RESUMO
AIMS: In a relatively short time, online communication has become an important part of adolescents' lives, and concerns have been raised about its potential effects on mental health. The first aim was to compare mental health status and online communication in 15-year-old Icelanders born in 1988 and in 1994. The second aim was to assess whether the relationship between online communication and mental health has changed among 15-year-old Icelanders from 2003 to 2015 across genders. METHODS: Analysis used data from self-reports from 2003 (N=385, 51% males) and 2015 (N=302, 42% males). Mental health was assessed with subscales of Symptom Checklist 90 and online communications with self-reports. To evaluate the difference in anxiety and depression, a factorial analysis of variance was conducted between gender and years. Multigroup structural equation modelling was used to assess the change in the relationship between years. RESULTS: Symptoms of anxiety and depression remained unchanged for males. Symptoms of depression increased for females, while anxiety was stable between 2003 and 2015. In 2003, there was no relationship between online communication and mental health. However, in 2015, an association was found for females. CONCLUSIONS: Depression is getting worse for adolescent females, and an association between time spent online communicating and mental health emerged for them in 2015, which did not exist in 2003. These findings add to the possibility that online communication is harmful for mental health, but more detailed studies are still needed.
RESUMO
The aim of the study was to compare the mental health and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of adolescents in two cross-sectional cohorts, one measured in 2003 and the other in 2015, both at age 15 and across sexes. The study also sought to estimate the association between mental health and CRF in the two cohorts and examine the relationship between the level of CRF and mental health in each cohort overall and by sex. Data from 443 participants born in 1988 (228 males, 215 females) and 303 participants born in 1999 (126 males, 177 females) were analyzed. Mental health was assessed using self-reports of body image, self-esteem, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. CRF was estimated using a maximal cycle ergometer test. From 2003 to 2015, body image scores improved (p = .043), self-esteem remained stable, and CRF declined significantly (p < .001). No self-esteem differences were observed between sexes in any cohort. Males had higher CRF and body image scores than females in both cohorts (p < .001 for all comparisons). Higher CRF correlated with fewer depressive symptoms across sexes and cohorts. Specifically, higher CRF was associated with anxiety in females and improved body image in males (2003) and both sexes (2015). Increased CRF was linked to higher self-esteem in females but not in males. Overall, higher CRF levels were associated with better mental health outcomes for both sexes. These results highlight the potential of improving adolescent mental health through increased physical fitness.