Search

Although a major public health and social concern globally, limited data exist on substance use and their effects among adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries. This study evaluated the relationships between alcohol/drug use and quality of life (QOL) among adolescents in general populations from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Croatia. The sample included 2,393 adolescents. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) was used for QOL assessments, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used for mental health problems, and the CRAFFT self-report questionnaire was administered for eliciting alcohol/drug use. Alcohol/drug use was significantly associated with lower levels of QOL. In particular, substance use among older male adolescents, adolescents with overt psychopathology, or adolescents in lower socioeconomic status was associated with greater reductions in levels of QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Internet use has increased worldwide exponentially over the past two decades, with no up-to-date cross-country comparison of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and its correlates available. The present study aimed to explore the pattern and correlates of PIU across different countries in the European and the Asian continent. Further, the stability of factors associated with PIU across different countries were assessed., Materials and Methods: An international, cross-sectional study with a total of 2749 participants recruited from universities/colleges of eight countries: Bangladesh, Croatia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Participants completed the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale -2 (GPIUS2) assessing PIU, and the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) assessing the depressive and anxiety symptoms., Results: A total of 2643 participants (mean age 21.3 ± 2.6; 63% females) were included in the final analysis. The overall prevalence of PIU for the entire sample was 8.4% (range 1.6% to 12.6%). The mean GPIUS2 standardized scores were significantly higher among participants from the five Asian countries when compared to the three European countries. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were the most stable and strongest factors associated with PIU across different countries and cultures., Discussion and Conclusions: The PIU is an important emerging mental health condition among college/university going young adults, with psychological distress being the strongest and most stable correlate of PIU across different countries and cultures in this study. The present study highlighted the importance of screening university and college students for PIU., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The authors aimed to assess and compare problematic internet use among medical students enrolled in a graduate degree course in one school each from Croatia, India, and Nigeria and to assess correlates of problematic use among these students., Methods: The questionnaire included a sociodemographic profile of participants and Young's Internet Addiction Test., Results: The final analysis included 842 subjects. Overall, 38.7 and 10.5 % of respondents scored in the mild and moderate categories. Only a small fraction (0.5 %) of students scored in the severe category. Being male and spending more time on the internet were correlated with problematic internet use. Moreover, a significantly higher proportion of participants who scored above the cutoff used the Internet for browsing, social networking, chatting, gaming, shopping, and viewing pornography. However, there was no difference between the two groups with regard to using the internet for e-mailing or academic activities., Conclusions: It is important to address problematic internet use among medical students. The correlates can help identify those at increased risk.