Depressive Symptoms, Emotional Aggression, School Adjustment, and Mobile Phone Dependency Among Adolescents with Allergic Diseases in South Korea

• Published in: Journal of pediatric nursing Vol. 47; pp. e24 - e29
• Main Authors: Oh, Juyeon, An, Jiwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2019
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Aggression; Allergy; Cell Phone - statistics & numerical data; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Depressive symptoms; Female; Humans; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Male; Mobile phone; Nursing; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Schools; Smartphone; Social Adjustment; Republic of Korea; Allergy; Mobile phone; Depressive symptoms; Adolescents; Smartphone
• ISSN: 0882-5963; 1532-8449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2019.04.010

This study aimed to examine the effects of depression, aggression, and school adjustment on mobile phone dependency among South Korean adolescents, and to identify the differences in these paths among adolescents with or without allergic diseases.
The Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, a nationwide multistage cluster sampling survey, was used for this cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 1937 first-year middle school students in South Korea, using self-reported questionnaires. Multiple-group structural equation modeling was used to test the differences of the critical ratio for the variables depressive symptom, emotional aggression, school adjustment, and mobile phone dependency between adolescents with allergic diseases and those without allergic disease.
Depressive symptoms and emotional aggression were significantly higher in the allergic disease group. Significantly different effects were found on the path of depressive symptoms to school adjustment and depressive symptoms to mobile phone dependency.
Higher depressive symptoms in allergic disease adolescents had a greater negative effect on school adjustment and a more positive effect on mobile phone dependency. Healthcare professionals need to be concerned not only with the physical symptoms of adolescents with allergic diseases but also with psychological issues, such as depression.
Early assessments and interventions for depressive symptoms in adolescents with allergic diseases could help prevent over dependency on mobile phones, as well as maladjustment to school.
•Depressive symptoms and emotional aggression affect school adjustment and mobile phone dependency•School adjustment partially mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms/aggression and mobile phone dependency•Depression in adolescents with allergic diseases has a stronger impact on school adjustment and mobile phone dependency.