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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of university students. ObjectiveThis study examined the psychological responses toward COVID-19 among university students from 3 countries—Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand. MethodsWe used a web-based, cross-sectional survey to recruit 1985 university students from 5 public universities (2 in Indonesia, 1 in Thailand, and 1 in Taiwan) via popular social media platforms such as Facebook, LINE, WhatsApp, and broadcast. All students (n=938 in Indonesia, n=734 in Thailand, and n=313 in Taiwan) answered questions concerning their anxiety, suicidal thoughts (or sadness), confidence in pandemic control, risk perception of susceptibility to infection, perceived support, resources for fighting infection, and sources of information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. ResultsAmong the 3 student groups, Thai students had the highest levels of anxiety but the lowest levels of confidence in pandemic control and available resources for fighting COVID-19. Factors associated with higher anxiety differed across countries. Less perceived satisfactory support was associated with more suicidal thoughts among Indonesian students. On the other hand, Taiwanese students were more negatively affected by information gathered from the internet and from medical staff than were Indonesian or Thai students. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that health care providers in Thailand may need to pay special attention to Thai university students given that high levels of anxiety were observed in this study population. In addition, health care providers should establish a good support system for university students, as the results of this study indicate a negative association between support and suicidal thoughts.

BackgroundAdhesive capsulitis (AC) of the shoulder is a common disorder that painfully reduces the shoulder range of motion (ROM) among middle-aged individuals. Although physical therapy with home-based exercises is widely advised to restore ROM in the treatment of AC, clinical results vary owing to inconsistent patient compliance. ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to verify the feasibility of a treatment model that involves applying a wearable motion sensor device to assist patients conduct home-based exercises to improve training compliance and the accuracy of exercises, with the ultimate goal of improving the functional recovery of patients with AC. MethodsThe motion sensor device was comprised of inertial measurement unit–based sensors and mobile apps for patients and physicians, offering shoulder mobility tracing, home-based exercise support, and progress monitoring. The interrater reliability of shoulder mobility measurement using the motion sensor device on 10 healthy participants and 15 patients with AC was obtained using an intraclass correlation coefficient analysis and compared with the assessments performed by two highly experienced physicians. A pilot prospective control trial was then carried out to allocate the 15 patients with AC to two groups: home-based exercise group and motion sensor–assisted rehabilitation group. Changes in active and passive shoulder ROM, pain and functional scores, and exercise completion rates were compared between the groups during a treatment period of 3 months. ResultsShoulder ROM, as measured using the motion sensor device, exhibited good to excellent reliability based on the comparison with the measurements of two physicians (intraclass correlation coefficient range, 0.771 to 0.979). Compared with patients with AC in the home-based exercise group, those in the motion sensor–assisted rehabilitation group exhibited better shoulder mobility and functional recovery and a higher exercise completion rate during and after 3 months of rehabilitation. ConclusionsMotion sensor device–assisted home-based rehabilitation for the treatment of AC is a useful treatment model for telerehabilitation that enhances the compliance of patients through training, thus improving functional recovery. This helps overcome important obstacles in physiotherapy at home by providing comprehensible and easily accessible exercise instructions, enhancing compliance, ensuring the correctness of exercise, and monitoring the progress of patients.

BackgroundSleep hygiene is important for maintaining good sleep and reducing insomnia. ObjectiveThis study examined the long-term efficacy of a theory-based app (including cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT], theory of planned behavior [TPB], health action process approach [HAPA], and control theory [CT]) on sleep hygiene among insomnia patients. MethodsThe study was a 2-arm single-blind parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT). Insomnia patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group that used an app for 6 weeks (ie, CBT for insomnia [CBT-I], n=156) or a control group that received only patient education (PE, n=156) through the app. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postintervention. Primary outcomes were sleep hygiene, insomnia, and sleep quality. Secondary outcomes included attitudes toward sleep hygiene behavior, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, action and coping planning, self-monitoring, behavioral automaticity, and anxiety and depression. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the magnitude of changes in outcomes between the two groups and across time. ResultsSleep hygiene was improved in the CBT-I group compared with the PE group (P=.02 at 1 month, P=.04 at 3 months, and P=.02 at 6 months) as were sleep quality and severity of insomnia. Mediation analyses suggested that perceived behavioral control on sleep hygiene as specified by TPB along with self-regulatory processes from HAPA and CT mediated the effect of the intervention on outcomes. ConclusionsHealth care providers might consider using a CBT-I app to improve sleep among insomnia patients. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03605732; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03605732

BACKGROUND: The three-item Sexual Distress Scale (SDS-3) has been frequently used to assess distress related to sexuality in public health surveys and research on sexual wellbeing. However, its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across cultural, gender and sexual subgroups have not yet been examined. This multinational study aimed to validate the SDS-3 and test its psychometric properties, including measurement invariance across language, country, gender identity, and sexual orientation groups. METHODS: We used global survey data from 82,243 individuals (Mean age=32.39 years; 40.3 % men, 57.0 % women, 2.8 % non-binary, and 0.6 % other genders) participating in the International Sexual Survey (ISS; https://internationalsexsurvey.org/) across 42 countries and 26 languages. Participants completed the SDS-3, as well as questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, including gender identity and sexual orientation. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a unidimensional factor structure for the SDS-3, and multi-group CFA (MGCFA) suggested that this factor structure was invariant across countries, languages, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Cronbachs α for the unidimensional score was 0.83 (range between 0.76 and 0.89), and McDonalds ω was 0.84 (range between 0.76 and 0.90). Participants who did not experience sexual problems had significantly lower SDS-3 total scores (M = 2.99; SD=2.54) compared to those who reported sexual problems (M = 5.60; SD=3.00), with a large effect size (Cohens d = 1.01 [95 % CI=-1.03, -0.98]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The SDS-3 has a unidimensional factor structure and appears to be valid and reliable for measuring sexual distress among individuals from different countries, gender identities, and sexual orientations.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite its inclusion in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, there is a virtual paucity of high-quality scientific evidence about compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), especially in underrepresented and underserved populations. Therefore, we comprehensively examined CSBD across 42 countries, genders, and sexual orientations, and validated the original (CSBD-19) and short (CSBD-7) versions of the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder Scale to provide standardized, state-of-the-art screening tools for research and clinical practice. METHOD: Using data from the International Sex Survey (N = 82,243; Mage = 32.39 years, SD = 12.52), we evaluated the psychometric properties of the CSBD-19 and CSBD-7 and compared CSBD across 42 countries, three genders, eight sexual orientations, and individuals with low vs. high risk of experiencing CSBD. RESULTS: A total of 4.8% of the participants were at high risk of experiencing CSBD. Country- and gender-based differences were observed, while no sexual-orientation-based differences were present in CSBD levels. Only 14% of individuals with CSBD have ever sought treatment for this disorder, with an additional 33% not having sought treatment because of various reasons. Both versions of the scale demonstrated excellent validity and reliability. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a better understanding of CSBD in underrepresented and underserved populations and facilitates its identification in diverse populations by providing freely accessible ICD-11-based screening tools in 26 languages. The findings may also serve as a crucial building block to stimulate research into evidence-based, culturally sensitive prevention and intervention strategies for CSBD that are currently missing from the literature.

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 [...]

This study aimed to examine whether adolescents select friends based on their friends' levels of depressive symptoms, and to determine whether the potential homophily phenomenon for depressive symptoms is attenuated after considering pubertal maturation and gender. Data were from the first three waves of the Taiwan Youth Project, a longitudinal study that annually surveys 7.sup.th graders from 40 junior high schools. Participants were asked at each wave to fill out a survey including depressive symptoms, pubertal maturation, and to name three best friends in school. Stochastic actor-oriented models were built to explore the dynamic changes in friendship networks by estimating the probability of the friendship connections and behavioral changes depending on the individual's current network position and behavioral status. We used a sample of 2,336 adolescents. From 8 to 9.sup.th grade, adolescents tended to select friends who were similar in terms of their levels of depressive symptoms (B = 0.358, SE = 0.131, p < .001), without adjusting for gender and pubertal maturation. This homophily effect based on depressive symptoms became non-significant when pubertal maturation was included. Adolescents' depressive symptoms did not further influence their friends' depression levels, after controlling for pubertal maturation and gender. Future studies should further examine the mechanisms and group dynamics within clusters of adolescents who are depressed. Providing a supportive environment and tools is warranted to help adolescents cope with negative emotions within their peer group., Author(s): Yi-Fang Yu [sup.1] , Te-Tien Ting [sup.2] , Jay Chiehen Liao [sup.3] , Meng-Che Tsai [sup.4] , Chung-Ying Lin [sup.5] , Yi-Ping Hsieh [sup.6] , Carol Strong [sup.1] Author [...]

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 [...]

Peer victimization is a pervasive issue for educators globally, with well-documented negative psychological impacts. Despite ongoing anti-bullying efforts internationally, researchers have yet to evaluate changes in the relationships among peer victimization and associated factors from a global perspective. Therefore, this study adopts both an international and cross-cohort perspective in comparing the relationships among peer victimization and associated factors for adolescents from two Western Countries (the United States and the United Kingdom) and adolescents from three East Asian countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) using data obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey from 2015 and 2018. Based on a review of the literature, a conceptual framework (including peer victimization, school belonging, school truancy, and life satisfaction) was developed and evaluated through Latent Mean Analysis and Structural Equation Analysis. Measurement invariance was demonstrated for all factors in the proposed conceptual framework across country and cohort (2015 and 2018). Latent Mean Analysis found that peer victimization among Chinese and Japanese adolescents significantly declined from 2015 to 2018, while American and UK adolescents reported higher levels of peer victimization, with no significant changes found for South Korean adolescents. The proposed framework fit the data from all countries and all paths were significant in the hypothesized direction. In addition to the contribution of our updated model, including the role of peer victimization in life satisfaction, key findings regarding the model's structural parameters among countries and across cohorts, and the potential effectiveness of anti-school bullying measures in China, Japan and South Korea are discussed., Author(s): I-Hua Chen [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Jeffrey Hugh Gamble [sup.4] , Chung-Ying Lin [sup.5] [sup.6] [sup.7] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.413066.6, 0000 0000 9868 296X, School of Education Science, Minnan [...]