TY  - JOUR
AU  - Dullur, Pravin
AU  - Joseph, Joanne
AU  - Diaz, Antonio Mendoza
AU  - Lin, Ping-I
AU  - Jairam, Rajeev
AU  - Davies, Rhian
AU  - Masi, Anne
AU  - Shulruf, Boaz
AU  - Eapen, Valsamma
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/5/15
TI  - Screening for Media Use in the Emergency Department Among Young Australians: Cross-sectional Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e42986
VL  - 7
KW  - internet
KW  - mental illness
KW  - overuse
KW  - problematic internet behaviors
KW  - emergency department
KW  - screening
KW  - adolescent
KW  - youth
KW  - internet use
KW  - mental health
KW  - technology use
KW  - young people
KW  - internet behavior
AB  - Background: Research on problematic internet use has largely adhered to addiction paradigms, possibly impeding the identification of specific internet behaviors related to psychopathology. This study presents a novel approach to screening for specific problematic internet behaviors by using a new measure, the emergency department media use screener (EDMUS). Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of internet use in young people presenting with mental health concerns to the emergency department (ED), ascertain associations with their mental health, and evaluate whether the EDMUS can be used to predict subsequent ED presentations within 3 months. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study of Australian young people (N=149, aged 11-25 years; female: n=92, 61.7%) sought to use the EDMUS, a 24-item questionnaire, to identify problematic internet behaviors, including accessing or posting prosuicidal or proeating disorder content, cyberbullying, and inappropriate digital content. Data on each person’s mental health were extracted from electronic medical records to look for associations with EDMUS responses and ED re-presentation over 3 months. EDMUS items were grouped into clusters for analysis using chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and path analyses. Results: Sharing suicidal digital content was the most common problematic internet use pattern identified by the EDMUS. However, this did not correlate with having a prior mental health diagnosis or predict readmission. Most participants had families with a concern for their internet use; however, this was less likely in participants with a diagnosis of personality disorder. Diagnoses of personality disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder were independent predictors of readmission (P=.003; P=.048). Conclusions: Although a history of complex psychopathology increases the likelihood of subsequent ED presentations, its links to internet use–related behaviors are still unclear. The EDMUS has potential for identifying young people who are most vulnerable to problematic internet behaviors and offers the opportunity for early intervention and potential prevention of more entrenched difficulties. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e42986
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/42986
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37184914
DO  - 10.2196/42986
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/42986
ER  -