ABSTRACT
Objective@#Gaming motivations are a central aspect of playing video games, and their importance to understanding both healthy and problematic gaming behavior has been increasingly elucidated. In this study, we aimed to translate the 18-item Gaming Motivation Scale (GAMS-18) to Persian and validate it in a population of Persian speaking gamers, specifically for the assessment of online gaming. @*Methods@#After translation from English to Persian, content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by a panel of experts and test–retest reliability was calculated in a sample of 70 students. Data from an online survey of 791 Iranian online gamers were used for the assessment of construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis. @*Results@#The item content validity index and the scale content validity index for clarity and relevance ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. Internal consistency reliability of the GAMS-18 was 0.90 and the test–retest reliability was 0.89. The test–retest reliability of the GAMS-18 was 0.89, and the internal consistency was 0.90. The GAMS factors had acceptable correlation with other motivational scale such as Player Experience of Need Satisfaction. Incorporating the proposed additional error paths improved the model fit to an acceptable level. @*Conclusion@#The Persian version of the GAMS can assess digital gaming behavior based on the six self-determination theory motivation types, and measures different aspects of motivation that other instruments. It is also demonstrated to have good reliability and validity and could be used in research on the motivations of online gamers in Persian-speaking populations.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#Gaming motivations are crucial aspects of healthy and problematic video gaming behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the widely used Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ). @*Methods@#Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a sample of 66 university students. Data from 791 participants in an online survey of Iranian online gamers were examined to assess convergent validity and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency of MOGQ factors was assessed in both samples. @*Results@#The item content validity index (I-CVI) and the scale content validity index (S-CVI) were between 0.8 and 1.0 for clarity and relevancy. The test-retest reliability of the 27-item questionnaire was 0.85 and internal consistency was 0.94. After incorporating additional error paths, model fit improved to an acceptable level. The MOGQ factors had acceptable correlations with relevant motivational scales such as Gaming Motivation Scale and Player Experience of Need Satisfaction. Recreation motives had the highest average score in the sample and social ones had the lowest, and males scored higher than females across all motivation domains except escape. @*Conclusion@#The MOGQ is a suitable instrument for the assessment of online gaming motivations in the Iranian population.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to assess drop-out rates and associated reasons among patients at the Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies [INCAS] clinic. In a one-year period [April 2014 to March 2015], all patients with drug dependence who had been referred for treatment and attended for a first assessment were included in this study [N=242]. Those who received treatment were followed until March 2016. Survival analysis showed that 70.2% had dropped out from treatment. Log rank test showed that treatment drop-out rates differed between the different approaches used [P < 0.001], with the lowest slope inbuprenorphine maintenance treatment and the highest in the detoxification programme. Drop-out rates within the first three months was 62% [SE= 0.05] and 82.4% [SE=0.03] for opioids and stimulants dependence, respectively. Analyses were performed using SPSS [Version 21.0] and STATA software, [version 13.0]. From the patients' perspective, motivational inconsistencies were considered as the main reason for not starting or leaving treatment. The findings of this study could give service providers a better grasp of drop-out rates and the associated reasons
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Substance-Related Disorders , Patient Dropouts , Disease Management , Surveys and Questionnaires , IranABSTRACT
Amphetamine-type stimulants [ATS] are the second most commonly used illicit drugs in the world, after cannabis. The production of ATS has increased worldwide, including in the Middle East. This review aims to assess ATS use in the Islamic Republic of Iran. PubMed, Scientific Information Database [a national database] and Iranian Center for Addiction Studies were searched. The review included studies on the general population, university and high school students, other specific populations, and drug users. The result show that self-reported methamphetamine and ecstasy use in 2016 was < 1% in the general population and university and high-school students, but the prevalence was higher in certain groups. There has also been an increase in the proportion of ATS users among clients of drug treatment centres. The findings highlight the need for high quality epidemiological studies and closer monitoring of stimulant use in different populations
Subject(s)
Amphetamine-Related Disorders , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Poor premorbid adjustment has been reported to be a predictor of more severe psychotic symptoms and poor quality of life in such psychotic disorders as schizophrenia. However, most studies were performed on chronic schizophrenic patients, and proposed the likelihood of recall biases and the effect of chronicity. The aim of this study was to investigate these factors in a sample of first episode psychotic patients, as a part of Roozbeh first episode psychosis project [RooF]. Premorbid adjustment was assessed using Premorbid Adjustment Scale [PAS] in 48 patients with the first psychotic episode who were admitted to Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital. The severity of symptoms was measured using Positive and Negative Scale [PANSS] in three subgroups of positive, negative and general subscales. Quality of life was measured using WHO QOL, and Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF] was also measured. The mean age was 24 years. Poor Premorbid adjustment in late adolescence was significantly associated with more severe symptoms according to PANSS negative symptoms [p=0.019, r=0.44]. Furthermore, sociability and peer relationship domains had a positive correlation with PANSS negative subscale scores [r=0.531, p=0.002 and r=0.385, p=0.03, respectively]. There were no significant differences between males and females in premorbid adjustment. Furthermore, this study failed to show any differences between affective and non-affective psychosis in premorbid functioning. Our study confirms poor premorbid adjustment association with more severe negative symptoms and poor quality of life in a sample of Iranian first episode psychotic patients