Tag Archives: problematic

Is “problematic smartphone use” something to be concerned about?

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Some young people are on their cell phones until late at night.

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Two recent studies have linked “problematic smartphone use” among teenagers to increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. But is this really a problem, and how much, if anything, should we be worried about?

What is ‘problematic smartphone use’?

Researchers in both studies defined smartphone use as “problematic” if people lose a sense of control over their use, become addicted to their device at the expense of meaningful activities, and feel stressed when they are unable to use it. Use becomes problematic when it interferes with work, school, or relationships. John Elhai The researcher, from the University of Toledo in Ohio, was not involved in either study.

“Problematic smartphone use” is not recognized as a diagnosable condition by public health agencies such as the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the UK’s National Health Service.

Two studies found links to certain conditions, and the researchers said further research is needed to confirm whether smartphone use could be causing such health problems. Nicolas Kalk Researchers at King’s College London were involved in both studies.

What did the two studies find?

In one study, Kalk and his colleagues surveyed the smartphone use of more than 650 young people between the ages of 16 and 18. They used a “smartphone addiction scale,” which asks, for example, whether smartphone use blurs your vision or makes you feel irritable when you’re not holding your phone. The scale produces a score between 10 and 60, with a score above 30 considered problematic.

Nineteen percent of participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, and these people were twice as likely to report moderate anxiety symptoms and almost three times as likely to report moderate depressive symptoms compared to their peers.

On average, problematic smartphone users spent 29 more minutes per day on Instagram and 22 more minutes on TikTok than non-problematic smartphone users. There was no association between problematic smartphone use and other apps such as Snapchat or WhatsApp.

The research team took into account factors that could have influenced the results, such as the amount of time participants spent on their smartphones each day. [also] The impact of [general] “Screen time is protective against the effects of problematic smartphone use, and screen time is not associated with anxiety or depression, but problematic smartphone use is,” Kalk said.

In a second study, a different team looked at smartphone use and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in 69 young people aged 13 to 16. The researchers found that 44% of participants met the definition of problematic smartphone use, based on the same addiction scale.

When the research team resurveyed the 62 participants one month later, they found that increased severity of problematic smartphone use over that period was associated with greater symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Should you be worried about “problematic smartphone use”?

The studies are small and don’t prove that problematic smartphone use actually leads to poorer mental health in teenagers, he said. Sunny Shun Liu At Stanford University.

Kalk and Ben Carter Researchers from King’s College London who took part in both studies acknowledge that young people who are already experiencing these symptoms may be using their smartphones in more problematic ways than those without mental illness. “There may be a bidirectional link, but we don’t yet know if there is a causal relationship,” they said. Jay Olson At the University of Toronto, Canada.

For example, people with depression may be more likely to rely on their mobile phones than those without depression because they find comfort in communicating with loved ones, and people with insomnia may be more likely to turn to their mobile phones to stave off boredom in the middle of the night.

In the second study, participants who showed signs of problematic smartphone use were five times more likely to say they wanted to cut down on their device use than those without such use. The fact that these teens want to cut down on their phone use makes the results “both worrying and positive,” Carter said.

If you are worried, how can you cut down on your smartphone usage?

The first study found that 95% of people surveyed tried to limit their smartphone use: They said the most effective strategies were to occasionally put their devices on “do not disturb” mode, turn off notifications, and keep them in another room at bedtime.

Kalk said that rather than restricting teens’ cell phone use, parents and schools should talk to them about what aspects of smartphone use are beneficial and what aspects are harmful. For example, some teens reported that they enjoyed using their smartphones to stay in touch with loved ones, but also reported that smartphones were sometimes distracting.

topic:

  • mental health/
  • smartphone

Source: www.newscientist.com

Rivers’ Inability to Preserve Coastal Wetlands: A Problematic Situation

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Salt marshes in Barnstable, Massachusetts show signs of erosion and submergence as sea levels rise (December 2, 2022).Credit: Erin Peck

Creating wetlands, which are being submerged by rising sea levels, remains a challenge, but scientists are now one step closer to identifying a solution.

Amid climate change, large-scale dam removal projects are gaining traction as a solution to the loss of coastal wetlands that reduce flooding, filter water, and provide habitat for wildlife. However, in a recently published paper, scienceresearchers concluded that this strategy does not work in most rivers in the United States.

Limited sediment supply hinders wetland recovery

The reason is that there is not enough sediment. Of the nearly 5,000 rivers analyzed, nearly three out of four were unable to transport enough sediment to keep up with sea level rise in the coastal regions they connect to. Nearly half were at least 10 times short of the required amount of sediment.

This is the first national study to examine how much watershed sediment can be deposited in coastal areas by rivers. So far, research has focused on a few very large rivers. mississippi,and, Elfa In Washington, they are not representative of most other areas of the continental United States.

Most watersheds in the United States are small and are not major sources of sediment buildup in wetlands, researchers said. It is on these small rivers that most dams are located.

Expert insights on dam removal and sediment supply

The study was led by Dr. Scott Ensign, a research scientist at the Stroud Water Research Center, a nonprofit organization that studies freshwater streams and rivers around the world. He said: “Elfa is the poster child for dam removal projects that restore coastal sediment, and for good reason: it liberated vast amounts of sediment and sand.

“However, rivers along the East and Gulf coasts are not as steep as the West Coast and there is less sediment that can reach the wetlands, so the wetlands are wider and require more sediment to keep them above the rising ocean.” is required.Basically, the numbers don’t add up.”

Dr. Christopher Craft, an Indiana University professor who focuses on wetland restoration and climate change, said, “The extensive and comprehensive spatial analysis conducted by the authors shows that sediment supply in most coastal basins is This strongly suggests that this is insufficient.” As sea levels rise, tidal wetlands appear. In other words, sediment cannot save them. ”

Methodology and findings

Ensign and her co-authors, Joanne Halls of the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Erin Peck of the University of Massachusetts, used publicly available data from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to map watersheds to coastal wetlands. Sediment supply was modeled. Uses Esri’s ArcGIS Pro technology. They then compared their projections to previously reported rates of change for tidal wetlands across the United States.

“By and large, the sediment that saves most wetlands from drowning doesn’t come from upstream rivers. In many places on the East Coast, removing dams won’t help. You’ll have to look elsewhere.” explained the lieutenant.

Impact on wetland conservation

Dr. James Pizzuto, a professor of geological sciences who specializes in river science at the University of Delaware, said the researchers deftly addressed a complex problem. “These results, and the local variations documented by mapping the entire U.S. coastline, provide important guidance to managers and scientists, and future efforts to investigate other processes beyond basin sediments. “We are documenting where we should focus our efforts,” he said.

Such efforts include finding ways to retain more mineral deposits, plant material and organic carbon in wetland soils, said Donald F. Boesch, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. He explained that it was possible. “This is true both where sediment is being depleted and where it is being diverted to construct and maintain wetlands with relatively high rates of sea level rise, such as the Mississippi Delta,” he said. ” he said.

Future research and conservation strategies

Future research is needed to measure how much sediment is trapped behind a particular dam and accurately predict the impact on downstream tidal wetlands.

“In general, the most important action to protect tidal wetlands is to allow them to move up slopes. In some areas, we need to restore natural hydrology and protect lowlands,” said Ensign. Direct application of deposits and other engineering approaches may also be helpful at very local scales.”

References: Scott H. Ensign, Joanne N. Halls, and Erin K. Peck, “Catchment Sediments Cannot Offset Sea Level Rise in Most U.S. Tidal Wetlands,” December 7, 2023. science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0513

The National Science Foundation funded the research.

Source: scitechdaily.com