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Background: Understanding the connection between parental wellbeing and its impact on childhood depression is crucial in order to develop targeted interventions and support systems that can mitigate potential long-term effects on mental health. This study focuses on examining the properties of an Arabic translation of a questionnaire called Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire Parent Version (SMFQ-P) as a preliminary step toward validating a culturally relevant screening tool for childhood depression in Lebanon., Methods: A total of 502 parents, recruited through a snowball method, took part in the survey with an age of 36.24 years (SD ± 8.29). Among them 74.5% were females 88.8% were married and 72.9% had completed university level education. The children's mean age was 7.95 ± 1.14 years. The SMFQ-P was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability measures, and correlations with parental distress using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-8 (DASS-8)., Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated an excellent fit for the one-factor model of SMFQ-P scores (RMSEA = 0.059, 90% CI [0.049, 0.070]; SRMR = 0.034; CFI = 0.967; TLI = 0.960), with standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.58 to 0.82. Male parents reported more depression in their child than female parents (p = .016). Parental distress levels (r = .60, p < .001) correlated strongly with SMFQ-P scores, suggesting indirect concurrent validity., Conclusion: The SMFQ-P shows promise as a screening tool for childhood depression, offering preliminary evidence of its reliability and validity in the Lebanese context. Limitations, including reliance on parent-reported distress and the lack of a direct child-report validation, should be addressed in future studies., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the School of Pharmacy at the Lebanese International University (2023ERC-127-LIUSOP). Participants were asked to get their parents’ approval before filling the survey; an electronic informed consent was considered obtained from each participant when submitting the online form. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Problematic Internet Use (PIU), emotional states of stress, anxiety and depression, and the practice of physical activity among Tunisian students., Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 976 university students aged 20.76 ± 1.63 years (46.8% female). They filled out an online survey comprised of a socio-demographic questionnaire, the depression, anxiety and stress scale- 21 items (DASS-21), the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) and the compulsive internet use scale (CIUS). Students were divided, based on their economic levels, into three groups: low (n = 256, 26.23%), medium (n = 523, 53.59%) and high (n = 197, 20.18%)., Results: Mediation analysis: Indirect effects of IPAQ and gender on DASS-21 were highlighted: β= -0.18 (p < 0.01) and β= -0.04, P < 0.01) respectively. In addition, a significant and negative effect of IPAQ on CIUS was demonstrated (β = -0.45, P < 0.01). In addition, the effect of CIUS on DASS-21 was significant (β = 0.39, P < 0.01). Also, the effect of gender on CIUS was significant (β=-0.10, P < 0.01) However, its effect on DASS-21 was not significant (β = 0.05, p = 0.078). The total effect of IPAQ on DASS21 was significant (β= -0.52, p < 0.01) but the effect of Gender on DASS-21 was not significant (β = 0.01, p = 0.817). Moderation analysis: the results showed a significant moderation effect of the interaction between IPAQ and Gender on CIUS (β = 0.07, p < 0.01). However, it was not significant between Gender and CIUS on DASS-21 (β = 0.09, p = 0.390) and between IPAQ and Gender on DASS21 (β = 0.01, p = 0.736) Also, the interaction between IPAQ and CIUS did not have a significant moderation effect on DASS-21 (β = 0.15, p = 0.115)., Conclusions: Findings suggest that relationships between PIU and negative emotional state of depression, anxiety and stress are mediated via physical exercise. These results underscore the importance of the physical activity factor in the studies analyzing longitudinal effects of PIU on mental health outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: In the context of persistent wars and conflicts worldwide, the impact of acute, excessive and constant exposure to media coverage of such events on mental health outcomes becomes a serious problem for public health, and requires therefore urgent investigation to inform an effective prevention and management response. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that war-related media exposure is directly and indirectly associated with insomnia through depression and perceived stress among adults from the general population of different Arab countries., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried-out two weeks after the beginning of Israel-Gaza war on the 7th of October 2023. An anonymous online survey and a snowball sampling method were adopted to collect data. A sample of 2635 general population adults (mean age of 23.98 ± 7.55 years, 73.1% females) took part of this study., Results: The results of the mediation analysis showed that, after adjusting over potential confounders, depression and perceived stress fully mediated the association between war media exposure and insomnia; higher war media exposure was significantly associated with higher depression (Beta = 0.13; p < .001) and perceived stress (Beta = 0.07; p < .001), whereas higher depression (Beta = 0.43; p < .001) and perceived stress (Beta = 0.31; p < .001) were significantly associated with higher insomnia. It is of note that war media exposure was not significantly and directly associated with insomnia (Beta = - 0.01; p = .178 and Beta = 0.02; p = .098 respectively)., Conclusion: The present study is the first to provide evidence that more time spent viewing the horrors of war is significantly associated with insomnia. In addition, symptoms of stress and depression were present as early as two weeks following the beginning of the war, and played a significant role in mediating the association between war media coverage and insomnia. These findings suggest that timely screening for, and management of depression and stress symptoms in clinical and preventive programs might be beneficial for community adults who have been heavily and indirectly exposed to war through media, and present with insomnia., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The utility of the World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) as rapid screening tool for depression has not yet been researched in the context of schizophrenia. The goals of this study were twofold: (1) to test the psychometric properties of the WHO-5 in a sample of Arabic-speaking patients with schizophrenia from Lebanon, with particular emphasis on validating the WHO-5 as a screening tool for wellbeing and depression in patients with schizophrenia; and (2) to determine the optimal cut-off point to identify schizophrenia patients with depression., Methods: Chronic, remitted patients with schizophrenia took part in this cross-sectional study between August and October 2023 (n = 117; mean age of 57.86 ± 10.88 years and 63.3% males). The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) was included as index of validity. For the validation of the WHO-5 scale, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the original structure of the scale. To assess the discriminatory validity of the Arabic version of the WHO-5 as a screening tool for depression, we conducted a Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, taking the WHO-5 reversed score against the dichotomized CDSS score at a cut off value of 6., Results: The results of CFA supported the originally proposed unidimensional structure of the measure, with good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.80), concurrent validity, and cross-sex measurement invariance. The WHO-5 showed a sensitivity of 0.8 and a specificity of 0.7 in the detection of depression with a cut-off point of 9.5. The validity of the WHO-5 as a screening tool for depression was supported by the excellent discrimination AUC value of 0.838. Based on this WHO-5 cut-off value, 42.6% of the patients were screened as having a depression., Conclusion: The study contributes to the field by showing that the WHO-5 is a concise and convenient self-report measure for quickly screening and monitoring depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. It is therefore highly recommended to apply this cut-off point for screening and follow-up assessments. The current findings will hopefully encourage clinicians and researchers working in Arab settings, who are often confronted with significant time and resource constraints, to start using the WHO-5 to aid their efforts in mitigating depression in this vulnerable population and fostering research in this under-researched area., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: The aim of the current study is to evaluate the moderating effect of psychological distress variables, depression, anxiety and stress on the relationship between affective temperaments and future anxiety, assessed with the Dark Future scale., Methods: Lebanese adults from all districts/governorates of Lebanon participated in this cross-sectional study. The data was collected through a questionnaire including: a section about sociodemographic characteristics, the Dark Future scale (DFS), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-8) and the Affective Temperament Scale (TEMPS-M)., Results: The interaction irritable temperament by psychological distress (p = .007) was significantly associated with dark future; at low levels of psychological distress, more irritable temperament (Beta = 0.16) was significantly associated with more dark future. The interaction anxious temperament by psychological distress (p = .010) was significantly associated with dark future; at low (Beta = 0.34), moderate (Beta = 0.25) and high (Beta = 0.15) levels of psychological distress, more anxious temperament was significantly associated with more dark future., Conclusion: The nature of the associations among depression, anxiety and stress, specific temperaments and anxiety towards the future in a sample of Lebanese individuals was clarified. This is especially significant as Lebanese people live in circumstances that promote psychological distress and future anxiety such as dramatic economic and political crises, instability and lack of security in different aspects of life., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The way how technology addiction relates to psychosis remains inconclusive and uncertain. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis of a mediating role of depression, anxiety and stress in the association between three technology (behavioral) addictions (i.e., Addiction to the Internet, smartphones and Facebook) and psychosis proneness as estimated through schizotypal traits in emerging adults., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among non-clinical Tunisian university students (67.6% females, mean age of 21.5 ± 2.5 years) using a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire., Results: Results for the Pearson correlation revealed that higher smartphone, Internet, and Facebook addictions' scores were significantly and positively correlated with each of the depression, anxiety and stress subscores; whereas depression (r = 0.474), anxiety (r = 0.499) and stress (r = 0.461) scores were positively correlated with higher schizotypal traits. The results of the mediation analysis found a significant mediating effect for depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms on the cross-sectional relationship between each facet of the TA and schizotypal traits., Conclusion: Our findings preliminarily suggest that an addictive use of smartphones, Internet and Facebook may act as a stressor that exacerbates psychosis proneness directly or indirectly through distress. Although future longitudinal research is needed to determine causality, we draw attention to the possibility that treating psychological distress may constitute an effective target of interventions to prevent psychosis in adolescents with technology addictions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Religiosity has been hypothesized to play protective roles against suicide. In Tunisia, despite the gravity of the issue after the 2011 Revolution and the rise of suicide rates among adolescents and young adults, a significant lack of data remains. The present work aimed to evaluate the associations between suicide and religiosity in university students. The Suicidal Ideations Questionnaire and The Arabic Religiosity scale were used to determine associations between suicidality and religiosity. We found a strong negative correlations found between suicidal ideations and the three sub-scores of religiosity after controlling for the associations between psychosocial variables and suicidal ideations scores. Our findings emphasize the importance of assessing the role of religiosity to the subject and understanding how suicide is conceptualized and perceived in the subject's religion when dealing with suicidal ideation and behaviors among college students. A better knowledge of religious beliefs and even an integration of Islamic beliefs and practices in the psychotherapeutic process of Muslim youth may be helpful to cope with suicide.

Aim: Depression is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes. It may have a negative impact on the management of diabetes mellitus and could affect weight. The main aim of the investigation was to evaluate the effect of antidepressant treatment (sertraline) on anthropometric variables and glycemic control in depressed type 2 diabetic patients., Methods: Thirty three type 2 diabetic outpatients depressed received open-label sertraline therapy for up to 12 weeks. Clinical outcome measures included the 17-item Hamilton depression rating. Changes in the anthropometrics variables were evaluated by measuring weight, waist circumference and by calculating body mass index at three, six and 12 weeks of treatment. In addition, fasting, postprandial plasma glucose level, glycosylated hemoglobin-A 1C measures, lipid and renal profile were obtained before and during sertraline therapy., Results: Weight decreased significantly (-2kg; p=0.000) and body mass index decreased from 30.41kg/m 2 to 29.6kg/m 2 (p=0.000). Patients lost on average seven centimeters in waist circumference (p=0.000). We also observed a modest, non-significant reduction in fasting, postprandial and glycosylated hemoglobin. We observed a significant reduction in mean score according to the Hamilton depression scale (p=0.000) CONCLUSION: Our study results suggested that sertraline produced a benefic effect on weight, body mass index and waist circumference at 12-week follow up., (Copyright © 2018 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

On March 18, 2015, two gunmen attacked the Bardo museum in Tunis, Tunisia, killing 23 foreign tourists. We assessed PTSD and depression symptoms 4-6 weeks after the event among museum workers, in relation to sociodemographic factors and social support, and we analysed the determinants and predictor factors of PTSD and depression symptoms among the participants. Our findings indicated that 68.6% of the respondents had posttraumatic stress symptoms above the cutoff point (IER-S scores >33), and 40.6% reported severe levels of depressive symptoms (DASS-depression scores >20). Male and female participants did not significantly differ in terms of their symptom severities. Low social support was the best predictor of PTSD and depression symptoms. Our results suggest that interventions designed to reinforce ties within social networks may be particularly helpful for victims in the aftermath of a terrorist attack.

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Résumé Introduction Bien que la survie soit la principale préoccupation pendant et après traitement du cancer colorectal, la fonction sexuelle réapparaît souvent comme une préoccupation majeure chez les hommes qui en sont atteints lorsque la peur de la mort ait été dépassée. La majorité des survivants de ce cancer restaient souvent sexuellement actifs. Cependant, des études antérieures ont trouvé que la dysfonction sexuelle chez ces patients est plus fréquente que dans la population générale. L'objectif de notre étude était d'évaluer la fonction sexuelle dans un groupe d'hommes traités pour un cancer colorectal et d'analyser l'association entre la dysfonction érectile (DE) et la dépression, le soutien social, les données relatives à la maladie cancéreuse et les données sociodémographiques. Méthodes Nous avons mené une étude transversale sur une période de deux mois (mars–mai 2018) auprès de 50 hommes opérés pour cancer colorectal depuis au moins 6 mois et ayant terminé tous les traitements depuis au moins un mois. La fonction sexuelle a été mesurée à l'aide de l'Index international de la dysfonction érectile. Résultats Les participants avaient un âge allant de 35 à 65 ans. Une dépression a été objectivée dans 18 % des cas. Le score médian de fonction érectile était de 19,5. En fonction de ce score, notre population a été divisée en deux groupes : groupe avec DE (68 %, n = 34) et groupe sans DE (32 %, n = 16). La DE des 50 patients était significativement associée à l'âge des patients (p = 0,027), à l'entente générale au sein du couple (p = 0,004), à la dépression (p = 0,006) et au soutien social (p = 0,031). Conclusion Notre étude a mis l'accent sur la fréquence très importante des dysfonctions sexuelles chez les patients atteints de cancer colorectal traité. Une meilleure connaissance de ces facteurs prédictifs de DE dans cette population devrait permettre de repérer et prendre en charge de façon adaptée les troubles sexuels de ces patients. Summary Background Although the effect of colorectal cancer treatment on sexual function has been well established, the impact of psychosocial variables, such as depression and social support, has been neglected. We aimed in this study to evaluate sexual function in colorectal male patients and to analyze the association between erectile dysfunction and depression, social support, cancer data and sociodemographic data. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted (March–May 2018). We administered the International Index of Erectile Function on 50 male treated for colorectal cancer. Results The median age of patients included in this study was 56 years old. The majority of them was in the medium socio-economic status (72%) and lived in urban areas (66%). Seventy percent (70%) of patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage (III). Our findings indicated that 68% of patients had erectile dysfunction and 18.0% reported depressive symptoms. Erectile dysfunction was significantly associated with patient age (P = 0.027), overall agreement within the couple (P = 0.004), depression (P = 0.006) and social support (P = 0.031). Conclusions Our study highlighted the high frequency of sexual dysfunction in patients with treated colorectal cancer. A better knowledge of factors correlated to erectile dysfunction in this vulnerable population should allow its identification and its appropriate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]