{"title":"Association between commuting and mental health among Japanese adolescents.","authors":"Suguru Nakajima, Yuichiro Otsuka, Osamu Itani, Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Masahiro Suzuki, Yoshitaka Kaneita","doi":"10.1111/pcn.13714","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>Mental health issues in adolescence contribute to various disease burdens later in life and are associated with violence, crime, and suicide. Activities such as sleep, diet, exercise, and time spent using electronic devices are related to declining mental health. However, few studies have examined the association between commuting times to school and mental health. This study tested the hypothesis that high school students' long commuting times are associated with poor mental health.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2022 among 2067 students at two private high schools. Survey items included participant information (sex, grade, school), commuting time, mental health status (Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ-9]: depressive symptoms, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 [GAD-7]: anxiety symptoms), lifestyle factors, and sleep-related factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 1899 high school students were analyzed. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 17.3% and 19.0%, respectively. A commuting time of ≥1 h was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.60 [95% confidence interval]: 1.14-2.24) and anxiety symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.51 [95% confidence interval]: 1.09-2.10). Sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and chronotype were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, while sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and insomnia were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>It is suggested that long commuting times are associated with poor mental health in high school students. Parents and schools should consider commuting time when advising students on school selection to maintain their mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":20938,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13714","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/25 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aim: Mental health issues in adolescence contribute to various disease burdens later in life and are associated with violence, crime, and suicide. Activities such as sleep, diet, exercise, and time spent using electronic devices are related to declining mental health. However, few studies have examined the association between commuting times to school and mental health. This study tested the hypothesis that high school students' long commuting times are associated with poor mental health.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2022 among 2067 students at two private high schools. Survey items included participant information (sex, grade, school), commuting time, mental health status (Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ-9]: depressive symptoms, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 [GAD-7]: anxiety symptoms), lifestyle factors, and sleep-related factors.
Results: Data from 1899 high school students were analyzed. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 17.3% and 19.0%, respectively. A commuting time of ≥1 h was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.60 [95% confidence interval]: 1.14-2.24) and anxiety symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.51 [95% confidence interval]: 1.09-2.10). Sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and chronotype were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, while sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and insomnia were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms.
Conclusion: It is suggested that long commuting times are associated with poor mental health in high school students. Parents and schools should consider commuting time when advising students on school selection to maintain their mental health.
期刊介绍:
PCN (Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences)
Publication Frequency:
Published 12 online issues a year by JSPN
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Review Articles
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All manuscripts undergo peer review by anonymous reviewers, an Editorial Board Member, and the Editor
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Manuscripts are accepted based on quality, originality, and significance to the readership
Authors must confirm that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere and has been approved by each author