State of Mental Health Among Transgender Individuals in Pakistan: Psychological Resilience and Self-esteem

The current research intended to study the state of mental health among the community of transgender individuals in Pakistan. The level of psychological resilience and self-esteem was explored in addition to finding the differences regarding socio-demographic factors. A sample of 100 transgender individuals was selected through snowball sampling. Data was gathered through self-respondent questionnaire and interviews. Results showed that 29% of the sample have low level of psychological resilience while 74% presented low to moderate level of self-esteem. A significant positive correlation was found between psychological resilience and self-esteem (r = .65, p < .01). Pertaining to socio-demographic factors, education has a significant positive correlation with resilience (r = .32, p < .05) and self esteem (r = .38, p < .01). Moreover, transgender individuals residing with their gurus have a significantly higher level of resilience (p < .05) and self-esteem (p < .05) as compared to living alone or with friends.

Explicit and Implicit Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Recidivism Risk in a Sample of Men Who Have Sexually Offended Against Children

The relationship between implicit and incongruent explicit and implicit (i.e., discrepant) self-esteem, narcissism, and sexual offending against children requires further research. We examined the relationships between self-esteem, narcissism, and risk of violent (including sexual) recidivism and compared sexual offenders against children (n = 28) and non-sexual offenders (n = 44) on these measures. All participants were adult men. In both groups, greater narcissism was associated with greater risk. Among sexual offenders against children, contrary to theoretical accounts and previous research findings, higher explicit self-esteem was associated with greater risk. However, further analysis indicated that explicit self-esteem may only be relevant to recidivism risk insofar as it reflects narcissism. Neither implicit nor discrepant self-esteem were related to recidivism risk in either group. Group comparisons indicated that sexual offenders against children had lower explicit self-esteem and narcissism than non-sexual offenders. In summary, our findings suggest that although sexual offenders against children have lower explicit self-esteem and narcissism than other offenders, within this group, higher explicit self-esteem and greater narcissism may be associated with greater risk. Taken together, previous and current findings suggest that including measures of narcissism in psychological assessment batteries administered to sexual offenders against children could be beneficial. Our findings also further question the wisdom of targeting low self-esteem in correctional treatment programs aimed at reducing recidivism.

Perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among Nepalese adolescents: the mediating role of self-esteem

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is characterized by unique, multiple physical, psychological and social development. Understanding the well-being of adolescents and the factors that contribute to it will help towards clarifying and defining ways to better help adolescents prepare for adult life. Therefore, the present study aims to find out the relationship between Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Psychological Well-Being (PWB) among Nepalese adolescence based on mediating role of Self-esteem (SE).

METHODS

The study was conducted among 348 adolescents studying in grade 9 and 10 of government secondary level schools of Pokhara Metropolitan city, Nepal. Data were collected through self-administered standard tools-Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). For statistical analysis descriptive statistics, correlation, regression and mediation analyses were used. The statistical significance of mediating effect of the tested model was examined through a path proposed by Baron and Kenny and Bootstrap method.

RESULTS

Overall, the finding suggests that PSS indirectly affects PWB of adolescents through mediating variable SE. Adolescents who perceive good social support had higher SE, which in turn contributed to their PWB. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender difference for PSS, SE and PWB. Also among various sources of PSS, both boys and girls were more oriented towards family for social support than friends and others.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents who experience higher social support are likely to have higher SE and are more likely to have better PWB. The findings of the study will be useful to the parents, teachers, counselors, psychologist and researchers to develop strategies to enhance adolescent's mental health.

Associations Between Motives for Casual Sex, Depression, Self-Esteem, and Sexual Victimization

People's motives for casual sex moderate associations between their sexual behavior and the outcomes they experience. Derived from self-determination theory, autonomous motives for casual sex (e.g., I wanted the fun and enjoyment) and non-autonomous motives (e.g., I wanted to please someone else) correlated in previous research differentially with measures of well-being and incidence of casual sex. In a sample of American college students (N = 284), we replicated these prior findings and extended them as follows: autonomous and non-autonomous motives for sex were correlated with two measures of casual sex (i.e., the three behavior questions from the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory; the number of partners with whom participants had penetrative sex but did not wish to become emotionally involved); two measures of well-being (i.e., self-esteem, depression), and a measure of overall sexual victimization (i.e., a combined score from the Sexual Experiences Survey). We found that autonomous motives were more strongly associated with casual sexual behavior than were non-autonomous motives in both sexes. Autonomous motives were positively associated with sexual victimization in women but not in men. Compared to autonomous motives, sex for non-autonomous motives was linked to less self-esteem in both sexes, and with more depression and sexual victimization in women. Sex differences in associations between motives and victimization persisted even when the general effects of participant's sex and casual sex were controlled in hierarchical regressions. Our findings further revealed the importance of agency (or lack thereof) in predicting sexual behavior and psychological health.

Correlates of loneliness among persons with psychotic disorders

INTRODUCTION

Persons diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) often experience pervasive feelings of loneliness, which are considered a significant barrier to treatment and recovery.

AIM

As impaired social cognition may contribute to increased loneliness and less skillful social interactions, this study examines the relationships between loneliness and measures of social cognition and functional outcome from the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) study.

METHODS

This study evaluated the relationship between loneliness, social cognitive ability, and social functioning in the context of a large-scale psychometric investigation. We also explored the associations of select demographic characteristics and clinical variables on the endorsement of loneliness in persons diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.

RESULTS

Seventy-four stable outpatients with SSDs and 58 healthy controls completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale in addition to the standard SCOPE battery. Our findings support prior research indicating persons diagnosed with a psychotic disorder experience greater levels of loneliness than normative groups. However, the results also indicate that self-reported loneliness is not associated with social cognitive abilities or functional outcome in psychosis. Regression analyses indicate that roughly half the variance in loneliness endorsed by persons with SSDs is accounted for by clinical variables, with loneliness most strongly associated with guilt and self-esteem.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that treatments aiming to reduce perceived social isolation in psychosis should incorporate techniques to bolster selfesteem, reduce guilt, and improve depressive symptoms.

Lives of significance (and purpose and coherence): subclinical narcissism, meaning in life, and subjective well-being

Three studies addressed two research questions. First, does accounting for meaning in life (MIL) wipe out the association between narcissism and other aspects of well-being? Second, among the three facets of MIL (significance, purpose, and coherence), does significance explain the association between narcissism and MIL? All studies measured narcissism and MIL. Study 1 was a re-analysis of cross-sectional data, including measures of subjective well-being (SWB) and self-deceptive enhancement (N = 415; Womick et al., 2019). Study 2, N = 300, measured the facets of MIL in a sample of adults. Study 3, N = 295, included MIL facets and self-esteem in a sample of students. In Studies 1 and 3, MIL fully mediated the relationship between narcissism and SWB. SWB did not fully mediate the association between narcissism and MIL. Studies 2 and 3 showed that all MIL facets accounted for the association between narcissism and MIL. Self-esteem partially mediated the association between narcissism and MIL, but self-esteem and MIL, both, independently wiped out the link between narcissism and SWB. Narcissism contributes to SWB through MIL, and the paths from narcissism to SWB through MIL and self-esteem are independent. Implications are discussed.

A Multilevel Analysis of the Importance of School Climate for the Trajectories of Students' Self-concept and Self-esteem Throughout the Middle School Transition

Understanding which environmental factors influence the trajectory of self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition may help schools better support students during this period. This short longitudinal study examined the influence of students' perceptions of school climate upon the trajectory of students' self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition. Students in 25 classes from four schools (N = 404; M_age = 9.40, SD = 0.67) completed self-report measures of self-concept and self-esteem at four time points: twice before (fourth grade) and twice after middle school transition (fifth grade). The results showed that students with more positive perceptions of school climate in the beginning of fifth grade displayed more positive trajectories in self-concept and self-esteem. Students from larger fourth grade classes had more positive trajectories of social self-concept compared to those from smaller classes. The findings highlight the importance of school climate in the development of self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition.

The effectiveness of counseling based on acceptance and commitment therapy on body image and self-esteem in polycystic ovary syndrome: An RCT

Background

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine and metabolic disorders known with irregular menstruation, hirsutism, alopecia, obesity, infertility, and acne. These symptoms cause a negative effect on the satisfaction of body image, self-esteem, and quality of life in such patients. Recent studies emphasize the need to consider the psychological problems in these women and also the need for appropriate interventions.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of group counseling based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on body image and self-esteem in patients with PCOS.

Materials and Methods

In this randomized controlled trial, 52 women with PCOS were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups (n = 26/each) using the table of random numbers. Group counseling based on the ACT was held in eight sessions of 90 min once a week for the intervention group. The demographic questionnaire, Littleton development of the body image concern inventory and Rosenberg self-esteem scale were completed in both groups before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention.

Results

The mean scores of body image concern (p = 0.001) and self-esteem (p ≤ 0.001) in the intervention group after the intervention and follow-up were significantly different from the control group.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of this study, use of cognitive-behavioral therapies in health care centers is recommended as a complementary method.

A partial mediation effect of father-child attachment and self-esteem between parental marital conflict and subsequent features of internet gaming disorder in children: a 12-month follow-up study

Background

This study evaluated whether parent-child attachment and self-esteem may mediate the relationship between parental marital conflict and increases in features of internet gaming disorder (IGD) in children at 1 year.

Methods

The baseline and one-year follow-up data for 268 pre-teens aged between 9 and 10 from the Internet User Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of Gaming Disorder in Early Adolescence (iCURE) study were collected. The students were children at low risk for IGD in the initial self-reported assessment, anyone living with both parents, current game user at baseline, and those who completed a 12-month follow-up assessment. The Internet Game Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS) was used to identify increases in IGD features at 12 months. To examine a potential mediation effect, structural equation modeling was performed.

Results

The direct effect was statistically significant, and parental marital conflict at baseline significantly predicted the increases in IGD features in children at the 12-month follow-up after adjusting for gender, sex, socioeconomic status, and baseline IGUESS score (ß = 0.206, P = 0.003). The indirect effect showed that attachment to fathers through self-esteem was a significant mediating effect (ß = 0.078, P = 0.045). Parental marital conflicts were associated with increases in IGD features in children through poor father-child attachment, and in turn, the lower levels of self-esteem in the children.

Conclusions

Parents, especially fathers, should make an effort to bond with their children to reduce the risk of their children’s developing the IGD features.

Meaning of work and personal protective factors among palliative care professionals

OBJECTIVE

Healthcare professionals who work in palliative care units face stressful life events on a daily basis, most notably death. For this reason, these professionals must be equipped with the necessary protective resources to help them cope with professional and personal burnout. Despite the well-recognized importance of the construct "meaning of work," the role of this construct and its relationship with other variables is not well-understood. Our objective is to develop and evaluate a model that examines the mediating role of the meaning of work in a multidisciplinary group of palliative care professionals. Using this model, we sought to assess the relationships between meaning of work, perceived stress, personal protective factors (optimism, self-esteem, life satisfaction, personal growth, subjective vitality), and sociodemographic variables.

METHOD

Professionals (n = 189) from a wide range of disciplines (physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, nursing assistants, physical therapists, and chaplains) working in palliative care units at hospitals in Madrid and the Balearic Islands were recruited. Sociodemographic variables were collected and recorded. The following questionnaires were administered: Meaning of Work Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Questionnaire, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Subjective Vitality Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Personal Growth Scale.

RESULT

The explanatory value of the model was high, explaining 49.5% of the variance of life satisfaction, 43% of subjective vitality, and 36% of personal growth. The main findings of this study were as follow: (1) meaning of work and perceived stress were negatively correlated; (2) optimism and self-esteem mediated the effect of stress on the meaning attached to work among palliative care professionals; (3) the meaning of work mediated the effect of stress on subjective vitality, personal growth, and life satisfaction; and (4) vitality and personal growth directly influenced life satisfaction.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The proposed model showed a high explanatory value for the meaning professionals give to their work and also for perceived stress, personal protective factors, and sociodemographic variables. Our findings could have highly relevant practical implications for designing programs to promote the psychological well-being of healthcare professionals.

Parenting stress and depressive symptoms in the family caregivers of children with genetic or rare diseases: The mediation effects of coping strategies and self-esteem

Objective

To elucidate how parenting stress influence depressive symptoms in the family caregivers of children with genetic or rare diseases by examining the mediation effects of coping strategies (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and dysfunctional coping) and self-esteem.

Materials and Methods

In total, 100 family caregivers were recruited and administered a questionnaire assessing demographics and study measures. We used the PROCESS for SPSS macro with 10,000 bootstrapped samples and a 95% confidence interval to test the proposed mediation models.

Results

Increased parenting stress was associated with more depressive symptoms, partially via dysfunctional coping, but not problem- or emotion-focused coping strategies. The serial multiple mediation pathway (parenting stress → low self-esteem → dysfunctional coping → depressive symptoms) was not significant, whereas the indirect effect of via dysfunctional coping alone had a significantly partial mediation effect.

Conclusions

Dysfunctional coping strategies may explain the parenting stress-depressive symptom relationship. The goals of psychosocial medical care for family caregivers were suggested.

Psychosocial impact of sport activity in neuromuscular disorders

Previous studies demonstrated the benefits of motor exercise and physical activity in neuromuscular disorders. However, very few papers assessed the effects of sport practise. The aim of this multicentre study was to assess the impact of sport activity on self-esteem and emotional regulation in a cohort of athletes with neuromuscular disorders. The 38 patients with Duchenne, Becker or other types of muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy practising sport (aged 13-49 years) and 39 age-, gender-, disability- and disease-matched patients not practising sport were enrolled. Testing procedures to assess self-esteem, anxiety and depression disorder, personality trait and quality of life (QoL) were used. Patients practising sport had a significantly higher self-esteem, lower level of depression, greater social own identity and adherence and QoL. Frequency of sport activity may represent a complementary therapy in neuromuscular disorders to improve mental and social well-being.

A Comparative Analysis of Patients' Quality of Life, Body Image and Self-confidence Before and After Aesthetic Rhinoplasty Surgery

OBJECTIVE

Having desired facial features creates a better mental image, results in increased self-confidence and boosts social activities to a more acceptable level. The goal of the current study is to investigate how rhinoplasty surgery affects patients admitted to Shahrekord surgical clinic.

METHODS

The study was conducted on 100 patients randomly selected and referring for rhinoplasty surgery. The required information was collected through demographic questionnaires of rhinoplasty outcomes F 36 and Rosenberg's self-esteem scale. The questionnaires were filled out by patients before surgery and 3 months after surgery. The data were analyzed using SPSS and data mining software.

FINDINGS

Out of the hundred participants, 63% were female and 37% were male. The number of individuals in the studied groups decreased in older age groups so that most of the participants were in the 20-24-year group followed by 25-30 y/o group. Patients from other age groups were less frequent. In terms of educational attainment, the highest frequency was associated with a BSc and the lowest with a diploma. In terms of employment status, the highest frequency was among students and the unemployed and employees and the self-employed followed. Body image and self-esteem were significantly improved after surgery (p < 0.005). Although not statistically significant, quality of life was improved too after surgery.

CONCLUSION

According to the results of this study, physicians and patients should measure the pros and cons of the surgery before making a treatment decision. It also showed that rhinoplasty leads to an increase in quality of life and self-esteem. Prior to surgery, specialist consultation should be performed, and rhinoplasty should be performed if a specialist physician allows it.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the Online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Profiles of narcissism and self-esteem associated with comprehensive mental health in adolescents

INTRODUCTION

This study firstly aimed to identify different profiles of narcissism and self-esteem in adolescents using latent profile analysis (LPA). A secondary aim was to examine associations between the identified profiles and subsequent measures of comprehensive mental health.

METHODS

Chinese adolescents (N = 1009, 50.8%girls, M_age = 12.99, SD = 0.66) completed a packet of measures on two occasions at 6-month intervals. Narcissism and self-esteem were assessed at Time 1. Positive and negative indicators of mental health were assessed at Time 2.

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis of narcissism and self-esteem identified six profiles: (1) high narcissism and high self-esteem; (2) high-moderate self-regard; (3) moderate self-regard; (4) low-moderate self-regard; (5) high narcissism but low self-esteem; (6) low self-regard. Adolescents in the high narcissism and high self-esteem and high-moderate self-regard profiles displayed positive mental health outcomes whereas adolescents in the high narcissism but low self-esteem and low self-regard profiles reported problematic mental health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Differing profiles of narcissism and self-esteem in adolescents were identified; these profiles provide new insight into the structure of self-concept for adolescents. Further, the identified profiles of narcissism and self-esteem were differentially related to subsequent comprehensive mental health outcomes.

Psychological resources in adolescence and the association with labour market participation in early adulthood: a prospective cohort study

Background

Young adults at the age of 25–29 in Denmark have the highest unemployment rate and are at higher risk of labour market marginalization. Exclusion from the labour market may have negative individual consequences on mental and physical health and can lead to increasing societal expenditures due to social benefits. It is important to understand what factors determine or protect against early labour market marginalization. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between psychological resources in adolescence and labour market participation in early adulthood, and whether the associations differed by gender.

Methods

This prospective cohort study used questionnaire data collected through the West Jutland Cohort study in 2004 and 2007. The study population (N = 2982) consisted of people born in 1989 and living in the county of Ringkjoebing at baseline in 2004. Outcome was dichotomized as +/− 12 months of passive labour market participation during the age of 25–29. Psychological resources were measured as self-esteem, sense of coherence and mastery. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations between psychological resources and labour market participation.

Results

Results indicated associations between high levels of mastery or sense of coherence in adolescence and high labour market participation in early adulthood. The strongest associations were observed for females with a medium (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3–2.8) or high level (OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0–2.4) of mastery or a high level of sense of coherence (OR: 1.6 95% CI: 1.0–2.4) at age 15 and for males with a medium (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.5–3.8) or high (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.5) level of mastery or a high level of sense of coherence (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 0.9–3.1) at age 18.

Conclusion

The results of the present study indicate associations between a high level of sense of coherence or mastery in adolescence and high labour market participation in early adulthood in a Danish context. Psychological resources seemed to play a bigger role for females in early adolescence compared to males, for whom a larger impact was seen in late adolescence.

Self-esteem, perceived social support, social capital, and risk-behavior among urban high school adolescents in Nepal

Adolescence is not only characterized by a period of exploration and experimentation but also by vulnerability to risk-behaviors (substance-use, suicidal behavior, and sexual behavior) that can have many negative consequences. Given the lack of studies in Nepal and the variable results from international studies on the association of self-esteem, perceived social support (PSS), and social capital (SC) with risk behaviors, this study aimed to assess the role of these factors by specifying different sources of PSS (family, friends, and others) and SC (family, school, and neighbors), and controlling for demographic, socioeconomic-status (SES), family, and school related factors. A total of 943 adolescents (grades 9-11) in 8 schools from 3 provinces in Nepal participated in the study, and were selected by multi-stage, cluster, random sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire (response rate; 91.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis (<0.05 significance) revealed that family SC (OR = 0.83) and PSS from family (OR = 0.95) were negatively associated with substance-use. Self-esteem (OR = 0.90), family and school SC (OR = 0.80 and 0.91, respectively), and PSS from family and friends (OR = 0.95 and 0.96, respectively) were protective against suicidal risk. None of the independent variables showed a preventive association with sexual behavior, but self-esteem was positively associated (OR = 1.11). Therefore, to improve the likelihood of adolescents becoming healthy adults, family and school level interventions to enhance self-esteem, PSS, and SC are helpful in protecting them against substance use and suicidal behavior. On the other hand, adolescents with high self-esteem are at greater risk for inappropriate sexual behavior and should therefore be monitored.

Psychosocial repercussion of migraine: is it a stigmatized disease?

INTRODUCTION

Stigma manifests both in prejudices and rejection from society towards patients who suffer from a specific pathology, and by patient's internalization of this discrimination, with the consequent repercussions on their state of mind and quality of life. The aim of the study was to quantify the stigma associated with migraine and analyze whether it is related to the clinical-demographic characteristics of the patients, as well as the possible impact on their daily lives.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The stigma scale for chronic illness (SSCI) and other questionnaires were administered to 56 patients with episodic migraine (EM), 18 with chronic migraine (CM), and 21 with epilepsy, as a control group.

RESULTS

The mean SSCI score was higher (51.6 ± 15.0) in the CM group than in the EM (45.0 ± 13.5) and epilepsy (47.6 ± 15.5) groups, without reaching statistical significance. In addition, the score was higher in patients who were unemployed, divorced, and in those who had migraine with aura. A statistically significant correlation was found between the SSCI score and the impact of migraine on daily life, the presence of stress, anxiety and depression, and low self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a stigma around migraine in our society, which seems to be more prevalent in patients with certain socio-demographic characteristics, and that is related to stress, mood alterations, and low self-esteem. Trying to reduce stigma could contribute to improve the control of migraine and reduce the impact of the disease at a socio-economic level.

Cyber bullying victimization and adolescent mental health: The differential moderating effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional competence

INTRODUCTION

Individuals who experience bullying victimization are at increased risk for future health and social problems. Despite this, studies show that not all bullying victims are in ill health, suggesting the importance of investigating protective factors that could counteract the adverse effects. The present study focused on investigating the moderating effects of emotional competence (EC) in the relationship between cyber-bullying victimization (CV) and mental health among adolescents.

METHODS

Responses from 6403 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (1925 male, 4478 female, M_age = 16.35, SD = 1.46) with no missing data were used for analysis. The cross-sectional data analyzed in the present study was a part of a large longitudinal online survey conducted by the University of Tokyo in Japan. Participants were recruited among adolescent users of a social networking service widely used in Japan for communication.

RESULTS

Results of regression analysis showed significant direct effects of CV on psychological distress/self-esteem, confirming the adverse effects of victimization. Results also suggested that high intrapersonal EC weakened the relationship between CV and psychological distress, whereas high interpersonal EC strengthened the relationship. There were no significant interactions between CV and EC in predicting self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrapersonal and interpersonal EC may play differential moderating roles in the relationship between CV and psychological distress, the former by buffering the effect and the latter by exacerbating it. Interventions targeting abilities to handle one's own emotions may help decrease distress among adolescents with CV experiences.

Self-esteem in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore self-esteem and associations between self-esteem and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a disease of chronic relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD symptoms, including pain, fatigue, and diarrhea, as well as potential life-long medical treatment and surgery, may be demanding, cause significant challenges, and influence self-esteem.

Methods

In this cross-sectional multicenter study, participants were recruited from nine hospitals in the southeastern and western regions of Norway from March 2013 to April 2014. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Self-esteem was assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, fatigue was assessed by the Fatigue Questionnaire, self-efficacy was assessed by the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and disease activity was assessed by the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Harvey Bradshaw Index for Crohn’s disease (CD). Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to examine associations between self-esteem and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors.

Results

In total, 411 of 452 (91%) patients had evaluable data and were included in this study. The mean scores on self-esteem, self-efficacy, total fatigue, anxiety, and depression were similar between UC patients and CD patients. Male gender, being employed, and higher self-efficacy were independently associated with higher self-esteem, whereas anxiety and depression were independently associated with lower self-esteem. Neither disease activity nor fatigue were associated with self-esteem in the final multiple regression analyses.

Conclusion

Patient-centered interventions that improve self-esteem and reduce anxiety and depression seem to be important to optimize IBD management.

The Role of Depression and Self-Esteem in Facebook Intrusion and Gaming Disorder among Young Adult Gamers

In the modern day, it is important to identify the determinants of Facebook addiction and game disorder. The main aim of our study is to examine the relationship between Facebook intrusion, gaming disorder and depression to verify whether depression mediates the relationship between these types of addiction and self-esteem. A total of 235 video game players took place in the study. We used the Facebook Intrusion Scale, Problem Videogame Playing Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The findings indicate that depression and frequency of use are associated with Facebook intrusion and gaming disorder. Symptoms of depression and time spent using games or Facebook are predictors of these behavioural addictions. The results indicate that depression fully mediated the relationship between self-esteem and these types of addiction. Also, our results demonstrated that the model assuming a correlation between gaming disorder and Facebook intrusion was fitted to data, while the model assuming no correlation was not fitted to data. While previous studies indicated low self-esteem as a predictor of Facebook intrusion and gaming disorder, the current findings indicate that this association is mediated by the depression. Also, our results may support hypotheses of similar addiction mechanisms in the case of gaming disorder and Facebook intrusion.

Child Maltreatment and Disordered Eating in Adulthood: a Mediating Role of PTSD and Self-Esteem?

The current study investigated relationships between different experiences of child maltreatment (CM) and disordered eating (DE) in a large population-based sample of Danish young adults. Participants completed a structured interview comprising socio-demographic, psychological and physical domains. Questions regarding CM, DE, PTSD symptoms and self-esteem were analyzed using chi-square-tests, ANOVAs, hierarchical regression, and multiple mediation analyses. Participants with a history of CM experienced higher levels of DE than non-abused individuals. PTSD symptoms and self-esteem appeared to differentially mediate the relationship between three classes of CM and DE. Whereas the relation between emotional and sexual abuse with DE was partially mediated via participants' level of PTSD symptoms and self-esteem with emotional abuse having a stronger impact on self-esteem and sexual abuse more strongly influencing PTSD symptoms, the relation between polyvictimization and DE was fully mediated by PTSD and self-esteem, mainly due to the indirect effect via PTSD.

Self-Esteem as an Indicator of Transactional Sex Among Young Women in Rural South Africa (HPTN 068)

Transactional sex (TS) has been shown to contribute to the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous research has yet to identify psychosocial factors that make young women vulnerable to engaging in TS. This analysis examined the association between self-esteem and TS among young women in rural South Africa. A post hoc analysis of post-intervention survey data from HPTN 068 was conducted. Log-binomial regression was used to compute a prevalence ratio measure of association. Among 1942 young women, the prevalence of TS among those with lower self-esteem was 4.7 times the prevalence of TS among those with higher self-esteem (p < 0.001). Findings provide support for the association between lower self-esteem and TS in this context and may inform intervention development.

Health related quality of life in adolescent cochlear implant users

Objective: Children with significant hearing loss (HL) are at risk for lower self-esteem and lower perceived quality of life (QoL). This study examined how self-reported QoL of adolescents cochlear implant (CI) users compared to that of adolescents with normal hearing, and examined if factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and communication methodology affect QoL and speech recognition. Methods: Forty-three adolescent CI users completed a 34-item questionnaire that included questions adapted from the QoL of Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Youth questionnaire (Seattle Quality of Life Group SEAQOL. 2010 Quality of life of deaf or hard-of-hearing youth (YQOL-DHH). Seattle, Washington) and from the Kidscreen-10 Index (The KIDSCREEN Group, Europe, 2006, the KIDSCREEN questionnaires - quality of life questionnaires for children and adolescents handbook. Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers. All subjects received their first CI prior to the age of 5, and ranged in age from 10-17 years at the time of survey completion. Results: Adolescents with CIs demonstrated self-reported QoL scores similar to children with normal hearing. Lower SES and communication mode appear to influence speech recognition, and also appear to impact self-reported QoL in different ways. Conclusions: Examination of communication outcomes, along with other factors that influence QoL, such as SES, will help clinicians identify children at risk for low QoL. Such identification will help generate appropriate referrals to enhance QoL in adolescent CI users.

Factors associated with alcohol use disorder: the role of depression, anxiety, stress, alexithymia and work fatigue- a population study in Lebanon

Background

International research showed that common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, social anxiety, stress, alexithymia and having insecure attachment styles are risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Our objective was to study the factors associated withAUD in a sample of the Lebanese population.

Methods

During the period lasting from November 2017 to March 2018, a sample of 789 Lebanese participants agreed to contribute to a cross-sectional study (53.23% males). Alcohol use disorder was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT).

Results

A high risk of AUD was associated with higher alexithymia (ORa = 1.030; CI 1.009–1.051), depression (ORa = 1.076; CI 1.050–1.103) and suicidal ideation (ORa = 1.253; CI 1.026–1.531) in a significant manner. In opposition, a higher number of kids (ORa = 0.863; CI 0.752–0.991), being a female (ORa = 0.460; CI 0.305–0.694) and higher emotional management (ORa = 0.962; CI 0.937–0.988) were significantly associated with lower AUD risk.

A cluster analysis derived three mutually exclusive clusters. Cluster 1 formed 45.4% of the sample and assembled people with psychological difficulties (work fatigue and high stress, high emotional work fatigue and low emotional intelligence, low self-esteem, high social phobia, high alexithymia); Cluster 2 formed 34.4% of the sample and assembled people with high wellbeing (low suicidal ideation, low emotional work fatigue, depression and anxiety, high emotional intelligence, high self-esteem and low social phobia); whereas cluster 3 formed 20.2% of the sample and represented people with mental dysfunction (high anxiety and depression, high suicidal ideation, low self-esteem and high social phobia, low emotional intelligence, high emotional work fatigue). People with psychological difficulties (cluster 1) (Beta = 5.547; CI 4.430–6.663), and people in distress (cluster 3) (Beta = 7.455; CI 5.945–8.965) were associated with higher AUDIT scores than those with high wellbeing (cluster 2).

Conclusion

AUD seems to be influenced by several factors among the Lebanese population, including alexithymia, stress, anxiety and work fatigue. Healthcare professionals should spread awareness to reduce the prevalence of these factors.

Mediating effects of self-esteem in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: The roles of sex and only-child status

RATIONALE

Although childhood maltreatment is known to be associated with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), few studies have investigated the mediating effect of self-esteem on this relationship. Additionally, it is unknown whether the impacts vary by sex or only-child status.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the mediating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI in adolescents and identified the significance of sex and only child status.

METHOD

An adolescent health survey was conducted in 15 schools in China between 2013 and 2014. In total, 9704 students aged 11-19 years completed standard questionnaires to report the details of childhood maltreatment, NSSI, and self-esteem.

RESULTS

Childhood maltreatment was negatively correlated with self-esteem and positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI. Lower self-esteem was also correlated with higher NSSI frequency. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI, and the estimated ratio of the total effect of childhood maltreatment that could be explained by mediation through self-esteem was 16.3%. The ratio was higher in boys (28.6%) than in girls (9.9%), and it was higher in only children (31.5%) than in children with siblings (11.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment is positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI and may be mediated by self-esteem. Interventions aimed at reducing NSSI associated with childhood maltreatment may be enhanced by efforts to strengthen self-esteem, especially in boys and only children.