Over the past decade, concurrent with increasing social media use (SMU), there has been a shift toward poorer sleep among adolescents in many countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-national associations between adolescent SMU and sleep patterns, by comparing 4 different categories of SMU (nonactive, active, intense, and problematic use). Data were from 86,542 adolescents in 18 European and North American countries that participated in the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-aged study. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to examine cross-national associations between 4 SMU categories and adolescent sleep duration, bedtime and social jetlag derived from self-reported data. For all countries combined, nonactive SMU was associated with longer sleep, earlier bedtimes, and less social jetlag, compared to active SMU, although the differences were minor. By comparison, intense and problematic SMU were associated with less sleep and later bedtimes on both school and nonschool days, and greater social jetlag, compared to active SMU. While findings were relatively consistent between countries, some differences were observed, suggesting that the national and cultural context may be important in interpreting results. These findings suggest that both intense and problematic SMU are associated with poorer sleep patterns in adolescents across most countries. Further research is needed to identify effective policies, programs, and messaging to promote the healthy use of social media and prevent potential negative impacts on adolescent sleep.

Background: Childhood trauma is considered to be a risk factor for developing anxiety as well as chronic pain. The aim of this study was to assess the association between childhood trauma and reporting anxiety and long-term pain conditions in the general and clinical populations. Methods: Respondents from a representative sample in the Czech Republic (n = 1800, mean age: 46.6 years, 48.7% male) and patients with a clinically diagnosed anxiety or adjustment disorder (n = 67, mean age: 40.5 years, 18.0% male) were asked to report anxiety, various chronic and pain-related conditions, and childhood trauma (The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) in a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted in 2016 and 2017. Results: Reporting emotional abuse (Odds ratio OR from 2.14 to 14.71), emotional neglect (OR from 2.42 to 10.99), or physical neglect (OR from 2.24 to 3.30) was associated with reporting anxiety and long-term pain both in the general and clinical populations and reporting physical abuse moreover with reporting anxiety or adjustment disorder with concurrent long-term pain (OR from 4.04 to 6.39). Conclusion: This study highlights the relevance of childhood trauma as a possible factor contributing to anxiety with concurrent pain conditions in adulthood in both the general and clinical populations.

The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in the prevalence of weight reduction behaviors (WRBs) among European adolescents from 26 countries between 2001/2002 and 2017/2018. The impact of the perception of body weight on WLB was also analyzed, with particular attention being paid to overestimation. The data of 639,194 European adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years who participated in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey were analyzed. Age-standardized prevalence rates of WRB were estimated separately by survey round and gender for each country, using the overall 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study population as the standard. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess WRB trends over time, adjusted for survey year, body mass index, body weight misperception, and family affluence and stratified by gender and age. In the 26 countries examined, the overall age-adjusted prevalence rates of WRB were 10.2% among boys and 18.0% among girls. The prevalence of WRB was higher for girls, but in the more recent surveys, gender differences in WRB decreased. There was a significant increase in the percentage of WRB among boys in most countries. Among girls, most countries did not experience significant changes. Increases in body mass index and overestimation of body weight were significant factors increasing the risk of WRB in both genders. The change in the prevalence of WRB by gender warrants greater attention from researchers and practitioners alike.

Social media use has increased rapidly during the past decade, raising concerns about adolescents who display problematic social media use (PSMU), as indicated by addiction-like symptoms (e.g., preoccupation, tolerance). We aimed to assess the extent to which an individual resource (health literacy), and social resources (friend support and family support), moderated the association between a range of individual characteristics (gender, age, family affluence, and depressive feelings) and PSMU; also the association between PSMU and health outcomes (self-rated health, life satisfaction, and sleep difficulties), both cross-nationally and nationally. Our sample included 22,226 adolescents from six European countries. We used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional survey (2017/2018). Random-effects models and moderator analyses were applied. Six moderations were found, with the resources moderating the association between individual characteristics and PSMU. One moderation emerged cross-nationally, namely that a higher level of family support was associated with a lower likelihood of PSMU, especially among adolescents who did not have frequent depressive feelings. In addition, five national moderations were identified. For example, a higher level of health literacy was associated with a lower likelihood of PSMU among Finnish girls. The resources were also found to moderate the association between PSMU and health outcomes, with two moderations emerging cross-nationally. For instance, a higher level of family support was related to higher self-rated health, especially among problematic users. In addition, nine national moderations were identified; these included a higher level of health literacy being associated with having less sleep difficulties, especially among problematic users in Germany. In adolescence, health literacy, family support, and friend support have the potential to moderate the association between individual characteristics and PSMU, and between PSMU and health outcomes, cross-nationally and nationally. We recommend the use of universal and targeted interventions to promote individual and social resources to counteract PSMU.

Background: Previous research has shown a strong relationship between childhood trauma and worsened physical and mental health. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is a commonly used tool assessing early traumatic experiences. The aim of this study was to verify the psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the CTQ. Methods: Data were collected on a representative Slovak sample (N = 1018, mean age 46.24 years, 48.7% of men). The dimensional structure of the CTQ was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); convergent validity was assessed using the Adverse Childhood Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Results: CFA confirmed the standard 5-factor CTQ model. The subscales of the CTQ and the ACE-IQ questionnaires showed moderate to high correlations. The internal consistency of the scale was found to be acceptable. Emotional neglect (EN) was reported in 48.1%, physical neglect (PN) in 35.8%, emotional abuse in 15.8%, physical abuse (PA) in 11.0%, and sexual abuse (SA) in 9.1% of the Slovak population, according to the scoring, when even low abuse or neglect is assessed as trauma. Conclusion: The CTQ questionnaire fulfilled the validation criteria and appeared to be a suitable method for assessing retrospectively reported childhood trauma experiences in the Slovak population.