Men's baldness stigma: A mixed methods international survey.

Men's baldness can be structurally stigmatized. For example, commercialized psychology research medicalizes it as a distressing "disease." A mixed-methods survey on baldness stigma among 357 balding men (49% from Central- and South- America, Africa, Asia) was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative responses were content analyzed into two approximate sets: those (1) impacted by baldness stigma versus (2) those resisting baldness stigma. (1) The former included about half who had internalized baldness stigma agreeing it was disadvantageous (44%) and reporting distress (39-45% e.g. "[I] dread the future"). Participants reported baldness was stigmatized structurally (68%; e.g. "[it's a] humiliating image") and were attempting to combat their baldness largely via "treatments" (57%). (2) The latter participant response set resisted baldness stigma by reporting minimal distress, and structural stigma whilst accepting baldness (33-61%). Psychosocial and evidence-based support is needed to help some men resist baldness stigmatization.

Psychometric validity and the appropriateness of tolerance as a criterion for internet gaming disorder: A systematic review.

Tolerance is a controversial but still an omnipresent criterion in measuring problematic gaming and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Despite criticisms, a systematic review of its suitability has not been conducted until now. The aim of this study was to assess the evidence of psychometric validity and the appropriateness of tolerance as a criterion for IGD. A total of 61 articles were included in the review, 47 quantitative, 7 qualitative studies,plus 7 studies that introduce potential item wordings for operationalizing tolerance. Results showed that the tolerance item tends to have acceptable to high factor loadings on the single IGD factor. While tolerance sometimes did not adequately differentiate the engaged gamers from those with a probable disorder, it was endorsed at medium to high levels of IGD severity and had a good performance in the interviews. It, however, showed weak relations with distress and well-being. In qualitative studies, tolerance as currently defined by DSM-5 and measured by questionnaires (i.e., increasing amounts of time spent on gaming) was almost unequivocally rejected by gamers. The solid performance of tolerance in psychometric studies was probably due to deficiencies of the IGD construct, which also contains other disputed criteria. Tolerance lacks relevance in measuring IGD and care should be taken when using and interpreting IGD measures with this criterion.

Googling for suicide in Croatia: A mixed-methods study.

Google search trends have shown promise for predicting suicide deaths. We examined the relationship between search trends data for suicide-related search terms and monthly suicide deaths (2014-2018) in Croatia. We identified two suicide prevention search terms, samoubojstvo and suicid (engl. suicide), where an increase in searches preceded a decrease in suicides, and one suicide risk term, kako se ubiti (engl. how to kill yourself), where an increase in searches preceded an increase in suicides. On webpages elicited by suicide-related search terms, factual information about suicide was most common. Results imply the need for a comprehensive online suicide prevention strategy.

Quality of life in young men with androgenetic alopecia: A mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is related to adverse psychological consequences in young men, which is further accentuated by the astronomical growth of the hair transplant industry. However, a deeper insight into AGA and its impact on young men are lacking in the literature. Moreover, its impact is currently measured with general dermatological health-related quality of life questionnaires. AIMS: Aim of this study was hence twofold: (i) to explore the individual experience of men with AGA via a qualitative study and (ii) to use these insights to create and preliminary validate a set of items for measuring quality of life specifically in AGA. PATIENTS/METHODS: The qualitative study was carried out on a convenience sample of 11 young men in different stages of AGA. In the quantitative study, items for measuring quality of life in androgenetic alopecia were created and distributed to an online sample of men younger than 35 (N = 129). RESULTS: Multiple themes and sub-themes were obtained in the qualitative study, highlighting the loss of control, lowered attractiveness, concerns about dating, and an influence on daily functioning the young men felt. In the quantitative study, nine items were retained, demonstrating high reliability, and moderate correlations with self-esteem and subjective well-being. CONCLUSIONS: AGA is a valid issue, which has a marked impact on young men. We believe that further developing and validating a tool that would measure quality of life specifically in AGA, or generally in different alopecia types, is an approach worth taking.

An evidence-based policy for improving choice in global health access through medical travel.

Global medical travel has had an increasing trend without a comprehensive, evidence-driven policy to ensure safe and effective practice. To identify key factors that influence medical travel, we conducted a series of studies culminating with a preference and decision-making component of over 500 prospective medical travelers from a number of countries. Results indicated that quality of care was the most critical factor in the decision, followed by lower costs of procedure and shorter waiting times. Lower costs were less of a factor if the procedure was more invasive, which also increased the importance of waiting time in the decision. The most desired destinations for care were in Europe (United Kingdom, Germany) and North America (United States). Building on these insights and previous literature, we present a model that implements applications from these factors and additional insights generated across the series of studies toward an effective policy framework.