Facebook use and its predictive factors among students: evidence from a lower- and middle-income country, Bangladesh

Background: Facebook is a popular social networking site in the modern world. It has an adverse effect such as impairing daily health and psychological health and also interpersonal relationships when the use becomes problematic. Aims: To examine problematic Facebook use (PFU) and its predictors among Bangladeshi students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 601 Bangladeshi students and collected data related to socio-demographic information, behavioral health, internet use behavior, depression, anxiety and problematic Facebook use [assessed using the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS)]. The data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, correlations, and multivariable linear regression). Results: The results indicated that 29.1% of participants were problematic Facebook users (using cutoff ≥18 out of 30). Medical college students had higher mean score on PFU than other students (p < 0.001). In addition, the mean score of PFU was significantly higher among the students who were in a relationship (p = 0.001), did not engage in physical activity (p < 0.001), used the internet more than 5 h per day (p < 0.001), used social media (p < 0.001), and had depression or anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001). PFU was significantly associated with depression and anxiety among the whole sample. Predictive factors for PFU included relationship status, daily internet use time, gaming, social media use, depression, and anxiety. The model predicted almost 33.2% variance for PFU. Conclusions: Findings suggest interventions should be implemented for students with a special focus on medical students who had higher score of PFU than other types of students

A population-based nationwide dataset concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and serious psychological consequences in Bangladesh

This paper presents the dataset concerning knowledge, preventive behavior, psychological consequences, and suicidal behavior regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Data were collected through an online based cross-sectional survey between April 1 to April 10 in 64 districts at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. A total of 10,067 participants’ data were recruited for analysis. The survey contained items concerning (i) socio-demographic information, (ii) knowledge concerning COVID-19, (iii) behavior towards COVID-19, (iv) lockdown and economic issues, (v) assessment of fear of COVID-19, (vi) assessment of insomnia, (vii) assessment of depression, and (viii) assessment of suicidal ideation. Data were analyzed utilizing SPSS (version 22) and are represented as frequencies and percentages based on responses to the whole survey. Given that the data were collected across the whole nation, government authorities and healthcare policymakers can use the data to develop various models and/or policies regarding preventive strategies and help raise awareness through health education towards COVID-19

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted internet use behaviors and facilitated problematic internet use? A Bangladeshi study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic-related “stay-at-home” and confinement orders has led individuals to be more engaged with technology use (e.g., internet use). For a minority of individuals, excessive use can become problematic and addictive. However, the investigation of problematic internet use in the COVID-19 context is only just emerging. Therefore, the present study investigated the changes in internet use behaviors and addiction rates in comparison with prior Bangladeshi studies. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was carried out among a total of 601 Bangladeshi students between October 7 and November 2, 2020. The survey included questions relating to socio-demographic, behavioral health, online use behaviors, and psychopathological variables. Results: A quarter of the participants (26%) reported having low levels of internet addiction, whereas 58.6% were classed as having moderate internet addiction and 13% severe internet addiction. A total of 4% of the sample were classed as being at risk of severe internet dependency (i.e., scoring over ≥ 80 on IAT). Risk factors for internet addiction included smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, depression, and anxiety. However, the final hierarchical regression model comprising all variables explained a total of 70.6% variance of problematic internet use. Conclusion: Based on the present findings, it is concluded that individuals are at elevated risk of problematic internet use like other psychological impacts that have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, risk-reducing measures and healthy control use strategies should be implemented for vulnerable individuals

Suicide related to the COVID-19 pandemic in India: a systematic review

Background: The suicide rate has increased during the pandemic in India. Moreover, several studies, especially press-media reporting suicide studies have been conducted but no systematic review has been attempted in this context. Therefore, the present study systematically investigated the risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors, and the method of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was performed to include papers published up until September 30, 2022. From an initial 144 papers, 18 studies which met the inclusion criteria were included in the present review. The Pierson’s method was used for quality assessment of the included studies in the present review. Results: The risk factors associated with suicide comprised: (i) socio-demographic factors (e.g., being aged between 31 and 50 years, male, married, unemployed), (ii) behavior and health-related factors (e.g., unavailability of alcohol and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, poor state of physical health and health issues, family disputes, relationship complexities, and sexual harassment), (iii) COVID-19-related factors (e.g., fear of COVID-19, COVID-19 test results, quarantine or isolation, financial hardship due to the pandemic, having influenza-like symptoms, experiencing stigmatization and ostracism despite testing negative, separation from family due to transport restrictions, misinterpreting other illness symptoms as COVID-19, saving the village from infection, watching COVID-19 videos on social media, online schooling, perceived stigma toward COVID-19, and being suspected of having COVID-19), and (iv) psychopathological stressors (depression, loneliness, stress, TikTok addiction, and poor mental health, suicidal tendencies, helplessness, and worrying). Hanging was the most common method of suicide. In addition, jumping from high buildings, poisoning, drowning, burning, cutting or slitting throat or wrists, self-immolation, medication overdose, electrocution, pesticide, and gun-shot were also used to carry out the suicide. Conclusions: Findings from this research suggest multiple reasons for suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic and knowledge of such factors could aid in developing suicide prevention strategies focusing the most vulnerable cohorts inside and outside India

Shariah supervisory boards of Islamic banks in Bangladesh: expected duties and performed roles and functions

Purpose The main aim of this research is to ascertain the expected duties and performed roles and functions of the Shariah supervisory boards (SSBs) of Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach A semi structured face-to-face interview was applied to accomplish the research objectives. In total, data was collected from 17 respondents with a combination of regulators, SSBs, Shariah department executives and experts from the central bank and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Findings This study finds that the expectations of Islamic banks toward SSB members are to provide opinions on Shariah issues, guidelines and decisions regarding the modern banking, practices and delivering of fatwas on the contemporary issues offered by the management to fulfil the demand of the numerous stakeholders. In addition, they can develop Shariah governance (SG) policies and implement those guidelines, approve and develop new products, observe and monitor banking functions, identify problems and outline solutions as well as they should ensure Shariah principles and compliance. The SSBs members perform roles and functions in monitoring and reviewing overall banking activities and functions; reviewing products, services and contracts; preparing SG guidelines; ensuring Shariah principles and compliance; providing opinions on existing SG practices and finally, delivering Shariah resolutions on the overall functions. Research limitations/implications This study significantly contributed to the national regulatory bodies by providing suggestions that the existing SG system should be improved to enhance the overall monitoring of SSB and ensure more Shariah compliance in the overall operations of the Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Originality/value This is the first research to the best of authors’ knowledge that explores the expected duties and performed roles and functions of the Islamic banks concerning Bangladesh. This study also contributes to the agency, legitimacy and stakeholder theories by outlining the expected and performed roles of SSBs to the Islamic banks and stakeholders

Contributions of ALADIN to eRegion Development: The Novi Sad Business School Perspective, Department for Informatics

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Psychometric validation of the Bangla fear of COVID-19 Scale: confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

The recently developed Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a seven-item uni-dimensional scale that assesses the severity of fears of COVID-19. Given the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh, we aimed to translate and validate the FCV-19S in Bangla. The forward-backward translation method was used to translate the English version of the questionnaire into Bangla. The reliability and validity properties of the Bangla FCV-19S were rigorously psychometrically evaluated (utilizing both confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis) in relation to socio-demographic variables, national lockdown variables, and response to the Bangla Health Patient Questionnaire. The sample comprised 8550 Bangladeshi participants. The Cronbach α value for the Bangla FCV-19S was 0.871 indicating very good internal reliability. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the uni-dimensional factor structure of the FCV-19S fitted well with the data. The FCV-19S was significantly correlated with the nine-item Bangla Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-90) (r = 0.406,

A network analysis of the Internet Disorder Scale–Short Form (IDS9-SF): a large-scale cross-cultural study in Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

The Internet Disorder Scale–Short Form (IDS9-SF) is a validated instrument assessing internet disorder which modified the internet gaming disorder criteria proposed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, the relationships between the nine items in the IDS9-SF are rarely investigated. The present study used network analysis to investigate the features of the IDS9-SF among three populations in Bangladesh, Iran, and Pakistan. Data were collected (N = 1901; 957 [50.3%] females; 666 [35.0%] Pakistani, 533 [28.1%] Bangladesh, and 702 [36.9%] Iranians) using an online survey platform (e.g., Google Forms). All the participants completed the IDS9-SF. The central-stability-coefficients of the nine IDS9-SF items were 0.71, 0.89, 0.96, 0.98, 0.98, 1.00, 0.67, 0.79, and 0.91, respectively. The node centrality was stable and interpretable in the network. The Network Comparison Test (NCT) showed that the network structure had no significant differences among Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Iranian participants (p-values = 0.172 to 0.371). Researchers may also use the IDS9-SF to estimate underlying internet addiction for their target participants and further explore and investigate the phenomenon related to internet addiction. Li Li, Mohammed A. Mamun, Firoj Al-Mamun, Irfan Ullah, Ismail Hosen, Syed Ahsan Zia, Ali Poorebrahim, Morteza Pourgholami, Chung-Ying Lin, Halley M. Pontes, Mark D. Griffiths & Amir H. Pakpou

Clinical Implication of Targeting of Cancer Stem Cells

The existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is receiving increasing interest particularly due to its potential ability to enter clinical routine. Rapid advances in the CSC field have provided evidence for the development of more reliable anticancer therapies in the future. CSCs typically only constitute a small fraction of the total tumor burden; however, they harbor self-renewal capacity and appear to be relatively resistant to conventional therapies. Recent therapeutic approaches aim to eliminate or differentiate CSCs or to disrupt the niches in which they reside. Better understanding of the biological characteristics of CSCs as well as improved preclinical and clinical trials targeting CSCs may revolutionize the treatment of many cancers. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base