The present study tests the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of the novel smartphone application—Time2Feel—to monitor family members’ emotional experiences, at the experiential and ...physiological level, and their context. To our knowledge, Time2Feel is the first of its kind, having the capability to monitor multiple members’ emotional experiences simultaneously and survey users’ emotional experiences when experiencing an increase in physiological arousal. In this study, a total of 44 parents and children used Time2Feel along with the Empatica E4 wrist-wearable device for 10 days. Engagement rates were within the acceptable range and consistent with previous work using experience sampling methods. Perceived ease of use and satisfaction fell mostly in the moderate range, with users reporting challenges with connectivity. We further discuss how addressing connectivity would increase acceptability. Finally, Time2Feel was successful at identifying physiological deviations in electrodermal activity for parents and children alike, and even though responses to those deviation-generated surveys were largely consistent with random survey responses, some differences were noted for mothers and fathers. We discuss the implications of using Time2Feel for understanding families’ emotional and stressful experiences day-to-day.
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.
To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of PSU and quantify the association with mental health harms.
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.
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;I
= 78%); increased anxiety (OR = 3.05 95%CI 2.64-3.53;I
= 0%); higher perceived stress (OR = 1.86;95%CI 1.24-2.77;I
= 65%); and poorer sleep quality (OR = 2.60; 95%CI; 1.39-4.85, I
= 78%).
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.
A total of 2,618,862 participants reported their potential symptoms of COVID-19 on a smartphone-based app. Among the 18,401 who had undergone a SARS-CoV-2 test, the proportion of participants who ...reported loss of smell and taste was higher in those with a positive test result (4,668 of 7,178 individuals; 65.03%) than in those with a negative test result (2,436 of 11,223 participants; 21.71%) (odds ratio = 6.74; 95% confidence interval = 6.31-7.21). A model combining symptoms to predict probable infection was applied to the data from all app users who reported symptoms (805,753) and predicted that 140,312 (17.42%) participants are likely to have COVID-19.
Abstract Background Excessive smartphone usage among students can lead to discomfort in their hands and fingers. This study investigates the impact of smartphone holding posture, duration of usage, ...and the prevalence of wrist and finger pain among university students. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 213 university students who were selected based on inclusion criteria. Data was collected through a demographic information questionnaire. Participants self-reported five different postures for holding and interacting with a smartphone. The prevalence, frequency, severity, and interference of wrist and finger discomfort were assessed using the Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaires (CHDQ). Results The study revealed that the average age of participants was 21.3 ± 2.2 years. On average, they had been using smartphones for 7.9 ± 3.1 years and spent an average of 4.9 ± 2.5 h daily holding them in their hands. In terms of discomfort, more than 25% of students reported pain in areas C (thumb finger), E (Palm Pollicis), and F (wrist) of the right hand, which was significantly related to the duration of holding the smartphone in that hand. Additionally, smartphone holding duration significantly affected areas D (palm) and F of the left hand, with over 11% of students experiencing discomfort. The most prevalent posture among students (41% of participants) involved holding the smartphone with the right hand only, with the thumb touching the screen. Notably, areas B (χ 2 = 21.7), C (χ 2 = 10.27), D (χ 2 = 65.54), and E (χ 2 = 59.49) of the right hand, as well as areas C (χ 2 = 6.58) and E (χ 2 = 44.28) of the left hand, exhibited significant associations with the postures of holding the smartphone. Conclusions The duration of smartphone use and the postures in which it is held contribute to the prevalence of discomfort in the thumb area and related muscles among right-handed students.
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