The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media use (SMU) in children diagnosed with major depression (MD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and various psychosocial factors, including familial functioning, parental SMU, and parent-reported internali...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Mutlu Muhammed Özbek Doğa Sevinçok Emre Mısır |
| author_facet | Mutlu Muhammed Özbek Doğa Sevinçok Emre Mısır |
| author_sort | Mutlu Muhammed Özbek |
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| description | Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media use (SMU) in children diagnosed with major depression (MD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and various psychosocial factors, including familial functioning, parental SMU, and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A healthy control group was included for comparison. Methods: The study included 121 children and adolescents aged 10–18 years (36 with MD, 41 with ADHD, and 44 healthy controls). The Social Media Addiction Scale—Short Form (SMDS) was administered to all participants, while mothers completed the McMaster Family Assessment Scale (FAS), the Social Media Addiction Scale—Adult Form (SMAS-AF), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Psychiatric diagnoses were made using the K-SADS-PL DSM-5-T. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to assess associations among variables. Results: SMU scores were significantly higher in the ADHD group compared to both the depression and control groups. Parental SMU was also higher in the ADHD group. In the depression group, child SMU was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms and impaired family communication. In the ADHD group, child SMU was predicted by poor family problem-solving and communication. Regression analyses showed that internalizing symptoms and family communication predicted SMU in the depression group (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.335), while family problem-solving and communication predicted SMU in the ADHD group (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.709). Conclusion: The findings suggest that social media use in children with depression and ADHD is associated with different psychosocial factors. While internalizing symptoms and family communication are more prominent in depressed children, family functioning—particularly problem-solving and communication—plays a larger role in children with ADHD. These results emphasize the need for targeted family-based interventions to mitigate problematic SMU in clinical populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7463fb68eb384d1d845b4ff11d4e8d1e |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj-art-7463fb68eb384d1d845b4ff11d4e8d1e2025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-07-0112790610.3390/children12070906The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy ControlsMutlu Muhammed Özbek0Doğa Sevinçok1Emre Mısır2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Yalova University, Yalova 77200, TürkiyeDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, İstinye University, İstanbul 34396, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Başkent University, Ankara 06790, TürkiyeObjective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media use (SMU) in children diagnosed with major depression (MD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and various psychosocial factors, including familial functioning, parental SMU, and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A healthy control group was included for comparison. Methods: The study included 121 children and adolescents aged 10–18 years (36 with MD, 41 with ADHD, and 44 healthy controls). The Social Media Addiction Scale—Short Form (SMDS) was administered to all participants, while mothers completed the McMaster Family Assessment Scale (FAS), the Social Media Addiction Scale—Adult Form (SMAS-AF), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Psychiatric diagnoses were made using the K-SADS-PL DSM-5-T. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to assess associations among variables. Results: SMU scores were significantly higher in the ADHD group compared to both the depression and control groups. Parental SMU was also higher in the ADHD group. In the depression group, child SMU was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms and impaired family communication. In the ADHD group, child SMU was predicted by poor family problem-solving and communication. Regression analyses showed that internalizing symptoms and family communication predicted SMU in the depression group (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.335), while family problem-solving and communication predicted SMU in the ADHD group (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.709). Conclusion: The findings suggest that social media use in children with depression and ADHD is associated with different psychosocial factors. While internalizing symptoms and family communication are more prominent in depressed children, family functioning—particularly problem-solving and communication—plays a larger role in children with ADHD. These results emphasize the need for targeted family-based interventions to mitigate problematic SMU in clinical populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/906social mediaadolescent behaviorinternalizing symptomsfamily relationsparent–child relations |
| spellingShingle | Mutlu Muhammed Özbek Doğa Sevinçok Emre Mısır The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls Children social media adolescent behavior internalizing symptoms family relations parent–child relations |
| title | The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls |
| title_full | The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls |
| title_fullStr | The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls |
| title_short | The Relationship Between Familial Functioning and Social Media Use Among Children with Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparative Study with Healthy Controls |
| title_sort | relationship between familial functioning and social media use among children with depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder a comparative study with healthy controls |
| topic | social media adolescent behavior internalizing symptoms family relations parent–child relations |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/906 |
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