ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Use of the Internet in Tunisian society and especially among teenagers has increased in recent years. While the use of Internet is primarily intended for research and communication, the Internet has also become an important part of teenager's life. Most people use the Internet in healthy and productive ways. However, some teenagers develop a problematic use of the Internet, which is a condition also known by the term of "Internet addiction". In Tunisia, the literature does not report data on problematic Internet use prevalence among Tunisian teenagers. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of problematic Internet use among teenagers, in the urban area of Sfax. METHODS: This transversal study was carried out between the 15th January and the 15th February 2009. Participants were 600, first to third grade secondary school students, aged 14 to 20. They were recruited from seven secondary schools randomly selected in the urban area in Sfax City. The self-administered Young's 8-item questionnaire was used in this survey. Participants who scored five or more can be considered problematic Internet users. Finally, 587 valid data samples were collected, 263 (44%) males and 324 (56%) females. Eighty-five percent of the participants were in the 15-17 age range. The mean age was 16 years (±1.26). RESULTS: The prevalence of problematic Internet use was 18.05% (total of 587 students). The sex-ratio was 0.75. The problematic Internet use was not correlated with sex. The average time of Internet use per day among problematic Internet users was 4.5hours (±2.84) against 1.02hours (±1.56) among non problematic Internet users (P=0.000). DISCUSSION: In this study, the prevalence of problematic Internet use was higher than that reported in previous studies. Two facts can explain this: first, the use of the only self-administered questionnaire does not distinguish between a simple abuse and a problematic Internet use. A psychiatric examination is essential to support the diagnosis of problematic Internet use. Second, this study was conducted exclusively in an urban area where access to the Internet is easier than in rural areas. This study was not representative of teenagers in Sfax. The gender difference was consistent with the findings of prior research, as was the average time of Internet use per day among problematic Internet users. CONCLUSION: This study shows that problematic Internet use is frequent in our teenage population. A preventive outreach for youths, their families and health professionals is needed to limit the extension of this problem among young people. The existence of misuse of the Internet should not lead to avoiding this media. Reflections on how to moderate the relationship with the Internet are necessary; especially since Internet becomes an essential medium of information and communication. The current lack of Internet education in school curricula is also a shortage to fulfil.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology , Internet , Adolescent , Behavior, Addictive/psychology , Female , Humans , Internet/statistics & numerical data , Male , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Tunisia/epidemiology , Urban Population , Young AdultABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent behavioral disorder particularly noticed among school children. It is often associated with other psychological troubles at the origin of an additional difficulty that has to be overcome. OBJECTIVE: Our research's aim was to study the comorbidity of school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD in Sfax, Tunisia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out from 1st April 2008 to 1st October 2008. Five hundred and thirteen pupils aged between 6 and 12, from primary arbitrarily chosen schools from Sfax were subjected to this study. Measurements were carried out in two steps: parents and teachers of each child filled in separately Conners questionnaire, then children with a score in subscales inattention, hyperactivity impulsivity higher than 70 were selected for psychiatric interview that was intended to confirm or to invalidate the ADHD diagnosis and the possible comorbid diagnosis. The diagnoses were made according to DSM-IV-TR. RESULTS: We have noticed that 109 pupils exhibited at least one pathological score on the Conners questionnaire. After interviewing these 109 pupils, the results have shown that 51 among them fulfilled criteria of ADHD. Prevalence of ADHD was found to be 9.94 %. About 72.54 % of children with ADHD had one or more comorbid disorder: learning disabilities (23.52 % of cases), anxiety disorder (31.37 % of cases), oppositional defiant disorder in (15.68 % of cases), mood disorder (3.92 % of cases), enuresis (13.72 % of cases) and slight mental retardation (1.95 % of cases). CONCLUSION: We can say that this study has shown that ADHD school children's psychiatric comorbidity is similar to any other previous study.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Child , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/psychology , Schools , Students/psychology , TunisiaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The multidimensional aspect of the concept of impulsivity is proven by the composite structure of the rating scales of impulsivity. Several studies have already found correlations between trait-impulsivity and externalizing disorders. However, the studies interested in the relationship between trait-impulsivity and internalizing problems are rare. We have tried to explore correlations between impulsivity and externalization and internalization problems, in a population of adolescent outpatients. METHODS: We recruited 31 adolescent out-patients in the child and adolescent psychiatry department in the University Hospital of Monastir, Tunisia. The Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) was used to evaluate a multidimensional concept of trait-impulsivity, including the dimensions of "Motor", "Non-planning" and "Attentional" impulsivities. The Strength and Difficulties Scales (SDQ) was used to assess different domains of externalizing and internalizing problems, including "Emotional symptoms", "Conduct problems", "Hyperactivity" and "Peer problems". RESULTS: The sex-ratio was 1.21. The mean age was 15.19±1.27 years. All patients but one were attending school. The diagnosis was "Major Depressive Episode" in 32% and "Behavior Disorder" in 38%. The means of the scores of externalizing and internalizing problems were 9.35±4.41 and 9.65±3.26, respectively. The total score of the BIS was significantly related to both scores of externalizing and internalizing problems. The "Motor" impulsivity was specially correlated with the externalizing dimension of the SDQ. The non-planning impulsivity was correlated with both scores of externalizing and internalizing problems, but it was mainly related to internalizing problems. The attentional impulsivity was also correlated with both dimensions of externalizing and internalizing problems. CONCLUSION: The dimensions of trait-impulsivity were correlated with various dimensions of the SDQ concerning externalizing and internalizing problems. That confirms the hypothesis that the impulsiveness is associated with wide domains of the psychopathology of the teenager which are not limited to behavior disorders. We can process these problems by influencing the "Motor impulsivity" and "Non-planning impulsivity". The cognitive and behavioral therapy and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor may be efficient.
