Portuguese validation of the Internet Addiction Test: An empirical study

Abstract Background and aims Research into Internet addiction (IA) has increased greatly over the last decade. Despite its various definitions and general lack of consensus regarding its conceptualisation amongst researchers, instruments for measuring this phenomenon have proliferated in a number of countries. There has been little research on IA in Portugal and this may be partly due to the absence of standardised measurement tools for assessing IA. Methods This study attempted to address this issue by adapting a Portuguese version of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) via a translation-back translation process and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a sample of 593 Portuguese students that completed a Portuguese version of the IAT along with questions related to socio-demographic variables. Results The findings suggested that the IAT appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring IA among Portuguese young adults as demonstrated by its satisfactory psychometric properties. However, the present findings also suggest the need to reword and update some of the IAT's items. Prevalence of IA found in the sample was 1.2% and is discussed alongside findings relating to socio-demographic correlates. Limitations and implications of the present study are also discussed. Conclusions The present study calls for a reflection of the IAT while also contributing to a better understanding of the basic aspects of IA in the Portuguese community since many health practitioners are starting to realise that Internet use may pose a risk for some individuals

Individual-psychological factors and perception of social support in burnout syndrome

Background/Aim. Burnout syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that occurs as a response to chronic interpersonal stressors at work. It is manifested by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment. The aim of the study was to examine the correlation between burnout syndrome, individual-psychological factors and social support among special and regular education teachers, as well as to determine differences of burnout syndrome dimensions between groups of teachers with different educational backgrounds. Methods. This non-experimental, cross-sectional correlation study included 317 teachers (122 special education teachers and 38 other teachers in special education for children with intellectual disabilities and 157 teachers from regular primary schools) from Belgrade. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Assertiveness Assessment Questionnaire Scale (A-Scale), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSS), Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES), and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS) were used in the study. Results. The highest prevalence of high levels of burnout were recorded on the emotional exhaustion subscale and were 38% for special education teachers, 47% for other teachers in specia

Gene Expression and DNA Methylation in Human Papillomavirus Positive and Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) are important agents, responsible for a large percentage of the 745,000 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), which were identified worldwide in 2020. In addition to being virally induced, tobacco and heavy alcohol consumption are believed to cause DNA damage contributing to the high number of HNSCC cases. Gene expression and DNA methylation differ between HNSCC based on HPV status. We used publicly available gene expression and DNA methylation profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas and compared HPV positive and HPV negative HNSCC groups. We used differential gene expression analysis, differential methylation analysis, and a combination of these two analyses to identify the differences. Differential expression analysis identified 1854 differentially expressed genes, including PCNA, TNFRSF14, TRAF1, TRAF2, BCL2, and BIRC3. SYCP2 was identified as one of the top deregulated genes in the differential methylation analysis and in the combined differential expression and methylation analyses. Additionally, pathway and ontology analyses identified the extracellular matrix and receptor interaction pathway as the most altered between HPV negative and HPV positive HNSCC groups. Combining gene expression and DNA methylation can help in elucidating the genes involved in HPV positive HNSCC tumorigenesis, such as SYCP2 and TAF7L