Search

Abstract:Aim: Parents can influence the Internet use (IUD) or gaming disorder (GD) in their children in various ways. However, there is scant published research and limited structured guidelines on the subject. This article describes a group training for parents that does not require the participation of the affected individuals. Methods: In this non-controlled pilot study, 42 parents (31 families) participated, completing diagnostic questionnaires before and after group training (adolescent's GD Symptomatology, adolescent's internalizing and externalizing problems, the parent's and adolescent's quality of life). The training included six sessions and was divided into four main topics (psychoeducation, parent-child-communication, analysing and changing, own limits and needs). Results: The training was well-received by the participants. The training itself and most of the content were rated as helpful. From the parents' point of view, there were significant improvements in the GD symptomatology, the adolescent's internalizing and externalizing problems, and adolescent's quality of life. The parents' quality of life was already at an average high level at the beginning of the training and hardly changed. Conclusions: The training program is easy to implement and is considered beneficial. There are indications that positive changes are triggered by the training, even though the affected persons themselves are not involved. A randomized controlled efficacy study is still pending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep problems in young children are common and provoke clinically significant stress in their parents. Studies indicate that the treatment of the child's sleep problem can simultaneously reduce maternal stress. Objectives: In the present study we aimed to investigate, if maternal stress can be reduced by an Internet-based treatment program for sleep disturbances in young children (Mini-KiSS Online). The research also investigated whether the cortisol awakening response is a suitable tool for the detection of a central nervous stress response to such a change. Materials and methods: Mothers ( N = 23) of young children (six months to four years) with sleep problems were randomized to either the treatment or waiting-list control condition. Pre- and post-measurement assessed maternal distress by subjective questionnaires and physiologically by cortisol awakening response. The sleep behaviour of the child was assessed using a sleep-diary and the sleep behaviour of mothers using a questionnaire. Results: Mini-KiSS Online partially reduced stress and improved child and maternal sleep. Reductions in cortisol level did not reach statistical significance. There was an association between reductions in subjective stress and cortisol level. Conclusion: The cortisol awakening response seems to be an appropriate measure to detect stress in mothers of sleep-disturbed young children. However, larger sample sizes seem to be necessary to identify changes between measurement points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents devote a significant portion of their time to smartphone usage, often engaging in social media activities. Social media use has previously been linked to diminished sleep quality and reduced sleep durations in correlational studies. In this experimental study, we aimed to investigate the influence of pre-sleep social media use on memory consolidation, subjective arousal and objectively assessed sleep quality in adolescents. We compared the social media condition to two reading conditions, one involving reading a book on a smartphone and the other reading from a physical book in a within-subjects design. Twenty participants between 12 and 14 years engaged in these activities for 45 min before bedtime. Contrary to our expectations, the results indicated that pre-sleep social media use did not have a discernible impact on sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal or memory consolidation. All assessed sleep measures remained consistent across the three conditions. Subjectively, the social media condition was rated less thrilling than the reading conditions. This suggests that, within the confines of this experiment, pre-sleep social media exposure did not significantly disrupt adolescents' sleep or their ability to consolidate memories during sleep. This deviation from previous correlational studies might be explained by a possible impact of mental health factors on media consumption and sleep or the fact that contrary to their daily routines participants had to sleep after our intervention and could not continue to engage in their activities. This highlights the need for further investigations into the complexities of this interaction. • No effect of 45-min pre-sleep social media use on sleep quality compared to reading. • Consolidation of declarative memories unaffected by pre-sleep social media use. • No increase in subjective arousal prior sleep after social media consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early career scientists (ECS) are agents of change and driving forces in the promotion of mental health. The German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) is a powerful initiative to guide and support careers in the field of mental health. Objective: The DZPG aims to make investments to educate, engage, excite, and empower ECS in an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional scientific community. Structures, topics and initiatives: To achieve this, the ECS Board at the DZPG plays a central role and consists of 18 elected ECS representatives. The ECS culture gives members the right of voice and embraces bottom-to-top ideas and acknowledges autonomy and co-determination. The DZPG academy was developed to facilitate communication and networking and encourage collaboration among ECS members. The DZPG also navigates several key issues, such as equality, diversity, inclusion, family friendliness and work-life balance, which are essential for a functioning research landscape. The DZPG also extends opportunities to ECS to develop skills and competencies that are essential for contemporary ECS. It complements nationwide support for ECS with funding opportunities, mental health support at work, careers advice and guidance activities. Importantly, the ECS Board is committed to patient and public involvement and engagement, scientific communication and knowledge transfer to multiple settings. Conclusion: The DZPG will contribute to fostering ECS training programs for student and academic exchanges, collaborative research, and pooling of resources to acquire grants and scholarships. It will also support the establishment of hubs for ECS networks and promote the expansion of international competence of ECS in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]