Prevalence and Associated Factors of Internet Addiction Among Male Students of Jubail University College, Saudi Arabia

This study aims to determine the associated factors and prevalence of Internet addiction among Jubail University College – Male Branch students. Descriptive cross-sectional method was applied. 171 students participated. Self-administered survey questionnaire was the data-gathering instrument. Young's Internet Addiction Test was used to determine the level of internet usage. Factors associated with high internet consumption are accessibility, boredom, isolation, and extreme weather condition. Covid-19 pandemic changed the way respondents consume internet. It also changed the respondents' sleeping pattern and increases the average internet usage per day. Though the internet played a vital role during Covid-19 pandemic, it also increases the dependency of students on it. Higher number of moderate level internet addiction has been found among respondents. Therefore, it is encouraged that JUC should design a program to address the current situation.

On break: young people and managing "empty time" during the Covid-19 pandemic

Discussing the results of a qualitative research conducted with Italian university students (19-27 years), the article analyses young people's time management strategies during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The research highlights how the forced deceleration imposed by anti-Covid policies has rarely translated into a conscious "practice of the present" (Sloterdijk 2007). Rather, young people's experience of the time during the pandemic is marked by a strong projection towards the future expressed through compulsive practices of programming, planning and accumulation of skills (Rosa 2013) - and regression in the past - noticeable in the return to childhood practices, interests, and behaviors. The article reflects on the potential consequences produced by the combination of these two apparently antithetical dynamics in terms of a "leap" of the biographical time of youth.

Know an Emotion by the Company It Keeps: Word Embeddings from Reddit/Coronavirus

Social media is a crucial communication tool (e.g., with 430 million monthly active users in online forums such as Reddit), being an objective of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. One of them (word embeddings) is based on the quotation, "You shall know a word by the company it keeps,” highlighting the importance of context in NLP. Meanwhile, "Context is everything in Emotion Research.” Therefore, we aimed to train a model (W2V) for generating word associations (also known as embeddings) using a popular Coronavirus Reddit forum, validate them using public evidence and apply them to the discovery of context for specific emotions previously reported as related to psychological resilience. We used Pushshiftr, quanteda, broom, wordVectors, and superheat R packages. We collected all 374,421 posts submitted by 104,351 users to Reddit/Coronavirus forum between January 2020 and July 2021. W2V identified 64 terms representing the context for seven positive emotions (gratitude, compassion, love, relief, hope, calm, and admiration) and 52 terms for seven negative emotions (anger, loneliness, boredom, fear, anxiety, confusion, sadness) all from valid experienced situations. We clustered them visually, highlighting contextual similarity. Although trained on a "small” dataset, W2V can be used for context discovery to expand on concepts such as psychological resilience.

Mediating Roles of Fear of Missing Out and Boredom Proneness on Psychological Distress and Social Media Addiction Among Indian Adolescents.

Objective: The closure of schools and other educational institutes around the world has been one of the consequences of the COVID-19 and has resulted in online teaching. To facilitate online teaching, there has been an increase in the use of smartphones and tablets among adolescents. However, such enhancement in technology use may put many adolescents at the risk of problematic use of social media. Consequently, the present study explored the direct relationship of psychological distress with social media addiction. The relationship between the two was also assessed indirectly via the fear of missing out (FoMO) and boredom proneness. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 505 Indian adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, studying in grades 7 to 12. Standardized tools (with some modifications to suit the context of the present study) were used to collect data. Results: The results showed significant positive associations between psychological distress, social media addiction, FoMO, and boredom proneness. Psychological distress was found to be a significant predictor of social media addiction. Moreover, FoMO and boredom proneness partially mediated the relationships between psychological distress and social media addiction. Discussion: The present study is the first to provide evidence for the specific pathways of FoMO and boredom proneness in the relationships between psychological distress and social media addiction.

Boredom in the age of COVID-19: the unsettling dis-ease of late modern life

This article explores how boredom emerged as a central threat to Americans' sense of well-being in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon media coverage from a range of sources, I ask: What do responses to the COVID-19 pandemic reveal more generally about the way boredom has emerged as one of the central dis-eases of modern life? Why has free time become something that increasingly generates intolerable anxiety? In what ways can studying responses to the COVID-19 lockdown help us trace larger transformations in the social construction and subjective experience of time? The article argues that while many Americans experienced boredom as a form of social death engendered by the deroutinising aspects of lockdown life, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic also reveal the way boredom has emerged as a form of psychic alienation permeating the very core of American society. Drawing upon insights from psychoanalytic theory, I will ultimately propose that our dis-ease with free time may be linked to a growing incapacity to fantasise as more and more of our mental lives are colonised by the digital infrastructures and extractive imperatives of our 24/7 society (Crary, 2014).

MEASURING BOREDOM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The aim of this study was to translate into Spanish and validate the Boredom Proneness Scale-Short (SBPS) in a sample of young people and adults in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 588 people between 17 and 53 years of age (M = 21.70;SD = 5.22) was selected as a sample. The methodology used combined Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Item Response Theory (IRT) to determine the internal structure, factor weights and reliability, which was estimated by means of the omega coefficient test information functioning and empirical or marginal reliability. Evidence of convergent validity of the SBPS was explored based on its relationship with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Results reveal that the SBPS is a measure that should be interpreted uni-dimensionally. Reliability was excellent and convergence with the GAD-2 and PHQ-2 presented the expected relationship in both magnitude and direction.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students' Learning at Universities in the Gauteng Province, South Africa

Measures that were put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns, movement restrictions, and social distancing, resulted in remarkable changes in the traditional educational systems. Online learning was implemented to replace face-to-face teaching and learning, albeit with several challenges and varying levels of unpreparedness. The present study examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on university students' learning and emotional stability with the aim of understanding the impact of the changes on students. A questionnaire was administered online to 254 registered students at three universities in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Results showed that for the majority of participants (84.9%), their source of internet connectivity for learning was data provided by the universities, while 21% of participants made use of the Wi-Fi also provided by the universities. However, the data for 91.9% of participants depleted before new data could be provided in a new month resulting in 30.9%, 30%, and 29.2% of participants buying, borrowing, and stopping to learn, respectively. On average, 33.7% of participants were neutral about having adequate time for studies and their academic performance improving during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 33.9% of participants were neutral about receiving adequate assistance from lecturers (34%) and family members (33.7%) during COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, 30% of participants indicated that they were neutral and disagreed that they were getting sufficient resources for studies during COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness and boredom were the main problems faced by most participants since teaching was mostly done online. To make online teaching and learning more effective, it is recommended that more data and support are provided to the students by the university management so that teaching and learning as well as students' academic performance can be enhanced during future similar situations.

If-then planning, self-control, and boredom as predictors of adherence to social distancing guidelines: Evidence from a two-wave longitudinal study with a behavioral intervention.

In the wake of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), social distancing is instrumental for containing the pandemic. To maximize its effectiveness, it is paramount to investigate psychological factors that predict adherence to social distancing guidelines and examine corresponding interventions. We focused on individual differences in if-then planning, self-control, and boredom, and tested an intervention based on if-then planning. We conducted a two-wave longitudinal study combining observational and experimental methods. Participants (N = 574, 35.7% female, age: M = 37.5 years, SD = 10.8) reported their adherence to social distancing guidelines and the perceived difficulty of adherence at T1, along with trait measures of if-then planning, self-control, and boredom. Afterwards, they were randomly assigned to an if-then planning intervention to increase adherence, or to a control intervention. One week later at T2, participants again reported their adherence and the perceived difficulty of adhering. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling were used to establish whether trait if-then planning, self-control, and boredom predicted adherence, and to examine the effects of the if-then planning intervention. Trait if-then planning, self-control, and boredom were associated with T1 adherence, while only if-then planning and boredom predicted T2 adherence. No overall treatment effect of the if-then planning intervention emerged; however, participants who complied with the intervention (75.6%) maintained higher levels of adherence over time than control participants. In sum, individual differences in if-then planning, self-control, and boredom predicted adherence to social distancing guidelines. If-then planning interventions are promising but require further steps to ascertain compliance.

What colour are you? Smartphone addiction traffic lights and user profiles

PurposeThe key concern nowadays is smartphone addiction and user profiles. Following the risk and protective factors framework, the authors aim to characterize smartphone users according to two levels: (1) individual: referred to the use (i.e. boredom proneness, compulsive app downloading smartphone addiction) and (2) microsystem: referred to family and peers (i.e. family harmony and phubbing). Besides, the authors will derive useful managerial implications and strategies.Design/methodology/approachFirst, an extensive literature revision and in-depth interviews with experts were employed to identify the addiction-related variables at the individual and microsystem level. Second, information was collected from a sample of 275 Spanish smartphone users, and a K-means clustering algorithm was employed to classify smartphone users.FindingsThe proposed traffic lights schema identifies three users' profiles (red, yellow and green) regarding their smartphone addiction and considering individual and microsystem critical variables.Originality/valueThis study proposes a practical and pioneer traffic lights schema to classify smartphone users and facilitate each cluster's strategies development.

Mundane emotions: Losing yourself in boredom, time and technology

Marketing and consumer research has drawn attention to the positive and joyful emotional features of consumer tribes. However, research has little to say on boredom, an emotional state already prevalent in consumers' lives, yet exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdown restrictions that prevented tribal consumption experiences. Informed by Heidegger's understanding of boredom as a fundamental mood tied to temporality, this research uses semi-structured interviews to identify two kinds of boredom – superficial and profound boredom – and their specific temporal dynamics. Superficial boredom is common and refers to a situational restlessness in which people desire distractions. In contrast, profound boredom refers to an existential discomfort in which people struggle with their sense of self, but ultimately can result in the discovery of tribal passions. We explain superficial boredom as a symptom of a dominant temporal regime that comprises connectivity and acceleration. Together these temporal logics fragment and compress time in ways that encourage mundane social media consumption that simply fills time. We also explain how profound boredom stems from an abundance of uninterrupted time spent in relative solitude. In extending Heidegger's theory of boredom to analyse contemporary boredom in an era where digital technology is ubiquitous, our research contributes to consumer research's understanding of mundane emotions and discusses what it means to be bored together.

COVID-19: Boredom in the family

This research is focused on the subject of boredom in the families during the stay-at-home process forced by coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The literature on boredom was reviewed, and then the qualitative research was designed with the open-ended questions appropriate for the subject and purpose. The research was conducted between April 20 and 29, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey, with the participation of 264 families. The most significant findings of the research showed that family members accustomed to active life experienced boredom more during the stay-at-home process, they utilized information technologies very often to overcome boredom, the importance of time spent at home increased, involuntary behaviors such as overeating and snacking became common, the livelihood difficulties and fear of unemployment increased boredom, nevertheless, no conflict occurred between the family members, and the process taught to be patient and strong. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food purchase and consumption in college students.

Background: The world has experienced a pandemic in the last 100 years which has caused abrupt changes in mobility and lifestyle habits. Objective(s): To identify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the purchase and consumption of food in university students. Method(s): Prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study of 335 university students. The evaluation instrument consisted of general data, food shortages and price increase, changes in habits and healthy eating, with 11 questions in total. An analysis was made with descriptive statistics and Pearson's Chi-square with statistical significance level of p<0.05. Result(s): The most used modality of purchase before and during the confinement was face-to-face (53.73%), showed a significant relationship between the consumption of food of low biological value (junk) under factors of anxiety, depression, boredom and a relationship between students' eating and interest in healthy eating with Pearson's Chi-square values of 26.09 and 72.81 respectively. Conclusion(s): There were no changes in the modality of acquiring their food, modifications are observed in the consumption of junk food and interest in maintaining a healthier diet during the confinement by COVID-19.Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Espanola de Nutricion Comunitaria. All rights reserved.

Interpersonal Playfulness as a Protective Factor Against Loneliness and Boredom in Single People Living Alone during the COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic added challenges to most people's lives, while lockdown measures curtailed many coping mechanisms. Playfulness, a dispositional tendency toward engaging in amusing and entertaining behavior, was examined as a protective factor. We gathered open-ended responses and quantitative data over six weeks (once weekly) from a sample of single people living alone to evaluate the occurrence of interpersonal playful behaviors and the association between interpersonal playfulness with loneliness and boredom at both the trait and state levels. We found that people engaged in playful behaviors despite lockdown mandates, especially more playful people. Further, people who tend to be more dispositionally playful than others, and people feeling more playful than their usual, experienced less loneliness and boredom. Exploratory results suggest positive affect plays a mediating role in the associations between playfulness with loneliness and boredom. This study supports playfulness as an adaptive trait during challenging circumstances. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

A qualitative perspective of construction site migrant workers' plight during COVID-19 lockdown in Bhavnagar (western India)

Introduction: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Nationwide lockdown was one of the preventive measures enforced, that led to travel and work restrictions internationally and domestically. India has a large population of migrant workers. A large proportion of this population was stranded on foreign lands due to the sudden and mismanaged lockdown imposed during early 2020. Objective(s): To identify the impact of the lockdown on the economical, psychological and social life of migrant workers in Bhavnagar city (western India). Material(s) and Method(s): In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted among twelve construction-site migrant workers in Bhavnagar city of western India. Data saturation was attained after ten interviews. Additional two interviews were taken to confirm the saturation. All interviews were audio-recorded after obtaining written informed consent, transcribed in English, and analysed in the form of codes and categories. Result(s): The migrant workers in our setting perceived unemployment, monetary problems, and difficult subsistence as the pertinent economic issues. Mismanaged migrant exodus, discrimination, mistreatment, lack of social assistance, inability to fulfil their family's expectations and callousness of the authority were perceived as the social concerns. The psychological impact was described by various words like 'fear', 'worry', 'loneliness', 'boredom', 'helplessness', and feeling 'trapped'. Monetary compensation, job opportunities at the native place, and a well-managed migrant exodus were the key expectations from the government. Good employer support, help from government agencies, and a positive attitude during the lockdown period were perceived as the enablers. Lack of facilities to address common ailments, substandard care, and frequent COVID-19 tests before their travel were reported as healthcare issues during the lockdown. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 lockdown had detrimental effects on the economic, social, and psychological well-being of migrant workers. During such testing times, a few good Samaritans and employers, rather than the government, played the role of being the messiah. Adequate rehabilitation mechanisms should be in place before imposing a lockdown. 'Targeted' cash transfers, ration kits, and a well-managed migrant exodus might mitigate the plight of migrant workers in any such future lockdowns. Future studies can evaluate the feasibility, impact, and cost-effectiveness of such interventions on the lives of migrant workers.

Encaged and Enraged: A Study of How Level of Aggression Relates to Perceived Crowdedness, Risk, and Boredom

Social distancing policies have been practiced in different regions around the world to minimize the number of cases of COVID-19. After an outbreak in mid-July 2020, the Hong Kong government adopted a series of adminis-trative measures and strongly encouraged residents to stay at home. This lockdown period provided an oppor-tunity to study variations in levels of aggression when people spend more time than usual in an overcrowded liv-ing environment. A total of 185 Hong Kong residents were recruited for this study. Their perceptions of the crowdedness of their living space, aggression level (measured using the BPAQ-SF), proneness to boredom (meas-ured by the BFS-SF), and perceptions of risk regarding COVID-19 were collected via online questionnaires. Perceived crowdedness, proneness to boredom, and perceptions of susceptibility to COVID-19 were found to signi-ficantly predict the variance of different types of aggression in a regression model. In a mediation analysis, anger acted as a mediator of the relationship between proneness to boredom and different types of aggression. Parti-cipants' perceptions of their susceptibility to COVID-19 suggested an underlying worry about the contagious-ness of the virus, which was in turn associated with feelings of uncertainty and a rise in aggression level. © 2023, Universitaet Bielefeld. All rights reserved.

Online shopping spree in times of COVID-19 pandemic

This article aims at shedding the light on the role played by the user's psychological states on online compulsive shopping and the resulting attitude towards online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on escape theory, we proposed a conceptual model tested through a survey conducted on 300 internet users. Data was analysed through a partial least squares analysis and revealed that online compulsive buying appears in consumers whose personalities are marked by materialism (acquisition centrality), anxiety about COVID-19, and boredom due to lack of activity. In addition, it was proven that online compulsive shopping leads to positive attitudes towards online shopping. The results contribute to theoretical and managerial understanding of online compulsive shopping in times of sanitary crisis.

Psychological and Mental Health Issues During the SARS-CoV-2 Global Pandemic: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: With the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China in December, 2019, presently over 200 countries have been facing gruesome health effects of the deadly virus, with cases and casualties on the rise. So far, no concrete medicinal drug or vaccine has been developed to check the lethal viral infection, henceforth authorities have emphasized on practicing social distancing and imposed strict lockdowns forcing people to confine in their homes. Material(s) and Method(s): This review was aimed to analyze the effects on mental health and well being during the pandemic. The studies cited in the review were sourced from journals, books and digital media reports. The research papers indexed in databases such as PUBMED, SCOPUS, INDEX COPERNICUS, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL S, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBS-CO, DOAJ and THOMSON REUTERS were reviewed and have been included in the review. Result(s): The coronavirus mayhem has not only posed a threat to human health, but also jolted different aspects of society, including mental and psychological health. Loss of freedom, boredom, fear and angst are some of the mild psychological effects, whereas a rise in domestic violence and suicidal tendencies is the more serious consequence reported from different parts of the world during the lockdown period. Conclusion(s): This article is a comprehensive analysis of the effects on mental and psychological well being during this critical time. Strategic measures to be adopted by individuals and administration to cope up with the situation are also suggested as it should be an immediate priority to address the overall distress caused by the pandemic in public.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

A phenomenographic study exploring student perceptions and academic emotions in online/remote learning experiences using participant generated drawings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a massive shift in higher education to emergency remote teaching occurred in March 2020. This sudden shift required faculty to move their courses to an online remote format with little time and training in online pedagogy. Students faced completing their semesters online without much of a choice. As we continue to move into future semesters, higher education institutions will be navigating a mix of online, remote, hybrid, synchronous and asynchronous learning environments, as well as a return to the face-to-face traditional classroom. The question remains about the impact of COVID-19 on the future of higher education. The purpose of this phenomenographic study is to explore undergraduate and graduate students' experiences in online and remote learning environments with a focus on academic emotions. Data is collected through participant generated drawings and semi-structured interviews. Participant generated drawings allow researchers to collect data from the participant perspective and can provide a glimpse into their emotional experiences that may not be easily put into words. Analysis revealed students reported many challenges in online and remote learning including a loss of focus/attention, social disconnection, issues with time management, fatigue, lack of accountability and difficulties retaining what they learned. Collectively, students reported feelings of being overwhelmed, boredom, confusion, and anxiety. Students in this study described an overall negative perception of their experience as they felt they missed out on a true college experience but did appreciate the flexibility and convenience online and remote learning offered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The expression of boredom and unwanted loneliness on Twitch

The consumption of streaming content on social networks has increased among young audiences, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began, promoting the emergence of new parasocial relationships. The literature points to boredom and unwanted loneliness as the main drivers of this behavior. No study has investigated the expression of boredom and unwanted loneliness on Twitch to determine if they encourage the consumption of streaming content. This study analyzes the expressions of boredom and unwanted loneliness of users consuming streaming content on Twitch to ascertain to which extent they are the main motivations depending on the context and conclude implications for practice. A mixed methodology was used, guided by virtual ethnography, to respond to the double qualitative-quantitative approach of the research. It has been applied to six communities of Spanish-speaking streamers on Twitch, with different audience levels, taking 3 streamings per streamer as case studies, broadcast from December 2021 to January 2022. The results were obtained using ethnographic observation and content analysis techniques. They suggest that boredom and unwanted loneliness are states that motivate the consumption of streaming content on Twitch. Their presence is more visible in small communities, and their nature differs depending on each community. Streamers should pay attention to their audience to relieve their boredom and unwanted loneliness, and to help detect possible maladaptive behaviors motivated by these states. © 2022 Scientific Association Icono14. All rights reserved.

University students' level of boredom and their coping strategies in emergency remote education during the coronavirus pandemic

The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, we investigated whether there is a difference between male and female university students' level of boredom and their boredom coping strategies (i.e., cognitive approach, behavioural approach, cognitive avoidance, and behavioural avoidance) in emergency online lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly an attempt was made to examine whether the participants' academic level (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior and senior) affects their boredom experiences and boredom coping strategies. A total of 201 undergraduate students from a Turkish state university participated in the study. Results indicated that the male university students experience higher levels of boredom than their counterparts. In addition, the female participants exhibited stronger inclination towards using both cognitive approach and cognitive avoidance than the males to strategically cope with boredom. Besides, the participants with different academic levels did not score differently in their level of boredom and they indicated a significant difference only in their behavioural avoidance in coping with boredom. Indeed, as the academic level of the participants increases, they exhibit a greater tendency to use behavioural avoidance to relieve boredom. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.