Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Use of Mobile Phones among Children- Need for Concern?

Introduction: The prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is on the rise. Among multiple factors that are linked with ADHD, electronic media use has been gaining considerable attention recently. There is only a limited source of information regarding the burden of ADHD and its association with screen time in the Indian context.

Aim: Screening of the children for ADHD and its association with mobile phone use at an outpatient service in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 157 children in the outpatient services in a tertiary care hospital in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. School-going children aged between 6 and 11 years were included in the study. ADHD screening was done using Conner’s Abbreviated Rating Scale (CARS)

Results: The mean age of children was 8.1±1.9 years. All the participants used mobile phones, and 15 (9.6%) owned one. The mean duration of mobile phone use per day was 1.4±0.7 hours. Among participants, 53 (33.8%) used mobile phones for more than one hour daily. Parents reported that nearly one-fifth of the children use mobile phones late at night (after 10 pm). Among children, 22.9% screened positive for ADHD. The ADHD scores are significantly correlated with the duration of mobile phone use (r=0.368 p<0.001). Among the children who used mobile phones for more than a year, 32.1% screened positive for ADHD (OR=3.21, CI 1.41-7.32). The mean ADHD score was significantly higher among children with >1 hour of mobile phone use/day than those who use <1 hour/day (t-test=-2.27 p-value=0.025). The vast majority, 148 (94.2%), also noticed behavioural changes among children when denied mobile phones. Significant changes included anger (22.9%), sadness (31.8%), withdrawal (20%), frustration (17.8%) and violence (8.9%).

Conclusion: In this study, 22.9% of children screened positive for ADHD. Mobile phone use was found to be significantly associated with ADHD.