Knowledge, attitude & practice of self-medication with painkillers among young adults, Bangladesh

Introduction Self-medication, the unsolicited use of prescription and over the counter (OTC) drugs, is practised all over the world, particularly in countries like Bangladesh. So, this study is focused on the prevalence and attitude and knowledge about various aspects of self-medication with painkillers among students of the selected residential university of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods It is a cross-sectional interview-based study. The study population was the students of the university who lives in attached residential halls. The total number of respondents was 209. Results Every respondent both male (105) and female (104) have reported that they had practiced self-medication with painkillers for their both acute and chronic pain like headache, menstrual cramp, back/muscle/joint pain etc. Drugs commonly used by the students were Napa (19.6%), Paracetamol (12.9%), Etorix (6.2%), ACE (10.0%) HPR ds (10.0%), Rolac (9.6%) etc. Many of the drugs were non-OTC drugs. The main sources of information were advised by the manager of the pharmacy (36.8%), self-decision (16.7%), media (12.0%) and advice from friends/relatives (23.0%). The prime factors that influenced students to try self -medicated painkillers were dissatisfaction toward the medical centre in the area (23.9%), cost-effectiveness (20.6%), unavailability of medical facilities (11.5%) etc. 64 of the respondents (both M & F) reported that they have no clear idea about the possible side effects of the chronic use of painkillers. Dependency on a painkiller for pain management was (M=32 and F=48). Conclusions 41% of students taking a self-medicated painkiller with analgesics in an emergency perceive it as safe

A study on Stress among University Students, Bangladesh

Abstract: This cross sectional study was conducted with the purpose to find out the causes of stress among university students. This study was carried out in Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of November 2017 to January 2018. Convenience sampling technique was adapted for the selection of respondents for data collection. A quantitative method was used in gathering and analyzing the data. For this purpose, structured questionnaires were distributed to the students of Jahangirnagar University. The results obtained show the different factors that cause stress among the students of Jahangirnagar University. According to 86% of 200 respondents, future worry was the most effective factor causing stress. 70.5% respondents thought examination tension as a major cause of stress. According to 61% respondents, working with news people also was a source of stress. 61% respondents said that, lots of group work caused stress among them. Relationship conflict was admitted as a major source of stress by 59.5% respondents. 55.5% respondents felt stressed due to financial crisis and also for failure in combing job with study. Misunderstanding class lectures, bad living condition, lower academic grade were also major causes of stress among respondents. This study also identified the level of stress among the respondents. It revealed that, among 200 respondents, 61.5% were moderately stressed, 18.5% were stressed with low level and 20% respondents had high level of stress

Dataset: Does loneliness, self-esteem and psychological distress correlate with problematic internet use? A Bangladeshi survey study

Background: Researchers have claimed that problematic internet use (PIU) and internet addiction (IA) is a global mental health problem. However, little research has addressed this issue in Bangladesh and no previous study has examined the relationship between PIU and potential psychological risk factors. Aim: The present study examined the prevalence of PIU and its associated risk factors including socio-demographic variables, internet use behaviors, and other psychological variables including loneliness, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Bangladeshi students (N = 605). Measures included the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Rosenberg's SelfEsteem Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. Results: Using a cut-off score of ≤60 (out of 100) on the IAT, the prevalence of PIU was 16.5% (n = 100). Regression analysis showed that sleep disturbance (more or less than 6-7 hours sleeping time), not using internet for academic purposes, and online chatting were risk factors for PIU. Loneliness and psychological distress were positively correlated with PIU, whereas self-esteem was negatively correlated. Conclusions: The present study highlights that PIU among Bangladeshi university students is an issue of concern and that targeted prevention is needed among emerging adults to help overcome the potentially negative effects of problematic internet use