Relationships Between Childhood Bullying/Domestic Violence Experience and Insomnia among Employees in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic childhood experiences such as domestic violence and bullying have been reported to be associated with insomnia in adulthood. However, little evidence is available for the long-term effects of childhood adversity on workers' insomnia worldwide. Our objective was to examine whether childhood experiences of bullying and domestic violence are associated with insomnia in workers in adulthood. METHODS: We used survey data from a cross-sectional study of the Tsukuba Science City Network in Tsukuba City, Japan. Workers aged 20 to 65 years (4509 men and 2666 women) were targeted. Binomial logistic regression analysis was performed with the Athens Insomnia Scale as the objective variable. RESULTS: Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that childhood bullying and domestic violence experience of childhood bullying and domestic violence were associated with insomnia. As for the experience of domestic violence, the higher the time of experience, the higher the odds ratio of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: It may be useful to focus on childhood traumatic experiences regarding insomnia in workers. In the future, objective sleep time and sleep efficiency should be evaluated using an activity meter and other methods to verify the effects of bullying and domestic violence experiences.

Impact of Short-Term Intensive-Type Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention on Internet Addiction among Chinese College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The object of this study is to examine the effects of a short-term intensive-type Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intervention to prevent internet addiction among Chinese college students. We conducted a randomized controlled trial applying a group counseling intervention program based on CBT. Data included 21 participants in the intervention group and 22 participants in the control group. The results showed that the intervention program reduced college students' internet addiction symptoms and procrastination and improved their sense of coherence. Regarding the sustained effect, internet addiction symptoms decreased and perceived social support from significant others improved in college students. However, the intervention program did not significantly reduce their average daily internet use time and psychological stress. Overall, this study developed a short-term intensive-type intervention program based on CBT theory, which is complementary for Chinese college students with internet addiction.

The Prevalence of Binge Drinking and Alcohol-Related Consequences and their Relationship among Japanese College Students.

Binge drinking is a common and risky behavior among college students. In Japan, however, research on the prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences, and the relationship between them, is currently scant. The aim of this study is to examine the status of binge drinking and alcohol-related problems, and the relationship between them, among Japanese college students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of college students who participated in a health seminar or lecture including alcohol-related contents from December 2018 to January 2019. Drinking patterns and alcohol-related consequences were assessed using the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) and demographic data. A total of 382 students participated in the seminar, of whom 280 agreed to cooperate in this study and 249 had drinking experience. A total of 88 men (67.7%) and 42 women (32.2%) were classified as binge drinkers. Binge drinkers more significantly experienced various consequences, such as hangover, feeling remorse and embarrassing behavior and some of them were suspected of physical dependence. Furthermore, logistic analysis revealed that among men, the B-YAACQ scores of binge drinkers were 2.01-fold higher those of non-binge drinkers. The findings of this study indicated that binge drinking may cause not only physical consequences but also mental and social problems, especially among men. It is important to tell college students these risks properly not to engage in binge drinking.

Maladaptive Perfectionism and Internet Addiction among Chinese College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Depression and Gender.

The association between perfectionism and addictive behaviors has been examined in previous literature; however, few pieces of research have investigated the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. Using a sample of 2016 Chinese college students, the present study examined the mediator of depression between maladaptive perfectionism and Internet addiction and the moderator of gender in such associations. The findings indicated that maladaptive perfectionism was directly related to students' Internet addiction and indirectly predicted students' Internet addiction via the mediator of depression. Gender moderated the direct effect, rather than the indirect effect, of maladaptive perfectionism on Internet addiction. Even though males reported a lower score on Internet addiction compared to females, the effect of maladaptive perfectionism on Internet addiction was stronger for males than for females. These findings revealed the psychological mechanisms from perfectionism to Internet addiction, which contributed to the theoretical development in addiction research and provided implications for interventions to reduce Internet addiction among Chinese college students.

The Correlation between Enjoying Fictional Narratives and Empathy in Japanese Hikikomori.

Background: Hikikomori is a Japanese social withdrawal phenomenon which, in recent years, is spreading in western developed countries as well. Spending a lot of time secluded indoors, watching and playing with fictional narratives may be relatively common for Hikikomori people and may represent a protective factor for their psychological well-being.   Method: We evaluated the role of enjoying fictional narratives on empathy, relaxation, depression, and anxiety in people with Hikikomori experience, in relation to their daily consumption of fictional narratives and their emotional transportation toward fictional narratives. Hikikomori from one psychiatric clinic and three different support facilities were enrolled in this study. Multidimensional empathy scale, CES-D, STAI questionnaire, and relaxation inventory self-report scale were used as outcome measures.        Results: We found a significant correlation between empathy and emotional transportation toward fictional narratives and between relaxation during watching and reading fictional narratives and consumption frequency of fictional narratives.  We failed, however, to find any significant correlation with depression and anxiety.   Conclusions: These findings suggest a possible correlation between fiction and empathy/relaxation response; however, any causal relationship is not proven, consequently we deem that further investigations with a larger sample size are required for a better understanding.

School Ijime (Bullying) Experience Is a Possible Risk Factor for Current Psychological Distress among Science City Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tsukuba, Japan.

Early-life adversities are considered to have long-term impact on health. There have been many studies regarding the experience of being bullied and its harmful psychological influence, but such influence on workers remains to be investigated in Japan. We therefore aimed to examine the prevalence of workers with experiences of being bullied or bullying others during childhood and adolescence and to clarify the relation between those experiences and current psychological distress. A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-report web questionnaire was conducted in November 2017. The study population was 19,481 workers belonging to the Tsukuba Science City Network, and we analyzed the data of 6,015 participants (3,715 men and 2,300 women, aged between 20 years and 59 years). The percentages of participants with experiences of being bullied were 51.5% for men and 56.2% for women; those with experiences of bullying others were 36.5% of men and 29.4% of women. Relations between experiences of bullying and psychological distress were assessed using Chi-squared tests. Logistic regression analyses with psychological distress as an objective variable and experiences of bulling as explanatory variables were performed using those who had no bulling experiences as control. In both men and women, experiences of being bullied were significantly associated with psychological distress after adjustment socioeconomic factors (the odds ratios were 1.26 for men (95% CI = 1.05-1.52) and 1.72 for women (95% CI = 1.39-2.13)). Consideration of past social experiences, such as being bullied, is useful for mental health management among workers reporting psychological distress.

Reasons for Drinking among College Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Binge drinking by college students is a problematic behavior. However, data on binge drinking and the reasons for drinking by college students in Japan are scarce. We explored the reasons for drinking among college students. The study used a cross-sectional design and a self-administered questionnaire. From December 2016 to March 2017, we sampled undergraduate and graduate students aged 20 or older at 35 colleges in the Kanto region of Japan. The questionnaire addressed 1) frequency of drinking alcohol, 2) amount of drinking per day, 3) frequency of binge drinking in the past year, and 4) reasons for drinking (with 12 possible responses). The t-test was used to compare the means between binge drinkers and non-binge drinkers. Logistic regression analysis was conducted on binge drinking and the reasons for drinking. The participants included 303 men and 260 women. Significant differences between men and women included the presence of binge drinking (men: 74.9%; women: 59.6%). Among male students, the statistically significant reasons given for binge drinking were "to feel happy or be in a good mood" and "to relieve stress," whereas among female students, the reasons were "to feel happy or be in a good mood," "to facilitate interpersonal relationships," "to forget something bad," and "to relieve stress." The reasons for drinking associated with binge drinking were identified. It is important to incorporate these results into preventive education about binge drinking aimed at college students in Japan.

The Use of All-You-Can-Drink System, Nomihodai, Is Associated with the Increased Alcohol Consumption among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

Excessive drinking by college students is a major public health problem in Japan. However, data on heavy episodic drinking (HED) and nomihodai, a several-hour all-you-can-drink system, are scarce. We surveyed the drinking behavior of undergraduate and graduate students at 35 colleges, and examined the association between HED and use of nomihodai. The study used a cross-sectional design conducted by a self-administered questionnaire. From December 2016 to March 2017, we sampled undergraduate and graduate students aged 20 or older at 35 colleges in the Kanto area, including Tokyo. The following items were measured: 1) frequency of drinking; 2) frequency of binge drinking in the past year; 3) nomihodai use; 4) the number of drinks consumed when using or not using nomihodai; and 5) sex and age for demographic data. Paired t-test was used to compare means between use and non-use state of nomihodai. The Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate the significance of the distribution difference between the two types of states. A total of 511 subjects completed the questionnaire, including 274 men and 237 women. The amount of drinking was increased 1.8-fold (85.9 ± 49.7 g vs. 48.2 ± 29.5 g) among men and 1.7-fold (63.7 ± 39.3 g vs. 36.5 ± 26.7 g) among women during nomihodai use, comapred with non-use states. Among them, 109 (39.8%) men and 71 (30.3%) women reported HED only at nomihodai states. These data suggest that the use of nomihodai system may lead to excessive drinking among college students.

Parental Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms as Predictors of Psychosocial Problems in Children Treated for Cancer.

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between psychosocial functioning of children treated for cancer and that of their parents. Factors associated with psychosocial functioning were also examined. The present study was a cross-sectional survey of 33 mothers and one father (mean age: 37.9), each of whom had a child that had been treated for cancer. The participants answered a package of questionnaires consisting of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Parent Experience of Child Illness (PECI), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Information about the children's illnesses was collected from medical records. The CBCL total problems T score was correlated with the parental IES-R total scores. Intensity of treatment independently predicted the variance of parental long-term uncertainty. In conclusion, psychosocial problems of children with cancer were associated with parental post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Provision of early, adequate support to parents who are vulnerable to PTSS will help not only the parents, but also their children with cancer.

Evaluation of the relationship between internet addiction and interpersonal relationships in university studentsin Japan.

With the popularization of the internet, internet addiction among the youth has received a lot of attention in recent years. While.the internet is an effective tool for: communication, the youth, who find real-life communication difficult, reportedly overuse,this aspect of the internet However, this is more of an impression based on clinical cases, with few factual findings. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the reality of internet addiction -among university students and to examine the multilateral relationship between internet addiction and interpersonal relationships. We conducted a questibnnaire stirvey among 221 uriiversity students, analyzing the level of internet addiction, relevant interpersonal relationships, personal "charcteristics, and other factors associated with internet use. We found that the number of students who were dependent on the internet was 10 (4.7%) and the number of students with a tendency toward dependency was 98 (45.6%). In interpersonal relationships, internet addiction was significantly correlated with parental overprotection, a sense of contentment from the present parent-child rela- tionship, relationships with friends, number of friends, and availability of free time. In personal characteristics, internet addiction was significantly correlated with social skills and feelings of self-esteem. In other factors, internet addiction was significantly correlated with typing on a message board, video browsing, online gaming, use of a personal computer, desire to escape, distraction, pleasure, and connecting with others. Furthermore, we conducted a multiple regression analysis to consider the effects of these three aspects associated with internet addiction. The results suggest that internet addictionl is promoted by parental overprotection, low self-esteem, having few friends, and passive internet service usage. Thus, education is required to promote careful use of the internet to prevent internet addiction from escalating. Further, it is important to understand and support interpersonal relationships to prevent internet addiction from making life worse.

Association between experience of child abuse and severity of drug addiction measured by the Addiction Severity Index among Japanese drug-dependent patients.

The aim of the present study was to clarify the association between child abuse experiences and drug addiction severity among Japanese drug-dependent patients using the Addiction Severity Index-Japanese version (ASI-J). One hundred and eleven inpatients and outpatients with drug dependence participated in the study. Some of the questions on the ASI-J asked about lifetime experiences of abuse. A higher percentage of female participants experienced child abuse compared with male participants. Male participants who experienced child abuse (MEA) had a significantly higher severity of drug use than men who did not experience it (MNEA). Female participants who experienced child abuse (FEA) had significantly more serious problems in family/social relationships than female participants who did not experience it (FNEA). Patients in the MEA group were arrested less frequently for drug charges, experienced more serious problems with their fathers, and experienced more severe anxiety in their lifetime compared with the MNEA group. The FEA group experienced more serious troubles with their sexual partners, close friends, and families and experienced more severe psychiatric problems in their lifetime compared with the FNEA group. These results suggest gender differences in the problems experienced by drug-dependent patients with child abuse experiences, and gender-specific interventions may be more effective in treating their drug dependence.