Correction: Men's knowledge, attitude, and barriers towards emergency contraception: A facility based cross-sectional study at King Saud University Medical City.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249292.].

Relationship Between Socio-Demographics, Study Skills and Distress Among Pakistani School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: The increasing prevalence of distress among students is of global concern. Several factors such as school and family environment and ineffective study skills could influence mental health. The study explored the rate of distress symptoms among school students' and its relationship with their study skills, stressors and demographic factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, a sample of 215 students from a community school participated in the study. Three questionnaires, demographic questionnaire, Study Skills Inventory and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Student's t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression. Results: Response rate was 70% (n = 150). A high proportion of respondents (75%) was distressed (mean 27.28 ± 8.77). Correlation analysis showed that distress (K10 score) was negatively related to study skills (SSI total score) (r = -0.247, p = 0.002). The rate of distress symptoms was higher among female students (79%) compared to their male counterparts (72%). The factors associated with distress included negative association of teachers' level of help to develop competencies (p = 0.000, ß = -0.278, R2 = 0.249), unfavorable school environment (p = 0.000, ß = 0.285, R2 = 0.123), inability to cope with studies (p = 0.005, ß = 0.205, R2 = 0.038), family problems (p = 0.014, ß = 0.184, R2 = 0.173) and lower study skills (p = 0.031, ß = -0.164, R2 = 0.270). The overall regression analysis explained 33.6% of the variance (corrected R2 = 0.336). Conclusion: Higher than expected levels of distress (75%) was found in immigrant school students. Poor study skills have a significant relationship with distress. Learning environment and related stress factors were associated with distress among students. Based on the findings, it is recommended that stakeholders in education address the hidden curriculum, as it is usually unacknowledged and might affect students' wellbeing, and move from student centered to an interpersonal relation-centered education.

Assessing the Validity of Health Messages Used by the Saudi Public in WhatsApp.

Objective: WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media platform in Saudi Arabia. Inaccurate information could negatively impact public health. The number of studies worldwide investigating health-related misinformation in social media increased steadily, with limited data from Arabic-speaking communities. This study aimed to estimate the validity and safety of Arabic-language health information messages circulated on WhatsApp and identify the different categories of these messages based on their credibility. Participants and Methods: A descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. A total of 374 students were randomly selected from the common first preparatory year college at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and participated by sharing up to three health-related WhatsApp messages per student that they or their relatives had recently read. Four board-certified physicians reviewed and classified the messages based on their credibility and sources. Results: 282 students provided 326 messages (1.2 messages per student). Most messages (86%) had either invalid or inaccurate content, and 83.7% came from unknown sources. Only 26 messages (8%) of the total were written by trusted scientific sources. Most of the messages from unknown sources or unqualified persons were either invalid or invalid, with potential health risks for the public, and the difference from trusted sources was statistically significant. Conclusion: This study showed a high percentage of inaccurate and invalid health-related messages on WhatsApp. Invalid messages with potential health risks were authored mostly by unknown sources or unqualified persons. Most health messages written by trusted authorities and qualified persons were valid. Trusted scientific authorities should thus be more active in public education on social media platforms. They should advise their communities on how to discern the validity of such messages. More efforts are needed to guide patients from where to obtain accurate and valid health information.

Does professionalism change with different sociodemographic variables? A survey of Arab medical residents.

BACKGROUND: Medical professionalism reflects the commitment of physicians to their patients, society, themselves, and the profession. The study examined residents' attitudes towards professionalism and how these attitudes vary among the different demographic groups, namely gender, specialty, and year of residency. METHODS: A proportionate random sampling strategy was used to select the study sample. Medical residents from six specialties at a large tertiary care teaching facility were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey used the modified Learners Attitude of Medical Professionalism Scale (LAMPS), which consists of five domains: respect, excellence, altruism, duty/accountability, and integrity. Chi-square, Student t-test, one-way ANOVA, factorial ANOVA, and post hoc analysis were used to examine the attitudinal differences towards professionalism among the different demographic factors. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 82.7%. Overall, the residents' self-reported attitudes towards professionalism was positive. The highest score was for the "respect" domain (4.61), and the lowest was for "altruism" (3.67). No significant association was found between the mean scores and the three studied variables, namely, gender, specialty (surgical/nonsurgical), and level (senior/junior). CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were observed in the overall attitude towards professionalism among the residents regarding their year of residency, gender, and specialty. The low altruism score and absence of improvement of the total score regarding the residents' increasing experience in the profession are concerns that need remedial action. Therefore, we suggest that future research look for possible explanations by using multi-institutional surveys that explore not only the residents' attitudes, but also the trainers' attitudes and practice, work situations, the hidden curriculum, and culture. Key messagesAttitudes towards professionalism among different demographic groups of residents do not show similar variations as has been reported in the literature, albeit in different sociocultural contexts.The low altruism score and absence of improvement of the total score as the residents gained more experience in the profession are concerns that need remedial action.A longitudinal study involving more than one institution for both residents and their faculty members to compare faculty scores with those of residents, while controlling for specialty and gender, may help elucidate the factors affecting attitudes towards professionalism and suggest possible means of addressing unfavourable attitudes.

The relationship between study skills and depressive symptoms among medical residents.

BACKGROUND: The cost of depression among residents is staggering as it extends into the quality and safety of patient care. Finding an explanation to resident depression by investigating the associated factors is therefore important. Study skills can be a possible factor, and a clear gap in the literature exists in this regard. We sought to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms among residents and their study skills. METHODS: This was a correlational study and a non-probability sample of 240 residents completed the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the Study Skills Inventory (SSI). Chi-square test was used to compare different categorical variables, while student t-test and ANOVA for continuous data. Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed to find the relationship between depressive symptoms and study skills and the association that these measures have with the demographic variables. RESULTS: Overall, 186 residents (76%) filled out the questionnaire. The SSI total score was found to have a significant negative association with the BDI-II depression score (Pearson correlation = - 0.447and p < 0.000). No significant association was found between the total SSI score and the residents' sex, age, marital status, smoking status, training years or specialties. CONCLUSION: Poor study skills were found to be correlated with higher depressive symptoms. Future studies are required to develop a deeper understanding of this relationship and reconfigure the approach to study skills for the well-being of the future physicians.

Validation of a new study skills scale to provide an explanation for depressive symptoms among medical students.

BACKGROUND: Medical students are faced with enormous academic demands that may influence their emotional wellbeing. The high rate of depression among medical students and its negative impact is an impetus to find explanation for the factors associated with it. Study skills that students possess might be such a factor. The current tools for the assessment of the study skills may have certain limitations, particularly for different cultural settings. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop and validate a Study Skills Inventory (SSI), and to investigate the relationship between the students' study skills and the extent (severity) of depressive symptoms, measured using the validated tool. METHOD: The first version of the SSI was developed through expert consensus. The inventory was then administered to a randomly selected group of medical students. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the internal validity. External validation was conducted by comparing the results of the SSI with the "Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students" (ASSIST). After validation, the correlation between the SSI total score with the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) total score was investigated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The means of the total study skills scores for each severity category of depression were compared using ANOVA. RESULTS: A total of 23 items, representing five sub-scales, were included in the inventory. Based on 372 student responses (response rate of 93%), the five-factor solution explained a cumulative variance of 52% and Cronach alpha was 0.84. The SSI total score had a significant negative association with the BDI-II depression score (Pearson correlation of -.348** and P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study showed evidence for acceptable reliability and validity of the newly developed SSI. Poor study skills were found to correlate with higher depressive symptoms. This association needs confirmation in future research and could open a new door for better understanding of student depression.

The pattern of social media use and its association with academic performance among medical students.

BACKGROUND: There are concerns that the use of social media (SM) among medical students could affect academic performance. The objectives of the study were to investigate the pattern and reasons for SM use and their association with academic performance. METHODS: A stratified random sample, frequency distribution and comparison of categorical variables with Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used. RESULTS: Of the 97% who responded, 98% used SM. The most popular were Whatsapp (87.8%), You tube (60.8%) and Twitter (51.8%) for general use; while You tube (83.5%), Whatsapp (35.5%) and Twitter (35.3%) for learning. For general use, there was a significant higher number of visits to You tube and Facebook among male students, while the reverse was true for Instagram and Path. Around 71% visited SM >4 times/day and 55% spent 1-4 hours/day. The main reasons for SM use were entertainment (95.8%), staying up-to-date with news (88.3%), and socializing (85.5%); for academic studies (40%). There was no significant association between Grade Point Average and the frequency of daily SM use or use during lectures. CONCLUSIONS: While almost all the students used SM, only a minority used them for academic purposes. SM use was not associated with academic performance.

Family physicians' utility of social media: a survey comparison among family medicine residents and physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Social media has become ubiquitous and has brought a dramatic change in health services. Little is known about its use by family physicians and residents for personal or professional purpose. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the utility of social media among family medicine residents and consultants. METHODS: The collection of data was through the use of a five part questionnaire developed by researchers. The questionnaire was delivered to 70 physicians and 100 residents, out of which 132questionnaires were completed, representing a 78 percent response rate. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrate that there was an overall high use of social media. Females used social media more for general education and professional purposes. Men, by contrast, used it more frequently for personal purposes. The participants in this study appeared to consider social media as having several useful dimensions, such as: enabling them to accomplish job tasks, improve job performance, productivity and more effective patient care when using social media. CONCLUSIONS: To date, limited studies have compared social media use among family physicians and residents. This study may serve as an initial step for future studies explaining the pattern of use among physicians.