Understanding Youth Online Experiences and Mental Health: Development and Validation of the Digital Activity and Feelings Inventory (DAFI).

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We created the Digital Activity and Feelings Inventory (DAFI) to measure youth digital activities and the psychological reactions they evoke, established its psychometric properties and tested its validity in predicting mental health relative to screen time estimates.

Methods

An initial pool of items was generated using the existing research on youth digital activity and mental health and further refined via consultations with experts and young people (online youth panel sessions, n = 14). The participants (n = 383, mean age = 19 years) completed the resulting DAFI alongside established measures of depression, anxiety, wellbeing, and screen time. The DAFI factor structure, reliability and predictive validity were tested.

Results

Exploratory factor analyses

SUBMITTER: Kostyrka-Allchorne K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12173090 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature