Problematic Internet Use and Its Relationship with Psychological Distress, Insomnia, and Alcoholism Among Schoolteachers in Japan

Blunted cortisol and normal sympathetic nervous system responses to an acute psychosocial stressor in internet addiction

Studies have demonstrated that addiction leads to blunted responses of cortisol and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to acute stressors; however, limited studies have examined the neuroendocrine and SNS stress responses in Internet addiction (IA). To examine acute stress responses in IA, the current study recruited a total of 76 Japanese university students and staff members (51 females and 25 males, mean age = 22.4 years, SD = 4.7), and measured the salivary cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), and blood pressure (BP) responses to an acute stressor under stress or a nonstress placebo conditions in IA and non-IA groups. The results revealed that patients with IA showed a blunted cortisol response to a stressor. In contrast, no differences were found in the sAA and BP responses between the IA and non-IA groups. These results suggest that IA may be characterized by blunted cortisol responses in acute stress settings.

Problematic Internet Use Associated with Symptomatic Dry Eye Disease in Medical Students from Peru

PURPOSE

Dry eye is a multifactorial ocular surface disease (DED) characterized by a loss of tear film homeostasis, which is widely associated with alterations in mental health. Problematic internet use (PIU) is defined as the feeling of concern about using this tool irresistibly, for longer periods than usual, accompanied by anguish that results from not doing so without reaching mania or hypomania behaviors. Both PIU and DED present a theoretical link; however, there are no published studies that report its relationship with problematic internet use. Therefore, this study aims to determine the association between PIU and symptomatic DED in Peruvian medical students.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Analytical cross-sectional study that included human medical students from Peru. For the measurement of main variables, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) were used. To study their relationship, the Poisson regression analysis was used, we consider a p-value <0.05 as significant.

RESULTS

Data from 844 medical students were analyzed, 35.7% male and 64.3% female, with an average age of 21.8 ± 3.3 years. Likewise, the prevalence of symptomatic DED was 70.9%, and the internet's controlled use was 85.3%. In the analysis adjusted for symptomatic DED, the men showed significant differences in the controlled use of the internet (p <0.003), of which those who had PIU, 50% had severe symptomatic DED, as well as 80% of those addicted to the internet. The adjusted model showed that the PIU increases the prevalence of symptomatic DED in men (PR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06-1.29); however, in women, no association was found between both variables.

CONCLUSION

PIU and symptomatic DED showed a significant association in male medical students from Peru.

Demonstrating the Therapeutic Values of Poetry in Doctoral Research: Autoethnographic Steps from the Enchanted Forest to a PhD by Publication Path

We rarely acknowledge the achievements of doctoral candidates who fought with all they had but still lost the battle and dropped out – we know so little about what becomes of them. This reflective article is about the betrayals of PhD supervisors in one institution, the trauma and stigma of withdrawing from that institution, writing poetry as a coping mechanism and the triumph in completing a Thesis by Publication (TBP) in another institution. Thus, I build on Lesley Saunders’s idea about using poetry to operate on ‘a personal capacity’ in educational research. Accordingly, I present an original autoethnographic poem and other poetic artefacts as well as reflections to sharpen the sociological eye of my story. In it, I merge two different segments of experiences in poetry – trauma and triumph – to draw an image of my doctoral journey, in the moment and in retrospection. By doing so, I illuminate the struggles involved in becoming an independent researcher. I also encourage practitioners to conceive that their negative experiences in doing educational research can be transformed into an achievement depending on the stand they take when faced with it. Certainly, poor academic performance can be closely associated with abandoning doctoral studies, but that is not always the case. Therefore, it is my hope that this autoethnographic work may instill hope in doctoral candidates who are still in the struggle to find a voice.

The association between problematic internet use and neck pain among Japanese schoolteachers

OBJECTIVES

Problematic internet use (PIU) has been suggested in relation to psychological symptoms among schoolteachers, but the relationship with physical symptoms remains unclear. We examined whether PIU or longer Internet usage time is associated with neck pain in schoolteachers.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 2582 teachers aged 20 years or older (35.6% women) in Shimane and Tottori, Japan in 2018. Neck pain was defined as ≥5 points on the Neck Disability Index. The Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) was used to assess PIU. Internet usage time on weekdays and weekends was divided into five groups: 0, 1-29, 30-59, 60-119, and ≥120 min/day. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of the CIUS score and Internet usage time on weekdays or weekends with neck pain, adjusting for sex, age, position at school, insomnia, and psychological distress.

RESULTS

We observed 800 (31.0%) teachers with neck pain. The median (interquartile range) of their CIUS scores was 7 (2, 14). A higher CIUS score was independently associated with a higher prevalence of neck pain (odds ratio of 4th vs. 1st quartiles, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.87; trend P = .006). Compared with non-Internet users, Internet users on weekdays had almost double the odds of neck pain although the difference did not reach the customary level for designating statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, teachers with higher scores in CIUS were associated with a higher prevalence of neck pain in Japan, suggesting adults with PIU being at risk of physical disorders.

Effect of Social Networking Sites on the Quality of Life of College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from a City in North India

Introduction

With the advent and extensive use of the Internet and smartphones, social networking has become a pervasive part of human interaction. The use of these social networking sites or the Internet affects the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the people. Hence, there is need to understand how the time spent on social networking is affecting the quality of life (QOL) as a whole, especially among college-going students who are most likely users of social networking sites (18–21 years).

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 220 college-going students (18–21 years) in Chandigarh in 2012. The data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire, adapted from Young's Internet usage questionnaire. Appropriate statistical analysis was done.

Results

Almost all (98%) of the respondents use the Internet. As compared to nondaily users of social networking sites, daily users were better able to handle stress related to (1) relationships (moderate to severe stress among daily users vs. nondaily users, 15.2% vs. 30.5%) and (2) work (moderate to severe stress among daily users vs. nondaily users, 18.2% vs. 35.4%). The daily users of social networking sites feel significantly more satisfied with their classmates, the way they handle the problems, their physical appearance, and their accomplishments in their life.

Conclusion

Social networking sites are steadily penetrating in the lives of adolescents in India. The advantages on quality of life for daily users of social networking sites versus nondaily users are enormous. Also currently, Internet use might not have reached the levels where it embarks on the existing state of health; therefore, continuous and critical observation of the changing trends is warranted.