Risk and protective factors for health behaviour in adolescence in Europe.

The purpose of the analysis was to identify the risk and protective factors for health behaviour in European adolescents from population health status and expenditure, mental health status, sexual life, social life and education indices and the existence of national strategies, programmes. National and international databases providing information on the presumed health behaviour predictors were used in the analysis. The existence of national health strategies, the level of health expenditure, the socioeconomic conditions, the level of education and literacy had significant influence on the health-risk behaviour of adolescents in the European societies. Six clusters of European countries were extracted by considering the health behaviour risks and health protection strategies. National health strategies combined with governmental support for health prevention and action plans have the most effective impact on the health-risk behaviour of adolescents.

A new monitoring system for nutritional status assessment in children at home.

Regular monitoring of children's nutritional status is essential to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, nutritional status abnormalities as stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity. Nutritional status assessment is usually performed by paediatricians by using anthropometry (body mass index, weight to height indices) and/or by body fat-mass measurement (bioimpedance analysis, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, computer tomography, etc.). Parents are also interested in but usually fail to evaluate their child's nutritional status. To help the sufficient collaboration between the physician and parents a new nutritional status monitoring method is developed for families. The new monitoring system was developed under a paediatrician's supervision by considering national and international recommendations, references as well as the anthropometric measurement possibilities at home. The model requires age, sex, body mass, height, waist circumference and hand circumference as predictor (input) variables of nutritional status, while (1) the centile values of the measured body dimensions, (2) body fat percentage and the centile of body fat percentage, (3) the nutritional status category (undernutrition, normal nutritional status, overfat/obese) can be predicted (outcome variables) by the new method. The predictive accuracy of the model for nutritional status category was 94.88% in boys and 98.66% in girls. The new model was developed for nutritional status assessment in school-aged children and will be incorporated in the healthy lifestyle module of 'Teenage Survival Guide' educational package to be developed by the Health Promotion and Education Research Team, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary. The new monitoring system could help the families to identify the early signs of malnutrition in children. Nutritional status assessment in children at home is suggested twice a year, and in case of suspicious nutritional status abnormality it is recommended to visit the general practitioner.

Problematic Smartphone Use and Problematic Social Media Use: The Predictive Role of Self-Construal and the Mediating Effect of Fear Missing Out.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) are two interrelated constructs which have received significant research attention over the past decade. The present study investigated the relationship between self-construal (distinguished as independent and interdependent), PSU and PSMU with Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a mediating variable. The sample comprised 405 Italian students who completed standardized psychometric scales assessing the variables of the study. Bivariate correlations analysis showed that FoMO and independent self-construal was significantly and negatively associated. On the contrary, interdependent self-construal was significantly and positively associated with FoMO, PSU, and PSMU. Mediation analysis showed that FoMO mediated the relationship between self-construal and both PSMU and PSU, but at different levels. The results demonstrated that FoMO full mediated the relationships between interdependent self and PSU, whereas only partial mediation was found between interdependent self and PSMU. Therefore, taking these personality characteristics into account may help reduce dysfunctional behaviour associated with problematic technology use and promote psychological well-being among students. However, it is recommended that further studies replicate the proposed model by including other psychological constructs.

Gender differences in the relationship between religion/spirituality, well-being and depression.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Numerous studies report the positive effects of religion/spirituality on mental health, including the positive association of religion/spirituality with well-being and negative association with depressive symptoms. However, few studies focus on how gender influences the relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health, and to date, no research has been conducted on this aspect among emerging adults. This study aims to test the qualitative and quantitative gender differences in the relationship between religion/spirituality and depression and well-being among emerging adults. METHOD: In this mixed methodological study, data (N=523; women=62%, age=18-28) were collected with a questionnaire including CES-D-R (depression), WBI-5 (well-being), BMMRS (multidimensional measurement of religion/spi - rituality) and two open-ended qualitative questions on the perceived negative and positive effects of religion/spirituality among emerging adults. RESULTS: Results show a moderate relationship between religion/spirituality and well-being, as well as between religion/spirituality and depression among women, and a weak relationship between these variables among men. The dimensions of religion/spirituality which showed a significant association with well-being and depression varied by gender. According to the qualitative data, both genders conceptualize the effects of religion/spirituality on their lives in the same way; yet, a significant gender difference was found in the frequency of five qualitative codes. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of dimensional approach towards religion/spirituality in research and suggest gender differences in the effect-mechanism of religion/spirituality on the mental health of emerging adults. Besides, still unreported forms of the perceived negative and positive effects of religion/spirituality were found.

Parental bonding and problematic internet or social media use among adolescents.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Parental bonding is regarded as one of the risk factors of problematic internet use among adolescents and young adults; however, only few studies have examined the association between problematic social media use and parental bonding among adolescents. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference between problematic internet use and problematic social media use in terms of their associations with parental bonding among secondary school students. METHOD: With a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, 2035 self-reported questionnaires were collected in a paper-pencil survey (54.2% females, mean age=16.97, SD=1.61). Problematic internet use, problematic social media use and parental bonding with both mother and father were measured. The predictors of problematic internet use and social media use were tested simultaneously with structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Problematic internet use and social media use correlate significantly (r=0.57). Girls reported more symptoms in problematic use of internet and social media. Maternal and paternal overprotection were significantly associated with problematic social media use. Paternal care decreased and maternal overprotection significantly increased the problematic internet use. However, the model only explains a small part of the variance of both types of problematic use (10% and 7%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Parental overprotection may be a small but significant risk factor for developing problematic internet uses. Problematic internet use and problematic social media use are not the same; they are slightly different in their associations with parental bonding dimensions.

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Psychopathological Symptoms, and Problematic Internet Use: A Complex Mediation Model.

BACKGROUND: There are many empirical studies that demonstrate the associations between problematic internet use, psychopathological symptoms, and personality traits. However, complex models are scarce. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to build and test a mediation model based on problematic internet use, psychopathological symptoms, and personality traits. METHODS: Data were collected from a medical addiction center (43 internet addicts) and internet cafés (222 customers) in Beijing (mean age 22.45, SD 4.96 years; 239/265, 90.2% males). Path analysis was applied to test the mediation models using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Based on the preliminary analyses (correlations and linear regression), two different models were built. In the first model, low conscientiousness and depression had a direct significant influence on problematic internet use. The indirect effect of conscientiousness-via depression-was nonsignificant. Emotional stability only affected problematic internet use indirectly, via depressive symptoms. In the second model, low conscientiousness also had a direct influence on problematic internet use, whereas the indirect path via the Global Severity Index was again nonsignificant. Emotional stability impacted problematic internet use indirectly via the Global Severity Index, whereas it had no direct effect on it, as in the first model. CONCLUSIONS: Personality traits (ie, conscientiousness as a protective factor and neuroticism as a risk factor) play a significant role in problematic internet use, both directly and indirectly (via distress level).

Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire Short-Form (PIUQ-SF-6) in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents.

Despite the large number of measurement tools developed to assess problematic Internet use, numerous studies use measures with only modest investigation into their psychometric properties. The goal of the present study was to validate the short (6-item) version of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) on a nationally representative adolescent sample (n = 5,005; mean age 16.4 years, SD = 0.87) and to determine a statistically established cut-off value. Data were collected within the framework of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs project. Results showed an acceptable fit of the original three-factor structure to the data. In addition, a MIMIC model was carried out to justify the need for three distinct factors. The sample was divided into users at-risk of problematic Internet use and those with no-risk using a latent profile analysis. Two latent classes were obtained with 14.4% of adolescents belonging to the at-risk group. Concurrent and convergent validity were tested by comparing the two groups across a number of variables (i.e., time spent online, academic achievement, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and preferred online activities). Using the at-risk latent profile analysis class as the gold standard, a cut-off value of 15 (out of 30) was suggested based on sensitivity and specificity analyses. In conclusion, the brief version of the (6-item) PIUQ also appears to be an appropriate measure to differentiate between Internet users at risk of developing problematic Internet use and those not at risk. Furthermore, due to its brevity, the shortened PIUQ is advantageous to utilize within large-scale surveys assessing many different behaviors and/or constructs by reducing the overall number of survey questions, and as a consequence, likely increasing completion rates.

The mediating effect of self-esteem, depression and anxiety between satisfaction with body appearance and problematic internet use.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Given that dissatisfaction with bodily appearance can sometimes lead to the avoidance of personal contacts and the increase of internet use, this study examines this relationship. The direct role of dissatisfaction with bodily appearance along with the possible mediation effects of depression, anxiety and self-esteem were tested. METHODS: A total of 694 participants completed an online questionnaire (58.5% male, mean age 21.5 years), containing measures on problematic internet use, depression and anxiety symptoms, self-esteem and satisfaction with body image. Path analyses were used to test direct and indirect effects. RESULTS: Satisfaction with body appearance had a significant negative direct effect on problematic internet use among both sexes. Though, satisfaction with body appearance had a positive effect on self-esteem and negative on anxiety, neither self-esteem nor anxiety had a direct significant effect on problematic internet use. The effect of dissatisfaction with body appearance was mediated via the self-esteem-depression path toward problematic internet use. CONCLUSIONS: Dissatisfaction with physical appearance seems to have a significant role in individuals' immersing themselves in internet use.

Confirmation of the three-factor model of problematic internet use on off-line adolescent and adult samples.

As the Internet became widely used, problems associated with its excessive use became increasingly apparent. Although for the assessment of these problems several models and related questionnaires have been elaborated, there has been little effort made to confirm them. The aim of the present study was to test the three-factor model of the previously created Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) by data collection methods formerly not applied (off-line group and face-to-face settings), on the one hand, and by testing on different age groups (adolescent and adult representative samples), on the other hand. Data were collected from 438 high-school students (44.5 percent boys; mean age: 16.0 years; standard deviation=0.7 years) and also from 963 adults (49.9 percent males; mean age: 33.6 years; standard deviation=11.8 years). We applied confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the measurement model of problematic Internet use. The results of the analyses carried out inevitably support the original three-factor model over the possible one-factor solution. Using latent profile analysis, we identified 11 percent of adults and 18 percent of adolescent users characterized by problematic use. Based on exploratory factor analysis, we also suggest a short form of the PIUQ consisting of nine items. Both the original 18-item version of PIUQ and its short 9-item form have satisfactory reliability and validity characteristics, and thus, they are suitable for the assessment of problematic Internet use in future studies.