Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42416624›Full record

ArticleJCPP advances2026

A counterfactual and random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis of the effects of reading frequency on adolescent mental health in a large longitudinal study.

Aja Murray, Patrick Errington, Yi Yang, Helen Wright, Daniel Mirman, Ingrid Obsuth, Tom Booth, Denis Ribeaud, Manuel Eisner

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in JCPP advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Aja MurrayDepartment of Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9068-3188
Patrick ErringtonDepartment of English University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Yi YangDepartment of Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Helen WrightDepartment of Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Daniel MirmanDepartment of Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Ingrid ObsuthSchool of Health in Social Science, Clinical & Health Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Tom BoothDepartment of Psychology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.
Denis RibeaudJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development University of Zurich Zürich Switzerland.
Manuel EisnerJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development University of Zurich Zürich Switzerland.

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Reading has been proposed as a protective factor in mental health; however, evaluating this is challenging due to a lack of trials and the possibility of confounding in observational studies. Methods: We used the complementary approaches of covariate balancing propensity score weighting and random intercepts cross-lagged panel models in the large longitudinal Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood study. Outcomes were measured from age 13 to 20 for anxiety and depression and at age 20 for psychosis-like symptoms. Results: After accounting for potential confounding there were no significant effects of reading frequency on adolescent mental health across either approach. Conclusion: Increasing reading frequency without considering motivation, content and style of reading engagement is not a promising protective factor in adolescent mental health.

Indexed as

anxietycounterfactual analysisdepressionmental healthpsychosisreading

Identifiers

PMID42416624
PMCPMC13338998

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.