Reuters HealthDay reported on February 2, 2009 on a study in the February, 2009 issue of the journal, Archives of General Psychiatry which found a correlation between adolescent media exposure and later adult depression. Here is a snippet from the Reuters article:
Teens who spend long hours watching television are at higher risk for depression as adults, a new study finds.
Participants faced significantly greater odds of being depressed seven years later, and the risk rose with each hour of daily television viewed, according to a report involving more than 4,000 teenagers.
The same association was found for exposure to other electronic media, the researchers noted.
"We cannot be sure it is cause-and-effect," stressed study author Dr. Brian A. Primack, an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "The reason that the study suggests it might be cause-and-effect is that the television viewing came first. It did not include people who had symptoms of depression when the study began."
I think high school kids, to some extent, have known this for years because they often will mock each other with the expression "get a life!" Without a life, teens turn to electronic media to fill the void. Now days the opportunities are multiple with TV, internet, video games, cel phones with texting, etc. There also increasing evidence that electronic media can be addicting which is evidenced by its compulsive and mood altering effects, its interference with social functioning, and withdrawal symptoms when the person's access is abruptly interrupted.
You can access the abstract of the article by clicking here.
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