000163805 001__ 163805
000163805 005__ 20251107115328.0
000163805 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1007/s12519-025-00963-x
000163805 0248_ $$2sideral$$a145913
000163805 037__ $$aART-2025-145913
000163805 041__ $$aeng
000163805 100__ $$aIglesias-Vázquez, Lucía
000163805 245__ $$aSleep duration moderates association between screen time and emotional and behavioural problems in young children
000163805 260__ $$c2025
000163805 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000163805 5203_ $$aBackground
Preschoolers and young children are vulnerable to psychosocial and behavioral disorders linked to lifestyle factors such as screen time and sleep disturbances. Our study examines the relationship between screen time and adherence to recommendations with children’s behavioral and emotional difficulties, with a focus on the role of sleep duration.
Methods
Cross-sectional analyses were conducted within the multicenter prospective Childhood Obesity Risk Assessment Longitudinal Study (CORALS), which included 1420 children aged 3–6 years. Screen time (hours/day) and adherence to recommendations (≤ 2 hours/day) were assessed. Behavioral and emotional difficulties were measured via the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between screen time (continuous and dichotomous) and strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores, adjusting for potential confounders. We also tested the moderating effect of sleep and conducted isotemporal substitution analyses replacing screen time with sleep duration.
Results
Higher screen time was associated with higher total strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores [β 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.35 (0.10, 0.61)], emotional symptoms [0.10 (0.01, 0.19)], conduct problems [0.10 (0.01, 0.18)], and greater odds of exceeding the 16-point strengths and difficulties questionnaire cutoff for behavioral and emotional difficulties [odds ratio (OR) (95% CI), 1.21 (1.04, 1.41)]. Children who adhered to screen time recommendations had lower strengths and difficulties questionnaire total scores [β (95% CI), − 0.64 (− 1.19, − 0.10)] and odds of experiencing behavioral and emotional difficulties [OR (95% CI), 0.67 (0.47, 0.95)]. Sleep duration moderated the screen time–strengths and difficulties questionnaire association (P = 0.020). The isotemporal substitution of screen time for sleep duration was associated with lower strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores across all subscales, except for prosocial behavior.
Conclusions
Higher screen time was associated with greater emotional and behavioral difficulties, whereas adherence to screen time recommendations and adequate sleep duration were inversely associated. Managing screen time and promoting sleep are crucial for children’s well-being.
000163805 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI20-00711
000163805 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
000163805 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000163805 700__ $$aGarcidueñas-Fimbres, Tany E.
000163805 700__ $$aGómez-Martínez, Carlos
000163805 700__ $$aCastro-Collado, Cristina
000163805 700__ $$aLeis, Rosaura
000163805 700__ $$aFernández de la Puente, María
000163805 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-0454-653X$$aMoreno, Luis A.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000163805 700__ $$aNavas-Carretero, Santiago
000163805 700__ $$aCorella, Dolores
000163805 700__ $$aMoreira Echeverria, Ana
000163805 700__ $$aJurado-Castro, José M.
000163805 700__ $$aPicáns-Leis, Rosaura
000163805 700__ $$aNi, Jiaqi
000163805 700__ $$aMiguel-Berges, Maria L.
000163805 700__ $$aMartínez, J. Alfredo
000163805 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-1655-568X$$aBenedicto-Toboso, María I.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000163805 700__ $$aLlorente-Cantarero, Francisco
000163805 700__ $$aVázquez-Cobela, Rocío
000163805 700__ $$aFeliu, Albert
000163805 700__ $$aMasip, Guiomar$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000163805 700__ $$aPastor-Villaescusa, Belén
000163805 700__ $$aGil-Campos, Mercedes
000163805 700__ $$aEscribano, Joaquín
000163805 700__ $$aBabio, Nancy
000163805 7102_ $$11006$$2255$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Fisiatría y Enfermería$$cÁrea Enfermería
000163805 773__ $$g(2025), [12 pp.]$$pWorld Journal of Pediatrics$$tWorld Journal of Pediatrics$$x1708-8569
000163805 8564_ $$s1591079$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163805/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000163805 8564_ $$s2282797$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163805/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000163805 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:163805$$particulos$$pdriver
000163805 951__ $$a2025-11-07-10:25:03
000163805 980__ $$aARTICLE