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The Internet Disorder Scale-Short Form (IDS9-SF) is a validated instrument assessing internet disorder which modified the internet gaming disorder criteria proposed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, the relationships between the nine items in the IDS9-SF are rarely investigated. The present study used network analysis to investigate the features of the IDS9-SF among three populations in Bangladesh, Iran, and Pakistan. Data were collected (N = 1901; 957 [50.3%] females; 666 [35.0%] Pakistani, 533 [28.1%] Bangladesh, and 702 [36.9%] Iranians) using an online survey platform (e.g., Google Forms). All the participants completed the IDS9-SF. The central-stability-coefficients of the nine IDS9-SF items were 0.71, 0.89, 0.96, 0.98, 0.98, 1.00, 0.67, 0.79, and 0.91, respectively. The node centrality was stable and interpretable in the network. The Network Comparison Test (NCT) showed that the network structure had no significant differences among Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Iranian participants (p-values = 0.172 to 0.371). Researchers may also use the IDS9-SF to estimate underlying internet addiction for their target participants and further explore and investigate the phenomenon related to internet addiction., Author(s): Li Li [sup.1] , Mohammed A. Mamun [sup.2] [sup.14] [sup.15] [sup.16] , Firoj Al-Mamun [sup.2] [sup.14] [sup.16] , Irfan Ullah [sup.3] , Ismail Hosen [sup.2] , Syed Ahsan Zia [...]

Serious games (SGs), are gaining prominence as a tool for early education at home as well as in school settings. Given the mixed effects of gamification on various aspects of users' lives, it is pertinent to study its broader effects on a child's pre-school and school years. Given the lack of consensus on a comprehensive measure that encapsulates these effects on an individual's routine functioning, the present study examined whether various engagement states in SGs use influence a relatively broader measure of users' functioning across significant life domains such as Quality of Life (QoL). It is argued that it would serve scholars, teachers, and parents better to understand the broader implications of SGs on children's overall QoL rather than isolated physiological and behavioral effects. Consequently, utilizing structural equation modeling, results from 335 parents of 2-10-year-olds in a developing country showed that cognitive and behavioral engagement in gamified applications appear to influence the child's QoL, but not affective engagement. Results are discussed in terms of the consequences of using game-based technology for a child's development, with far-reaching academic, personal, physical, and social implications not only for the school-going ages, but also for early teenage years. The results are promising in relation to QoL. The findings indicate the role modern technology plays in improving individuals' lives. The findings provide scholars, parents, and creators of SGs important information for their plan of action regarding children's exposure to SGs and making SGs a frequent aspect of the learning experience early in life., Author(s): Amir Zaib Abbasi [sup.1] , Sundas Azeem [sup.2] , Muhammad Usman Farooq [sup.2] , Khalil Hussain [sup.2] , Ding Hooi Ting [sup.3] , Umair Rehman [sup.4] , Mark D. [...]

Utilizing a large-scale cross-sectional survey, the present study tested the advanced psychometric properties of Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in specific populations (i.e., primary and middle schoolteachers, and their students). The present study also examined the association between perceived fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress among home-room teachers (i.e., teachers who teach all their students in one classroom all day) and their students. The results among participants (11,134 teachers and 4,335 students) indicated good internal reliability of FCV-19S and excellent factorial validity with a two-factor structure utilizing these specific populations. Furthermore, the multilevel analysis showed that home-room teachers' psychological distress, but not fear of COVID-19, was positively associated with their students. In sum, the FCV-19S is a useful tool to assess the fear of COVID-19 on potentially vulnerable populations (i.e., primary/middle schoolteachers and their students). Future studies are encouraged to use the present study's findings to investigate possible underlying mechanisms for developing effective coping strategies and interventions., Author(s): I-Hua Chen [sup.1] , Chao-Ying Chen [sup.2] , Ke-Yun Zhao [sup.3] , Jeffrey H. Gamble [sup.4] , Chung-Ying Lin [sup.5] [sup.6] [sup.7] , Mark D. Griffiths [sup.8] , Amir [...]

Introduction: The present study examined the moderating effects of sleep quality in the relationship between coping and distress among medical college students. Present study was conducted to ensure the mental health of medical students and to dig out the reasons behind their disturbed health which can directly impact their performance at work. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional survey and was distributed to students at various medical institutions in the Punjab province of Pakistan from October 2019 to June 2020. The sample comprised 369 participants (120 males; 32.5%). The survey included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Kessler Scale of Psychological Distress (K10), Brief Cope Scale, and Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale. Results: The results showed there was a significant relationship between coping and distress. More specifically, adaptive coping and distress were negatively associated (r =-.24), and maladaptive coping and distress were positively associated (r =.46). Moreover, the present study found that poor sleep quality was a significant positive predictor of distress. Moderation analysis showed that sleep quality was a significant moderator in the relationship between adaptive coping and distress (ΔR2=.011, β=-.36, p <.01) as well as between maladaptive coping and distress (ΔR2=.021, β=-.17, p <.01). Conclusion: The study's findings clearly showed that sleep quality is a significant moderator in the relationship between coping (both adaptive and maladaptive) and distress among medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) instruments and their correlation with psychological distress and time spent on Internet activities among university students in Ghana. Methods: In the present cross-sectional survey design study, 520 participants (35.96% female) were recruited with a mean age of 19.55 years (SD = 1.94) from several university departments (i.e., Behavioral Sciences, Materials Engineering, Nursing and Midwifery, and Biochemistry and Biotechnology) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) between 19 July and 04 August, 2023. Participants completed a survey that included the following measures: the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT), Gaming Disorder Scale for Adolescents (GADIS-A), Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), and the external criterion measure: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to evaluate the structure of the instruments. Cronbach's α, McDonald's ω, and composite reliability were used to evaluate internal consistency. Pearson correlation was used to examine the associations between the scores of instruments assessing PIU, time spent on Internet activities, and the level of psychological distress. Results: Model fits confirmed the (i) unidimensional structure of the GDT, BSMAS, SABAS, IGDS9-SF, (ii) two-factor structure of the GADIS-A, and (iii) four-factor structure of the NMP-Q. Additionally, the study found that different types of PIU were significantly associated with psychological distress and time spent on related Internet activities. Conclusion: The six instruments validated in the present study demonstrated very good to excellent psychometric properties when applied to university students in Ghana. The significant associations between Internet-related disorders, time spent on Internet-related activities, and psychological distress highlight the importance of addressing issues of PIU among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]