Ways of coping with excessive academic stress among Korean adolescents during leisure time

Predictors of drug and substance abuse among school-going adolescents living in drug hotspot in Malaysia

This study explored the pressing issue of drug and substance abuse (DSA) among adolescents in drug hotspots in Malaysia. The Malaysian Anti-drug Agency (AADK) has identified 155 hotspot areas across Malaysia, of which 78 were randomly selected as the study sites. These areas were identified as having extreme drug-related activities such as drug trafficking and drug-related crimes. According to the literature, several factors influence adolescents to be involved in DSA. Therefore, understanding the risk factors in the context of Malaysian school-going adolescents is of utmost importance. The study examined, in particular, a wide range of potential predictors, including socioeconomic factors, peer influence, family dynamics, educational experiences, drug access, and community characteristics. Adolescents in the hotspot areas were selected by means of a cross-sectional survey design with a cluster sampling method. The sample comprised 3382 school-going adolescents, and the data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The logit model method with STATA software was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that school-going adolescents with disciplinary issues face a two-fold increase in the risk of becoming current drug users compared to their peers. Further, those exhibiting externalising behaviours, such as aggression and rule-breaking, also face greater odds of becoming involved in DSA. Drug pushers were identified as the most significant risk factor, with adolescents exposed to them being 46 times more likely to become current drug users. The factors of friends and family also contribute significantly to adolescent drug involvement. However, adolescents with academic-related issues may be less involved if they have the protective factor of better coping skills. These findings will contribute to efforts to mitigate drug addiction and drug-related activities, particularly in high-risk communities, as well as help policymakers and healthcare professionals develop targeted interventions and generally promote the well-being of adolescents.

Strain, Anger, and Violent Behavior of South Korean Adolescents

Although general strain theory (GST) highlights the mediating role of anger between strain and violent behavior, the extant body of literature has been criticized for lack of rigorous testing of the mediating role of anger and lack of application in different cultural contexts. To cover this research gap, the current study investigated the mediating effect of anger between primary sources of strain of South Korean adolescents (i.e., parental abuse, academic-related strain, and negative relations to teacher) and violent behavior. Using structural equation modeling based on a nationally representative longitudinal dataset (n = 3,120), this study found a significant mediating role of anger in connecting strain and violent behavior of South Korean adolescents. Results from the present study support the main proposition of the GST on the mediating role of anger and its applicability in a cross-cultural context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Poor sleep is associated with energy drinks consumption among Korean adolescents

OBJECTIVE

A growing number of Korean adolescents consume energy drinks, which may increase the risk of obesity, anxiety and insomnia. We examined whether poor sleep was associated with energy drink consumption among study participants.

DESIGN

We used a cross-sectional design.

SETTING

The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey data from 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

To determine the association between sleep and energy drink consumption, we compared the independent variables for 50,455 adolescents in Korea (aged 14-19 years) using multivariate logistic regression and sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

In Korea, 69·5 % adolescents consumed energy drinks, 17·1 % slept for less than 5 h, 22·4 % slept for 5-6 h, 23·8 % slept for 6-7 h, 19·9 % slept for 7-8 h and 16·7 % slept for 8 h or more. Regarding sleep satisfaction, 21·0 % reported sufficient, 32·6 % reported just enough and 46·5 % reported insufficient. Regarding sleep duration, it was found that less than 5 h (OR, 2·36; 95 % CI (2·14, 2·60)) and lower sleep satisfaction (OR, 1·12; 95 % CI (1·03, 1·21)) were highly associated with energy drink consumption, with statistical significance at P < 0·05. Adolescents with lower sleep duration (adjusted OR (aOR), 6·37; 95 % CI (4·72, 8·61)) and a lack of sleep satisfaction (aOR, 1·44; 95 % CI (1·16, 1·78)) reported drinking a high amount of energy drinks, that is, at least once a day.

CONCLUSION

In addition to efforts to decrease the amount of energy drinks consumed, sleep hygiene education needs to be strengthened.

Potential connection between positive frustration in family leisure time and the promotion of adolescent autonomy

Family relationships during leisure time in adolescence have the potential to promote positive development, particularly in terms of autonomy. However, the scientific literature that links specifically positive family leisure to the development of adolescent autonomy is scarce, and lower when analyzing the role of frustration in leisure time. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) this article examines the potential relationship between positive frustration in family leisure time and the promotion of adolescent autonomy. For that purpose, the manuscript addresses four objectives to be discussed consecutively: (1) to delimit the concept of adolescent autonomy and point out the difficulty of parental support; (2) to explore positive frustration, a concept aligned with Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, as a construct that can promote socio-emotional development in adolescence; (3) to describe the components of family leisure; and (4) to understand how the experience of optimal frustration may be linked to the development of adolescent autonomy during family leisure time. From this central question, several additional inquiries emerge: the interplay of frustration and failure in adolescence, the importance of parents and adolescents spending quality time together, the enjoyment in structured family leisure time, the autonomy-supportive parenting in leisure time activities in relation to daily activities, the need to strengthen adolescent bonds developed in infancy, and the complexity of paternal and maternal autonomy granting.

Comparison of Korean School Students' Safety Accident Rates before and after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected various aspects of education, including the occurrence of injuries among Korean students. This study aims to analyze and compare injury rates in elementary, middle, and high schools before and after the pandemic and identify the associated factors. A non-experimental quantitative dataset compiled from the Korea School Safety Association's annual reports (2018-2022) was utilized. The data included information on school safety accidents among Korean children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The dataset was analyzed based on factors such as time, location, type of accident, and injured body part. The findings revealed a decline in accidents during the early phase of the pandemic, followed by an increase after schools reopened. There were notable variations in the accidents in specific locations, types, and body parts affected during the pandemic, compared with the pre-pandemic period. This study highlights the importance of continuous monitoring, implementation of safety measures, and prioritization of physical activity programs and safety education to ensure a safe learning environment. Further research is recommended to track and address evolving school accidents in response to the pandemic and its aftermath.

The association mental health of adolescents with economic impact during the COVID-19 pandemic: a 2020 Korean nationally representative survey

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has affected innumerable aspects of life, including education, economy, and religion. Economic problems and inequality are associated with poor mental health in adolescents. This study aimed to identify the relationship between economic damage to families due to COVID-19 and various mental health problems in Korean adolescents and to evaluate the risk factors of mental health.

METHODS

In total, 54,948 Korean adolescent students from 398 middle and 395 high schools were surveyed between August and November 2020. Complex sample logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for depression and suicidal ideation, respectively. A generalized linear model analysis was used to examine the association between mental health (unhappiness, loneliness, and stress) and the economic impact of COVID-19. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, school grade, perceived academic achievement, perceived family economic status, and economic support.

RESULTS

The ORs of depression (OR = 1.77, 95% CI:1.57-2.00), suicidal ideation (OR = 2.14, 95% CI:1.84-2.50), unhappiness (OR = 1.51 95% CI 1.42-1.60) and lonely (OR = 1.38 95% CI 1.27-1.49) for the low level of perceived family economic status was higher compared to middle level. Adolescents who experienced economic deterioration in their households as COVID-19 showed a higher risk of depression (OR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.35-1.49), suicide ideation (OR = 1.36, 95% CI:1.28-1.44), unhappiness (OR = 2.23 95% CI 2.19-2.27), lonely (OR = 1.20 95% CI 1.17-1.22), and stress (OR = 1.14 95% CI 1.12-1.16) than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings revealed an association between the decline in household economic status due to COVID-19 and mental health problems, such as stress, loneliness, suicidal ideation, depression, and unhappiness.

School-Based meditation in adolescents: an integrative literature review

OBJECTIVES

Utility of cognitive-behavioral practice interventions in school settings have been discussed by the scientific community regarding their possibility of insertion in the educational field. In this way, this review article analyzes the scientific production on the practice of meditation offered at school in adolescents, since the appropriation of studies that point to reflections and perspectives of meditative practice can favor the development of new pedagogical trajectories in the school environment.

CONTENT

The electronic databases VHL, PubMed, and CAPES were consulted, using the combination of the terms related to meditation, adolescents, and school. This analysis resulted in eight articles, including field research and reviews, published between 2010 and 2021.

SUMMARY

The articles showed improvement in emotional coping skills, social relationships, self-regulation, control of mood levels, stress, depression, and anger, and significant gains in self-reflection and academic attention. They pointed out that elementary and high school students present more significant responses, and these factors, such as duration, frequency, and systematization of the session, can interfere with these responses.

OUTLOOK

These results indicate that meditation practice in adolescents can be a valuable strategy for health promotion and educational training in the school environment.

The Relationships of Creative Coping and College Students' Achievement Emotions and Academic Stress: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

Creative coping is the use of creativity as a positive strategy when facing stress. The existing empirical investigation of creative coping is scarce, particularly in the field of educational psychology. The present study aims to explore the relationships of college students' creative coping and their achievement emotions and academic stress as well as the underlying mechanism. The sample included 780 Chinese college students. The Creative Coping Scale, Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Learning Stress Inventory for College Students, and the short version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire were used. Statistical results showed that creative coping was positively related with students' positive achievement emotions and negatively related with negative achievement emotions, but insignificantly with academic stress. Moreover, psychological capital played a mediating role in the relationship between creative coping and achievement emotions and in the relationship between creative coping and academic stress with a suppression effect.

Factors Related to Oversleeping in Korean Young Adults, with a Focus on Sociodemographic Factors

Young adults the year after high school experience changes in lifestyle and circumstances and tend to experience more oversleeping. However, there are few studies on oversleeping in young adults. This study aims to identify the sociodemographic factors related to oversleeping among young adults in Korea using nationally representative data. This study analyzed self-reported and cross-sectional data in 2016 from a sample of 1876 participants from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, which included respondents one year after high school graduation. Oversleeping was defined as sleeping 9 or more hours a day on average. Logistic regression models were analyzed to test a multivariate association between independent sociodemographic variables and oversleeping. Over one-tenth of young adults reported oversleeping. Oversleeping was associated with household income (OR = 0.99, p = 0.011) and smoking (OR = 1.52, p = 0.041). In addition, when compared to non-working college students, college students who were working (OR = 2.58, p = 0.021), non-students who were working (OR = 1.68, p = 0.048), and non-students who were not working (OR = 3.07, p < 0.001) were more likely to report oversleeping. Oversleeping among young adults was associated with major sociodemographic factors including household income (-), smoking (+), and academic and working status (+). These findings suggest the significant role of sociodemographic factors as predictors of oversleeping and emphasize the importance of examining various factors to achieve a better understanding of oversleeping in young adults.

Time-Varying Associations Between Device-Based and Ecological Momentary Assessment-Reported Sedentary Behaviors and the Concurrent Affective States Among Adolescents: Proof-of-Concept Study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies on affective state-sedentary behavior (SB) associations have not accounted for their potentially time-varying nature and have used inconsistent SB measurement modalities. We investigated whether the strength of the associations between affective states and SB varied as a function of the time of day and by SB measurement modality (device-measured SB vs ecological momentary assessment-reported screen-based SB) in youth.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to establish a proof of concept that SB-affective state associations may not be static during the day. In addition, we aimed to inform the methodology of future work, which may need to model associations as functions of the time of day and carefully consider how SB is operationalized or measured.

METHODS

A total of 15 adolescents (age: mean 13.07, SD 1.03 years; 10/15, 67% female; 6/15, 40% Hispanic; 10/15, 67% healthy weight) wore thigh-mounted activPAL accelerometers and simultaneously reported their screen-based SBs and concurrent positive and negative affective states via ecological momentary assessment for 7 to 14 days (N=636 occasions). Time-varying effect models (varying slopes) examined how each measure of SB was associated with concurrent affective states from 7 AM to 8 PM.

RESULTS

Time-varying effect model plots revealed that these associations varied in strength throughout the day. Specifically, device-based SB was related to greater concurrent negative affect only after approximately 5 PM and was unrelated to concurrent positive affect. Screen-based SB was related to greater concurrent negative affect only from 7 AM to approximately 9 AM. This was also related to greater concurrent positive affect from 7 AM to approximately 9:30 AM and from approximately 3 PM to approximately 7 PM.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide preliminary evidence to suggest that future confirmatory studies investigating the SB-affective state relationship should consider the time-varying nature of these associations and SB measurement modality. There may be critical time windows when specific types of SBs co-occur with affect, suggesting that interventions may need tailoring to the time of day and type of SB if future studies using similar methodologies can replicate our findings.

The impacts of academic stress on college students' problematic smartphone use and Internet gaming disorder under the background of neijuan: Hierarchical regressions with mediational analysis on escape and coping motives

With sluggish economic growth in the post-pandemic era, the phenomenon "neijuan" becomes increasingly severe in many Asian countries like China. Neijuan refers to a hypercompetitive social environment wherein individuals involuntarily get involved in inhumane work or study hours, resulting in a considerable amount of tension and stress. Previous pathology research has shown that stress can trigger the overuse of Internet-based devices and services, which can subsequently lead to problematic smartphone use (PSU) and Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Provided college students are generally deemed one of the groups most susceptible to neijuan, limited attention has been given to the stimuli and the resultant psychological and behavioral ill-beings. Our study examined the impacts of academic stress on Chinese college students' PSU and IGD problems, with the inclusion of escape and coping motives as mediators. Based upon the results of hierarchical regressions and path analysis, we found that whereas academic stress increased IGD tendency mediated through escape and coping motives, excessive use of smartphone might have developed into a habitual behavior rather than effective escape and coping instruments. Demographic and academic characteristics, such as gender and whether studying at a prestigious institution, also exerted influences on college students' IGD intensity.

When and how do adolescent girls in Japan become aware of premenstrual symptoms from menarche? A cross-sectional study among senior high school students

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the interval from menarche to the onset of premenstrual symptoms and its relationship with menarche age.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional school-based survey.

SETTING

Urban areas of Sendai, the largest city in northeastern Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

1422 female Japanese 10th-12th grade senior high school students participated in the survey.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The time of awareness of premenstrual symptoms, and the interval from menarche to the onset of premenstrual symptoms.

RESULTS

1290 students had menstruation and completed the whole survey. The median age at menarche was 12 years (IQR: 11-13 years). The prevalence of self-reported premenstrual symptoms was 49%. The median age at which students became aware of premenstrual symptoms was 15 years (IQR: 14-16 years). The median time from the onset of menarche to awareness of premenstrual symptoms was 2 years. This time was negatively correlated with menarche age (ρ=-0.47, p<0.001). A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that early menarche was significantly associated with a lower cumulative risk of developing premenstrual symptoms (OR: 0.73 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.91)).

CONCLUSIONS

High school students in Japan began experiencing premenstrual symptoms at around 15 years old, and within 2 years of menarche. This study suggested that social factors other than hormonal factors, such as early menarche, might be associated with the onset of premenstrual symptoms.

Sources of academic stress among Iranian adolescents: a multilevel study from Qazvin City, Iran

Background

Academic stress can cause mental and physical problems and affect adolescents’ healthy development. This study aimed to estimate academic stress and explore its sources at the individual- and school levels among school-going adolescents in the city of Qazvin, Iran.

Results

This cross-sectional study used a stratified cluster sampling to recruit 1724 students aged 12–19 years from 53 schools in Qazvin City. Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The mean academic stress score was 45.7 (95% CI 45.2, 46.3). The stress level was statistically higher among older 47.5 (95% CI 46.7, 48.3) than younger 44.1 (95% CI 43.4, 44.9) adolescents. The main academic stressors included: future uncertainty 69.7 (95% CI 68.8, 70.7), academic competition 58.5 (95% CI 57.3, 59.6), and interaction with teachers 56.1 (95% CI 55.3, 56.9). Gender, educational period, school type, family socioeconomic status, and father’s education were associated with academic stress.

Conclusions

We conducted a multilevel study using a random sample of male and female students in the city of Qazvin, Iran. Results indicated moderate levels of stress among Iranian adolescents. The academic stress was associated with several individual and school-level variables. Students and their families and teachers need education on stress prevention methods and coping mechanisms. Future research should focus on developing and testing multilevel policies and interventions to improve students’ mental health and academic performance.

Tipologia circadiana de estudantes de Psicologia

A tipologia circadiana é uma dimensão comportamental associada a preferências de hábitos diários. Contudo, este estudo objetivou avaliar a qualidade de sono e a sonolência excessiva de acadêmicos de Psicologia. Participaram deste estudo quase-experimental 56 estudantes com idade entre 17 e 34 anos. Utilizaram-se como instrumentos o Índice de Qualidade de Sono de Pittsburgh (PSQI), o Questionário de Matutinidade e Vespertinidade, a Escala de Sonolência de Karolinska e a Escala de Ritmo Social Breve. Após avaliar o PSQI, todos os participantes responderam os instrumentos por um período de 14 dias consecutivos. A MANOVA mostrou diferença significativa para sonolência diária durante os dias úteis [λ=0.81; F(4;47)=451,53; p<0,05], especificamente para o horário das 21h [F(2;5)=3,03; p<0,05]. Conclui-se que os estudantes possuem qualidade de sono ruim e, geralmente, tentam compensar as faltas de noites de sono durante a semana nos finais de semana.

Machine learning-based analysis of adolescent gambling factors

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Problem gambling among adolescents has recently attracted attention because of easy access to gambling in online environments and its serious effects on adolescent lives. We proposed a machine learning-based analysis method for predicting the degree of problem gambling.

METHODS

Of the 17,520 respondents in the 2018 National Survey on Youth Gambling Problems dataset (collected by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems), 5,045 students who had gambled in the past 3 months were included in this study. The Gambling Problem Severity Scale was used to provide the binary label information. After the random forest-based feature selection method, we trained four models: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), extra trees (ETs), and ridge regression.

RESULTS

The online gambling behavior in the past 3 months, experience of winning money or goods, and gambling of personal relationship were three factors exhibiting the high feature importance. All four models demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of >0.7; ET showed the highest AUC (0.755), RF demonstrated the highest accuracy (71.8%), and SVM showed the highest F1 score (0.507) on a testing set.

DISCUSSION

The results indicate that machine learning models can convey meaningful information to support predictions regarding the degree of problem gambling.

CONCLUSION

Machine learning models trained using important features showed moderate accuracy in a large-scale Korean adolescent dataset. These findings suggest that the method will help screen adolescents at risk of problem gambling. We believe that expandable machine learning-based approaches will become more powerful as more datasets are collected.

Effects of School-Based Meditation Courses on Self-Reflection, Academic Attention, and Subjective Well-Being in South Korean Middle School Students

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of school-based meditation courses on middle school students' self-reflection, academic attention (ability to focus in classrooms), and subjective well-being.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The research design was a nonequivalent group comparison (n = 163) with pretest and post-test. The experimental group (n = 81) was given an eight-week meditation course and the control group (n = 82) was given other elective courses such as calligraphy and reading.

RESULTS

The experimental group showed significant increases in self-reflection (t = 2.536, p = .012) and academic attention (t = 2.767, p = .006), but subjective well-being did not increase significantly (t = 0.906, p = .367). Life satisfaction was the only subcomponent of subjective well-being that increased significantly (t = 2.438, p = .016); the other subjective well-being subcomponents did not show any significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-reflection and academic attention significantly increased in middle school students after an eight-week meditation course. Even though changes in subjective well-being were not significant, one of its subcomponents (life satisfaction) did show significant improvement. Self-reflection and subjective well-being were shown to be influential factors for academic attention (48.5% of the variance explained).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This study is meaningful in that it examined positive benefits of a meditation course in middle school students and explored the feasibility of such a course in a school system.

Association of emotional and behavioral problems with single and multiple suicide attempts among Chinese adolescents: Modulated by academic performance

BACKGROUND

There were differences in the characteristics and prevalence rates between individuals with a history of one suicide attempt and those with multiple suicide attempts. This large-scale study was conducted to test, among Chinese adolescents, the associations of emotional and behavioral problems with single and multiple suicide attempts and whether these associations vary with adolescents' academic performance.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the 2019 School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey (n = 20,702). Information about emotional and behavioral problems, suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, academic performance, and sleep duration was gathered. Multinomial logistic regression models using Firth penalized likelihood approach and appropriate sampling weights were performed.

RESULTS

Compared with no suicide attempt, peer problems, emotional problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity were associated with an elevated risk of both a single suicide attempt and multiple suicide attempts, respectively (P < 0.05); the magnitudes of these associations in multiple suicide attempters were higher than those in single suicide attempters. Further stratification analyses by academic performance showed a greater association of the four difficulties with multiple suicide attempts in adolescents reporting poor academic performance than in those with good or average academic performance.

LIMITATIONS

The school-based study sample only included students, and causal inference could not be delineated due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional and behavioral problems are associated with an elevated risk of single and multiple suicide attempts with differences between multiple suicide attempters and single suicide attempters. Adolescent academic performance plays a modulating role in these associations for multiple suicide attempts.