Academic Stress, Psychological Distress, Coping and Self-Efficacy among Undergraduate University Students during COVID 19

Academic stress is the most common emotional or mental state that students experience during their studies. Stress is a result of a wide range of issues, including test and exam burden, a demanding course, a different educational system, and thinking about future plans upon graduation. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between academic stress, psychological distress, coping and self-efficacy among undergraduate university students during COVID 19. The sample of the research was 302 undergraduate students (males=95 and females=207) with the age ranges 18 years to 25 years (M=1.41, SD=0.46), from the city of Karachi. Purposive Convenient sampling technique was used. All the participants were provided with the link of Google forms which comprised of the following measures: consent form, demographic form, Perception of Academic Stress Scale (Bedewy & Gabriel, 2015), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler & Mroczek, 1992) , coping scale (Hamby, Grych, & Banyard, 2015) and General self-efficacy scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995) were used. For the statistical analysis SPSS version 22 was used. The analysis revealed that there is a significant predictive relationship of Academic Stress with Psychological Distress (R2 = .039, F = 12.18, P<.05), whereas significant negative relationship of academic stress with coping and self-efficacy is found (p<0.01). Moreover, significant positive relationship is found between psychological distress and coping and significant negative relationship is found between psychological distress and self-efficacy (p<0.01). Also, significant gender difference is found in the scores of academic stress and psychological distress (p<0.05). This study will help researchers, faculty and psychologist to increase their awareness of sources of academic stress among students, their coping and level of psychological distress and to develop an intervention plan to reduce academic stress and psychological distress among students

Influence of Occupational Stress (Occupational Role Stress) on Organizational Commitment: Evidence from the Banking Sector of Karachi

It is frequently observed that stress has appeared to be one of those influential factors that have critical impacts on human life; especially, the performance of a person, which is the key aspect of human life, is impacted by stress. The purpose of this research was to extend the existing body of knowledge on the relationship between occupational stress and employees’ organizational commitment into the context of banking sector of Pakistan. This qualitative study is comprise of 303 respondents The statistical techniques that were used were Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Structural equation modeling (SEM). Employees were analyzed for their affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitments. Results shows that there is a positive or significant relationship between occupational role stress and affective commitments of employees, which implied that higher score on occupational role stress prompted lower score on affective occupational commitment of the Bank representatives. It was likewise discovered that the way of association additionally influenced the relationship between occupational role stress and other two types of organizational commitments i.e. continuance and normative commitments of employees. The level of significance for employees working in banking sectors of Pakistan was found to be insignificant for continuance and for normative commitment. These results approved that there is an opposite relationship between occupational role stress and normative and continuance commitment as compared to affective job responsibility of employees

Evaluating the pH of Various Commercially Available Beverages in Pakistan: Impact of Highly Acidic Beverages on the Surface Hardness and Weight Loss of Human Teeth

The objectives of this study were to investigate the pH of common beverages and to evaluate the effects of common acidic beverages on the surface hardness and weight loss of human tooth specimens. A total of 106 beverages were conveniently purchased from supermarkets in Karachi, Pakistan. Prior to evaluation, beverages were refrigerated or stored at room temperature in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations. Beverages were categorized into six groups: ‘Sports and Energy drinks’, ‘Water’, ‘Fruit Juices and Drinks’, ‘Sodas’, ‘Milk and Flavored Milk’ and ‘Teas and Coffee’. Using a pH meter, the pH of each beverage was measured in triplicate at room temperature. In addition, the influence of five highly acidic beverages on the weight loss and surface hardness of human tooth specimens was evaluated using gravimetric analysis and the Vickers hardness tester, respectively. ‘Sports and Energy drinks’, ‘Fruits Juices and Drinks’ and ‘Sodas’ were the most acidic beverage categories, with a pH range of 3.00–5.00. A total of 33% of beverages tested in this study were highly acidic (pH less than 4.00), 29% of beverages were moderately acidic (pH 4.00–4.99) and 31% were mildly acidic (pH 5.00–6.99). Significant weight loss was observed in all immersed specimens compared to control counterparts (p < 0.05). Similarly, for surface hardness, five highly acidic beverages (Red Bull, Pepsi, Apple Cidra, Tang Mosambi and Tang Orange) significantly decreased the surface hardness of specimens (p < 0.05). The pH levels of commonly available beverages in Pakistan are highly acidic, which may encourage loss of minerals from teeth; hence, affecting their surface hardness

Global Incidence and Risk Factors Associated With Postoperative Urinary Retention Following Elective Inguinal Hernia Repair

Importance Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a well-recognized complication of inguinal hernia repair (IHR). A variable incidence of POUR has previously been reported in this context, and contradictory evidence surrounds potential risk factors.Objective To ascertain the incidence of, explore risk factors for, and determine the health service outcomes of POUR following elective IHR.Design, Setting, and Participants The Retention of Urine After Inguinal Hernia Elective Repair (RETAINER I) study, an international, prospective cohort study, recruited participants between March 1 and October 31, 2021. This study was conducted across 209 centers in 32 countries in a consecutive sample of adult patients undergoing elective IHR.Exposure Open or minimally invasive IHR by any surgical technique, under local, neuraxial regional, or general anesthesia.Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the incidence of POUR following elective IHR. Secondary outcomes were perioperative risk factors, management, clinical consequences, and health service outcomes of POUR. A preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score was measured in male patients.Results In total, 4151 patients (3882 male and 269 female; median [IQR] age, 56 [43-68] years) were studied. Inguinal hernia repair was commenced via an open surgical approach in 82.2% of patients (n = 3414) and minimally invasive surgery in 17.8% (n = 737). The primary form of anesthesia was general in 40.9% of patients (n = 1696), neuraxial regional in 45.8% (n = 1902), and local in 10.7% (n = 446). Postoperative urinary retention occurred in 5.8% of male patients (n = 224), 2.97% of female patients (n = 8), and 9.5% (119 of 1252) of male patients aged 65 years or older. Risk factors for POUR after adjusted analyses included increasing age, anticholinergic medication, history of urinary retention, constipation, out-of-hours surgery, involvement of urinary bladder within the hernia, temporary intraoperative urethral catheterization, and increasing operative duration. Postoperative urinary retention was the primary reason for 27.8% of unplanned day-case surgery admissions (n = 74) and 51.8% of 30-day readmissions (n = 72).Conclusions The findings of this cohort study suggest that 1 in 17 male patients, 1 in 11 male patients aged 65 years or older, and 1 in 34 female patients may develop POUR following IHR. These findings could inform preoperative patient counseling. In addition, awareness of modifiable risk factors may help to identify patients at increased risk of POUR who may benefit from perioperative risk mitigation strategies