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.AimsTo examine problematic Facebook use (PFU) and its predictors among Bangladeshi students during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodA 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).ResultsThe 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.ConclusionsFindings 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 data set concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and serious psychological consequences in Bangladesh

This paper presents the dataset concerning knowledge, pre- ventive 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 and 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 in- formation, (ii) knowledge concerning COVID-19, (iii) behav- ior towards COVID-19, (iv) lockdown and economic issues, (v) assessment of fear of COVID-19, (vi) assessment of in- somnia, (vii) assessment of depression, and (viii) assessment of suicidal ideation. Data were analyzed utilizing SPSS (ver- sion 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 authori- ties and healthcare policymakers can use the data to develop various models and/or policies regarding preventive strate- gies and help raise awareness through health education to- wards COVID-19

Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Bangladesh: A Case–Control Study

Background: Sleep problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are highly prevalent, but little information is available on this issue in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC) such as Bangladesh. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence and socio-demographic determinants of ASD sleep disturbances in a comparison with typically developing children (TDC). Methods: A cross-sectional interview study was carried out within a total of 446 Bangladeshi mothers, whose children’s mean age was 8.1±2.9 years (151 ASD [8.5±2.7 years] and 295 TDC [7.9±2.9 years]); in addition to socio-demographics, the Child Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used, and a cut-off score of 41 out of 93 points considered as reflecting sleep problems. Results: About 89.7% of the children reported having problems in sleep, with ASD reporting higher frequency vs TDC (94.00% vs 87.50%; χ2=4.678, p=0.031). The overall mean CSHQ score was 48.7±7.6 in total sample, whereas ASD children reported higher scores compared to TDCs (50.9±8.1 vs 47.5±7.0, p<0.001). Similarly, subscales of CSHQ such as sleep duration (4.23±1.56 vs 3.90±1.31, p=0.017), sleep anxiety (7.23±2.05 vs 6.45 ±1.92, p<0.001), night waking (3.82±1.07 vs 3.17±1.89, p<0.001), parasomnias (8.86±2.06 vs 7.85±2.27, p<0.001), and sleep disordered breathing (4.02±2.92 vs 3.43±2.07, p=0.014) were more problematic among ASD compared to TDC. Lastly, 28.5% of ASD reported taking sleep-related medications vs 0.3% for TDC (n=1). Conclusion: Bangladeshi ASD children are highly likely to manifest sleep disturbances, which warrant urgent implementation of parental educational and support programs to mitigate the impact of sleep problems in ASD families

Prevalence and associated factors of suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi rural community people: Findings from the 'BD ComMen Study'.

BackgroundSuicide is considered as one of the major public health concerns, which can be prevented with cost-effective and timely intervention. In Bangladesh, very few studies assessed the suicidal behavior of rural community people. Thus, this Bangladesh Community Mental Health Study (BD ComMen Study) attempted to understand the current situation of suicidality in Bangladeshi rural community people considering three-time frames: lifetime, past year, and past month.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural community in Bangladesh between May 17 and 31, 2022, using a cluster sampling technique. Information on socio-demographics, COVID-19-related factors, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and suicidal behaviors was collected. The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.ResultsDuring their lifetime, 33.1% of the rural community people had suicidal thoughts, whereas 5.5% made a plan for suicide and 1.8% attempted suicide. The prevalence of past-year suicidal ideation was 3.9%, whereas 1.4% had a suicide plan. In addition, 0.6% had past-month suicidal thoughts, although none of them had planned or attempted suicide. The factors associated with suicidal behaviors included males, lower age, lower educational grade, low-earning jobs, living in a government-provided house, family history of mental health and suicide, and suffering from anxiety and insomnia.ConclusionsSuicidal behaviors among the rural community people are of great concern as most of the rural people in Bangladesh do not have enough mental health literacy for treatment-seeking due to a high level of mental health-related stigma. Thus, this study would likely help to initiate further studies and stimulate suicide prevention programs, because most suicide can be prevented

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Knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A nationwide distribution.

Assessing individuals' knowledge and preventive behaviors towards the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for the related public health surveillance strategies. Although some of the studies were conducted in Bangladesh, none of these studies considered the geographical distribution of knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19. Therefore, the present nationwide cross-sectional study with 10,067 samples for the first-time aims to assess the knowledge gap by presenting the geographical distribution of the COVID-19 knowledge and preventive behaviors across all administrative districts of Bangladesh. The measures included socio-demographics and questions about knowledge and preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. One-way ANOVA, independent t-test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. In addition, GIS-based mapping identified district-wise distribution of the outcomes. Results indicated that the overall mean score of knowledge related to COVID-19 was 14.363 ± 3.073, whereas 16.95 ± 2.89 was for preventive behaviors. Participants' being male, being divorced or widowed, consuming alcohol, smoking cigarettes, living in villages, and having no formal education reported lower performing preventive COVID-19 behaviors. Those participants with higher knowledge scores reported higher preventive COVID-19 behaviors (β = 0.053, p<0.001). However, the model predicted only 13.2% of the variation in preventive COVID-19 behaviors while the overall model being significant. The findings suggest that the Bangladeshi government should initiate appropriate far-reaching program of health education focusing on knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19 at a community level. After all, the strategies to combat COVID-19 will require individuals' involvement to control and prevent the disease outbreak, for which education is essential

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

Abstract 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

Nomophobia among university students: Prevalence, correlates, and the mediating role of smartphone use between Facebook addiction and nomophobia

Nomophobia (‘no mobile phone phobia’) has been growing issue worldwide in recent years and has been associated with a number of psychological and behavioral health-related problems. However, few studies have examined nomophobia in Bangladesh. Therefore, the severity and correlates of nomophobia, and the mediating role of smartphone use between Facebook addiction and nomophobia was investigated. A cross-sectional study utilizing 585 university students was conducted employing a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a survey in March 2022. The survey comprised questions related to socio-demographics, behavioral health, academic performance, nomophobia, smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, insomnia, and depression. The mean score of nomophobia was 88.55 out of 140 (±21.71). The prevalence was 9.4% for mild nomophobia, 56.1% for moderate nomophobia, and 34.5% for severe nomophobia. First-year students had higher levels of nomophobia than other years. Significant predictors for nomophobia included daily duration of smartphone time, psychoactive substance use, and being in a relationship. Nomophobia was significantly associated with smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, insomnia, and depression. Moreover, smartphone addiction significantly mediated the relationship between Facebook addiction and nomophobia. Strategies that help reduce daily smartphone time, and reduce psychoactive substance use might help reduce nomophobia prevalence among university students