Constellations of Depressive Symptoms, Substance Use, and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Higher Education Students: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of Mask-Wearing Practice During COVID-19.

Mental health and substance use emerged as critical factors associated with health risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its importance has only grown in the post-pandemic period, particularly among priority groups like higher education students. To enhance our understanding of how mental health and substance use factors interact with preventive measures like mask-wearing to affect risky sexual behaviors (RSBs), our study examined the associations between depressive symptoms, substance use, and RSBs among college and university students in the United States. We specifically aimed to assess the impact of mask-wearing on the association between depressive symptoms, binge drinking and marijuana use, and RSBs during the pandemic.

The overlooked war in Northern Ethiopia: Examining psychological capital, mental distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced people in Amhara region.

Background: Conflict-induced displacement is a greater risk factor for mental health challenges, especially in countries where people have limited access to mental health services. This study examined the prevalence of mental distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and their relationship with key demographic variables and psychological capital among conflict-induced Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the Wag-Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional quantitative design, and simple random sampling was used to recruit 367 IDPs from the Weleh IDP camp in Sekota town.

Barriers and Facilitators That Influence HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)-Prescribing Behaviors Among Primary Care Providers in the Southern United States.

The Southern United States (US) bears the highest burden of HIV prevalence in the country, disproportionately affecting African American communities. Despite the proven efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in reducing HIV transmission, its uptake remains suboptimal in this region. This study aimed to identify factors influencing PrEP-prescribing behaviors among primary care providers (PCPs) in the Southern US through the application of the transtheoretical model of behavior change.

Transition, Adjustment, and Healthcare Avoidance: African Immigrant Women's Experiences and Perceptions of Navigating Primary Healthcare in the USA.

This study explores the transition and adjustment of African immigrant women, particularly Ethiopian immigrant women (EIW), as they navigate the U.S. healthcare system and their ability to access and utilize healthcare services.

Anxiety sensitivity among Black youth: A cross-sectional analysis of the direct and indirect effects of community violence exposure, neighborhood risk, parenting practices, and peer effects.

Youth exposed to community violence and neighborhood stressors report devastating mental health consequences. Black youth are at greater risk and experience community violence at rates higher than other youth populations. An underexplored mental health consequence is anxiety sensitivity, the fear of experiencing anxiety-related symptoms, which contributes to maladaptive coping strategies and the development and severity of other mental health problems.

Examining the Utility of the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) among Children in the Nigeria Context.

An estimated 6 million children under the age of five in Nigeria (out of nearly 31 million) risk not reaching their full developmental potential. The dearth of context-relevant measures poses a challenge to the planning and implementation of effective interventions. This study assesses the utility of the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) in Nigeria.

Effectiveness of Different Online Intervention Modalities for Middle-Aged Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A 20-Year Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The main objectives of this systematic review and meta-analysis study include evaluating the methodological quality of existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for weight loss and features of online intervention [OI]s in each trial, examining the associations between the methodological quality, intervention features and the effectiveness of OIs, and comparing the effectiveness of OIs and other intervention modalities through systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic searches were conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in the past two decades (2000 through 2019). Inclusion criteria includes Online intervention (intervention modality), middle-aged adults with overweight or obesity, at least six months or longer study period, an RCT, and 70% plus retention rate.

Stress Biomarkers in Black Youth: Exploring Psychological, Behavioral, and Socio-Ecological Correlates.

Exposure to chronic stress is a major public health concern. Black youth are vulnerable to chronic stress exposure given their overrepresentation in urban neighborhoods characterized by socio-ecological stressors. We contribute to this emerging body of knowledge by (1) investigating stress-induced variability in cortisol response patterns among Black youth, and (2) examining risk and protective factors associated with physiological stress responses.

Assessing the Modified Neighborhood Cohesion Index Among African American Adolescents Living in Public Housing: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Objective: African American youth are disproportionately overrepresented in low-resourced segregated urban neighborhoods. Consequently, they experience greater exposure to neighborhood risks and subsequent depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion represents a protective factor for youth in such environments.

Goal Orientation and Adolescent Social Competence: Ubuntu as a Mediator Among Black American Adolescents.

Social competence, which is the ability to demonstrate socio-emotional behavior skills, is crucial during adolescence with far-reaching implications across the lifespan. However, social competence development among youth is greatly influenced by social inequities, which places many Black American youth at a disadvantage due to the disproportionate burden on youth development in resource-constrained environments. Responsively, we sought to determine whether Afrocentric cultural norms (i.

South Korean adolescents' delinquency, disclosure, parental knowledge, parent-child closeness, and delinquent peer associations.

The present study sought to examine longitudinal associations among delinquency, children's disclosure to parents, parent-child relationship quality, and parental knowledge in a South Korean sample. Longitudinal research shows that in Western samples, delinquency is negatively associated with the latter three variables. We also sought to test whether the associations varied across gender.

Predicting intention of intimate partner violence screening among Thai nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: Using the theory of planned behaviour, the aim of this study was to examine predictors of intention to screen patients for intimate partner violence among Thai nursing students.

Methods: We employed a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey study with convenience sampling of senior nursing students from across Thailand in April 2019. We administered the Intimate Partner Violence Screening Intention, Nursing Students, a 36-item tool, and analysed relationships between students' intentions and attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control towards intimate partner violence screening.

Mask wearing and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19: The moderating role of discrimination.

This study examined associations among discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19. : Undergraduate and graduate international students enrolled in universities during the 2020 summer semester participated in the online survey ( = 103). : Perceived discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts during COVID-19 were assessed by self-reports.

The hidden minority: Discrimination and mental health among international students in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.

International students in the US occupy a precarious position at the intersection of immigration policy and global education mobility, one made more challenging by the disparate impact of COVID-19 on college students' mental health. Few studies, however, have explored the pandemic's effects on mental well-being among the international student population in the US. Our study aims to provide initial empirical evidence on the mental health status of these students, with a specific focus on discrimination, loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

Exposure to community violence and depressive symptoms: Examining community, family, and peer effects among public housing youth.

Exposure to community violence is an epidemic problem that causes debilitating effects on youth mental health. However, the relationships between violence exposure and youth mental health remain unclear when examining co-occurring socioecological risk and protective factors. The purpose of this study is to clarify the observed gaps in knowledge by utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the mediating role of community violence exposure on the relationship between perceived neighborhood risk factors, parental behaviors, and peers on depressive symptoms in a sample of urban youth in low-income public housing communities (n = 320).

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among College Students in Sierra Leone: A Life Course Ecological Analysis.

Applying life course theory, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), mediated by early sexual activity (first sexual experience before age 15), number of lifetime sex partners, and mental health problems. The link between ACEs and mental health on college students' sexual risk is still understudied. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of 327 college students in Sierra Leone, this study tested the hypothesized mediation model using structural equation modeling analysis.

Intimate partner violence screening intention instrument for Thai nursing students: A principal component analysis.

Background: Identifying factors related to intimate partner violence (IPV) screening intentions of future nurses is critical, but no studies specific to this research area exist in Thailand; nor does any validated instrument currently exist to systematically evaluate Thai nursing students' IPV training or measure their readiness to address IPV. The purpose of this study was to develop the Intimate Partner Violence Screening Intention, Nursing Students (IPVSI-NS) for Thai nursing students and identify components explaining their intentions to screen for intimate partner violence (IPV).

Method: We designed a Thai-language, culturally appropriate 36-item instrument based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which describes intentions as the precursors of actual behaviour.

Relations between stress, coping strategies, and prosocial behavior in U.S. Mexican college students.

We explored the explanatory roles of active and avoidant coping in the link between stress and emotional prosocial behavior in U.S. Mexican college students.

Each post matters: a content analysis of #mentalhealth images on Instagram.

This study examined mental health-related content on a popular visual-based social media platform, Instagram. A content analysis was completed by using the search term '#mentalhealth' on public Instagram posts ( = 758). Our data showed that wellness practices related to mental health (e.

The Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale: development and validation of an individual-level protection measure.

Given the increasing threat of disasters in the United States and elsewhere around the world, well-tested assessment tools that operationalise specific protective factors associated with adaptation and resilience to such events are needed. Consequently, the authors proposed, developed, and validated the Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS) to measure five domains found to support adaptive responses in individuals exposed to disasters: physical resources; social resources; problem-solving; distress regulation; and optimism. The development and validation processes of DARS occurred across two studies: the first comprised construct development, item generation, and expert review, whereas the second involved a full validation evaluation of the psychometric properties of the scale in a sample of adults exposed to a disaster in the US (N=625).

Exposure to Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Among Youth in Public Housing: Do Community, Family, and Peers Matter?

This study examines the mediating roles of neighborhood risk factors, parental behaviors, and peers on the relationship between community violence exposure and posttraumatic stress in a sample of urban youth in low-income public housing communities. Data are from 320 African-American youth living in public housing in a northeastern city in the USA. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine the stated relationships.

E-Cigarette, Cigarette, and Dual Use in Korean Adolescents: A Test of Problem Behavior Theory.

E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among adolescent cigarette users. However, little is known about the various factors related to adolescents' use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or both in South Korea. Using nationally representative data from the 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, this study examined the possible problem behavior theory factors that contribute to (1) current e-cigarette use among those who have ever used cigarettes (), (2) current cigarette use among those who have ever used e-cigarettes (), and (3) current dual use among current cigarette or e-cigarette users ().

Peer victimization, depression, and sexual risk behaviors among high school youth in the United States: a gender-based approach.

Background And Objectives: Little research has examined how different types of peer victimization (i.e. school bullying, cyber-bullying, and physical and sexual dating violence) predict sexual risk behaviors and how depression may mediate the relationship of such behaviors with types of peer victimization.