title: Association between problematic cellular phone use and suicide: the moderating effect of family function and depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicidal ideation and attempt among adolescents are risk factors for eventual completed suicide. Cellular phone use (CPU) has markedly changed the everyday lives of adolescents. Issues about how cellular phone use relates to adolescent mental health, such as suicidal ideation and attempts, are important because of the high rate of cellular phone usage among children in that age group. This study explored the association between problematic CPU and suicidal ideation and attempts among adolescents and investigated how family function and depression influence the association between problematic CPU and suicidal ideation and attempts.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 5051 (2872 girls and 2179 boys) adolescents who owned at least one cellular phone completed the research questionnaires. We collected data on participants' CPU and suicidal behavior (ideation and attempts) during the past month as well as information on family function and history of depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred thirty-two adolescents (10.54%) had problematic CPU. The rates of suicidal ideation were 23.50% and 11.76% in adolescents with problematic CPU and without problematic CPU, respectively. The rates of suicidal attempts in both groups were 13.70% and 5.45%, respectively. Family function, but not depression, had a moderating effect on the association between problematic CPU and suicidal ideation and attempt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the association between problematic CPU and suicidal ideation as well as attempts and indicates that good family function may have a more significant role on reducing the risks of suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescents with problematic CPU than in those without problematic CPU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Peng-Wei
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tai-Ling
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: cyberko@seed.net.tw.
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huang-Chi
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei-Feng
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: chfaye@cc.kmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology