Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders
Abstract Background Recent studies have emphasized the association between prolonged screen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, though its correlation with tic disorders (TDs) remains ambiguous. We thus conducted this study to investigate the association between screen time (ST) and the sever...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Italian Journal of Pediatrics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-025-01851-w |
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| author | Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed Hanyu Dong Yang Xue Miaoshui Bai Yuling Ouyang Feiyong Jia |
| author_facet | Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed Hanyu Dong Yang Xue Miaoshui Bai Yuling Ouyang Feiyong Jia |
| author_sort | Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Recent studies have emphasized the association between prolonged screen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, though its correlation with tic disorders (TDs) remains ambiguous. We thus conducted this study to investigate the association between screen time (ST) and the severity of tic symptoms in children diagnosed with TDs. Methods We conducted a retrospective case-control study with 342 cases of TDs and 270 controls, collecting data from March 2021 to December 2023. The main exposure variable was daily ST for each child, and tic severity, evaluated using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), was the outcome variable. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis to examine the relationship between screen time and tic severity, and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the predictive power of screen time for tic symptoms. Results Our findings revealed that children with TDs had significantly longer ST compared to the control group, averaging 116.06 ± 147.9 min/day versus 43.23 ± 37.5 min/day, p < 0.001. We also noted a positive correlation between ST and TDs( r = 0.461, p < 0.01). Daily ST was a significant predictor of overall YGTSS scores (t = 9.58, p < 0.001), suggesting that increased ST is associated with heightened tic symptoms. However, age of first exposure to screens was not significantly correlated with tic severity (p > 0.05). Though we observed a negative correlation between ST and vitamin D levels, the results were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion Children with TDs had longer ST compared to their control’s counterparts, and prolonged ST was significantly associated with heightened tic severity, which highlights the critical need for careful monitoring and regulation of screen time in children with TDs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8d690b860d6b4a5a9b279fc592446e32 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1824-7288 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Italian Journal of Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj-art-8d690b860d6b4a5a9b279fc592446e322025-02-02T12:34:56ZengBMCItalian Journal of Pediatrics1824-72882025-01-015111710.1186/s13052-025-01851-wProlonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disordersZakaria Ahmed Mohamed0Hanyu Dong1Yang Xue2Miaoshui Bai3Yuling Ouyang4Feiyong Jia5Department of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityDepartment of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityDepartment of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityDepartment of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityDepartment of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityDepartment of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children’s Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin UniversityAbstract Background Recent studies have emphasized the association between prolonged screen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, though its correlation with tic disorders (TDs) remains ambiguous. We thus conducted this study to investigate the association between screen time (ST) and the severity of tic symptoms in children diagnosed with TDs. Methods We conducted a retrospective case-control study with 342 cases of TDs and 270 controls, collecting data from March 2021 to December 2023. The main exposure variable was daily ST for each child, and tic severity, evaluated using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), was the outcome variable. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis to examine the relationship between screen time and tic severity, and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the predictive power of screen time for tic symptoms. Results Our findings revealed that children with TDs had significantly longer ST compared to the control group, averaging 116.06 ± 147.9 min/day versus 43.23 ± 37.5 min/day, p < 0.001. We also noted a positive correlation between ST and TDs( r = 0.461, p < 0.01). Daily ST was a significant predictor of overall YGTSS scores (t = 9.58, p < 0.001), suggesting that increased ST is associated with heightened tic symptoms. However, age of first exposure to screens was not significantly correlated with tic severity (p > 0.05). Though we observed a negative correlation between ST and vitamin D levels, the results were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion Children with TDs had longer ST compared to their control’s counterparts, and prolonged ST was significantly associated with heightened tic severity, which highlights the critical need for careful monitoring and regulation of screen time in children with TDs.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-025-01851-wScreen timeTic disordersYGTSSChildren |
| spellingShingle | Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed Hanyu Dong Yang Xue Miaoshui Bai Yuling Ouyang Feiyong Jia Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders Italian Journal of Pediatrics Screen time Tic disorders YGTSS Children |
| title | Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| title_full | Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| title_fullStr | Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| title_short | Prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| title_sort | prolonged screen time is associated with increased severity of tic symptoms in children with tic disorders |
| topic | Screen time Tic disorders YGTSS Children |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-025-01851-w |
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