The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly exposed to screens that correlate to negative health effects.Objectives: To identify possible risk factors associated with long screen viewing in ASD children and identify the effects of prolonged screen time.Materials and met...
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University of Anbar
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Al-Anbar Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185643_f2d0762690678d4a913d1599a33d63a2.pdf |
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| author | Shahad Ali Ahmed AL-Baldawi Nabeeha Najatee Akram Zahraa Aqeel Abdulmajeed |
| author_facet | Shahad Ali Ahmed AL-Baldawi Nabeeha Najatee Akram Zahraa Aqeel Abdulmajeed |
| author_sort | Shahad Ali Ahmed AL-Baldawi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly exposed to screens that correlate to negative health effects.Objectives: To identify possible risk factors associated with long screen viewing in ASD children and identify the effects of prolonged screen time.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study recruited children with ASD who were followed in the Psychiatry Department in the Central Child Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq over 7 months. For all children, personal data (age, age at diagnosis, sex, sleeping duration at day and night, and aggressive behavior) and both parents' data (age, educational level, and occupation) and screen data (duration of screen exposure, type of device used for, and the content of screening) were collected for each participant. Results: A total of 138 children with a mean age of 5.25 ± 2.85 years were included in the study with a male-to-female ratio of 5.6:1. One-third of ASD children had long-duration of screen exposure (≥ 2 hours per day). Although none of the studied patient’s characteristics was related to the duration of screen exposure, two maternal factors were significantly related to the longer duration of screen exposure (lower level of education and being a housewife with P-values of 0.008 and 0.02 respectively). Children diagnosed at younger ages are subjected to a higher duration of screen exposure with a correlation coefficient r = - 0.337 and P-value = 0.027.Conclusion: Maternal level of education and occupation represent significant determinants of screen time in children with ASD. Long screen exposure in ASD children correlates with the patient’s age at diagnosis but has a non-significant effect on their social communication. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e73f375224343eea848ba1d8369dfa5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2706-6207 2664-3154 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Anbar |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Al-Anbar Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e73f375224343eea848ba1d8369dfa52025-01-21T21:57:32ZengUniversity of AnbarAl-Anbar Medical Journal2706-62072664-31542025-01-01211495410.33091/amj.2024.153975.1945185643The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum DisorderShahad Ali Ahmed AL-Baldawi0Nabeeha Najatee Akram1Zahraa Aqeel Abdulmajeed2Department of Pediatrics, Central Child Teaching Hospital, Alkarkh Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Baghdad, IraqDepartment of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, IraqDepartment of Psychiatry, Central Child Teaching Hospital, Alkarkh Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Baghdad, IraqBackground: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly exposed to screens that correlate to negative health effects.Objectives: To identify possible risk factors associated with long screen viewing in ASD children and identify the effects of prolonged screen time.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study recruited children with ASD who were followed in the Psychiatry Department in the Central Child Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq over 7 months. For all children, personal data (age, age at diagnosis, sex, sleeping duration at day and night, and aggressive behavior) and both parents' data (age, educational level, and occupation) and screen data (duration of screen exposure, type of device used for, and the content of screening) were collected for each participant. Results: A total of 138 children with a mean age of 5.25 ± 2.85 years were included in the study with a male-to-female ratio of 5.6:1. One-third of ASD children had long-duration of screen exposure (≥ 2 hours per day). Although none of the studied patient’s characteristics was related to the duration of screen exposure, two maternal factors were significantly related to the longer duration of screen exposure (lower level of education and being a housewife with P-values of 0.008 and 0.02 respectively). Children diagnosed at younger ages are subjected to a higher duration of screen exposure with a correlation coefficient r = - 0.337 and P-value = 0.027.Conclusion: Maternal level of education and occupation represent significant determinants of screen time in children with ASD. Long screen exposure in ASD children correlates with the patient’s age at diagnosis but has a non-significant effect on their social communication.https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185643_f2d0762690678d4a913d1599a33d63a2.pdfautismelectronic devicessleep disturbancesocial communication questionnaire |
| spellingShingle | Shahad Ali Ahmed AL-Baldawi Nabeeha Najatee Akram Zahraa Aqeel Abdulmajeed The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Al-Anbar Medical Journal autism electronic devices sleep disturbance social communication questionnaire |
| title | The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_full | The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_fullStr | The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_short | The Impact and Risk Factors of Screen Time Exposure in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_sort | impact and risk factors of screen time exposure in children with autism spectrum disorder |
| topic | autism electronic devices sleep disturbance social communication questionnaire |
| url | https://amj.uoanbar.edu.iq/article_185643_f2d0762690678d4a913d1599a33d63a2.pdf |
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