Media use and emotional distress under COVID-19 lockdown in a clinical sample referred for internalizing disorders: A Swiss adolescents' perspective

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has profoundly affected adolescents' life. Adolescents with pre-existing psychiatric disorders have been at particular risk of increased mental health problems and problematic media use. 178 patients, aged 12-18 years, referred before the COVID-19 outbreak to child and adolescent psychiatry, participated in an anonymous online survey on the impact of the lockdown on media use and mental well-being. The survey was conducted approximately one month after the first easing of restrictions following a six-week lockdown in Switzerland. Based on self-report, half of the patients had been diagnosed with internalizing disorders (ID; depression or anxiety disorder) and the other half with other disorders (non-ID, e.g. ADHD, autistic spectrum disorder). Patients with ID reported higher emotional distress during the lockdown, and a larger number of patients with ID indicated a deterioration of pre-existing symptoms compared to non-ID patients. Although more patients with ID than with non-ID indicated spending a large amount of time on social media, social media time per day in hours was not significantly higher in ID. Patients with ID indicated a higher impact of media use on well-being and mood in everyday life during the lockdown. Social media time was higher in worsened than in improved non-ID patients, while the opposite was found in ID patients, indicating a possible protective effect of media use at least for some ID patients. The results confirm positive as well as negative associations between mental health, emotional well-being and media use for adolescents with ID during the lockdown.