Behavioral and psychosocial factors associated with suicidal ideation among adolescents

Prediction of suicidal ideation among preadolescent children with machine learning models: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Machine learning (ML) has been widely used to predict suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescents and adults. Nevertheless, studies of accurate and efficient models of SI prediction with preadolescent children are still needed because SI is surprisingly prevalent during the transition into adolescence. This study aimed to explore the potential of ML models to predict SI among preadolescent children.

METHODS

A total of 4691 Chinese children (54.89 % boys, Mage = 10.92 at baseline) and their parents completed relevant measures at baseline and the children provided 6-month follow-up data for SI. The current study compared four ML models: Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), to predict SI and to identify variables with predictive value based on the best-performing model among Chinese preadolescent children.

RESULTS

The RF model achieved the highest discriminant performance with an AUC of 0.92, accuracy of 0.93 (balanced accuracy = 0.88). The factors of internalizing problems, externalizing problems, neuroticism, childhood maltreatment, and subjective well-being in school demonstrated the highest values in predicting SI.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggested that ML models based on the observation and assessment of children's general characteristics and experiences in everyday life can serve as convenient screening and evaluation tools for suicide risk assessment among Chinese preadolescent children. The findings also provide insights for early intervention.

Internet Addiction and Its Association with Demographic Variables, Depression, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-being in College Students. Ann Neurosci 2024;31:21-27. [PMID: 38584979 PMCID: PMC10996870 DOI: 10.1177/09727531231171979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Background

Internet is an integral part of the daily life of everyone. Internet addiction (IA) is one of the major concerns, specifically among young adults. The association between IA, depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being (PWB) is least studied in young adults.

Purpose

To evaluate IA and its association with psychological morbidity and PWB in a larger sample size. In addition, to examine the factors that are associated with IA.

Methods

A total of 1287 young students were evaluated in the present study. Participants were evaluated on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Psychological Well-Being Index-22.

Results

The mean age of the study's participants is 19.5 years. The majority were female (68.9%), from nuclear families (61.8%), and belonged to urban localities (61.5%). On IAT, 15.9% had a presence of IA with a cut-off score of 50. 27.4% and 20.5% had a presence of depression and anxiety with a cut-off score of 10 on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, respectively. Approximately two-thirds (66.7%) reported poor PWB. IA had a significant positive association with depression and anxiety and a negative association with PWB. Male students, the presence of depression, anxiety, and poor PWB were independent factors associated with IA.

Conclusion

Internet addiction is highly prevalent among college students and has a significant association with anxiety, depression, and poor PWB. There is a need to develop a structured plan, educational strategy, and program to minimize IA in young adults.

Mindfulness mediates the relationship between positive parenting and aggression, depression, and suicidal ideation: A longitudinal study in middle school students

Previous research has indicated that parenting factors affect the risk of maladaptive psychological outcomes (e.g., aggression, depression, or suicidal ideation), and that positive parenting is a prospective risk factor for maladaptive psychological outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationships between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes remain unknown, as do the processes that mediate the effect of positive parenting on maladaptive psychological outcomes in adolescents. The objective of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes in middle school students, as well as the mediating effect of mindfulness in the relationships between positive parenting and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation. In this study, 386 middle school children (aged 12–16) were tested three times over a period of 6 months. Positive parenting was assessed at Time 1, mindfulness at Time 2, and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation at Time 3. Using structural equation modeling, positive parenting was revealed to be longitudinally associated with mindfulness and negatively associated with maladaptive psychological outcomes. More crucially, mindfulness mediated the relationship between positive parenting and maladaptive psychological outcomes. This research provides important insights into how to effectively decrease adolescent maladaptive psychological outcomes and highlights the importance of teaching mindfulness to youths.

Effects of Life Skill Training on the School Violence Attitudes and Behavior Among Elementary School Children

This study evaluated a life skill training program on school violence given to elementary school children. A quasi-experimental study was conducted, and a 12-week intervention was implemented targeting 70 students aged between 10 and 11 years. The instruments included peer competency, attitudes toward school violence, experience of school violence, and the Self-Control Rating Scale. The data were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance. A significant difference was observed between the groups over time on peer competency ( F = 4.17, p = .020), attitudes toward school violence ( F = 6.02, p = .004), and violence experience as a victim ( F = 3.49, p = .036) and as a perpetrator ( F = 3.87, p = .026). In the experimental group, the mean scores for peer competency increased compared to the control group, whereas school violence experience decreased at the posttests. A 12-week program of life skill training offered to children was effective in promoting peer competency and attitudes toward school violence, while decreasing the experience of school violence.

Prevalence of Internet Addiction and its Correlates Among Regular Undergraduate Medicine and Health Science Students at Ambo University. Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction:

Internet addiction (IA) is causing academic failure, decreased concentration ability, and a negative affective state. In Ethiopia, studies conducted on IA were limited; therefore, this study aimed to assess its prevalence and risk factors among medicine and health science (MHS) students of Ambo University.

Materials and Methods:

This study was a cross-sectional study and included MHS students of Ambo University from July 15 to August 15, 2021. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire after receiving informed consent from study participants. The results were analyzed using the statistical software for social sciences version 24. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to explore the relationship between IA and dependent variables.

Results:

Of the 253 participants who participated in the study, 201 (79%) were found to have an IA. Having one’s own computer, Internet access at home and an email account were 2 times more risky to develop IA compared to their counterparts with AOR = 2.615 (95% CI = 1.118-5.956) with a P value of .022, AOR = 2.154 (95% CI = 1.054-4.405) with a P value of .35 and (=2.154 (95% CI = 1.054-4.405 with a P value of .035 respectively. Additionally, those who use the Internet for news were 2.5 times more likely to develop IA compared to those who do not (AOR = 2.551 (95% CI = 1.225-5.349) with a P-value of .013). The use of the Internet for scientific research and education reduces IA by 0.7 times (AOR = 0.323 (95% CI = 0.120-0.868) with a P value of .025).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of IA was found to be high in this study. Therefore, strategies are needed to minimize the prevalence of this problem.

Problem Gaming and Suicidality: A Systematic Literature Review

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This is the first review on the association between problem gaming and suicidality.

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12 studies were identified, all of which found a positive association.

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Future studies should investigate the causality and mechanisms in the relationship.

Background

No studies have so far synthesised the current evidence concerning a possible relationship between problem gaming and suicidality. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the literature. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between problem gaming and suicidality. The review was funded by the Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research.

Methods

The review was pre-registered in PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42021279774). Searches were conducted in Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, PubMed and Google Scholar, September 2021. Studies that reported data on the relationship between problem gaming and suicidality, published between 2000 and 2021, and written in any European language were included. Studies investigating internet addiction/problematic internet use and not problem gaming, specifically, and studies investigating mental health in general or mental health outcomes other than suicidality, were excluded. Data from the included studies were extracted independently by two coders who also evaluated for risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The results from each included study were presented in a table.

Results

A total of 12 cross-sectional studies, with in total 88,732 participants, were included in the review. In total 10 studies investigated the association between problem gaming and suicidal ideation. One of these also investigated the association between problem gaming and suicide attempts. Two studies combined suicidal ideation and suicide attempts into one variable and investigated the association between that variable and problem gaming. In total 11 of the 12 included studies found positive, crude associations between problem gaming and suicidal ideation/attempts. Five studies adjusted for possible confounding variables. Three of these still found significant associations between problem gaming and suicidal ideation, one found a positive but not statistically significant association, and the fifth found an inverse, non-significant association.

Discussion

The current findings indicate that there is an association between problem gaming and suicidal ideation, and likely between problem gaming and suicide attempts. The most important limitation of the included studies is the lack of longitudinal designs. Future studies should aim to investigate the causality and mechanisms in the relationships using more stringent designs.

Association between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation among Korean women: Results from the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2010-2012)

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the association between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation in Korean women.

METHODS

Data on 5,606 women from the 2010-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a population-based cross-sectional study, were included. Menstrual cycle irregularity, suicidal ideation, current occupational status, age at menarche, education level, household income, and marital status were assessed through questionnaires with trained interviewers. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, smoking and drinking status, age at menarche, comorbid diseases, and physical activity.

RESULTS

In the multivariate-adjusted models, we found significant associations between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.44 [1.14-1.82]). This association was particularly noticeable in women aged 12 to 29 years (OR [95% CI] = 1.45 [1.04-2.03]), in those who had menarche at a relatively early age (aged 8-13 years) (OR [95% CI] = 1.60 [1.15-2.23]), and in those who were currently employed (OR [95% CI] = 1.46 [1.05-2.04]).

LIMITATIONS

Suicidal ideation was evaluated based on the participants' self-reports, and were therefore subjective in nature. Additionally, due to the cross-sectional design and use of retrospective data, causal relationships could not be drawn.

CONCLUSION

Women with irregular menstrual cycles were 1.42 times more likely to have suicidal ideation than those with regular cycles. More attention should be paid to menstrual cycle irregularity when attempting to improve levels of suicidal ideation.

Social rejection, popularity, peer victimization, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are significant public health problems in adolescence. The current article provides a comprehensive systematic review examining the relationship between events leading to perceived low relational evaluation (e.g. social rejection) and SITBs among adolescents. Theoretical work posits that low relational evaluation is experienced as psychologically painful, a known correlate of SITBs. Therefore, events leading to low relational evaluation may be particularly informative in understanding the context of SITBs. The current review examines how experiences of low relational evaluation that are hypothesized to elicit psychological pain, such as social rejection, low popularity, and peer victimization are related to engagement in SITBs in adolescence. A total of 56 articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified. The hypothesis of an association between indicators of low relational evaluation and SITBs was generally supported throughout the literature, with more consistency found among studies examining suicidal ideation specifically. However, interpretation of the findings is constrained by various methodological limitations of studies. The present review concludes with a theoretical conceptualization of the relationship between perceived relational value and SITBs, leveraging social and evolutionary psychological theory, to guide future research into this topic.

Screen Time and Cardiovascular Risks Among Middle-Aged Women

BACKGROUND

Screen time is a marker of sedentary behavior that threatens the health of women. Extended screen time is associated with depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and decreased quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we examined the factors associated with screen time and whether screen time is associated with the physiological and psychosocial health of middle-aged women. We applied a psycho-socioeconomic biobehavioral model of health and studied the outcomes of cardiometabolic biomarkers, insomnia, and quality of life.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis was performed using data from a cross-sectional study conducted with 423 women between 40 and 65 years of age. Socioeconomic, physiological, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics were measured. Self-reported screen time during the past week was measured using an ordinal scale. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-four percent of subjects had at least 3 hours per day of screen time on weekdays, whereas 30.7% had at least 3 hours per day on weekends. Older women, unemployed women, and those who do not perform regular exercise were more likely to have at least 3 hours per day of screen time (P < .05). Screen time was associated with total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, insomnia, and menopause-specific quality of life (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on a psycho-socioeconomic biobehavioral framework, we found that screen time is associated with the physiological and psychosocial health of women independent of socioeconomic and biobehavioral variables. Efforts to reduce the amount of screen time targeting middle-aged women will help improve cardiometabolic biomarkers and quality of life.