ArticleGlobal health action2021
High cellphone use associated with greater risk of depression among young women aged 15-24 years in Soweto and Durban, South Africa.
Article in Global health action, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mental Health Crisis Among Married Women in Bangladesh: Risk Factors and the Role of Misdiagnosis.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Self-reported mental health effects of unemployment on young people in Mdantsane, South Africa: A qualitative study.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026Article
- The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on PTSD Symptoms Among South African University Students: Resilience as a Protective Factor.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Examining gender and sexual orientation differences in physical intimate partner violence experienced and perpetrated by youth living in eThekwini district South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Do young people perceive their smartphone addiction as problematic? A study in Danish university college students.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Article
- "I feel like it is asking if he is a stalker … but I also feel like it is asking if he cares": exploring young South African women and men's perceptions of the Sexual Relationship Power Scale.BMC public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe ubiquity of cellular phone (cellphone) use in young people's daily lives has emerged as a priority area of concern for youth mental health.
objectiveThis study measured the prevalence of depression and its association with high cellphone use among youth in Soweto and Durban, South Africa.
methodsWe analysed cross-sectional, baseline survey data among youth aged 16-24 who participated in a dual-site cohort study, 'AYAZAZI', conducted from 2014 to 2017. The primary outcome was depression using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, with a score of ≥ 10 indicating probable depression. Cellphone use was measured via self-reported average number of hours of active use, with 'high cellphone use' defined as daily usage of ≥ 8. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the independent relationship between high cellphone use and probable depression, adjusting for potential confounders.
resultsOf 425 participants with a median age of 19 years (IQR = 18-21), 59.5% were young women. Overall, 43.3% had probable depression, with a higher prevalence among women (49.0% vs. 34.9%,
conclusionsAmong a cohort of South African youth, we found a high prevalence of probable depression and high cellphone use (30%). The findings indicate a need for intersectoral initiatives focused on meaningful mental health support for South African youth to support positive growth and development.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.