The Prevalence of Child Vulnerability and Its Nature: An Analytical Study on Bangladesh Perspective

Child vulnerability refers to the conditions where children have not the ability to protect them from harassment, maltreatment, and malnutrition which could them weakens. This study has tried to reveal the prevalence and the nature of child vulnerability in Bangladesh, and the root causes of child vulnerability have also been explored and debated, and discussed throughout the article. However, the study is narrative and qualitative in the manner and secondary data have been used to develop and support the arguments for the study. As findings, the study has also found that children are at great risks due to some notable reasons, such as excessive academic pressure, the worst form of child labor in the working place, disability, child trafficking, and natural disasters which led them to be victimized with maltreatment and malnutrition which is more prevalent in the rural and urban slum areas. Moreover, climate change and disasters have been playing an adverse role to increase the prevalence of children's vulnerability in Bangladesh. In conclusion, the study suggests that decision-makers and policymakers need to be more conscious and responsible to revise the existing legal frameworks and their effective implementation for the protection of children against vulnerability.

Influential Factors of Non-suicidal Self-Injury in an Eastern Cultural Context: A Qualitative Study From the Perspective of School Mental Health Professionals

Background: Adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is becoming a serious public health concern worldwide. In recent years, there has seen a significant increase in both the growth rate and cases of NSSI in Eastern countries, such as Japan, India, and China. In China, most schools have a mental health office that comprises mental health professionals (MHPs), who are the first to respond to student mental health problems, which include NSSI. MHPs possess comprehensive knowledge as well as unique insight into adolescent NSSI. However, very few studies on NSSI have incorporated their perspectives. In this work, we seek to add novel insight by conducting a study focusing on adolescent NSSI from the perspective of MHPs.Methods: We recruited a total of 24 MHPs from different schools using purposive sampling and conducted a semi-structured interview on NSSI-related issues. Each interview was voice recorded and lasted ~30 min. A thematic analysis was performed for the responses to study the most common and concerning issues underlying NSSI.Results: We extracted three major themes and eight sub-themes from the interview records, which included (1) the impact of Chinese culture on NSSI (sex-bias discrimination, overly high expectations, and inappropriate parenting style); (2) life events in school (internet use, academic pressure, and romantic relationships); and (3) opinions on the status quo of NSSI in China (ignorance and stigma).Conclusion: Results showed that culturally sensitive influential factors, such as sex-bias discrimination, the imposing of unrealistic expectations for personal achievement, and inappropriate parenting style, should be given more attention to prevent, assess, and intervene in NSSI. Emerging factors of modern society and adolescent lifestyles, such as academic pressure, internet use, and romantic relationships, should also be considered for treatments.

Role of peer support in competitive classroom climates: Focusing on the mediation effect of academic hatred in the JD-R model

This study aimed to verify the different effects of peer support on academic hatred depending on the levels of teachers’ academic pressure. Additionally, we examined the effects of academic hatred on academic burnout and engagement by applying the job demand-resources (JD-R) model. Data were collected from 43 classes at 8 high schools (N = 1015, 94.2% response rate, 57.3% women) in South Korea. The results of a multigroup analysis were as follows: (1) peer support served as an important resource in classrooms experiencing high teachers’ academic pressures; (2) peer support directly affected academic burnout and engagement, and reduced academic hatred; and (3) reduced academic hatred served as a mediator for lower burnout rate and increased engagement.

Gender Differences in Children’s Psychological Well-Being in Mainland China: Risk and Protective Factors

Despite extensive research on children’s psychological well-being, little consensus about gender’s influence has been reached. In response, we examined gender differences in children’s psychological well-being in mainland China, along with the gender-based risk and protective factors and their effects on psychological well-being. For a sample, we compiled data with 2466 children aged between 10 and 15 years old derived from the China Family Panel Studies. Among our results, an independent sample t test indicated that girls in China reported higher psychological well-being than boys. A multiple regression analysis revealed that certain protective factors associated with children’s competence and protective factors in their family and school systems could promote the psychological well-being of both boys and girls, while risk factors such as academic pressure and parent–child conflict were detrimental to the psychological health of all children regardless of gender. We discuss gender differences in those risk and protective effects, and with reference to our findings, we propose social service recommendations aimed at boosting the psychological well-being of children in mainland China.

Burnout in medical undergraduate students in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Background Burnout, defined as mental and physical exhaustion, has been an issue for many medical students. Medical student burnout is associated with many factors such as academic pressure, sleep deprivation, exposure to patient suffering, and high academic demand. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of burnout symptoms among preclinical and clinical medical students studying at Qassim University in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Results Three hundred thirty-six subjects entered the final data analysis with a majority between 18 and 24 years of age, of whom 56.5% was females and 43.5% was males. The overall burnout prevalence was 8%. The female gender was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and personal efficacy, (OR = 2.510; 95% Cl [1.845–3.415]; p value 0.000) and (OR = 1.434; 95% Cl [1.086–1.866]; p value 0.010), respectively. Conclusion Among medical students, burnout is common. The impact of gender on burnout was noticed; female gender was a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and personal efficacy. Medical education style had no impact on burnout levels among medical students.

The Prevalence of Child Vulnerability and Its Nature: An Analytical Study on Bangladesh Perspective

Child vulnerability refers to the conditions where children have not the ability to protect themselves from harassment, maltreatment, and malnutrition which could weaken. This study has tried to reveal the prevalence and the nature of child vulnerability in Bangladesh, and the root causes of child vulnerability have also been explored and debated and discussed throughout the article. However, the study is narrative and qualitative in the manner and secondary data have been used to develop and support the arguments for the study. As findings, the study has also found that children are at great risks due to some notable reasons, such as excessive academic pressure, the worst form of child labor in the working place, disability, child trafficking, and natural disasters which led them to be victimized with maltreatment and malnutrition which is more prevalent in the rural and urban slum areas. Moreover, climate change and disasters have been playing an adverse role to increase the prevalence of children's vulnerability in Bangladesh. In conclusion, the study suggests that decision-makers and policymakers need to be more conscious and responsible to revise the existing legal frameworks and their effective implementation for the protection of children against vulnerability.

Suicidality in Youth During COVID-19: A Narrative Review

This narrative review on COVID-19 youth suicidality (ideation, attempts and completed) summarizes research that is primarily on prevalence and risk factors derived from survey and medical records data. The prevalence of suicidality has been highly variable across different countries at different times during the pandemic, although it has been more prevalent after a couple weeks into lockdown periods. Inactivity and excessive time on social media have been risk factors, but loneliness, anxiety and depression were the most frequently reported risk factors for suicidality at all levels. Protective factors have included school closures that were thought to lead to less academic pressure, peer conflict and bullying. The studies are limited by being cross-sectional, not longitudinal, making it difficult to determine causality or directionality of effects.

Stres akademik sebagai mediator kontribusi konsep diri akademik terhadap keterlibatan mahasiswa dalam perkuliahan daring

Academic stress is something that is often experienced by students, especially with the change in the online learning system which is felt to put more academic pressure on students. This study aims to examine the contribution of academic self-concept to student engagement in online learning mediated by academic stress. Respondents (N = 356) students in Indonesia University of Education batch 2016 to 2019 completed questionnaire of The Academic Self-concept Scale (? = 0,74), The Online Student Engagement Scale (? = 0,90), and The Perception of Academic Stress Scale (? = 0,80). The sampling technique used is incidental sampling. The analyses technique using linear regression and multiple regression then continued with causal steps to find out whether academic stress can be a mediator in the contribution of academic self-concept to student engagement in online learning. The results of this study indicate that academic stress is not function as a mediator in contribution of academic self-concept to student engagement, because one of the requirements is not fulfilled. However, academic stress can be a predictor of academic self-concept and student engagement variables.Keywords: Online learning; Academic Self-concept; Student Engagement; Academic Stress. AbstrakStres akademik merupakan suatu hal yang sering dialami oleh mahasiswa, terlebih dengan adanya perubahan sistem perkuliahan menjadi daring yang dirasa lebih memberikan tekanan akademik kepada mahasiswa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat kontribusi konsep diri akademik terhadap keterlibatan mahasiswa dalam perkuliahan daring yang dimediasi oleh stres akademik. Responden (N = 356) mahasiswa Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia dari angkatan 2016-2019 mengisi kuesioner Konsep Diri Akademik (? = 0,74), Keterlibatan Mahasiswa dalam Perkuliahan Daring (? = 0,90), dan Stres Akademik (? = 0,80). Teknik sampling yang digunakan adalah teknik incidental sampling. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan yaitu regresi sederhana dan regresi berganda kemudian dilanjut dengan analisis jalur atau causal steps untuk mengetahui apakah stres akademik dapat menjadi mediator pada kontribusi konsep diri akademik terhadap keterlibatan mahasiswa dalam perkuliahan daring. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa stres akademik tidak berperan sebagai mediator pada kontribusi konsep diri akademik terhadap keterlibatan mahasiswa, karena salah satu syarat uji mediasi tidak terpenuhi. Namun, stres akademik dapat menjadi prediktor pada masing-masing variabel yaitu variabel konsep diri akademik dan variabel keterlibatan mahasiswa. Kata kunci: Perkuliahan Daring; Konsep Diri Akademik; Keterlibatan Mahasiswa; Stres Akademik.

The Associations between Sleep Duration, Academic Pressure, and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents: Results from China Family Panel Studies

Depressive symptoms are a common mental health problem among adolescents, which may affect their physical and mental health development and impose heavy burdens on individual families and society. This study aimed to examine the associations between sleep duration, academic pressure, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents and to construct the mediation model to explore the mediating effect of sleep duration. The data are from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Methodologically, the aforementioned associations were explored by constructing a structural equation model and applying multivariate multilevel logistic regression. In this study, we found that approximately 6.49% of the 3724 Chinese adolescents had depressive symptoms. Sleep duration of <6 h/night (OR = 2.39, 95%CI = 1.33–4.32) and high/maximum academic pressure (high: OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.02–1.99; maximum: OR = 2.43, 95%CI = 1.58–3.73) were both associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Meanwhile, the multiplicative interaction between sleep duration and academic pressure was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents (p < 0.001). The sleep duration played a partial mediating role in the relationship between academic pressure and depressive symptoms (a*b = 0.006, 95%BootCI = 0.001–0.012). Our study highlights that it is essential to mitigate the academic pressure of adolescents to increase their sleep duration and further reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms by adopting corresponding preventive measures.