Högskolan i Skövde

Background: Adolescents are growing up in a digital age, and it is common for them to have access to the internet. Social media use among adolescents has surged over the past twenty years. At the same time, there has been a rise in mental health issues among this age group. This qualitative systematic review aims to explore how digital media use influences adolescent mental health in a digitalized era.

Methods: A literature search was undertaken to locate articles published between January 2013 and November 2023 which examine the relationship between adolescents’ mental health and digitalization. A total of 384 full text articles were scanned for eligibility, of which 48 had a qualitative research design. 19 articles with a qualitative design were reviewed using thematic analysis.

Results: The findings of this study highlight the ways in which digital media use influences adolescent mental health. Four specific themes become visible through thematic analysis. Digital media use influences life circumstances by shaping daily activities and acting as a source of information and knowledge; it influences relationships with other individuals where mental health behaviors are simultaneously promoted and challenged in the digital interaction between adolescents; it influences individuals by supporting and challenging individuality and uniqueness while at the same time making individuals susceptible to anonymous and negative online scrutiny, harassment, and bullying; and finally, digital media use influences adolescents to construct strategies for good mental health in both online and offline settings.

Conclusion: Adolescents use digital media to manage their mood, create identities, and raise awareness on social issues, which can empower them and improve mental health. Digital media also has a negative impact on adolescents; it disrupts sleep and family time and contributes to a fear of missing out, body image issues, social comparison and cyberbullying. This qualitative systematic review highlights a need for future research into adolescent online strategies, how adults mediate digital media use and the role of digital industries in shaping behaviors. Teachers, parents, and health professionals can play an important role in supporting adolescents’ use of digital media in ways that promote their mental health.

Introduction: Finding solutions to communicate difficulties in care interactions between health care professionals and older migrant patients may be facilitated by the use of digital translation tools. The aim was to explore older migrant patients’ and health professionals’ experiences using digital translation tools in transcultural care.

Methodology: A systematic qualitative literature review, based on nine quality assessed articles published 2009 to 2024 from five databases, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Three themes and eight subthemes emerged: advantages of using translation tools describes the benefits experienced using such tools; limitations and challenges highlights the problems identified in their use; and improvement suggestions for the functions of the translation apps describes adjustments and developments of the translation tools.

Discussion: Digital translation used in basic care, may enhance relationships and equity of care, but should not substitute human interpreters in complex care conversations. Translation tools need to be developed according to older users’ abilities.

Background

In today's society, people are experiencing the rapid development of digitalisation. Expecting parents may have difficulties evaluating the information online; they are not always sure which sources of information are trustworthy, and this exacerbates their feelings of anxiety. More research is needed to broaden the knowledge about how their use of digital sources may influence their health.

Question

The focus of this study was to explore expecting parents’ use of digital sources and how this influences their health during pregnancy.

Methods

A systematic review covered the thematic analysis of 39 articles.

Findings

The analysis resulted in the following theme: The digitalised society involves both opportunities and challenges, and expecting parents express a need for a variety of digital sources to improve their health, and sub-themes: Digital sources could promote parents’ health and well-being in a digitalised society; Consuming digital health information facilitates understanding, different feelings and social connections; and A variety of digital sources may facilitate parental identification and adaption to parenthood.

Conclusion

Different digital sources in our digitalised society mean access to information and opportunities to extend social connections for expecting parents. This can promote their ability to understand and adapt to parenthood, as well as to improve their health and well-being and make the parental transition. However, professional support during face-to-face consultations cannot always be exchanged to digital sources. It is important to base digital sources devoted to expecting parents and digitalisation overall on multi-sectorial collaborations and coordination between different organisations and the digital sources they provide.

Objective: To explore parents’ experiences using digital tools in relation to pregnancy, labor and birth, and the child’s first 18 months. Background: Parents find relevant information using digital healthcare tools, material obtained from professionals, as well as personal opinions and experiences that vary in quality. Method: Fifteen parents were interviewed and data were analyzed beginning with content analysis and followed by thematic analysis. Results: The main theme was insecurity and responsibility for own choices and knowledge. Parents use digital tools to take responsibility for their insecurity and need for knowledge when entering parenthood. Conclusion: The parents’ experiences highlighted that (1) insecurity can be both eased and enhanced using digital tools, (2) they took responsibility for feelings of insecurity and the search for knowledge, and (3) they needed knowledge to make the right choices and feel secure that these choices are made in the best interest of their new family. 

Background: Parents use digital sources (such as the internet or online forums and applications) during pregnancy and after childbirth to receive informative support. Research shows that there is further need for innovation development in digital parental support despite informative support available in digital form.

Purpose: To explore parents' perceptions of future digital parental support concerning pregnancy and the first 18 months of parenthood.

Method: A phenomenographic interview study with an inductive approach including 15 semi-structured interviews was conducted.

Results: The analysis process resulted in three descriptive categories: Opportunities for virtual and in-person meetings, Individualized digital parental support, and Professional knowledge and trustworthiness concerning future digital parental support.

Conclusion: The results broaden the knowledge about how future digital parental support can be designed to facilitate the functional, interactive, and critical digital health literacy of new and would-be parents. To succeed, healthcare organizations should allow healthcare professionals to assume an active role in developing digital parental support, both as health educators (i.e., providing parents with knowledge) and facilitators (i.e., facilitating parents' use of digital parental support). However, parents perceived that future digital parental support should complement standard care instead of replacing in-person meetings with healthcare professionals.

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity is a new and emerging problem in Vietnam. The so far observed prevalence increases have pointed to the need for public health intervention strategies with parents as crucial resources for change. Objective: The aim of this study was to understand mothers' conceptions of childhood overweight. Design: Four focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 33 mothers of preschool children, 4-6 years old, living in urban and rural districts of Hanoi, Vietnam. The discussions were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. The obtained data were analyzed using the principles of phenomenography. Results: Four main categories with 13 subcategories emerged in the process of analysis. The first category, called 'Concept of overweight', contained mothers' views on childhood overweight. A major concern was the negative aspects of overweight such as impaired social interaction and health problems. The second category, 'Identification of overweight', described the ways mothers use to recognize overweight in children: own experience, growth chart, and public or health care system's information. The third category, 'Causes of overweight', showed mothers' understanding of factors possibly contributing to overweight development: unhealthy food and lifestyle, genetic susceptibility, parent's lack of knowledge, and limited time to take care of children as well as economic improvement. The fourth category, 'Management of overweight', described the ways mothers use to manage a child's weight problem: control of their food intake, increasing their physical activity, and encouraging their child self-control. However, they find such strategies difficult to implement and their intentions are sometimes challenged by the child's grandparents. Conclusions: The study gives an understanding of the mothers' conceptions of four important and practically useful aspects of overweight in children. The findings highlight the roles of media and the health care system in enhancing a social awareness of the problem and the need for prevention. Growth charts need to be used more regularly and consciously in child health care for early detection of children at risk and as a tool for information to parents. When designing intervention programs, the entire extended families, especially grandparents and their roles, need to be considered.