The Moderating Role of Health Literacy and Health Promoting Behavior in the Relationship Among Health Anxiety, Emotional Regulation, and Cyberchondria.

Background: People are increasingly turning to the internet to find answers to their health concerns in an era where there is a wealth of online health information, which frequently causes increased health anxiety and the phenomenon known as cyberchondria. The objectives of this study were to examine the moderating role of health literacy and health promotion behavior and the mediating role of emotional regulation between health anxiety and cyberchondria among the Pakistani population. Methods: The study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect and examine health anxiety, emotional regulation, health literacy, health promotion behavior, and cyberchondria in 755 residents. A moderated mediation model of Hayes PROCESS was used to examine this hypothesis. Results: The findings unveiled the average score of the participants on the study variables, as well as their categorization into low, moderate, and high categories. On scale of Health Anxiety participant scores (32% vs 53% vs 15%), Emotional Regulation (25% vs 46% vs 29%), Cyberchondria (18% vs 41% vs 41%), Health Literacy (56% vs 29% vs 15%), and Health promotion Behavior (49% vs 28% vs 23%). Moreover, result revealed that emotional regulation mediates the significant positive association between health anxiety and cyberchondria (ß=0.25**p<0.001). Furthermore, health literacy moderates the negative association health anxiety and emotional regulation (ß=-0.42*p<0.031), and health promotion behavior also negatively moderate the relationship between emotional regulation and cyberchondria (ß=-0.27*p<0.22). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is recommended that health policymakers consider comprehensive national initiatives that focus on educational planning. These initiatives should boost health literacy levels and promote health-related behavior. Additionally, there is urgent need for strict measures to be put in place for monitoring online platforms and websites that spread inaccurate or false health-related information.

Death Anxiety Among Pakistani HCWs: The Role of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Positive Religious Coping Strategy.

Background: The mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, spirituality and religious coping mechanisms have been suggested as a way to maintain well-being and reduce anxiety levels. Additionally, vaccination has been shown to play an essential role in lowering anxiety levels, including death anxiety. However, there is a lack of evidence on how positive religious coping strategies and COVID-19 immunization affect death anxiety levels. To fill this gap, this study uses a Pakistani HCWs sample. Methods: This study collected cross-sectional data from 389 HCWs on socio-demographics, positive religious coping strategies, vaccine acceptance, and death anxiety. Hypothesis testing was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) by adopting the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. Results: The results showed that the positive religious coping strategy and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine reduced death anxiety among HCWs in Pakistan. HCWs practicing the positive religious coping strategy and vaccine acceptance had lower levels of death anxiety symptoms. Thus, the positive religious coping strategy has a direct effect on reducing death anxiety. Conclusion: In conclusion, COVID-19 immunization positively affects individual mental health by reducing death anxiety. Vaccines protect individuals from COVID-19 infection, providing a sense of security that reduces the chance of death anxiety among HCWs attending to COVID-19 patients.

Assessment of hepatitis-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices on quality of life with the moderating role of internalized stigma among hepatitis B-positive patients in Pakistan.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the Pakistani hepatitis B patients' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards hepatitis management and the impact of self-management on the quality of life of hepatitis B patients as well as the moderating role of stigmatization. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, and the data was collected from a total of 432 hepatitis B positive patients through a self-designed questionnaire. The studied subjects consisted of men (n = 205, 47%), women (n = 165, 38%), and transgender (n = 62, 14%). The obtained data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 26.0 for Windows. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 48. Knowledge has a significant positive relationship with hepatitis self-management and quality of life, whereas knowledge has a negative relationship with stigmatization. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that men were more knowledgeable about the disease than women and transgender people (6.14 ± 2.08 vs. 3.23 ± 1.61 vs. 1.03 ± 0.73, F = 8.2**, p = .000). On the scale of attitude and practice, significant gender differences were found. Women had more experience with hepatitis self-management than men or transgender (4.21 ± 13.0 vs. 2.17 ± 6.02 vs. 0.37 ± 0.31, F = 6.21**, p = .000). The regression analysis showed that self-management has a positive association with quality of life (B = 0.36, p = .001). The moderation analysis revealed that stigmatization negatively moderates the relationship between self-management and quality of life (B = -0.53, p = .001). Conclusion: Generally, patients had good knowledge about the disease and its self-management. However, a societal and community-level awareness campaign should be organized on the quality of life and stigmatization of people with chronic illness regarding their human rights, dignity, and physical, mental, and social well-being.

Impact of academic cheating and perceived online learning effectiveness on academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic among Pakistani students.

Objective: The study was conducted to examine academic cheating behaviors and perceived online effectiveness on academic performance during the period of COVID-19 among schools, colleges, and university students in Pakistan. Methodology: A cross-sectional research design was used in the current study. Convenience sampling was used to collect the data. The study included a total sample of N = 8,590 students, with males (n = 3,270, 38%) and females (n = 5,320, 61%) participating. The data was divided into three categories: high schools (n = 1,098, 12.7%), colleges (n = 4,742, 55.2%), and universities (n = 2,570, 32.1%). School students had an average age of (M = 15, SD = 4.65), college students had an average age of (M = 20, SD = 5.64), and university students had an average age of (M = 24, SD = 5.01). Result: The results indicated that 60% of students admitted to cheating during online exams most of the time; 30% of students admitted to cheating at least once during an online exam. The study found that students (from high school, college, and university) obtained higher grades in online exams as compared to physical exams. Furthermore, significant gender differences were found on the scales of online learning effectiveness in school, college, and university students (t = 2.3*, p = 0.05 vs. t = 4.32**, p = 0.000 vs. t = -3.3*, p = 0.04). Similarly, on the scale of academic performance, students have significant gender differences. Multivariate regression analysis confirms that students' 26% academic performance was increased due to cheating (F (2, 8,588) = 16.24, p = 0.000). Students believe online learning is effective because academic grades are easily obtained. Conclusion: Cheating is more common and easier in online courses, according to more than half of respondents, and they take advantage of this. Academicians are heavily encouraged to develop morality and ethics in their students so that their institutions can produce ethical professionals for the educational community.

Attitude towards Covid-19 Vaccine: A Cross-Sectional Urban and Rural Community Survey in Punjab, Pakistan.

The study's objective was to ascertain the general public's attitudes regarding the covid-19 vaccine in Pakistan. A cross sectional design and e-survey was conducted by 1647 general public. The sample was divided into two sections: urban (702) and rural (945). The majority of participants were between the ages of 18 and 45. The urban participants believe it is safe. Those who live in large cities and have a college degree or above have a positive attitude towards vaccines and do not find any religious reason not to be vaccinated. Individuals from rural areas seem to be skeptical of getting vaccines and they refuse to receive them. Individuals with little education, little information, and a low annual income express a strong mistrust of the vaccine's benefits.

Cancer-Related Stigmatization, Quality of Life, and Fear of Death Among Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the gender differences among newly diagnosed cancer patients from the cultural perspective of Pakistan. The data comprised two equal groups: men (50%) and women (50%). Most participants were 31-45 years old, and the duration of the cancer diagnosis was less than 6 months (74.6%). The data was collected on the following scales: the discrimination and stigma scale, the internalized stigma scale, the WHO-quality of life scale, and the fear of death scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.25; descriptive statistics, an independent sample t-test, and simple linear regression were applied to the data. The results revealed that men and women are both experiencing cancer-related stigmatization in Pakistan. However, women face a higher level of stigmatization, lower quality of life, and higher fear of death than men. Furthermore, the regression analysis result confirms that the cancer-related stigma faced by the diagnosed patients decreases the patient's quality of life and induces the fear of death.

Global Research Mapping of Psycho-Oncology Between 1980 and 2021: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background and Aim: Psycho-oncology is a cross-disciplinary and collaborative sub-specialty of oncology that focuses on the psychological, behavioral, ethical, and social aspects of cancer in clinical settings. The aim of this bibliometric study was to analyze and characterize the research productivity and trends in psycho-oncology between 1980 and 2021. Methodology: In May 2022, the Scopus® database was searched for psycho-oncology-related publications using predetermined search keywords with specific restrictions. Lotka's law was applied to check the authors' productivity, while Bradford's law was used to assess the core journals in this field. The data was analyzed for different bibliometric indicators in the Biblioshiny package, an RStudio tool for bibliometric analysis. Results: The initial search resulted in a total of 2,906 publications. Of which, 1,832 publications were included in the final analysis, published between 1980 and 2021. The analyzed publications were written by 7,363 authors from 74 countries and published in 490 journals. There has been a significant increase in psycho-oncology-related publications after 2010. The most productive year was 2021 (n = 365). The annual scientific growth rate was found to be 13.9%. The most relevant leading author in terms of publications was Luigi Grassi from the University of Ferrara, Italy (n = 42). Lotka's law found that the number of authors declined as the number of papers written increased. The core journals were Psycho-Oncology, Supportive Care in Cancer, and Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. The most frequently used author's keywords other than searching keywords were cancer, oncology, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Recent psycho-oncology-related topics included mental health, COVID-19 infection in humans, people, pandemic, and tumor. The University of Sydney was the top-ranked institution. The leading country in terms of publications, citations, corresponding author country, and international collaboration was the United States of America (United States). The United States had the strongest collaboration with Australia and Canada. Conclusion: The research hotspots include mental health conditions and interventions in cancer patients. We identified international collaboration and research expenditure to be strongly associated with psycho-oncology research productivity. Researchers' collaboration, which is visible among developed countries, should be extended to low-income countries in order to expand psycho-oncology-related research and understanding.

The Impact of Technology Adaptation on Academic Engagement: A Moderating Role of Perceived Argumentation Strength and School Support.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted routine activities such as attending to school and transferring education online. This study explores students' perceptions of technology adoption and academic engagement using data from a survey (N = 465), with perceived argumentation and school support serving as moderators. The data were collected using a convenience sampling technique. The authors examined the association between perceived utility, perceived digital competitiveness, and perceived ease of use and academic engagement. While perceived utility and ease of use of online learning technologies do not appear to be connected with academic engagement, digital competence is. It is argued that there is a need to introduce an improvised mechanism for technology in schools. Academic involvement has no effect on perceived reasoning power, but social support has a considerable effect on academic engagement.

Investigating the Parental and Media Influence on Gender Stereotypes and Young Student's Career Choices in Pakistan.

The study aimed to examine the impact of parental influence and media richness on gender stereotypes and career decisions among students at the secondary level in Pakistan. The sample size was 200 students, selected through a simple random sampling technique from government and private schools. Four questionnaires were used to gather data. The data was analyzed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Regression analyses were used to investigate the impact of parental influence (ß = 0.50) on gender stereotypes and media richness influence (ß = 0.26) on gender stereotype beliefs. Furthermore, parental, media, and gender stereotype behavior all have a significant impact on students' career choices (R 2 = 0.694). On the scale of the parental influence and media richness, no significant gender differences were found. It is concluded that parental influence has a greater effect on students' gender stereotyping behavior and career choices.

Cases of Transgender Killing in Pakistan.

Transgender people are tormented and attacked on social media on a daily basis, yet they are rarely reported to the police. The main reason for this is that many transgender people do not have families that are willing to adopt them; therefore, abuse and accidents involving them go undetected.

Cases of blasphemy and mental illness on the rise in Pakistan.

Blasphemy has been a sin since the time of the Bible. Anti-blasphemy laws still exist in about a quarter of the world's countries and territories, the majority of which are Muslim. In Pakistan, blasphemy is punished by death. Frequently, crowds assassinate the accused before the matter even reaches the courtroom. Blasphemy charges are frequently leveled against people with mental conditions and religious minorities. In a blasphemy case, a psychiatric evaluation might inform the court of mental disorder symptoms. Psychiatrists can also assist asylum seekers who have been accused of blasphemy in Pakistan or another country that punishes it.

Quality of Life and Illness Acceptance among End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patients on Hemodialysis: The Moderating Effect of Death Anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the study was to examine the quality of life and illness acceptance among ESRD patients with the moderating effects of death anxiety. The cross-sectional design was incorporated. The sample was comprised of 240 participants. Individuals with ESRD on hemodialysis were approached above 20 years of age. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The results revealed that COVID-19 has a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their illness acceptance. Covid-19 affected the general health of patients, their psychological health, as well as their social relationships. The results also confirmed that death anxiety negatively moderates the relationship between quality of life and illness acceptance among ESRD patients. This study will shed light on the need to provide appropriate psychosocial care as well as supportive therapies to people with end-stage renal disease who are experiencing mental distress during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Medical Staff Work Burnout and Willingness to Work during COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in Pakistan.

Medical staff is vital for helping society through a health crisis, human-made or natural disaster, and pandemic. This study aims to investigate the medical staff's work-related burnout during Covid-19 and their willingness to work when they are most needed. The cross-sectional design was used, and an online survey was conducted through snowball sampling. Sample comprised on 250 participants (male = 89 & female= 161). The study's inclusion criteria were that only those medical staff of different hospitals was approached to collect data performed inwards isolated for Covid-19 treatment corona isolation wards. Maslach burnout inventory (MBI-HSS) and willingness to work (WTW) tools were used to collect data. Descriptive and Partial least square analysis was utilized to evaluate the relationships. The Coefficient of determination or R-Square value was 0.299, which means 29.9% or 30% of the work burnout variation was due to the impact of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. Perceived danger, Role Competence, Self-Efficacy, and Sense of duty significantly impacted the willingness to work. Despite the workload and perceived risk, 42.6% of participants agreed to work if their department had to need their services, while 55.2% of participants agreed to work whether their department asked them or not. Government and hospital management should adopt a proactive and positive response during the pandemic to eradicate the employee stress and adopt adequate steps to improve the willingness to work with medical staff.

Examine the parenting style effect on the academic achievement orientation of secondary school students: The moderating role of digital literacy.

The purpose of the study was to determine the association between parenting styles (authoritative and permissive) and students' self-efficacy (LSE), self-regulatory learning (SRL), and academic accomplishment orientation of secondary school students in Punjab, Pakistan. The study also investigated the effect of digital learning as a moderating variable in the relationship between SRL and academic achievement oriented, as well as between learner self-efficacy (LSE) and academic achievement among secondary school students. The study was conducted with (N = 720) secondary school students of Punjab Pakistan. In the current research cross sectional design was used, and multistage sampling was used to draw a sample from the population. The results from the study, it is found that the authoritative parenting style has a weak association with LSE and a strong association with SRL. Permissive parenting styles have low associations with SRL and have a high association with LSE as compared to authoritarian parenting. Furthermore, when compared to students from permissive parenting, secondary students from authoritarian parenting have higher SRL and a higher academic achievement orientation. Results revealed that that digital literacy significantly moderate with LSE to influence the academic achievement orientation, while digital literacy significantly interacts with SRL to highly influence the academic achievement orientation of secondary school students.

Inter-Parental Conflict's Persistent Effects on Adolescent Psychological Distress, Adjustment Issues, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

The current study sought to ascertain the impact of inter-parent conflicts on teenage psychological distress, social and academic adjustment and examine the suicide ideation during the COVID-19. The results found to be alarming as 22% of the individuals displayed suicidal tendencies, with 9% having attempted suicide once, 4.6% having tried suicide twice, and 11% stating that they were likely to do so again. Therefore, the media and the government might host awareness programs and counseling initiatives to promote mental health and prevent suicidal behavior. Moreover, parents may be educated on community level, about the effect of inter-parental arguments on the mental health of their children.