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There is currently limited knowledge about the firsthand experiences of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and the meanings they ascribe to these experiences, particularly within Arab countries. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the lived experience of Omani adolescents and young adults with a mental health problem. A sample of 15 participants aged 13-22 diagnosed with a range of mental health problems took part in the study. A qualitative interview guide consisting of open-ended questions was used to allow participants to speak in-depth about their experiences. Using the thematic analysis approach to uncover patterns in the data, three major themes emerged: "living in darkness", "perilous journey" and "uncertain future". Results show that the progress of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems is characterized by several challenges; the most significant of which is having insufficient knowledge about their illness, leading to unnecessary delays in their treatment. These findings shed light on the breadth and depth of the experience of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and lay the groundwork for further examinations. Implications lie in the development of approaches for preventing or mitigating difficulties faced by adolescents and young adults with mental health problems., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Al Omari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Technology has permeated every aspect of our existence and the mental health sector is not exempt from this., Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the impact of using a mobile phone app (MyTherapy pill reminder and medication tracker) on medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder., Methods: Time series design was used. Fifty-one participants were recruited from tertiary hospitals in Oman. The Medication Adherence Rating Scale was used for assessing medication adherence. The data related to medication adherence were collected at baseline, 3 months later and 3 months after installing the program on participants' smartphones. SPSS data set used to analyze the data., Results: A repeated-measures ANOVA found no significant change in the level of adherence among patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders at the start and 12 weeks later when the mobile app was installed ( p   =  .371). However, adherence scores improved significantly 12 weeks after installation of mobile app compared with the same group at the baseline and 12 weeks before the installation of mobile app ( p  < .001)., Conclusion: The mobile phone app was effective in improving the adherence level among patients. Installation of the program and teaching patients how to use it to improve their level of adherence is recommended., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing concern that constitutes a major threat to occupational health and safety, thereby comprising a priority issue for policymakers. Given the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and comorbidities among the Lebanese population, nurses working in critical care settings encounter intense workloads and high-risk interactions, potentially increasing the risk of WPV., Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the traumatic and psychological reactions of Lebanese critical nurses who have been exposed to WPV, and the risk factors for depression and anxiety., Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design; 112 critical care nurses from diverse departments took part in this study during the period of June to July 2021., Results: A positive, significant correlation between WPV exposure and self-reported anxiety was observed, p  = .03 with high levels of WPV, especially among patients and their families. Although verbal abuse was found to be more prevalent among critical care nurses in Lebanon compared to physical and sexual violence, the severity of the situation and its impact on the nurses' mental health and well-being cannot be ignored., Conclusions: WPV for critical care nurses is a serious issue that needs to be considered. Policy-makers should develop the politics of regulating the nursing profession, especially for critical care nurses in Lebanon., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Objective: The aim was to explore the relationship between Night Eating Syndrome (NES) and experiencing Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) among college students in Oman. Method : A descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional design was performed on 266 university students studying at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Night Eating Syndrome and Fear of Missing Out questionnaires. Data analysis was performed through Pearson correlation, One-way ANOVA and independent t-test using SPSS 24 software Results: The participants' ages ranged between 18 and 30 years (M = 21.15; SD = 1.97). The majority of the participants were female (204, 76.7%), single (266, 97.7%), and 152 (57.1%) lived on campus Overall, a weak positive and nonsignificant correlation between FoMO and NES and a significant difference between males and females in the mean score of FoMO (P = 0.005) was noticed. The mean score of NES among students who live on campus was higher than for those living off campus (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study explored a limited aspect of the relationship between fear of missing out and night eating behaviors among university students in Oman. There was no significant direct relationship between both variables. The study needs to be repeated using a larger sample size and more rigorous methods to calculate the number of snacks/day, and the number of meals/day., (Copyright © 2022 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Depression and anxiety are prevalent mental illnesses among young people. Crisis like the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may increase the current prevalence of these illnesses. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to (1) explore the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among youth and (2) identify to what extent certain variables related to COVID-19 could predict depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) among young people in six different countries. Participants were requested to complete an online survey including demographics and the DAS scale. A total of 1,057 participants from Oman ( n = 155), Saudi Arabia ( n = 121), Jordan ( n = 332), Iraq ( n = 117), United Arab Emirates ( n = 147), and Egypt ( n = 182) completed the study. The total prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 57%, 40.5%, and 38.1%, respectively, with no significant differences between countries. Significant predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression were being female, being in contact with a friend and/or a family member with mental illness, being quarantined for 14 days, and using the internet. In conclusion, COVID-19 is an epidemiological crisis that is casting a shadow on youths' DAS. The restrictions and prolonged lockdowns imposed by COVID-19 are negatively impacting their level of DAS. Healthcare organisations, in collaboration with various sectors, are recommended to apply psychological first aid and design appropriate educational programmes to improve the mental health of youth., Competing Interests: No authors of this paper have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Omar Al Omari et al.)