J Korean Med Sci.  2018 Aug;33(34):e219. 10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e219.

Maternal Depression and Children's Screen Overuse

• Park S
• Chang HY
• Park EJ
• Yoo H
• Jo W
• Kim SJ
• Shin Y

• KMID: 2418616
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e219

Abstract

BACKGROUND
It is known that there are various factors associated with children's screen overuse. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of maternal depression on 2-5-year-old children's overuse of various household screen devices.
METHODS
Participants were from the Internet-Cohort for Understanding of internet addiction Risk factors/Rescue in Early livelihood (I-CURE) study, an observational prospective cohort study in Korea. Screen time for six types of screen devices (smartphone, television, computer, tablet, video gaming console, and portable gaming console) were assessed by parental questionnaire. Maternal depression was measured by the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory II. Logistic regression models were run to determine the association between maternal depression and children's screen overuse.
RESULTS
Maternal depression was associated with children's television overuse after adjusting for other factors (odds ratio, 1.954; P = 0.034). Contrary to expectation, the relationship between maternal depression and screen time was not present on other devices such as smartphones, computers and tablets.
CONCLUSION
Maternal depression is related with 2-5-year-old children's television overuse. Interventions in maternal depressive symptoms and the associated changes in parent-child relationship can be useful for preventing children's television overuse.

Keyword

Maternal Depression; Screen Overuse; Television; Smartphone; Computer; Tablet

MeSH Terms

Cohort Studies
Computers, Handheld
Depression*
Family Characteristics
Humans
Internet
Korea
Logistic Models
Parent-Child Relations
Parents
Prospective Studies
Smartphone
Tablets
Television
Tablets