Child maltreatment among deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescent students: associations with depression and anxiety.

Objective: Child abuse and neglect have several short- and long-term consequences for the victim. Though Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children are at higher risk of being maltreated as compared to hearing children, little research in Saudi Arabia has focused on this population. To determine the prevalence of child maltreatment and to examine its association with depression and anxiety among a sample of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in Saudi Arabia, recruited from secondary schools in southern Saudi Arabia. Methods: The sample included 186 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students aged 14-17 years (M = 15.7 years; SD = 3.41 years). Data were collected using the Child Abuse Self-Report Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire. Bivariate and Linear regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 20. Results: About 47.3% of the students were exposed severe to very severe child maltreatment. The severity of maltreatment varied based on parents' educational and income level, number of children in the family, the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing student's gender, and parents' hearing status. Linear regression analysis indicated that child maltreatment was a significant predictor of depression and anxiety in this sample. Conclusion: Considering the socio-demographic factors influencing the prevalence of maltreatment in the present study, it seems important to work with parents of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children to improve their skills in rearing a child with special needs. Addressing the social stigma and social barriers experienced by DHH individuals through familial, institutional, and community interventions may be a first step toward long-term prevention of maltreatment among DHH children.

Impulsivity and aggression as risk factors for internet gaming disorder among university students.

Internet gaming addiction is a global problem, especially among young individuals. Exhibiting characteristics similar to other addictions, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is linked to adverse mental health outcomes. Identified as risk factors for dependence behaviors, the association of impulsivity and aggression with IGD is relatively under-researched in the student population. The present sample of 350 university students (Mage = 21.30 years, SDage = 4.96 years) from Najran university in Saudi Arabia completed an online questionnaire that included the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-15). Results indicated that impulsivity and aggression were positively associated with IGD severity and both personality traits explained 34.6% of the variance in IGD scores. Further bivariate analyses suggested that individuals spending 7 or more hours on internet gaming were more likely to exhibit high impulsivity and aggression, and had a relatively higher severity of IGD. These results suggest that individuals with these personality traits may be more vulnerable to developing an addiction to internet gaming. These findings need to be confirmed in future more robust studies; however, this exploratory study provides insights for potential programs to prevent IGD among young individuals.

The association between internet addiction and sleep quality among medical students in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Sleep is one of the fundamental human needs, essential for maintaining a high quality of life and mental and physical well-being across all age groups. Poor sleep quality often stems from negative lifestyle habits, including excessive internet usage. Therefore, it is important to determine the prevalence of internet gaming disorder among youth in Saudi Arabia and to examine the relationship between internet addiction levels and sleep quality. METHODS: Data were collected from 338 medical students in the southern region of Saudi Arabia (mean age = 21.2 years, standard deviation = 3.29 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data analysis employed iterations, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation coefficients, and ANOVA. RESULTS: The results revealed that 21% of the participants exhibited severe internet addiction, while 31% displayed moderate internet addiction. Furthermore, the findings indicated a positive correlation between sleep quality and the severity of internet addiction. Sleep quality symptoms explained 75% of the variance in Internet addiction scores, even after controlling for demographic variables. Additional bivariate analyses revealed that individuals who spent six or more hours online daily were more likely to experience symptoms of poor sleep quality and exhibit a higher severity of internet addiction. Additionally, Men were more susceptible to developing internet addiction compared to women. Moreover, students with internet addiction tended to have lower academic achievements. CONCLUSION: These findings, while exploratory, offer valuable insights into potential interventions, strategies, and programs for mitigating internet addiction and enhancing sleep quality among medical college students.

Impact of emotional divorce on the mental health of married women in Saudi Arabia.

Emotional divorce occurs when physical, psychological, mental, and spiritual separation occurs between spouses despite the fact that they live in the same house and exercise their marital duties. Emotional divorce has adverse effects on the mental health of those involved, as evidenced by the higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and loneliness among such couples. Saudi women are particularly vulnerable to emotional divorce owing to social, legal, economic, and cultural factors. Therefore, it is important to examine the relationship between emotional divorce and mental health issues (depression, anxiety, and loneliness) in married women in Saudi Arabia. Using scales that assess emotional divorce, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, data were collected from 241 married Saudi women (Mage = 34.41 years; SDage = 5.23 years). Findings revealed a statistically significant correlation between emotional divorce, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. One-way ANOVA confirmed that those with high levels of emotional divorce concurrently scores higher on the depression, anxiety, and loneliness tools, followed by those with moderate and low emotional divorce scores, respectively. Linear regression analysis indicated that depression, anxiety, and loneliness were strong predictors of emotional divorce, explaining 61% of the variance in the emotional divorce scores in this sample. These findings highlight the need to focus on the mental health outcomes of individuals experiencing emotional divorce, especially in societies where legal divorce may not be acceptable or encouraged. The need for regular evaluation and timely interventions for individuals struggling with mental health problems, and for restoring a healthy marital relationship is also highlighted.

Relationship between emotional divorce and alexithymia among married women in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Emotional divorce occurs when a couple continues to live together due to necessity and coercion but they do not have a positive or constructive relationship, which negatively affects the stability of married life. Due to the low social acceptance of a formal divorce in the Saudi society, emotional divorce is common in several families. The rigidity of feelings and emotions within the family and the inability to express them may indicate the presence of alexithymia, which could result in the collapse of the family system and place the people involved at risk of mental health problems such as depression. Therefore, it is important to determine the prevalence of emotional divorce among married women in Saudi Arabia and to examine the relationship between emotional divorce and alexithymia. METHODS: Data were collected from 305 married women in Saudi Arabia (Mage = 33.24 years; SDage = 4.87 years), using the Emotional Divorce Scale and the Alexithymia Scale. RESULTS: Results revealed that 78.36% of the participants experienced moderate to severe levels of emotional divorce. Working women, those who had been married for more than ten years, and those with five or more children exhibited a higher incidence of emotional divorce as compared to their counterparts. A linear regression analysis indicated that alexithymia was significantly associated with emotional divorce in this sample. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the need for examining the negative consequences of emotional divorce on the family and society. Additionally, it is important to educate young individuals of marriageable age about the nature of married life, and ways to deal with problems that occur. Finally, couples should be encouraged to express their positive and negative emotions with their spouse to build the marital relationship, and achieve compatibility and marital satisfaction.

Thinking styles and their relationship with self-efficacy among deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescent students.

This study aimed to identify the most common thinking styles of deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) and hearing adolescent students, and to examine the extent to which thinking styles predict self-efficacy. It also explored gender-based differences in the thinking styles and self-efficacy of DHH students. Data were collected from 145 DHH and 160 hearing adolescent students in Saudi Arabia (Mage = 17.8 years; SDage = 3.57 years) using the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II (TSI-R2) and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C). Findings revealed that the executive, local, conservative, and chaotic thinking styles were more prevalent among DHH students, while the legislative, universal, liberal, and critical thinking styles were more prevalent among hearing students. Those with Type I thinking styles had higher levels of self-efficacy, while those with Type II thinking styles had lower levels of self-efficacy. There were gender-based differences in the self-efficacy of DHH and hearing students, with higher scores observed among females. Further, for DHH students, the Legislative, Liberal, and Internal thinking styles were more prevalent among males rather than females, while the Executive, Hierarchical, Conservative, External, Judicial, and Local thinking styles were more prevalent among females rather than males. For hearing students, males were more likely to exhibit the Liberal, External, and Oligarchic styles, while females were more likely to exhibit the Global, Executive, Conservative, Local, and Hierarchical styles. Together, these findings suggest the need to train DHH students to use positive thinking styles by implementing courses in their school curricula that enable them to reflect on their self-efficacy.

Relationship between nomophobia and impulsivity among deaf and hard-of-hearing youth.

Excessive use of smartphones is known to be associated with negative social, physical, and psychological outcomes across age groups. A related problem is called "no-mobile-phone phobia" or "nomophobia," which is an extreme anxiety caused by not having access to a mobile phone. Despite their detrimental effects, smartphone use is highly prevalent among deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals owing to their accessibility features. Therefore, it was deemed important to identify the prevalence of nomophobia in DHH youth and to examine the association between impulsivity and nomophobia. Gender-based differences in nomophobia and impulsivity were also examined. Data were collected from 187 DHH youth in Saudi Arabia using the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (short form). Findings revealed that 71.65% of the participants experienced severe nomophobia. While, nomophobia was more prevalent among female DHH youth than males, this difference was not observed for impulsivity. A linear regression analysis indicated that higher impulsivity was significantly associated with higher nomophobia in this sample. These findings suggest the importance of helping youth understand the disadvantages of smartphone use, and the consequences of their abuse or addiction to smartphones by incorporating this information into school curricula. Additionally, educating parents may help them monitor their children's smartphone use more closely.

Psychosocial effects of social media on the Saudi society during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been posing a substantial challenge to human survival and well-being, which rely on the actions and behaviors of individuals. It is essential that accurate information is distributed; however, misinformation has been spread via social media. Consequently, the resulting panic has to be addressed while putting essential public health measures in place. It is also important to explore the link between the social media exposure and well-being. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to identify the levels of anxiety, depression, and social isolation among individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we explored the relationship between exposure to misleading social media news and anxiety, depression, and social isolation. A cross sectional design was employed to collect data from 371 Saudi participants (aged 16-60 years), using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Results showed that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and social isolation was 47.82%, 47.57%, and 46.42%, respectively. Further, more than 83% of the participants reported using social media frequently during the pandemic. We found that exposure to misinformation via social media has a significant positive relationship with anxiety, depression, and social isolation. However, Due to the cross-sectional nature of this study it cannot be determined whether social media causes negative mental health outcomes, or if individuals experiencing greater depression, anxiety and social isolation turn to social media more than others, or if some third variable might explain both. Based on our findings, we present specific suggestions related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the government of Saudi Arabia. Minoring and filtering out misleading information with the cooperation of the World Health Organization (WHO) can promote the spread of accurate news in Saudi Arabia.

The role of Saudi women in crisis management within the family: The COVID-19 pandemic as a model.

BACKGROUND: Women play a pivotal role in managing crises and diminishing their serious consequences both in the family and society. In the first place, the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most severe crises in the world. Accordingly, many precautionary measures have been taken in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, such as border closures, lack of movement, and quarantine procedures, leading to an unprecedented impact on the daily lifestyle, and contributing significantly to increasing pressures on women because of her multiroles in family and work. This study aims at identifying the role of women in managing family crises during COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. An online survey was conducted using self-designed electronic questionnaire consisting knowledge about the role of Saudi women in managing family during COVID-19 crises. The questionnaire was applied to 324 Saudi working women in Riyadh and Najran, with an average age of 33 years. RESULTS: The results indicate that the role of Saudi women during the COVID-19 crisis was approximately 82%. Moreover, results showed that the prevalence of the social, psychological, and professional role of Saudi women during crisis was 82.24%, 83.40%, and 78.80%, respectively, which indicates the importance of the role of Saudi women in managing family crises during COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, the study emphasizes the importance of urging responsible persons to provide a package of rescue and stimulus, including social protection measures. Furthermore, it empowers Saudi women in all sectors of society and provides them with all means of support to help them achieve their mandated role in society generally and in their families particularly.