METHODS: A search was conducted on five databases for articles published in English from 1980 till March 2015. Included were studies who recruited children (aged 5-18 years), with a diagnosis or newly/recurrent epilepsy, an intelligent quotient (IQ) of ≥70 or attending regular school, with or without a control group, which measured academic achievement using a standardised objective measure, and published in English. Excluded were children with learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities (IQ<70) and other comorbidities such as attention deficits hyperactive disorder or autism. Two pairs of reviewers extracted the data, and met to resolve any differences from the data extraction process.
RESULTS: Twenty studies were included. The majority of the studies assessed "low achievement" whist only two studies used the IQ-achievement discrepancy definition of "underachievement". Fourteen studies (70%) reported that CWE had significantly lower academic achievement scores compared to healthy controls, children with asthma or reported norms. The remaining six studies (30%) did not report any differences. CWE had stable academic achievement scores over time (2-4 years), even among those whose seizure frequency improved. Higher parental education and children with higher IQ, and had better attention or had a positive attitude towards epilepsy, were associated with higher academic achievement score. Older children were found to have lower academic achievement score.
CONCLUSIONS: In CWE of normal intelligence, the majority of published literature found that academic achievement was lower than controls or reported norms. The high percentages of low achievement in CWE, especially in the older age group, and the stability of scores even as seizure frequency improved, highlights the need for early screening of learning problems, and continued surveillance.
METHODS: Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March-June 2020).
RESULTS: Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to "maintain training," and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is "okay to not train during lockdown," with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered "coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)" to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown,
METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in April 2021 searching PubMed, Psychology and Behavioural Science Collection, Web of Science, ERIC, and Scopus for systematic reviews and meta-analyses on digital mental health interventions targeting university students. The review protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO [CRD42021234773].
RESULTS: The initital literature search resulted in 806 records of which seven remained after duplicates were removed and evaluated against the inclusion criteria. Effectiveness was reported and categorized into the following six delivery types: (a) web-based, online/computer-delivered interventions (b) computer-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), (c) mobile applications and short message service (d) virtual reality interventions (e) skills training (f) relaxation and exposure-based therapy. Results indicated web-based online/computer delivered-interventions were effective or at least partially effective at decressing depression, anxiety, stress and eating disorder symptoms. This was similar for skills-training interventions, CBT-based intervention and mobile applications. However, digital mental health interventions using virtual reality and relaxation, exposure-based therapy was inconclusive. Due to the variation in study settings and inconsistencies in reporting, effectiveness was greatly dependent on the delivery format, targeted mental health problem and targeted purpose group.
CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence for the beneficial effect of digital mental health interventions for university students. However, this review calls for a more systematic approach in testing and reporting the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions.
RECENT FINDINGS: Evidence from previous studies highlights the association between digital addiction and loneliness among adolescents. Overusing digital devices among adolescents is also associated with various physical and psychological side effects.
SUMMARY: Recent findings support the rapid rise of digital device usage among adolescents and its contributions to digital use. More research is needed to support existing interventions, provide early screening, and combat digital addiction to protect adolescents from the risks of loneliness due to the overuse of digital devices.
METHODS: Published journals before September 2021, from five databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Cochrane, and CNKI) were retrieved according to the keywords. The keywords used included cancer patients, terminally ill patients, cancer, SPB, self-perceived burden, self-burden, self-perceived, factor, predictor, associated factor, determinants, risk factor, prognostic factor, covariate, independent variable, and variable. The quality of the inclusion and exclusion criteria was independently reviewed by three researchers.
RESULTS: Out of 12,712 articles, there are 22 studies met the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of SPB among cancer patients ranged from 73.2 to 100% in Malaysia, China, and Canada. Most of them had moderate SPB. Out of the reported factors, age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, residence, educational level, occupational status, family income, primary caregiver, payment methods, disease-related factors, psychological factors, and physical factors were mostly reported across the studies.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, SPB prevalence is high in cancer patients. Therefore, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, relevant policymakers, and communities can provide special programs for high-risk groups to provide psychological guidance or design corresponding interventions to reduce the SPB level of patients and improve the quality of life.
BACKGROUND: Smartphones have become indispensable tools for students. However, excessive use can lead to smartphone addiction, causing physiological, psychological and social harm. Nursing students represent a unique population whose smartphone use may differ from other disciplines due to clinical training demands.
METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Seven databases were systematically searched from inception to August 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed original research on smartphone addiction, harms and risks among nursing students. Data were extracted and thematically synthesized.
RESULTS: Studies (n=39) met inclusion criteria, representing 15 countries. Rates of smartphone addiction among nursing students ranged from 19% to 72%, averaging 40-50%. Incorporated into Engel's biopsychosocial models, the harm is emphasized across individual inclinations, emotional aspects, cognitive processes and executive functions. Physiological harms include sleep disruption, vision concerns,other physiological concerns. psychologically, addiction correlated with increased anxiety and depression,decline in self-esteem, learning and attention and other psychological concerns. socially, it encompasses harms such as interpersonal relationships challenges, career development and decline in social abilities. The I-PACE model identifies various risk factors for smartphone addiction among nursing students, including personal factors such as interpersonal relationship anxiety and perceived academic pressure, affective factors like high stress and learning burnout, cognitive factors such as the need for online social interaction and low perception of social support, as well as executive factors like extended usage duration, poor self-control and usage before sleep.
CONCLUSION: Smartphone addiction among nursing students presents tangible harms. A proposed theoretical model integrating established frameworks provides avenues to better comprehend addiction genesis and potential intervention strategies. Given addiction's multi-factorial nature, future research investigating harm mitigation through optimizing predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors is warranted.
METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and 2 electronic databases to identify studies published up to October 2023 with data on the correlates of demoralization. Two researchers independently reviewed references, extracted data, and assessed data quality. Meta-analysis was performed using R4.1.1 software.
RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. For the most studied sociodemographic correlates, demoralization was negatively correlated with income (z = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.51, -0.02), education (z = - 0.11, 95% CI: - 0.16, -0.05), and age (z = -0.45, 95%CI: -0.75, -0.01). For the most studied clinical correlates, demoralization was positively correlated with symptom burden (z = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.50) and negatively correlated with quality of life (z = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.54, -0.24). For the most studied psychosocial correlates, demoralization was negatively correlated with social support (z = -0.39, 95% CI: -0.51, -0.26) and positively correlated with anxiety (z = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.73), depression (z = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.67), and suicidal ideation (z = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.60).
SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Demoralization showed either positive or negative associations with sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables. More research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms to develop effective interventions. This review provides information on the factors associated with demoralization in cancer patients, which can be used to inform strategies for clinical care providers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a thematic review framework, a systematic literature search was conducted in two electronic databases (Scopus and WoS) using established criteria. Thematic analysis was done using ATLAS.ti 23 to identify prominent themes, patterns and trends.
RESULTS: A total of 180 documents were found. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. A thematic review of these 25 articles identified 13 initial codes, which were been clustered into four themes: detection and evaluation; intervention; toy/game category; and design characteristics. The word "Cognitive" appears most frequently in documents according to word cloud.
CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic toys and games are used to detect and as an intervention for AD. Most of the current studies focused on specific cognitive functions. More research is needed about play therapy for neuropsychiatric symptoms. This thematic review also proposed a conceptual framework for designing toys and games tailored to the needs of the elderly with AD, offering valuable insights to future researchers focusing on this domain.