Understanding problematic media use in children and youth at risk for attentional difficulties: a comparative study of community, ADHD, and early neurological risk samples.

Abstract

Children with attention difficulties are more susceptible to problematic media use (PMU). However, little consideration has been given to whether the risk of PMU varies based on the nature of attentional difficulties, namely whether children diagnosed with ADHD or difficulties that co-occur with early neurological risk are differentially related to PMU. The Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM) was examined in three samples of parents with children aged 6-18: Community (N = 386), ADHD (N = 66) and early neurological risk (N = 65) samples, using a mixed-methods approach. Parents were given questionnaires to assess PMU and screen media use and impact, followed by semi-structured interviews with a subset of parents in the ADHD sample. Group comparisons used an age- and sex-matched subset (n = 36/group). Parents in the ADHD group reported higher PMU and more stress related to screen media use compared to both the Early Neurological Risk and Community groups. Parents in the ADHD group also reported significantly more negative and fewer positive impacts of screen media for their children compared to the Community group. Higher PMU was associated with older age in the Early Neurological Risk group (r_s = .26, p = .04), and higher externalizing behavior in both clinical samples (ADHD, r_s = .29, p = .02; neurological, r_s = .56, p < .001). Thematic analysis of parent interviews yielded complementary themes, including unique challenges of screen use for children with ADHD. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.