Investigation of Social Approaches in Different Countries towards Suicide of the Blue Whale Game through Newspaper News

The aim of this study is to examine the negative attitude and prejudice of the media reflected in news articles about the relationship between ‘online games and suicidal youth’. This study analyzed the content of the news and the language of the media used for young people who committed suicide related to playing Blue Whale Challenge in different social settings. In this study, news articles in three different countries were examined with the content analysis method, using the content descriptors of Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). In the news concerning young people who committed suicide and used this game, it was clearly observed that sources of influence involved attitudes towards online games, developed in part through the messages of the media, and that social conditions, including generational experiences, were influential in creating the media messages. Keywords: media panic, violence, online games, Blue Whale Challenge

Gamification as a Teaching Method to Improve Performance and Motivation in Tertiary Education during COVID-19: A Research Study from Mexico

Gamification is usually understood as a pedagogical strategy that favors student engagement and motivation. Traditionally it is composed of dynamics, mechanics, and components. The purpose of this study was to compare Engineering and Economics and Social Sciences undergraduate students in their performance (grades), motivation, quality of assignments, participation, and emotion when their teachers used gamification as an innovative teaching method during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pearson correlations, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Mann–Whitney test were conducted. Additionally, four students were interviewed to describe the emotional downside of the lockdown. The main results indicate that there are higher positive relationships among variables in the Engineering undergraduate students rather than in Economics and Social Sciences and show that emotion poorly correlates with performance, especially for the Economics and Social Sciences students, as many have a negative attitude toward learning mathematics. Additionally, gender and scholarship status are not differential factors. Gamification proved to be a useful pedagogical strategy to promote participation and enhance motivation among undergraduate students, particularly in a context of academic confinement. This study gives teachers an idea of the benefits and extent to which gamification can be used in the classroom.

HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge and Attitudes Among Chinese College Students and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

In recent years, adolescent has become one of the high-risk groups for HIV. Meanwhile, good HIV awareness and positive attitude are essential for HIV prevention. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which college students understand HIV and their attitudes toward HIV-infected patients, as well as the correlative factors. The data used in this study came from a cross-sectional survey. An anonymous online questionnaire was used to investigate the demographic characteristics, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, and attitudes toward HIV-infected patients of 17,678 students from a university in Henan. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze differences and connections between variables in SPSS version 25.0. Participants' HIV/AIDS-related knowledge awareness rate was 80.8%. Levels of students' HIV/AIDS-related knowledge correlated with their gender, nationality, marital status, and their grade (p < 0.01). Female students [OR = 0.757, 95% CI (0.699–0.820)] and minority students (OR = 0.717, 95% CI (0.619–0.832)] had insufficient HIV health education knowledge. Meanwhile, male students (OR = 0.845, 95% CI (0.773–0.924)], and students with good HIV knowledge (OR unaware-ness/awareness = 2.385, 95% CI (2.111–2.694)] were more likely to hold a positive attitude toward HIV-infected patients. The relevant education departments should strengthen and promote the education of AIDS transmission and prevention. Many college students still hold negative attitude toward HIV-infected patients. The government should further make efforts to eliminate social discrimination in HIV-infected patients and lead people to approach HIV-infected patients fairly.

Factors Related To Implementation of An Interprofessional Communication Concept In Thoracic Oncology: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: An innovative patient-centred interprofessional communication concept with advanced lung cancer patients (Heidelberg Milestone Communication Approach, MCA) has been developed and implemented. Role changes and interprofessional communication are challenging in a busy outpatient oncology service. The aim of the study was to assess team-related factors associated with its implementation and thoracic oncology teams’ attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration.Methods: Interviews and focus groups on implementation and interprofessional collaboration in the context of MCA were conducted with healthcare staff. The topics were analysed deductively, guided by the Professional Interactions factor of the Tailored Implementation for Chronic Diseases (TICD) framework. In addition, 3 of the 4 subscales of the validated German translation of the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE-IP-D) were collected prior to implementation of MCA (t0) with follow-up data collections at 4 months (t1), 10 months (t2) and 17 months (t3). Descriptive analysis included calculating subscale sum scores and categorizing each subscale into positive, neutral and negative attitudes. Results: Fifteen staff members participated in the interviews and focus groups. The main interprofessional interaction factors associated with implementation concerned the knowledge of the MCA and the impact of the intervention on team roles, on information sharing and on transfer processes between wards. The survey with 87 staff (44 nurses, 13 physicians, 12 psycho-social staff, 7 therapists, and 11 others) participating at least once (t0: n=20, t1: n=48, t2: n=33, t3: n=25) found heterogeneous attitudes. A positive attitude to ‘Communication and Teamwork’ was indicated by individual sum scores between 10 and 23 (M=17.7, SD=3.0). The majority of the respondents (n=48) had neutral attitudes to ‘Interprofessional Interaction’ with individual sum scores varying between 13 and 45 (positive attitude n=14, negative attitude n=22; M=28.5, SD=5.6). ‘Interprofessional Relationships’ were characterized by primarily positive attitudes (n=80) (neutral: n=6, negative attitude n=1; M=16.0, SD=3.6). There were no differences between collection times.Conclusions: Positive experiences and potential shortfalls in the implementation were observed. Future introductions of interprofessional communication concepts require further activities which should address the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards interprofessional care.Trial registration: DRKS00013469 / Date of registration: 22/12/2017.

HIV Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitude towards People Living with HIV/AIDS among Medical Students in Jordan

The stigmatizing attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be a major barrier to effective patient care. As future physicians, medical students represent a core group that should be targeted with focused knowledge and adequate training to provide patient care without prejudice. The aim of the current study was to examine HIV/AIDS knowledge, and the stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA, among medical students in Jordan. The current study was based on a self-administered online questionnaire, which was distributed during March–May 2021, involving students at the six medical schools in Jordan, with items assessing demographics, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and HIV/AIDS stigmatizing attitude, which was evaluated using the validated HIV-stigma scale. The total number of respondents was 1362, with predominance of females (n = 780, 57.3%). Lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study participants was notable for the following items: HIV transmission through breastfeeding (40.8% correct responses), HIV is not transmitted through saliva (42.6% correct responses), and vertical transmission of HIV can be prevented (48.8% correct responses). Approximately two-thirds of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards PLWHA. For six out of the 14 HIV/AIDS knowledge items, lack of knowledge was significantly correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. Multinomial regression analysis showed that a significantly more negative attitude towards PLWHA was found among the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students (odds ratio (OR): 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.97, p = 0.036); and that affiliation to medical schools that were founded before 2000 was associated with a more positive attitude towards PLWHA compared to affiliation to recently founded medical schools in the country (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.42–2.42, p < 0.001). About one-third of medical students who participated in the study displayed a negative attitude towards PLWHA. Defects in HIV/AIDS knowledge were detected for aspects involving HIV transmission and prevention, and such defects were correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. It is recommended to revise the current medical training curricula, and to tailor improvements in the overall HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be reflected in a more positive attitude towards PLWHA, particularly for the recently established medical schools in the country.

Effects of autism on 30-year outcome of anorexia nervosa

Background Long-term consequences of comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) are inadequately investigated. Methods In the 1980s, 51 adolescent-onset AN cases (AN group) and 51 matched controls (COMP group) were recruited from the community. They have been examined on five occasions. The four last assessments included the Morgan-Russell Outcome Assessment Schedule (MROAS) to assess eating disorder outcomes (weight, dieting, menstruation), and related problems including psychiatric, psychosexual and socioeconomic state. In the present study, at age 44, when 30 years had elapsed, MROAS data were compared with previous results. At age 16, 21, 24 and 32 years, all individuals had been assessed regarding ASD. At the 30-year follow-up, the impact of the ASD on the MROAS data was analysed. Results In the AN group, all core anorectic symptoms (weight, dieting, menstruation) were on a par with the COMP group at the 30-year follow-up, but the positive outcomes were limited to those who had never had an ASD diagnosis. Psychiatric state was significantly worse in the AN group, particularly in the subgroup who had an ASD diagnosis assigned. The AN group—again particularly those with ASD—had a more negative attitude to sexual matters than the COMP group. The AN group had worse outcomes than the COMP group for ‘personal contacts’, ‘social contacts,’ and ‘employment record’ at the 30-year follow-up and the outcomes were worse the more often an ASD diagnosis had been assigned. Limitations Rare data collection points throughout 30 years (only 5 assessments). ASD was assessed in the first four studies but was not assessed again at the 30-year follow-up. Conclusions Mental health, psychosexual, and socioeconomic status were compromised up to 30 years after AN onset. Coexisting ASD contributed to the poor outcome. Core anorectic symptoms had “normalised” three decades after AN onset. Plain English summary Some individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) also suffer from autism. In this study we have investigated outcome of AN 30 years after the onset of AN and whether the presence of autism affects the outcome. Since the 1980s we have followed 51 individuals with teenage-onset AN and 51 healthy controls. They have been examined on five occasions, and an instrument that measures symptoms of AN (weight, dieting, body image), psychiatric symptoms, ability to work, and relationships with partner, family, and friends has been used to assess outcome. Autism was assessed in the first four studies. Symptoms of AN had normalised at 30-year follow-up, but only among those without autism. Psychiatric symptoms, ability to work, and relationships were issues that persisted after 30 years in the AN group, and those who had both autism and a history of AN had even more pronounced problems in these areas. The AN group had a more negative attitude to sexual matters than the control group, the outcome was worse the more often an autism diagnosis had been assigned. Conclusions Mental health, psychosexual, and socioeconomic status are affected up to 30 years after AN onset, particularly among those with autism.

Could H.P. Lovecraft Create a Semblance of Normality?

As part of historically minorized culture, Catalan literature endured difficult periods, e.g., the Francoist regime. To imagine different worlds writing in this language was even more arduous in the 20th century because of the negative attitude towards the fantastic shared by two fundamental trends of Catalan literature up to the 1970s: Noucentisme and historical realism. Nonetheless, H.P. Lovecraft was an important reference in the Catalan non-mimetic fiction that had a certain revival in post-war times. As a step towards “normalization” of Catalan literature after Franco’s death, the writers’ collective Ofèlia Dracs published several collections of short-stories of “genre” fiction–among them Lovecraft, Lovecraft! (1981). On the one hand, this article inscribes this exceptional collection in its historical context and in the contemporary Catalan literary system; on the other, it aims to shed light on Lovecraft’s role in Ofèlia Dracs’ book, proving the projection of his extraordinary supernatural world onto it by the presence not only of Lovecraftian hypotexts in its different tales, but also of metafictional elements inherited mainly from Joan Perucho’s postmodernist writings.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Skin Whitening Products, Among Sudanese Undergraduate Females, 2021.

Objectives: The knowledge, attitude and practice of skin-whitening products among female undergraduates in the medical campus, University of Khartoum.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the medical campus of University of Khartoum. All consenting female undergraduates were included in the study population. 417 women were chosen through proportional stratified random sampling, and were asked to complete a questionnaire.365 completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 87%. Result: 365 women completed the questionnaire, of whom 52% had average knowledge, 32% had poor knowledge and 16% had excellent knowledge,.32% had a positive attitude, and 38% reported using skin-whitening products.Knowledge, attitude and practice were associated with several factors.Conclusion : Although The overall knowledge about skin-whitening products is average. The knowledge about skin-whitening agents is rather poor. The majority of Sudanese University students have a negative attitude towards skin-whitening, but still the use of skin-whiteners is common amongst them .. Women who feel pressured by society to whiten their skin, are more likely to use skin-whiteners, as well as those who have a family history of skin-whitening. Media and social media play an important role in this matter, being the most important source of information and the most common factor pressuring women to lighten their skin as well. We recommend media and social to be used to promote the acceptance of dark skin and raise awareness about the safe practice of skin whitening. We also recommend that the Ministry of Health and Standards and Metrology Authority mandate the labeling of all products sold in Sudan detailing ingredients and concentrations of ingredients.

Multi-Level Monitoring of Vaccination Adherence of Various Population Groups in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Problematic Issues

Relevance. Despite significant progress in the prevention of many infectious diseases, a number of organizational issues remain in the area of special attention. One of them is to ensure the timeliness and completeness of vaccination coverage in the decreed age groups, which is possible only with a high level of public commitment to vaccination. During the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), achieving a high level of vaccination coverage of the National Calendar of Preventive vaccinations is of particular relevance. Aim. Using state-of-the-art online resources, assess population vaccination adherence to develop effective communication risk management technologies for immunoprophylaxis in the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. To assess the commitment of various population groups and professional contingents of a large industrial city to vaccine prevention, a survey of 965 parents was conducted at the initial stage, and subsequently a survey of 2,632 employees of medical organizations, including 1,422 people in the period before the COVID - 19 pandemic, 572 people in the «first wave» of the pandemic and 638 people in the «second wave». Instagram Facebook, Instagram, and VKontakte social networks were used to quickly obtain the necessary information (Google forms, corporate e-mails, WhatsApp, Telegram messengers, etc.). The work uses epidemiological, sociological and statistical methods of research. Results and discussion. When assessing the attitude of parents to vaccination, it was found that 78.8% of respondents were positive about vaccinations, 14.6% doubted their effectiveness and safety, and 6.6% denied their need. The main source of information that forms the attitude to vaccinations of parents was the opinion of medical professionals. In a survey of 1,422 employees, 190 people (13.3%) were identified, mainly from among the trained specialists, who themselves had a negative attitude to vaccination. When assessing the commitment of employees of medical organizations to the vaccination of a new coronavirus infection, the attitude to vaccination was ambiguous, especially in the group of secondary medical personnel and female employees of non-medical specialties, who are a potential risk group for forming a negative attitude to vaccinations and can act as «opinion leaders» on this issue for other categories of the population. Insufficient adherence to COVID-19 vaccine prevention has also been observed in other countries among various population groups, which is a serious problem on a global scale, hindering the fight against the pandemic of a new disease, which requires corrective measures. Conclusion. In this study, using modern online resources, a rapid assessment of the vaccination adherence of various population groups (parents and medical professionals) was carried out. It is shown that the use of modern technologies and software tools makes it possible to analyze a large array of data to solve problems of overcoming communication risks. The results obtained point to the need for prompt corrective measures in terms of the introduction of educational programs to increase adherence to vaccination, especially in groups at potential risk of the disease, including medical professionals, which is a priority for health care in all countries.

Runet Users' Attitude to Outrageous Content in Virtual Social Environments

This study of the Runet virtual social environments deals with identifying and analyzing user reactions to watching a video clip containing outrageous behavior, and studying social attitudes of the respondents. The Celebrium-X platform employing the adjoint ideomotion technology for remote collection and processing of group neuro-responses was chosen as a research tool. As the empirical basis of the research, the raw data obtained as a result of the conducted survey was used. The results of the study have shown the respondents' negative attitude to publishing of outrageous video clips in virtual social environments. The Internet audience realizes a negative effect produced by the aggressive content on people's psychological sphere and social behavior. Received: 12 October 2021 / Accepted: 11 December 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022