Background: This study investigated the relationships between smartphone use, bedtime procrastination, and adolescent sleep quality. Specifically, the study investigated whether bedtime procrastination mediates the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and sleep quality. Methods: A sample of 245 adolescents aged 13-18 participated in the study. The Smartphone Addiction Scale—Short Version, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and Adolescent Sleep–Wake Scale were used to assess PSU signs, bedtime procrastination, and sleep quality, respectively. In addition, smartphone usage habits were assessed through a purpose-built questionnaire. Results: It was found that 46.9% of the adolescents had PSU signs, they used smartphones for an average of 2.8 hours per day, 90.6% used smartphones in bed, they used smartphones in bed for an average of 4.9 days per week, and the average duration of smartphone use in bed was 2.3 hours per day. Correlation analyses showed that poor sleep quality was positively associated with the duration of smartphone use in bed, number of smartphone activities, PSU signs, and bedtime procrastination. The relationship between PSU and sleep quality is mediated by bedtime procrastination, according to mediation analysis. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the negative efect of smartphone use on sleep quality in adolescents. The results also indicate that bedtime procrastination may play a mediating role between PSU and sleep quality. Thus, interventions such as sleep hygiene targeting bedtime procrastination may improve adolescents’ sleep quality with PSU signs Cite this article as: Bozkurt A, Demirdöğen EY, Akıncı MA. The association between bedtime procrastination, sleep quality, and problematic smartphone use in adolescents: A mediation analysis. Eurasian J Med., 2024;56(1):69-75.

Deficits in social cognition in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been associated with difficulties in functioning. Since recognizing emotional facial expressions is essential for developing the perceptual components of the theory of mind (ToM), it is important to assess this relationship in children with ADHD. This study therefore compared the recognition of emotional stimuli and gaze patterns between children with ADHD and healthy children using eye-tracking with dynamic facial images. It also examined the relationship between facial emotion recognition accuracy, gaze patterns, ToM scores, and ADHD symptoms. Children with ADHD aged 8–13 (n = 47) and a control group (n = 38) completed a facial emotion recognition test, ToM tests, and the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale. Participants’ gaze patterns in response to dynamic facial emotion expressions were recorded using eye-tracking technology. Children with ADHD exhibited significantly lower accuracy in the recognition of the facial expressions of disgust and anger. The percentage fixation in the eye region was also significantly lower for happy, angry, sad, disgusted, and neutral emotions in the children with ADHD compared to the control group. No relationship was determined between the percentage of fixations on facial areas of interests and ADHD symptoms or ToM tests. This study provides evidence that children with ADHD experience deficits in visual attention to emotional cues. In addition, it suggests that facial emotion recognition deficits in children with ADHD represent a separate domain of social cognition that develops independently of ToM skills and core symptoms. Understanding and treating the social difficulties of individuals with ADHD may help improve their social functioning.

Background: Pain perception is important in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since they are more likely to experience painful events due to increased accident rates. The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature concerning the relationship between ADHD diagnosis, methylphenidate (MPH) therapy, and pain thresholds, since findings regarding the change in pain perception in children with ADHD are scarce and inconsistent. Methods: Children aged 8–13 years constituted both the ADHD group (n = 82) and the healthy controls (n = 41). The ADHD group was divided into two subgroups, ADHD without MPH (not treated pharmacologically) and ADHD with MPH (treated pharmacologically for at least three-months). The Conners’ Parent Rating Scale–Revised: Short Form was employed to assess ADHD, a visual analog scale was applied to evaluate chronic pain severity, and a manual pressure algometer was used to assess pain thresholds. Result: Children with ADHD had lower pain thresholds than the healthy controls (P < 0.05). However, lower regional pain thresholds were observed in the ADHD group without MPH compared to both the healthy control and ADHD with MPH groups. Although pain thresholds in the ADHD with MPH group were regionally lower than in the healthy controls, low pain thresholds were found in fewer regions compared to the ADHD without MPH group. Conclusions: Children with ADHD are more sensitive to pain sensation, and MPH may help normalize these individuals’ pain experiences by raising pain thresholds. Families and clinicians must be aware of situations that may cause pain in children with ADHD. In addition, these children’s low threshold for pain may lead them to experience it more intensely.

Zihin kuramı son kırk yılda yapılan klinik çalışmalarla psikiyatrideki önemi ortaya konulan bir sosyal biliş becerisidir. Zihin kuramı becerisi başkalarının zihinsel durumlarını ve duygularını fark edebilme yeteneği olarak sosyal bir canlı olan insanın sosyal işlevselliğinde etkili ve gerekli bir beceri olarak görülmektedir. Hayatın özellikle ilk altı yılında pek çok ilişkili alanla birlikte temeli atılan bu becerinin, ayna nöronlarla başlayan ve limbik paralimbik yapılar, prefrontal korteks gibi pek çok nörobiyolojik temelle ilgili bulguları bu beceriyi anlamamıza yardımcı olmaktadır. Zihin kuramı gelişimi ile ilişkili alanlar zihin kuramı beceri ve bozulmalarını daha iyi anlamamızı sağlamaktadır. İlk psikopatoloji çalışmaları otizmli çocuklarda yapılmakla birlikte nörogelişimsel bozukluklar tanı kümesinde zihin kuramı becerileri ile ilgili çalışmalar giderek ilgi çekici olmaktadır. Bu derlemede zihin kuramı gelişimi, nörobiyolojik temeli ve ilişkili olduğu alanlar anlatılacak ve zihin kuramının psikopatoloji ile ilişkisi incelenecektir.

Background: Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to recognize the mental states and emotions of others, is central to effective social relationships. Measuring higher-order ToM skills in gifted children may be a useful way to identify the tendency to experience difficulties in social behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between intelligence and sex in children using ToM and social behavior measures. Methods: Children aged 10–12 years constituted both the gifted (n = 45) and non-gifted (n = 45) groups. The participants were assessed for prosocial behaviors and peer problems using the subscales of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and in terms of ToM using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-Child Version (RMET-C) and the Faux Pas Recognition Test-Child Version (FPRT-C). Results: ToM test results were higher in gifted children and girls. Peer problems were lower in gifted children. Prosocial behavior was higher in girls. No relationship was determined between ToM tests and peer problems or prosocial behavior in gifted children, but such a relationship was observed in the non-gifted group. Conclusions: This study shows that gifted children with high cognitive skills also possess superior social cognition skills. Advanced ToM skills in gifted children may be important to supporting their social and cognitive development. The differences between boys and girls should be considered in educational interventions applied to children in the social sphere.