new study Published in Affective Disorders Journal, lead author Deyan Khoo from Tsinghua University’s Vanke School of Public Health in Beijing, China and Tsinghua University Health China Institute in Beijing, China, and colleagues warn of “an emerging dangerous addiction problem of milk tea.” ing. Among young people. ” This is abstract:
Background: Milk tea has grown significantly in popularity in China, especially among young people. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether milk tea addiction can have negative effects on young people’s mental health, including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Additionally, we aim to investigate its potential role in influencing various mental health outcomes.
Methods: A large-scale cross-sectional study was conducted among 5281 university students in Beijing, China. Participants self-reported symptoms of milk tea addiction, including depression, anxiety symptoms, suicidal thoughts, milk tea consumption, dependence, guilt, withdrawal, tolerance, inability to quit, craving, and intention to quit.
Results: Almost 77% of participants consumed at least 6 to 11 cups of milk tea in the last year.of Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the one-factor structure of the Milk Tea Dependence Scale, which was developed according to DSM-5 substance use guidelines. Furthermore, higher levels of milk tea addiction were associated with the risk of depression (b = 0.24, p < 0.001), anxiety (b = 0.21, p < 0.001), and suicidal ideation (b = 0.06, p < 0.001). It was found that it was significantly associated with high among youth consuming milk tea, respectively p < 0.001) after controlling for confounding variables. Further consideration was given to the possible mediating role of milk tea addiction between loneliness and mental health outcomes.
Conclusions and Implications: Our findings highlighted that milk tea consumption can lead to addiction, which is associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The current findings suggest that policymakers should protect the mental health of young people while also making efforts to limit advertising, provide psychoeducation, establish food hygiene standards, etc. for this thriving youth-centered consumer industry. could be useful in developing regulations for
comedian and actor chris flemingcreator of,Boba Manifesto‘ song and video apparently haven’t gotten the memo yet, as in the song he gleefully sings about drinking boba tea every day until he’s 70.
However, taken seriously, the finding that milk tea addiction is correlated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in young people is alarming, and it is important to understand more about this association. I hope more research will be done to address it.
Read the full article here.
