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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0221

Baseline levels and changes in problematic social media use predict the onset and remission of internalizing symptoms in adolescents

BASELINE LEVELS AND CHANGES IN PROBLEMATIC SOCIAL MEDIA USE PREDICT ONSET AND REMISSION OF INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENTS

Symptom onset is associated with worsening family and peer problems and problematic social media use, while symptom remission is associated with improvements in these areas.

The aim was to identify longitudinal patterns of depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety in Spanish children and adolescents and to examine their associations with sociodemographic characteristics, contextual difficulties (family and peer problems), and problematic social media use (PSMU). Data were drawn from the first (2024) and second (2025) assessment waves of the nationwide longitudinal EMOChild Project conducted in schools in Spain; the sample comprised 1,986 children and adolescents aged 8–16 years (52.2% girls; mean age 12.0 years; SD 1.9). Depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and family and peer problems were assessed using the System for the Assessment of Children and Adolescents (SENA), and problematic social media use was assessed using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Participants were classified into four longitudinal symptom patterns (consistently normative, persistent symptoms, symptom onset, and symptom remission) based on standardized SENA scores at the two assessments; multinomial logistic regression and linear mixed-effects models were used. The findings showed that approximately three-quarters of participants belonged to the consistently normative group, with the remaining participants distributed similarly across the persistent symptoms, symptom onset, and symptom remission groups. Girls were more likely to show persistent symptoms or symptom onset for depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety. At baseline, the persistent symptoms group reported the highest levels of family and peer problems and problematic social media use, while the consistently normative group reported the lowest levels. Over time, symptom onset was associated with increases in contextual difficulties and problematic social media use, whereas symptom remission was associated with improvements in these areas. In conclusion, longitudinal symptom patterns were associated with distinct trajectories of family and peer problems and problematic social media use; the findings highlight the importance of early identification of internalizing symptoms and preventive interventions aimed at strengthening psychosocial adjustment.

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