Search Results (118)

Background: To develop and validate the Tinnitus Qualities and Impact Questionnaire (TQIQ), a new tool for evaluating the perceived qualities of tinnitus sound. Method: The study was part of two clinical trials on internet-based tinnitus interventions, using cross-sectional (n = 380) and pretest–posttest data (n = 280). Participants completed various questionnaires online, including the newly developed TQIQ and measures of tinnitus severity (Tinnitus Functional Index; TFI), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7; GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9; PHQ-9), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI), and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale; VAS). The psychometric properties of the TQIQ were assessed, including construct validity, internal consistency reliability, floor and ceiling effects, interpretability, and responsiveness to treatment. Results: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in two factors that accounted for 57% of the variance—internal and external tinnitus qualities. Overall, 92% convergent validity predictions were confirmed; TQIQ total scores strongly (≥0.6) or moderately (0.30 to 0.59) correlated with the TFI, GAD-7, PHQ-9, and ISI. The known-groups validity prediction was confirmed as individuals with an overall TFI score > 50 (severe) obtained significantly higher TQIQ scores. All internal consistency reliability statistics were within the required range (Cronbach’s α > 0.8). Floor and ceiling effects were negligible. ROC established clinically important cut-off scores, enhancing the interpretability of tinnitus severity classification. Finally, 89% convergent validity predictions were confirmed; TQIQ and TFI change scores were moderately correlated, indicating good responsiveness of the former to treatment. Conclusions: The TQIQ has adequate psychometric properties, providing a standardized measure for the assessment of characteristics of tinnitus sound in clinical practice. Full article

Background: To examine the changes in perceived tinnitus sound qualities following internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) for tinnitus. Method: This study was embedded within several clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of ICBT and used a quasi-experimental design (N = 152). Participants completed a series of online questionnaires, including measures of tinnitus sound qualities (Tinnitus Qualities and Impact Questionnaire; TQIQ), tinnitus severity (Tinnitus Functional Index; TFI), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI), and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale; VAS). Data were analyzed using a range of parametric and non-parametric statistics, and Cohen’s d effect sizes were reported. Results: There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in sociodemographic and clinical variables at baseline except for anxiety and depression symptoms, which were higher in the intervention group. A statistically significant reduction in tinnitus severity, anxiety, depression, and insomnia was noted post-intervention, with small-to-moderate effect sizes. Statistically significant improvements were also noted for the TQIQ (overall and all subscales) following ICBT compared to the no-intervention group (p ≤ 0.028), all with small-to-large effect sizes, except for the loud sounds subscale and for participants with a TQIQ < 38 at baseline, or “mild” perceived qualities of tinnitus (p ≥ 0.136). A significantly greater proportion of participants in the intervention group had minimum clinically important differences (38%) on the TQIQ compared to the no-intervention group (9%). Conclusions: ICBT can lead to changes in the perceived qualities of tinnitus sound in addition to reducing tinnitus severity and other aspects, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While these findings are preliminary, they highlight that tinnitus distress and perception may be related. However, the study has several limitations including a lack of audiological variables and objective measures. For this reason, the study results must be viewed with caution and must be treated as preliminary. Full article

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Adolescents with ADHD have an elevated risk of developing Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), a condition involving excessive gaming that disrupts daily life. IGD is linked to traits such as low frustration tolerance and sensation-seeking, with comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression further increasing vulnerability. Gaming frequently serves as a coping strategy due to emotional regulation difficulties. The dynamics within family units and peer relationships play a pivotal role, with dysfunctional environments heightening the risks and positive interactions serving as protective factors. Methods: This scoping review analyzed empirical studies published in the last decade exploring the association between ADHD, Problematic Internet Use (PIU), or IGD, focusing on neurobiological, psychological, and environmental factors. Results: The findings highlight that impulsivity and emotional dysregulation in ADHD contribute to IGD. Gaming is frequently used as a maladaptive coping strategy, with social and family influences modulating risk. Diagnostic complexities arise in distinguishing ADHD-related behaviors from IGD symptoms. Conclusions: Addressing these comorbid conditions requires interdisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based interventions. Future research should focus on understanding ADHD, PIU, or IGD interactions and developing targeted interventions. Longitudinal studies are necessary to establish causal links and assess effective treatment strategies. Full article

Background: Diabetes is a major chronic disorder that significantly impacts life expectancy and imposes substantial economic burdens on individuals and healthcare systems. Internet-based health management has emerged as an innovative approach to support diabetes care by facilitating sustainable behavioral change and improving health outcomes. Objective: This longitudinal study aims to evaluate the impact of internet-based health management on blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients over four years. Methods: A total of 30,333 participants were recruited from five provinces in China in 2013, including 2307 T2D patients. Participants utilized a comprehensive internet-based health management platform that provided personalized diet plans, exercise recommendations, and psychological support. Data were collected through regular health examinations and questionnaires, and logistic regression was conducted to identify key factors associated with effective blood glucose control. Results: After four years, the diabetes awareness rate among T2D patients increased from 17.72% to 19.84%, and the control rate rose from 7.22% to 26.91%. Notable improvements were observed in health-related behaviors, including smoking cessation, increased physical activity, and healthier dietary habits, particularly in the consumption of vegetables, fruits, soybeans, and nuts. Clinical outcomes also showed significant improvement, with reductions in fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Key factors contributing to effective blood glucose control in T2D patients included smoking cessation, increased intake of soybeans, nuts, and fruits, and reduced sedentary time. Conclusions: Internet-based health management significantly improved blood glucose control and health behaviors in T2D patients. This study confirms the potential of internet-based health management strategies to overcome geographical and healthcare access barriers, providing evidence for diabetes care in underdeveloped regions. Full article

Background: The role of emotional intelligence on the experience of behavioural addictions is a growing area of research interest. However, there are operationalisation issues in studying both emotional intelligence and behavioural addictions separately. This review aims to report on the existing literature of studies exploring the relationship between these two concepts, and to identify gaps in research practice in order to inform future studies. Methods: A search, covering the date range of 2013–2024, conducted in five databases in August 2024 identified 43 articles, reported according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The findings are discussed under four subheadings: technology-related behavioural addiction, internet gaming disorder, eating disorders, and consumer behaviour and compulsive buying. Results: Overall, the results show that emotional intelligence is negatively correlated with behavioural addictions and plays both a moderating and mediating role in the associations between behavioural addictions and other negative outcomes such as suicidal ideation, rumination, fear of missing out, and depression. Conclusions: In addition to summarising studies and controversial discussions on emotional intelligence and behavioural addictions, this review suggests possible roadmaps to ensure more accurate research outcomes by highlighting the importance of theoretical and methodological distinctions between trait and ability models of emotional intelligence. Full article

Introduction: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines depression as a persistent period of sadness or a reduced interest in everyday activities lasting at least two weeks. Anhedonia, a key symptom of depression, is notable for its significance and is regarded as the second most important factor related to non-somatic issues, following closely behind a depressed mood. This study primarily investigates how excessive or problematic use of Internet-connected devices affects the mood and emotions of young people, with a specific emphasis on anhedonia. Additionally, it explores associated socio-behavioral changes and examines the interaction between IA and depression. Methods: This systematic review was conducted following PRISMA international guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library (Clinical Trials section), Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, and grey literature sources like Google Scholar. A predefined search strategy using Boolean operators was employed, and two researchers independently selected papers, with a third researcher resolving any discrepancies. Manual reviews were conducted to minimize selection bias. Results: Out of 3812 records, 7 studies were included. The findings suggest that social anhedonia correlates with higher levels of IA, particularly among adolescents and young adults. In some studies, loneliness was identified as a mediator between social anhedonia and social functioning, indicating a complex interplay of emotional factors. Other investigations revealed that increased screen time is associated with a heightened risk of developing addiction-related behaviors. Practical Implications and Conclusions: This review highlights the key role of anhedonia in the development of Internet addiction (IA) among young people, particularly through its impact on emotional regulation and social interactions. Addressing psychological and environmental factors is essential for developing targeted strategies to prevent and manage IA and its related mental health challenges. Full article

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a brain disorder causing issues among many young children. For children suffering from ASD, their learning ability is typically slower when compared to normal children. Therefore, many technologies aiming to teach ASD children with optimized learning approaches have emerged. With this motivation, this study presents a smart autism spectrum disorder learning system based on remote edge healthcare clinics and the Internet of Medical Things, the objective of which is to offer an online education and healthcare environment for autistic children. Concave and convex optimization constraints, such as accuracy, learning score, total processing time with deadline, and resource failure, are considered in the proposed system, with a focus on different autism education learning applications (e.g., speaking, reading, writing, and listening), while respecting the system’s quality of service (QoS) requirements. All of the autism applications are executed on smartwatches, mobile devices, and edge healthcare nodes during their training and analysis in the system. This study presents the smartwatch autism spectrum data learning scheme (SM-ASDS), which consists of different offloading approaches, training analyses, and schemes. The SM-ASDS algorithm methodology includes partitioning offloading and deep convolutional neural network (DCNN)- and adaptive long short-term memory (ALSTM)-based schemes, which are used to train autism-related data on different nodes. The simulation results show that SM-ASDS improved the learning score by 30%, accuracy by 98%, and minimized the total processing time by 33%, when compared to baseline methods. Overall, this study presents an education learning system based on smartwatches for autistic patients, which facilitates educational training for autistic patients based on the use of artificial intelligence techniques. Full article

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts not only diagnosed individuals, but also significantly affects the quality of life of both primary and secondary caregivers. These effects are particularly pronounced when compared to caregivers of individuals with other neurodevelopmental disorders. The emotional and physical demands of caring for someone with ASD can profoundly alter family dynamics and interpersonal relationships, creating challenges that require a comprehensive approach to be understood and addressed. Methods: The methodological design is a narrative review study, based on a search conducted during May, June, July, and August 2024 in the Scopus, Dialnet, and WoS databases concerning the object of study. As a result, a total of 197 articles were qualitatively analyzed. Of these, 36 articles were selected for a more detailed qualitative analysis, leading to a final sample of 14 documents. The selected studies were examined through qualitative content analysis. The inclusion criteria for this selection were as follows: empirical studies or research published in English or Spanish; open access via the Internet; categories limited to “education/educational research” relevant to the proposed objectives; and specific documents related to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Results: The care of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has a significant and multifaceted impact on family life, deeply affecting the mental health of caregivers. These effects manifest in the form of chronic stress, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties, altering family dynamics. The quality of life of caregivers varies depending on the coping strategies they employ, which are crucial for their emotional well-being. Conclusions: Understanding and optimizing these strategies is essential to mitigate the negative effects of caregiving and improving the overall well-being of families living with ASD. Full article

Background/Objectives: Internet addiction (IA) and related behaviors, such as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and social media addiction (SMA), have gained increasing research attention. Studies show gender differences, with males more likely to develop gaming-related addictions and females more prone to social media and phubbing behaviors. This study aimed to explore gender differences in Internet addiction and related behaviors in a Spanish sample, with the goal of identifying predictors and gender-specific patterns of IA. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 585 participants (265 male, 320 female) aged 18 to 35 years (M = 22.11, SD = 3.08). Data were collected using standardized questionnaires to assess IA, IGD, SMA, phubbing, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), emotional dysregulation, personality traits, and prosociality. Correlation and regression analyses were used to identify gender-specific predictors of IA. Results: Males exhibited significantly higher scores for IA and IGD, while females showed higher scores for SMA and the “phone obsession” dimension of phubbing. No significant gender differences were found in the “communication disturbance” dimension of phubbing or in FoMO. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between IA and psychological as well as technological variables. Gender-specific predictors of IA included social media engagement and emotional regulation for females, while gaming behaviors and communication patterns were more relevant for males. Conclusions: These findings highlight gender differences in IA, suggesting that tailored interventions should address unique online behaviors and emotional regulation challenges in males and females. Future research should refine gender-specific patterns to develop more effective, targeted prevention and treatment strategies. Full article

While online gaming has become a choice for relaxation and entertainment in today’s digital age, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has also become a widely concerning mental disorder. Nature connectedness has been found to effectively reduce addiction-related risks and alleviate symptoms of addictive behaviors. It is a relatively lacking but very important factor influencing psychological recovery and regulation in the digital society. This study aims to explore the relationship between nature connectedness and IGD, and the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and desire thinking. A total of 571 young people voluntarily participated in the questionnaire survey. The results showed that: (1) nature connectedness was negatively correlated with IGD; (2) intolerance of uncertainty plays a mediating role between nature connectedness and IGD; and (3) intolerance of uncertainty and desire thinking plays a chain mediating role between nature connectedness and IGD. Analysis of the research results indicates that nature connectedness can effectively reduce IGD and reveal its mechanism of action. The findings provide new insights for the study and intervention of IGD in the digital age. Full article

This research aims to explore the effect of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and online gaming behaviors related to IGD. The explored behaviors were based on games with microtransactions. Using a revised portrait value questionnaire (PVQ-RR), 186 respondents from 18 to 52 years old were asked about gaming behaviors. Online gaming behaviors such as the duration of online gaming and the payment for online games had a reciprocal relationship with IGD. Stimulation, achievement, hedonism, power through dominance, and personal security were correlated with playing paid online games. It is necessary to consider the fact that the values of the games are related to online gaming behaviors. Positive online gaming behaviors need to be developed. Full article

Since game mechanics and their visual aspects have become more and more addictive, there is concern about the growing prevalence of Internet gaming disorder (IGD). In the current narrative review, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases for the keywords “igd biomarker gaming” and terms related to biomarker modalities. The biomarkers we found are grouped into several categories based on a measurement method and are discussed in the light of theoretical addiction models (tripartite neurocognitive model, I-PACE). Both theories point to gaming-related problems with salience and inhibition. The first dysfunction makes an individual more susceptible to game stimuli (raised reward seeking), and the second negatively impacts resistance to these stimuli (decreased cognitive control). The IGD patients’ hypersensitivity to reward manifests mostly in ventral striatum (VS) measurements. However, there is also empirical support for a ventral-to-dorsal striatal shift and transition from goal-directed to habitual behaviors. The deficits in executive control are demonstrated in parameters related to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In general, the connection of PFC with reward under cortex nuclei seems to be dysregulated. Other biomarkers include reduced P3 amplitudes, high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV), and the number of eye blinks and saccadic eye movements during the non-resting state. A few studies propose a diagnostic (multimodal) model of IGD. The current review also comments on inconsistencies in findings in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and precuneus and makes suggestions for future IGD studies. Full article

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder impacting women’s health and quality of life. This scoping review explores the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in PCOS management. Results were grouped into six domains of the IoT: mobile apps, social media, wearables, machine learning, websites, and phone-based. A further domain was created to capture participants’ perspectives on using the IoT in PCOS management. Mobile apps appear to be useful for menstrual cycle tracking, symptom recording, and education. Despite concerns regarding the quality and reliability of social media content, these platforms may play an important role in disseminating PCOS-related information. Wearables facilitate detailed symptom monitoring and improve communication with healthcare providers. Machine learning algorithms show promising results in PCOS diagnosis accuracy, risk prediction, and app development. Although abundant, PCOS-related content on websites may lack quality and cultural considerations. While patients express concerns about online misinformation, they consider online forums valuable for peer connection. Using text messages and phone calls to provide feedback and support to PCOS patients may help them improve lifestyle behaviors and self-management skills. Advancing evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and accessible IoT solutions can enhance their potential to transform PCOS care, address misinformation, and empower women to better manage their symptoms. Full article

Problematic internet use (PIU) has drawn attention due to its potentially negative consequences on individuals’ social and personal lives. At present, a consensus on diagnostic criteria for problematic internet use remains elusive, leaving uncertainty regarding its classification as a distinct mental disorder. Extensive research efforts are underway to investigate its underlying causes, risk factors, and correlated adverse consequences. Nonetheless, research on problematic internet use (PIU) frequently faces challenges due to the absence of consistent and dependable evaluation methods, with many existing assessment tools lacking a solid theoretical basis. This study introduces a novel instrument that incorporates positive emotional regulation along with negative emotional regulation, compulsive use, and cognitive preoccupation, all crucial aspects of PIU. The study involved 3054 adolescents from Madrid, Spain, and employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to validate the instrument’s structure. The resulting four-factor model includes Positive Emotional Regulation, Negative Emotional Regulation, Compulsive Use, and Cognitive Preoccupation. The instrument demonstrates good internal consistency and an association with risk factors, as evidenced by correlations with time spent on various internet-related activities. This comprehensive tool enhances our understanding of PIU and its underlying cognitive and emotional processes and provides a valuable resource for assessing and addressing problematic internet use in adolescents. Full article

Patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) living in remote and underserved areas often have limited access to specialized healthcare, while the feasibility and reliability of the video-based examination remains unclear. The aim of this narrative review is to examine which parts of remote neurological assessment are feasible and reliable in movement disorders. Clinical studies have demonstrated that most parts of the video-based neurological examination are feasible, even in the absence of a third party, including stance and gait—if an assistive device is not required—bradykinesia, tremor, dystonia, some ocular mobility parts, coordination, and gross muscle power and sensation assessment. Technical issues (video quality, internet connection, camera placement) might affect bradykinesia and tremor evaluation, especially in mild cases, possibly due to their rhythmic nature. Rigidity, postural instability and deep tendon reflexes cannot be remotely performed unless a trained healthcare professional is present. A modified version of incomplete Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)-III and a related equation lacking rigidity and pull testing items can reliably predict total UPDRS-III. UPDRS-II, -IV, Timed “Up and Go”, and non-motor and quality of life scales can be administered remotely, while the remote Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-UPDRS-III requires further investigation. In conclusion, most parts of neurological examination can be performed virtually in PD, except for rigidity and postural instability, while technical issues might affect the assessment of mild bradykinesia and tremor. The combined use of wearable devices may at least partially compensate for these challenges in the future. Full article