Rees ◽

Bethany Wildridge ◽

Nicola J. Kalk ◽

Ben Carter

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Young People ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Children And Young People

After publication of our article [1] we were notified that one of the author names was misspelled.

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The impact of cash transfers on mental health in children and young people in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004661 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. e004661

Author(s):

Annie Zimmerman ◽

Emily Garman ◽

Mauricio Avendano-Pabon ◽

Ricardo Araya ◽

Sara Evans-Lacko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Young People ◽

Low Income ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cash Transfers ◽

Middle Income ◽

Children And Young People ◽

The Impact

IntroductionAlthough cash transfer programmes are not explicitly designed to improve mental health, by reducing poverty and improving the life chances of children and young people, they may also improve their mental health. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the evidence on the effectiveness of cash transfers to improve the mental health of children and young people in low-income and middle-income countries.MethodsWe searched Pubmed, EBSCOhost, Scientific Electronic Library Online, ISI Web of Science and Social Sciences Citation Index and grey literature (from January 2000 to July 2020) for studies which quantitatively assessed the impact of cash transfers on mental health in young people (aged 0–24 years), using a design that incorporated a control group. We extracted Cohen’s d effects size and used a random-effects model for the meta-analysis on studies that measured depressive symptoms, I2 statistic and assessment of study quality.ResultsWe identified 12 116 articles for screening, of which 12 were included in the systematic review (covering 13 interventions) and seven in the meta-analysis assessing impact on depressive symptoms specifically. There was high heterogeneity (I2=95.2) and a high risk of bias (0.38, 95% CIs: −5.08 to 5.85; p=0.86) across studies. Eleven interventions (85%) showed a significant positive impact of cash transfers on at least one mental health outcome in children and young people. However, no study found a positive effect on all mental health outcomes examined, and the meta-analysis showed no impact of cash transfers on depressive symptoms (0.02, 95% CIs: −0.19 to 0.23; p=0.85).ConclusionCash transfers may have positive effects on some mental health outcomes for young people, with no negative effects identified. However, there is high heterogeneity across studies, with some interventions showing no effects. Our review highlights how the effect of cash transfers may vary by social and economic context, culture, design, conditionality and mental health outcome.

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