Initial findings have been published in a proof-of-concept paper in the journal PLOS One and come from the first phase of the BrainWaves study, led by the University of Oxford in partnership with The Day News and Media and Swansea University.
Adolescent mental health and wellbeing is of growing concern globally, with an estimated one in four young people having a mental health condition in England. The sample data supports existing evidence that certain lifestyle factors are associated with mental health and wellbeing.
The study was carried out with 15,444 students aged 16-19 from 36 schools and sixth form colleges in England and Scotland. 59% were female and 41% were male. It shows:
- Higher levels of anxiety and depression were found in females than males (8.3% and 6.8% respectively for females, versus 5.1% and 5.2% for males).
- Females had higher levels of social media use (34.4% of females spent more than four hours on social media versus 28.4% of males), while males were more likely to game (17.3% of males and 4.3% of females spent more than four hours a day gaming).
- Females were more likely to report having insufficient sleep, and vape, while males were more likely to take drugs, have sufficient sleep and engage in high levels of exercise.
- Sleep and exercise were strong predictors of general wellbeing and lower levels of anxiety and depression.
- Alcohol consumption, vaping and smoking were negatively associated with wellbeing and correlated with higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Read the full story on the Department of Psychiatry website.