Disadvantages of Technology and Digital Communication on Adolescent's Romantic Relationships

    by A. Bieri

    Technology has advanced beyond what some of us understand and continues to have significant relevance in not only adolescent’s lives, but everyone’s everyday lives.  The usage of devices has opened a new world of accessing information, changed communication patterns/interactions between the world, and impacted the development of relationships.  It is stated in an article written by scholars Marissa Mosley and Morgan Lancaster, that in a recent Pew Research Center survey (2019) 95% of adolescents reported having a smart phone.  Not only do adolescents use devices daily, but they are more likely to be better educated about the latest updates, devices, and technological programs than many American adults.  Although digital communication has positively advanced adolescent’s lives in many ways, it’s important to analyze the negative effects digital communication has on adolescents and their relationships.   During the adolescent developmental stages, young adults are learning how to shape healthy relationships between themselves and others, which will pave their way of interaction into adulthood.  Recognizing the disadvantages of digital communication can help parents and researchers attain an understanding on technology and its effects on adolescent relationships.

    According to an article written by Nesi et al (2017), adolescents communicate about half of their conversations with their romantic partners over text-messaging and social networking sites.   It has been discovered that this has negative effects on adolescent’s communication and social skills and hinders adolescents from developing certain social skills because it also allows adolescents to avoid important confrontational and in-person experiences; therefore, limiting their learning ability of resolving conflict and having control of conflict management.  Similarly,  Rizzo et al (2019) performed a separate study on adolescents who are involved in romantic relationships and learned that due to the instant access and lack of conflict control,  digital communication can increase the rate of escalation of aggression and increases the chances of partners using technology to publicly expose, harass, stalk, or humiliate their significant others.  Other unhealthy habits have also been reported like activity tracking and GPS location services have been known to be common amongst young relationships (Rizzo et al. 2019).  Mosley and Lancaster (2019) stated that according to an adolescent questionnaire they obtained, up to 56% of adolescents in romantic relationships have reported experiencing a form of cyber dating abuse over the past year and these adolescents also reported that they have been pressured by partners to send sexual or naked photos of themselves.  It was also very common that these adolescents have been threatened via text messages and reported circumstances in which they received so many messages from their romantic partners that they felt unsafe.

    With the data collected analyzing the negative effects that technology and digital communication has on adolescent’s romantic relationships, it is important to recognize the significance this has on adolescent’s future development of healthy relationships.  Cyber dating abuse is common amongst all age groups, but because adolescents are experiencing puberty, identity issues, and other internal emotions, adolescents are very vulnerable to becoming victims of the disadvantages of digital communication.

Nesi, J., Widman, L., Choukas, B. S., & Prinstein, M. J. (2017). Technology‐based communication and the development of interpersonal competencies within adolescent romantic relationships: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27(2), 471–477. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/jora.12274

Mosley, M. A., & Lancaster, M. (2019). Affection and abuse: Technology use in adolescent romantic relationships. American Journal of Family Therapy, 47(1), 52–66. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1080/01926187.2019.1586592

Rizzo, C. J., Collibee, C., Nugent, N. R., & Armey, M. F. (2019). Let’s get digital: Understanding adolescent romantic relationships using naturalistic assessments of digital communication. Child Development Perspectives, 13(2), 104–109. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/cdep.12320

Hinduja, S.  (2020).  [Teen worried about messages received]. [Photograph].  Digital Dating Abuse Among Teens: Our Research, and What We Must Do. https://cyberbullying.org/digital-dating-abuse-research-findings

ADHD in Children and Depression in Adolescents

    

by A. Bieri

    We understand that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder causing hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and a severe lack of focus.  Have you ever thought about the difficult long-term effects that ADHD can have in children?  Powell et al. (2020) performed a study examining that the peer relationships and academic attainment in children with ADHD are relevant to the chances of the child developing a secondary disorder that will later arise in adolescence, depression.  It is important to take into consideration that, as researchers discovered, children who struggle with their schoolwork and have a difficult time maintaining social lives are vulnerable to developing depression during adolescence and late-adolescence because of the likeliness of experiencing failure and rejection.  

Powell, V., Riglin, L., Hammerton, G., Eyre, O., Martin, J., Anney, R., Thapar, A., & Rice, F. (2020). What explains the link between childhood adhd and adolescent depression? Investigating the role of peer relationships and academic attainment.  European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.  https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1007/s00787-019-01463-w

Honos-Webb, L. Ph. D.  (2020). [Child expressing depression and mood disorder][Photograph]. Additude: Inside the adhd mind. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-depression-confused-in-kids/

Go Get Some Sleep!

 By: Hunter Doiron

    I will be the first to admit that I struggle sleeping when I should. Research from Rusnac et al. (2019) looked at the voluntary and involuntary origins of sleep loss for adolescents as it relates to risky behavior. They clarify the risky behaviors they are interested in are drinking and reckless driving because of their prevalence and severity (Rusnac et al., 2019). Surveying 536 late adolescent university students ages 19-25, they found those with voluntary sleep loss reported a higher quantity of drinking and riskier driving (Rusnac et al., 2019). They see personality and the sleep loss itself contributing to this higher risk taking, so there is a way for you and me to steer away from risky behavior; just get more sleep!

References

Rusnac, N., Spitzenstetter, F., & Tassi, P. (2019). Chronic sleep loss and risk-taking behavior:

Does the origin of sleep loss matter? Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 17(6), 729–739. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1080/15402002.2018.1483368

For Image:

Steinberg, Laurence D. Adolescence. McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.

Social Media Use in the Time of COVID-19

 By Taylor Decuir 

Building Social and Emotional Skills via Music and Visual Art

By: Catherine Blanchard

    Behavioral problems happen in adolescence, but helping adolescents build social and emotional skills has been found to improve their ability to cope with their situations. In a recent study, researchers found that employing music and visual arts aided in student’s acquisition of those skills like “identifying and controlling emotions, creating and completing goals...” (Mogro-Wilson et al., 2020) etc. This quasi-experimentally designed study observed students in two urban high schools where one school was given the resources to teach the curriculum. Their research found that the program did aid students in building social and emotional skills. So, the next time you think about helping others build social and emotional skills, consider employing music and visual arts to aid in your presentation. 

Mogro-Wilson, C., & Tredinnick, L. (2020). Influencing Social and Emotional Awareness and Empathy with a Visual Arts and Music Intervention for Adolescents. Children & Schools, 42(2), 111–119. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1093/cs/cdaa008