Psychosocial risk factors associated with cyberbullying among adolescents: a population-based study

CONTEXT

To our knowledge, no population study examining psychosocial and psychiatric risk factors associated with cyberbullying among adolescents exists.

OBJECTIVE

To study cross-sectional associations between cyberbullying and psychiatric and psychosomatic problems among adolescents.

DESIGN

Population-based cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample consists of 2215 Finnish adolescents aged 13 to 16 years with complete information about cyberbullying and cybervictimization.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-reports of cyberbullying and cybervictimization during the past 6 months.

RESULTS

In the total sample, 4.8% were cybervictims only, 7.4% were cyberbullies only, and 5.4% were cyberbully-victims. Cybervictim-only status was associated with living in a family with other than 2 biological parents, perceived difficulties, emotional and peer problems, headache, recurrent abdominal pain, sleeping difficulties, and not feeling safe at school. Cyberbully-only status was associated with perceived difficulties, hyperactivity, conduct problems, low prosocial behavior, frequent smoking and drunkenness, headache, and not feeling safe at school. Cyberbully-victim status was associated with all of these risk factors. Among cybervictims, being cyberbullied by a same-sex or opposite-sex adult, by an unknown person, and by a group of people were associated with fear for safety, indicating possible trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

Both cyberbullying and cybervictimization are associated with psychiatric and psychosomatic problems. The most troubled are those who are both cyberbullies and cybervictims. This indicates the need for new strategies for cyberbullying prevention and intervention.

Radiologic findings in farmer's lung. Prognosis and correlation to lung function

We classified the radiologic findings of 93 patients with acute or subacute farmer's lung (FL) disease by type and severity of the change in chest x-ray film. Acute radiologic changes, further divided as nodular, ground-glass, or striated patchy opacities, were found in 78/93 patients at the first evaluation; 11 showed chronic changes (radiologic "fibrosis"), which persisted unchanged throughout the follow-up period; and four initially had a normal chest x-ray film. Patients were followed up 23 months on an average. The more severe the radiologic change at the first evaluation, the more impaired the diffusing capacity (Dsb). Severe radiologic changes disappeared more slowly than the less severe ones. The differences in the initial pulmonary function values between the two groups disappeared during the follow-up. The type of acute change did not predict the recovery of respiratory performance. Treatment with oral corticosteroids did not affect the outcome of lung function or appearance of chronic changes, although corticosteroids seemed to hasten the disappearance of diffuse opacities. At the final evaluation, the chest x-ray film was normal in 55/93 patients. Chronic changes were detected in 38 patients. Severe radiologic appearance and striated patchy opacities predisposed to development of chronic changes.

Gonadotropin receptors of human corpus luteum during menstrual cycle and pregnancy

Specific high-affinity low-capacity binding of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and lutropin (hLH) was demonstrated in the plasma membrane fractions of human corpora lutea. The number of binding sites for both hormones increased from early to late luteal phase, whereas regressing corpus luteum from proliferative phase did not bind either hormone. On the basis of apparent dissociation constants the affinity of the receptor for hLH is highest during early luteal phase and decreases toward the end of the cycle, which may reflect an increasing insensitivity of the corpus luteum to circulating hLH. By contrast, the affinity of the receptor for hCG is highest in the midluteal phase. There are gonadotropin binding sites in the human corpus luteum also during pregnancy, but they are saturated by endogenous hCG. Evidence for this was obtained by elution of hCG with 0.15M sodium chloride at pH 2.3 from washed plasma membrane fractions of luteal tissue from six to 16 week's gestation. After acid treatment and neutralization these preparations showed specific binding for 125I-labeled hCG, but not for 125I-labeled hLH. Our results demonstrate a shift in the balance of affinity of the gonadotropin receptor from hLH to hCG during the course of luteal phase, and during pregnancy the binding sites appear to be available for hCG only.