Introduction
This study aimed to examine the mediating role of sleep quality in the association of problematic internet use (PIU) and problematic gaming with psychological distress among college students in China.
Methods
Data of 1040 full-time students from multiple colleges in China were examined. Respondents were asked about their internet use and gaming behaviors, sleep quality, psychological distress, and sociodemographic characteristics. The mediating role of sleep quality in the PIU- and problematic gaming-psychological distress link was examined respectively.
Results
PIU was associated with decreased sleep quality (r = .32, p < .001) and increased psychological distress (r = .46, p < .001). Problematic gaming was also associated with decreased sleep quality (r = .22, p < .001) and increased psychological distress (r = .46, p < .001). Sleep quality accounted for 23.5% of the indirect effect of PIU on psychological distress, and 17.9% of the indirect effect of problematic gaming on psychological distress.
Conclusions
Sleep quality had a meaningful mediating effect on the PIU-psychological distress link, but only exerted a small mediating effect on the problematic gaming-psychological distress link. In addition to promoting healthy internet usage, strategies aimed at mitigating the negative effect of excessive internet use on psychological health might benefit from those aimed at improving sleep quality.
The study investigated HIV testing prevalence and factors associated with the utilization of voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT) services among individuals with disabilities in Addis Ababa. The analysis was based on a survey of 209 men and 203 women with disabilities, aged 15-49, who had ever heard about HIV and AIDS in four sub-cities in Addis Ababa. HIV testing prevalence was 53.2%, with no significant difference between males and females. Comprehensive HIV knowledge, living with spouse, and religious affiliations positively predicted utilization of VCT services among participants. Living with both parents and having physical or mental/intellectual disabilities were negative predictors of VCT services utilization. More research on the predictors of utilization of VCT services by gender and urban/rural divides are needed among people with disabilities.
Kazakhstan is one of the countries with higher-than-average smoking prevalence and tobacco-related mortality. Intention to quit is a key step toward smoking cessation, yet has not been studied in Kazakhstan. This study explored prevalence and correlates of intention to quit among smokers in Kazakhstan. We drew data from the nationally representative survey, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), conducted during 2014 in Kazakhstan. Our sample consisted of 649 smokers aged ≥15 years. We examined prevalence of intention to quit by demographics, knowledge of tobacco-related diseases, nicotine dependence, attempt to quit in the past 12 months, household smoking restrictions, and awareness of antismoking messages. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to test the significance of these correlates. Prevalence of intention to quit was around 75.9% among smokers. Older age (p < 0.001), knowledge of tobacco-related diseases (p < 0.01), moderate nicotine dependence (p < 0.001), attempt to quit within the past 12 months (p < 0.001), and having household smoking restrictions (p < 0.001) were all significant correlates. We suggest investing in efforts to promote cessation activities for smokers of all ages, to disseminate comprehensive information on tobacco-related diseases, and to uphold and strengthen policies on smoking bans.
BackgroundDespite the protective effect of male circumcision (MC) against HIV in men, the acceptance of voluntary MC in priority countries for MC scale–up such as Uganda remains limited. This study examined the role of women’s sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of HIV and sexual bargaining power as determinants of women’s support of male circumcision (MC).MethodsData from the Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey, 2011 were analyzed (n = 4,874). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with random intercept were conducted to identify factors that influence women’s support of MC.ResultsOverall, 67.0 % (n = 3,276) of the women in our sample were in support of MC but only 28.0 % had circumcised partners. Women who had the knowledge that circumcision reduces HIV risk were about 6 times as likely to support MC than women who lacked that knowledge [AOR (adjusted odds ratio) = 5.85, 95 % CI (confidence interval) = 4.83–7.10]. The two indicators of women’s sexual bargaining power (i.e., ability to negotiate condom use and ability to refuse sex) were also positively associated with support of MC. Several sociodemographic factors particularly wealth index were also positively associated with women’s support of MC.ConclusionsThe findings in this study will potentially inform intervention strategies to enhance uptake of male circumcision as a strategy to reduce HIV transmission in Uganda.
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