Technology addiction of adolescents in the COVID-19 era: Mediating effect of attitude on awareness and behavior.

Adolescents have been called the "digital natives of the technology age", but determining adolescents' awareness, attitudes and behavior with respect to technology addiction (TA) is important for developing balanced and effective approaches to support their physical and psychological well-being after the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the present study investigates the impact of attitudes on TA behavior in 382 adolescents by gender and extent of technology use. Three scales were used to determine adolescents' TA awareness, attitude, and behavior. The results of the dual-moderated mediation model show that gender and duration of technology use (h) moderated the full mediation of attitude on awareness and behavior in TA (F = 39.29, df = 9;372, p < .01). The indirect effect in males with 16.04 h per day of technology use is stronger (.24) than the indirect effect in males with 4.90 h per day of technology use (.13). In addition, the simple slope plot shows that when attitude scores increase, addictive behavior rises in females (simple slope = .74, t = 8.79, p < .01). On the other hand, with 16.04 h per day of technology use, when attitude scores decrease, addictive behavior rises in females (simple slope = .69, t = 7.59, p < .01). Furthermore, when the attitude scores increase, addictive behavior rises in males (simple slope = .85, t = 13.26, p < .01). As a result, the psychoeducational intervention programs to be implemented for TA should not only focus on awareness, but should also encompass behavioral, cognitive and lifestyle changes.

Association between nursing work stress, burnout and nosocomial infection rate in a neonatal intensive care unit in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Our study looks at the effects of burnout and stress levels of nurses, behaviour regarding medical waste, and other effective risk factors on the first time and recurrent diagnosis of nosocomial infection (NI) in neonatal intensive care units in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This multicentric follow-up study was conducted and repeated measurements were taken from 72 neonates and 45 nurses working in three hospitals for a period of five months. Nurses with high burnout levels had 3.7 times higher risk of neonates under their care being diagnosed with an NI (odds ratio: 3.743; 95% CI: 1.498-9.356). By controlling other variables, the stress level of nurses increased the incidence rate of neonates being diagnosed more than once with NI by 3.2 times. Statistically, the direction of causal association was from the high burnout among nurses to the diagnosis of NI, and high stress was associated with the recurrent diagnosis of infections in neonates.

Estimating the training effect through the levels of trait anger, anger expression, and coping with the stress of private security guards.

BACKGROUND: Professionally, private security guards are expected to manage their anger and stress successfully. OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study is to determine stress and anger levels of private security guards working in the Ankara Electricity, Gas and Bus Operations Organization. The secondary aim of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the training program given to private security guards within the scope of anger and stress control. The effects of training on 690 private security guards who participated in the training program were investigated. METHODS: In the first part of the study, the validity and reliability of the Trait Anger, Anger Expression Scale and Coping with Stress Scale were investigated, and in the second part, the effectiveness of training given to 690 private security guards was examined. Also, as a comparison group, 201 private security guards who did not participate in the training were reached and the scales were applied. RESULTS: The results showed that private security guards had an inability to cope with stress and anger was triggered easily. The average treatment effect was E[Y(1) - Y(0)| X] = -0.111 and statistically significant. It shows that training had a significant effect on anger. Anger decreased when stress-coping behaviours increased and the training was effective. CONCLUSIONS: It is important that training about anger and stress control should be given to security forces at regular intervals.

Altered Affective Temperaments in Women With Vaginismus.

OBJECTIVE: Vaginismus is one of the most frequently occurring genito-pelvic pain disorders in women. Sexual dysfunction commonly presents with comorbid psychiatric disorders, and many patients suffering from the former exhibit the latter. The objective of this study was to investigate the affective temperaments of women with vaginismus compared to healthy controls. METHODS: Forty-eight women with vaginismus and 42 age-matched healthy women were recruited and compared in terms of their scores on the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire and a sociodemographic instrument. RESULTS: Except for the scores for hyperthymic temperament, those for depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperaments were significantly higher in the vaginismus group than in the healthy controls (P<.05). The analysis of covariance indicated that the anxious temperament was significantly associated with covariants. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the preliminary results, women with vaginismus may be candidates for bipolar disorder. This population should therefore be screened more carefully in terms of the development of the disorder. Bipolar disorder should also be considered when treatments for comorbid psychiatric disorders are needed.

Anxiety effects on quality of life during the COVID-19 outbreak: A parallel-serial mediation model among nurses in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Nurses experience loneliness, anxiety, fear, fatigue, sleep disorders, and other physical and mental health problems due to their close contact with patients in cases of epidemic diseases. Among nurses in Turkey, we want to explore how anxiety, psychological health, and social isolation affect nurses' quality of life. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life (COVID-19 EQLS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-1 and STAI-2), psychological health, and social isolation among nurses. It also aimed to identify whether the influence of trait anxiety, psychological health, and social isolation are stronger than the direct influence of state anxiety on nurses' quality of life during the pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design and STROBE guidelines were implemented. In this study, 638 nurses in Turkey were included using simple random sampling. The participants completed the STAI-1 and STAI-2 and COVID-19 EQLS online-form. The parallel-serial mediation model was used to examine the relationships between the determined variables. RESULTS: Psychological health, psychological effects of social isolation, and trait anxiety fully mediated the relationship between state anxiety and quality of life of nurses. The total indirect effect of the confidence interval of bootstrapping was statistically different from zero. CONCLUSIONS: Trait anxiety, psychological health, and social isolation were the main factors with statistically significant indirect effects on the quality of life of Turkish nurses in this study.

Altered thiol/disulfide homeostasis and ischemia-modified albumin levels in children with irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we assessed thiol/disulfide homeostasis (TDH) parameters and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with healthy children. METHODS: Fifty-six children with IBS and 53 healthy children were included in the study after assessment of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Plasma thiol/disulfide and IMA levels were compared between children with and without IBS. RESULTS: The mean values of native thiol, total thiol, and disulfide were 343.779 ± 138.654 µmol/L, 365.398 ± 140.148 µmol/L, and 23.190 ± 4.978 µmol/L, respectively, in the IBS group and 409.908 ± 69.288 µmol/L, 433.481 ± 76.891 µmol/L, and 20.090 ± 4.252 µmol/L, respectively, in the control group. Native thiol and total thiol values were significantly reduced in the IBS group compared with the control group. The mean IMA values were 0.835 ± 0.083 (g/L) and 0.778 ± 0.072 in the IBS and control groups, respectively. The IMA value was significantly increased in the IBS group. CONCLUSION: Impaired thiol/disulfide homeostasis and increased IMA levels can be considered etiological factors in children with IBS.

Increased serum BDNF and ProBDNF levels in children with irritable bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders among the pediatric population. Recently, neurotrophins have been suggested to be etiological factors or causes of symptoms of IBS. In the present study, the aim was to research the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proBDNF levels in children with IBS. METHODS: The study group was selected from pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic and control group was recruited from healthy children outpatient clinic. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 children with IBS and 55 healthy children were included in the study. The data were obtained from all participants, and if needed, from their parents. All participants were assessed in terms of anthropometric measurements. The serum (BDNF) and proBDNF levels were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The proBDNF levels in IBS patients were higher compared with the control group in covariance analysis (IBS patients group mean 492.4, SD 534.1; control group mean 332.8, SD 406.7) (p = 0.02; Cohen's d = 0.45). The serum BDNF levels of IBS patients were also higher compared with the control group (IBS patients group mean 3.1, SD 4.3; control group mean 1.7, SD 2.7) (p = 0.02; Cohen's d = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to demonstrate that there is a higher level of serum BDNF in children with IBS. Moreover, it is the first to demonstrate an increased level of proBDNF in IBS. Additional research is needed to confirm the preliminary results.

Distinct temperament and character traits in patients with hyperemesis gravidarum.

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is an extreme form of vomiting during pregnancy and is characterized with excessive vomiting and nausea and ketonuria, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration and severe nurtition deficiency. The etiology of HG is considered as multifactorial. Altough there is a great interest to HG in terms of psychiatric conditions, there have been limited numbers of studies that researched personality traits in patients with HG. In present study, we aimed to compare temperament and character traits between pregnant women with and without HG by Temperament and Character Inventory. 48 pregnant women with HG and 64 healthy pregnant women were included to study. The HG groups and control group were compared in terms of temperament and character traits and anxiety levels. The temperament scores of novelty seeking, harm avoidance and reward dependence were found to be similar between groups while the score of persistence was significantly lower in HG group compared with control group (p = .021). All character scores in HG group as cooperativeness, self-directedness, and self-transcendence were significantly lower compared with control groups (respectively; p = .002, p = .018 and p = .029). The scores of STAI-1 was higher in HG group compared with control group (p = .027) whereas the score of STAI-2 was found to be similar between groups. Present study is the first to demonstrate different temperament and character traits in patients with HG. We argue that our results support the psychiatric background of HG; however further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Decreased serum orexin A levels in drug-naive children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood and characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, and its etiology has not yet been determined precisely. Orexin A is thought to play an important role in different forms of learning, memory, and attention. Despite its importance in attention and learning, no study has investigated serum orexin levels in patients with ADHD. In the present study, we aimed to compare serum orexigenic neuropeptides such as orexin A and orexin B, neuropeptide Y, and ghrelin between drug naive children with ADHD and healthy children. Fifty-six drug-naive children with ADHD and 40 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. After comparison of serum orexin A and orexin B, neuropeptide Y, and ghrelin, we found that serum orexin A levels were significantly lower in the ADHD group (p = 0.001). Furthermore, serum orexin A levels were compared between ADHD subgroups. Orexin A levels were significantly lower in the inattentive subtype compared with the hyperactive subtype and combined subtype (p = 0.009). Our results indicate that orexin A might be a neurobiological etiological factor in ADHD, particularly associated with attention symptoms. The present study is the first to demonstrate decreased serum orexin A levels in drug-naive children with ADHD. Further studies are needed to confirm our results and to show the effects of treatments involving orexin A in patients with ADHD.

Altered methyltetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism in mothers of children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood and causes significant functional impairments in children. Behavioral genetic and molecular genetic studies have provided significant evidence in terms of highlighting the etiology of ADHD. Folate deficiency during pregnancy is an established risk factor for ADHD. Polymorphisms in the Methyltetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) encoding gene, such as A1298C and C667T, are associated with the decreased bioavailability of folate, and this condition can act like folate deficiency. In the literature, no study has investigated MTHFR polymorphisms in mothers of children with ADHD. Sixty-four children diagnosed with ADHD and their mothers as well as 40 healthy children and their mothers participated in this study. MTHFR polymorphisms were investigated in all participants. Comparison of the C677C and A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms in children with and without ADHD revealed no significant differences. We found that the maternal C677C_CT genotype counts, both observed and expected values, were significantly different from those based on Hardy-Weinberg Principle Analysis in the ADHD group. The most important result of this study was that maternal C677C MTHFR gene polymorphisms are significant risk factors in for ADHD, and we argue that children with ADHD are exposed to folate deficiency, even if their mothers received a sufficient amount of folate during pregnancy. This result also highlights one of the genetic factors of ADHD. Further studies should be performed to confirm this finding.

The correlation of childhood physical abuse history and later abuse in a group of Turkish population.

Domestic violence is passed from one generation to the next, and it affects not only the victim but also the psychological states of the witnesses, and especially the psychosocial development of children. Studies have reported that those who have been the victim of or witnessing violence during their childhood will use violence to a greater extent as adults in their own families. This research examines the relationships between a history of childhood physical abuse, likelihood of psychiatric diagnoses, and potential for being a perpetrator of childhood physical abuse in adulthood among women who received psychiatric treatment and in the healthy population from Turkey. Estimates of the prevalence of childhood physical abuse vary depending on definition and setting. The frequency of witnessing and undergoing physical abuse within the family during childhood is much higher in the psychiatrically disordered group than the healthy controls. Childhood physical abuse history is one of the major risk factors for being an abuser in adulthood. The best indicator of physically abusing one's own children was found to be as physical abuse during the childhood period rather than psychiatric diagnosis. There is a large body of research indicating that adults who have been abused as children are more likely to abuse their own children than adults without this history. This is an important study from the point of view that consequences of violence can span generations. Further studies with different risk factor and populations will help to identify different dimensions of the problem.