Adolescents with high media use, reduced sleep and low physical activity comprise an ‘invisible-risk’ group that has high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, according to a large international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.Over 12,000 adolescents (14-16 years old) in eleven European countries answered questionnaires covering different risk behaviors and psychiatric symptoms. Statistical analyses of the results identified three risk groups among the adolescents. Individuals who scored high on all examined risk behaviors clustered in the ‘high-risk’ group (13 per cent of the adolescents). The ‘low-risk’ group (58 per cent) consisted of responders who had no or very low frequency of risk behaviors.However, in addition to these two expected groups a third group labelled the ‘invisible risk’ group was identified. Youths in this group were characterised by high media use, sedentary behavior and reduced sleep. These behaviors are generally not associated with mental health problems by observers such as teachers and parents. However, adolescents in the ‘invisible’ risk group had similar prevalence of suicidal thoughts, anxiety, subthreshold depression and depression as the ‘high’ risk group.
Nearly 30% of the adolescents clustered in the ‘invisible’ group had a high level of psychopathological symptoms. While the ‘high’ risk group is easily identified by behavior such as alcohol and drug use, parents and teachers are probably not aware of that adolescents in the ‘invisible’ risk group are at risk”, says lead researcher.
The study is the first to estimate the overall prevalence of a wider range of risk behaviors and lifestyles and their association with symptoms of mental ill-health among European adolescents. The results indicate that both risk behaviors and psychopathology are relatively common in this population. It also shows that all risk behaviors and symptoms increase with age, which is in concordance with earlier studies.
-World Psychiatry, ScienceDaily
Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s Comments on Affects of Media on Exercise, Sleep, and Mental Health:
What this study shows it that our body, mind and emotions are all linked together as one and they must always be addressed together as one. This study shows the effects of media on these teens who had and increased risk of suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression because of three factors: not enough sleep, not enough exercise and too much smart phone, TV and other media use. You might be reading this and say “this doesn’t apply too me because I am not a teen.” Notice the last line of the study “It also shows that all risk behaviors and symptoms INCREASE WITH AGE.”
What that means is that it is the performing of these activities that causes the imbalance and the older you get the more they affect you.
So what is the take home message? Take care of the body which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit with enough sleep (8-9.5 hours with at least 3 of those hours before midnight), with enough exercise ( 20 minute per day is minimum) and do not let the world system download into more than the Word of Truth is being downloading into you.
It is a numbers game. If you spend 5 hours a day letting the world system of lies download into your conscious and subconsious mind and then you spend 30 minutes in the Word of Truth and in prayer listening to the Holy Spirit of Truth speak to your heart, who do you think is going to be empowered the most the Spirit or the flesh (old nature)?
It is obvious what you feed the most grows and what you starve dies. So get back to basics and put your relationship with God first and foremost and that will be seen by how much time you spend with HIM.
These basics are covered in detail on our audio teaching: sally & george- Going Deeper, Seven Basic Steps to Total Health and our How to Know You Are Healed series.
2. The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health
Don’t ever forget who you ARE! You are not a human being living in the world. You are a spiritual being who is in the world but never of the world. This is your testing ground not your home!
