Assessing the impact of mobile phone use on the mental health of schoolchildren

Objective: to assess the impact of mobile phone use on the mental state of adolescents. Material and methods. On voluntary terms, a survey was conducted of 917 students (427 boys and 490 girls) in grades 9-11, aged 15-17 years, attending all 14 secondary schools in the city Alchevsk. The students answered questions about the nature of their use of mobile phones. Self-assessment and assessment of mental states according to Eysenck (anxiety, frustration, aggressiveness and rigidity) were also performed. Results. There were more students with a high level of aggression according in the group of people who made 6 or more calls per day — 12.0±2.4%, compared with adolescents who made less than 3 such calls — 5.4±1.8% (p=0.013) and 3-5 calls —6.2±1.3% (p=0.029). Similar differences in the group of adolescent girls were 18.4±3.8%, compared with 5.6±1.7% (p=0.003) and 7.2±1.8% (p=0.009). There were more schoolchildren with a high level of aggression according in the group of teenagers who talked on the phone for an average of more than 10 min a day— 11.7±2.0%, compared with their peers who talked for 3-10 min — 5.4±1.1% (p=0.007), and also less than 3 min — 5.1±1.4% (p=0.008). Conclusion. With an increase in the number of outgoing calls, incoming calls, as well as the duration of conversations on mobile phones, the level of aggression among schoolchildren increases. To the greatest extent, this pattern is typical for teenage girls, which can be explained by the longer duration of mobile phone use by girls.