Psychological Disorders and Coping among Undergraduate College Students: Advocating for Students' Counselling Services at Kuwait University.

Objectives: The objectives of the current study are twofold. First, it aimed to explore the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (i.e., psychological disorders) among Kuwait University students. Second, it sought to identify and quantify the associated risk factors as well as the students' coping strategies utilized to address these psychological disorders. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study at Kuwait University and selected students using a multistage stratified cluster sampling design among the 15 faculties of Kuwait University. To serve the study purposes, two cross-cultural and validated instruments were used, including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and the Brief-COPE scale. Descriptive statistics, as well as logistic regression analysis, were used to analyze the study findings. Results: A sample of 1142 students from various faculties participated in this study. We found that 681 (59.6%), 791 (69.3%) and 588 (51.5%) of the participants had depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, respectively. The highest coping strategies for stressors and challenges faced were moderate and high emotion-based coping strategies (n = 1063, 93.1%). Students from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences as well as students from the Faculty of Engineering had significantly higher stress levels compared with students from other faculties (p < 0.05). Our results demonstrated that family problems were consistently a significant predictor of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among Kuwait University students (p < 0.05). We further found that students who presented with stress and anxiety symptoms and those who practiced avoidant-focused coping strategies were substantially more likely to experience depression (ORs ≥ 2.7, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings inferred that the majority of Kuwait University students have a remarkably high prevalence of mental health problems, mainly anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms along with inconsistent coping strategies toward the faced challenges during their studies. Therefore, the most important recommendation of the current study is the establishment of counselling centers in all faculties at Kuwait University. In turn, doing so facilitates the integration of wellness programs and the provision of comprehensive educational seminars, specialized training sessions and self-management techniques for Kuwait University students, leading to desired academic outcomes.

An Experimental Investigation on the Thermo-Rheological Behaviors of Lactic Acid-Based Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents.

The rheological studies of Lactic Acid (LA)-based Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) are provided in the present investigation. Those mechanisms were also studied in which three distinct Hydrogen Bond Acceptors (HBAs) of Choline Chloride (ChCl), Betaine (Be), and ß-Alanine (ß-Al), after being added to a specific Hydrogen Bond Donor (HBD) at a predefined mole-to-mole ratio of 1:1, affected the rheological properties of the prepared NADES. The alterations in the rheology-related characteristics in association with the mechanical and physical properties indicate the tolerance of the material under various operational conditions in the field and show their potential utilization as environmentally suitable and feasible solvents for industrial applications. In the present research, the viscoelastic properties of the three samples of NADES were assessed along with their shear flow properties. The backward and forward temperature change in the Apparent Viscosity (AV) pattern related to the NADES system was described by a rheogram. Furthermore, the density was determined and compared with the AV while considering the temperature-related factor. On a further note, the viscoelastic characteristics were utilized in describing and investigating the network disturbance on the level of the microstructure of NADES upon frequency sweep. A series of experiments were carried out using Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA) to investigate the thermo-physical properties to optimize them. The rheological properties of shear flow measurements were analyzed using the Bingham model that is best suited for the AV developed with the shear rate with the dynamic yield stress of three systems. The Bingham model was used to determine the lowest stress necessary to disturb the network structure and commence the flow of LA-based NADES. Overall, the viscoelastic behavior of the LA-based NADES revealed the dissimilarity between their strength and viscosity. In addition, shear flow investigations demonstrated that LA-based NADES systems exhibit non-Newtonian properties and substantial shear-thinning effects equivalent to those of alternative IL sorbents. Assessing the rheological properties of LA-based NADES is crucial for a better understanding the key challenges associated with high viscosity. Defining the transport yield stress requirements for NADES systems under different conditions benefits their future development and potentially opens the door to more challenging applications.