eLetters to:

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE: Judith Owens, Rolanda Maxim, Melissa McGuinn, Chantelle Nobile, Michael Msall, and Anthony Alario Television-viewing Habits and Sleep Disturbance in School Children Pediatrics 1999; 104: e27 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

eLetters: Submit a response to this article

eLetters published:

Additional variables of importance

Peter de Pippo   (8 September 1999)

An important finding that helps understanding

Dennis D Embry   (8 September 1999)

Additional variables of importance 8 September 1999
Peter de Pippo Send letter to journal: Re: Additional variables of importance PDepippo{at}aol.com Peter de Pippo	I wonder what addditonal findings your research would have uncovered IF your research would have measured EMR (Electro Magnetic Radiation) levels, the distance from the source (ie;TV), hormone levels like adrenaline, and even brain wave activity. What was the reason for not including video games or computer use? The exposure and health impacts are even greater in these cases. I agree that TV content for our children is in most cases harmful. But another extremely important health impact that is being missed here is that of EMR exposure!!!!! Any comments on the EMR impact and or future research in this area is of interest to me and I'd be pleased to hear from you. Regards, Peter de Pippo
An important finding that helps understanding 8 September 1999
Dennis D Embry, psychologist & researcher President, PAXIS Institute Send letter to journal: Re: An important finding that helps understanding dde{at}paxis.org Dennis D Embry	This study is an important one in helping understand the etiology of some of the chronic behavioral disorders emerging in industrialized societies. Thank your for a study of simple, logical and profound effects. Various catchment studies are suggesting depression and violent behaviors are increasing among young people. Our study (Embry et al., 1996, American Journal of Preventive Medicine) funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that serious aggressive behavior among children is rather high, including threats by weapons in elementary school. I understand that depression numbers among youth have gone through the roof, and very clearly so have attention problems in school. Sleep deprivation is well documented as a factor in poor behavior, poor cognitive skills and even social rejection by peers. What I like about this study is the principle of Occam's Razor, or the simplest explanation suffices. This would help explain the sharp rise in problem behavior among middle class and upper class kids, which alomst any mental health professional or school teacher has noticed. Taking a cue from some research on computer games, it is probable that the exposure to the programming is increasing activation of the HPA axis. This clearly affects down stream levels of serotonin and the turn over of catacholimines. Sleep will be affected. All of this fits elegantly researech in evolutionary psychology on response to danger cues. What is perverse is that the social isolation of TV viewing (among older kids) seems to affect social competence, not direct aggression. This increases peer rejection, which drives higher level of social isolation--higher rates of TV viewing. I suspect that the effects of the TV viewing are being further magnified by other trends. For example, middle class and upper class children clearly have fewer chores than 20 years ago. Chores occasion reinforcement for competence. Additionally, larger school size (from a mean of 127 in 1940 to 800 today) further erodes opporunity for meaningful "work" and social reward. All of these factors, if we take seriously the primate and other literature, reduce states of belonging and serotonin. This drives a higher need for immediate "reward" which is partly met by the stimulation of the TV programming (as best I understand the physiological research on this subject). To the authors, well done. If there is a next time study, you might want to measure some simple physiological indices plus nurses office visits. We have found (in a published study) that nurses' office visits are a very useful way of measuring impact. Sincerely, Dennis D. Embry, Ph.D.