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How Cyber Activity Influences Depression and Anxiety in Teenagers

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How Cyber Activity Influences Depression and Anxiety in Teenagers Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 How Cyber Activity Influences Depression and Anxiety in Teenagers Mary Fridah Gatwiri Muiruri Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Epidemiology Commons, and the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Health Professions This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Mary Fridah Gatwiri Muiruri has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Ji Shen, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Howell Sasser, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. Pelagia Melea, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract How Cyber Activity Influences Depression and Anxiety in Teenagers by Mary Fridah Gatwiri Muiruri MA, St James School of Medicine, 2011 BS, Walden University, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University May 2021 Abstract Both depression and anxiety have been a focus of scholars since their rates have recently skyrocketed from 5.4 % in 2003 to 20 % currently among teenagers in the United States. Although numerous studies have assessed the association between playing video games and depression, few studies have examined how cyberbullying and screen time contribute to depressive symptoms in teenagers. The purpose of this study was to analyze cyberbullying and screen time on depression in teens. The exploration of associations between the dependent variable, depression, and the independent variables, screen time, video gaming, and cyberbullying, were guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory to learn the psychological effects of the participants and Social economic model (SEM) to answer the research questions. Participants were teenagers aged 13 to 17. Retrospective secondary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS ; N= 10,909) were analyzed using binomial logistic regression for multivariate analysis and chi-square for bivariate analysis Results revealed a significant positive association between video gaming , long screen time, and cyberbullying in relation to teenage depression. The social change implication of this study is a better understanding of the relationship between depression in teenagers as it relates to screen time, video gaming, and cyberbullying for caregivers, parents, teachers, public health professionals and teenagers themselves such that these stakeholders can better address and remove factors that increase anxiety and depression in teenagers. These findings could also reduce violence and suicidal cases that are linked to depression. How Cyber Activity has Influenced Depression and Anxiety in Teenagers by Mary Fridah Gatwiri Muiruri MA, St James School of Medicine, 2011 BS, Walden University, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University May 2021 Dedication May I start by thanking and giving all the glory to the lord God almighty. This far I have reached I say he is Ebenezer. I could not have accomplished this if he was not on my side. To the most, high, God, be all the glory and honor. I would like to dedicate the completion of my dissertation to my husband Benson, daughter Grace, and son Nathan, for helping me finish the journey, with their social, economic and spiritual support. Thank you for believing in me. Your encouragement, prayers and financial backing helped me to come this far. I would also like to thank my parents for always asking me how I was doing in school wherever they called. This motivated me to work even harder. I would also like to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for guiding me along the way. To God be all the glory and honor. I will forever praise him and exalt his name. He has made everything beautiful in its time; bible new international version Ecclesiastes 3:11.For the vision waits for an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay bible new international version Habakkuk 2:3. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the completion to several individuals who have helped me along the way. I would like to thank Dr. Ji Shen (chairperson). Thanks for agreeing to be my chair, your encouragement, commitment and constant instructions kept me going. Thanks for all the advice help and instructions along the way. Thank you, Dr. Howell Sasser (methods expert) for agreeing to be my committee member. I could not have made it this far without your guidance. Thank you, Dr. Pelagia Melea (University research reviewer) for guiding and helping me in this journey. Thank you all for helping me to present a quality Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background of the Study ...............................................................................................2 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................5 Research Question(s) and Hypotheses ...........................................................................8 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................10 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................12 Possible Types and Sources of Data ............................................................................14 Limitations ...................................................................................................................15 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................16 Summary and Transition ..............................................................................................18 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................21 Overview of the Chapter ..............................................................................................21 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................22 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................23 Literature Review.........................................................................................................26 Anxiety .................................................................................................................. 26 Depression............................................................................................................. 33 Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety among Teenagers in United States ................................................................................................................40 i Screen time............................................................................................................ 40 Gender ................................................................................................................... 46 Cyber Bullying ...................................................................................................... 49 Video Gaming ....................................................................................................... 55 Other adverse effects of anxiety and depression in teenagers .....................................65 Media Background Statistics ................................................................................ 68 Summary of the Literature Review ..............................................................................71 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................73 Introduction ..................................................................................................................73 Population ....................................................................................................................74 Targeted Population .............................................................................................. 74 Eligibility .............................................................................................................. 75 Characteristics of the Study Population ................................................................ 75 Variables in the Database
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