Association Among Television and Computer/Video Game Use, Victimization, and Suicide Risk Among U.S. High School Students

Causal associations between digital device use and suicide risk: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

The popularity of digital devices seems to provide a new observational variable for early identification and prevention of suicide with the development of the information technology era. Nevertheless, whether it is the use of digital devices that alters suicide risk or suicide risk manifests itself through change digital device use needs to be further explored.

METHODS

Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to explore potential causal relationships in the perspective of genetic prediction. We collected publicly available digital device use and suicide risk summary statistics genome-wide association data from UK Biobank, Neale Lab and FinnGen genetic databases. We used inverse variance weighting methods to assess MR estimates. For robustness of the results, we performed further tests of heterogeneity and pleiotropy.

RESULTS

In the Phase 1 results, we did not observe any effect of the length of digital device use on the suicide risk, while the results of Phase 2 suggested a significant positive association between suicide risk and the length of mobile phone use (IVW OR, 1.04; 95%CI, 1.01-1.06; P = 0.002), but this significance disappeared after adjusting for confounders of mental and affective disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

In this bidirectional MR analysis, we observed that People at high risk of suicide may be more addicted to digital device use, but more detailed GWAS data and research methods to validate this finding are required.

Association between a changeable lifestyle, sedentary behavior, and suicide risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Suicide and self-injury have become increasingly serious public health crises. Yet current evidence about the association between sedentary behavior (SB) and suicide is inconclusive. We explore the relationship between SB and suicide behavior to provide intervention measures to change the risk factors of the latter.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from database inception to September 10, 2023. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effect measures. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on gender, regions and countries, age, and study type.

RESULTS

A total of 13 studies were included. According to the meta-analysis of suicide type, compared with individuals without sedentary behavior, individuals with sedentary behavior have a higher risk of suicide attempt (OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.15-1.37, p < 0.001), suicide ideation (OR = 1.47, 95%CI:1.28-1.68, p < 0.001) and suicide plan (OR = 1.30, 95%CI:1.16-1.44, p < 0.001). We conducted multiple subgroup analyses for different suicidal behaviors. The analysis found that SB can increase the risk of suicide attempt in different subgroups of different genders, different research centers, Africa, and adolescents; SB can increase the risk of suicide ideation in the subgroups of different genders and ages, different research centers, Asia and Africa; SB can increase the risk of suicide plan in the subgroups of different genders, multi-center study, Africa, and adolescents.

LIMITATIONS

Future research should focus on objective SB measurement and explore its dose-response relation and time limit.

CONCLUSION

A sedentary lifestyle is associated with suicide behavior risk, with varying effects across age groups and regions, as evidenced in both single-center and multi-center studies.

An Ecological Inquiry on Young People's Suicidal Ideation at University: Individual, Relational and Cultural Factors and Their Interactions

To understand the factors related to suicidal ideation in university students, we examined individual and microsystemic variables with an ecological model organizing bidirectional influences between different dimensions. Suicidal ideation, psychological distress, multidimensional self-concept, loneliness, community social support, life satisfaction, family functioning, bullying victimization, and problematic use of virtual social networks were measured in a sample of 376 Mexican university students (67% women) from 18 to 34 years of age (M = 20.8). Data were collected in March 2020, before mandatory confinement for COVID started in Mexico. Discriminant analyses showed that psychological distress, loneliness, self-concept, life satisfaction, family functioning, internet violence/rejection, and informal social support predicted belonging to high or no suicidal ideation groups with 88% accuracy. Only psychological distress and family self-concept predicted suicidal ideation in multilinear regression analyses. There were differences by gender in multilinear regression, with family self-concept significant for women and physical self-concept, but not family self-concept for boys. Conclusions: Early Suicide prevention in universities should include periodic screening of psychological distress, loneliness, and virtual social media use to identify students that need further evaluation and intervention. University-based strategies of mental health promotion that strengthen family relationships and the sense of community, including gender-sensitive orientation, could enhance the effect of protective factors.

Correlates of Bullying Behavior Among Children and Adolescents in Physical Education: A Systematic Review

Background and Objective

Bullying is notably prevalent among children and adolescents, especially within the context of physical education (PE) environments. Understanding the underlying factors that trigger bullying behavior is essential in designing strategies to prevent bullying and formulating more effective interventions in PE. There is a lack of integrated findings regarding the wide range of correlates of bullying behavior among children and adolescents within the PE context. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to synthesize the correlates of bullying behavior among children and adolescents within the context of PE.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search across four databases (EBSCOhost, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) for relevant studies published before August 2023. Two reviewers independently examined the articles, assessed their methodological quality, and performed data extraction.

Results

A total of 23 articles met the inclusion criteria. It is found that demographic, physical movement, physical appearance, psycho-cognitive, teacher-related, and contextual factors emerged as six prominent influential factors affecting adolescent bullying behavior. Specifically, demographic factors mainly encompassed age and gender; physical movement factors primarily include physical activity, sedentary behavior, physical exercise, and sports competence; physical appearance factors primarily include being overweight, too thin, too tall, or too short; psycho-cognitive factors chiefly involved cognitive empathy, motivation, enjoyment of physical activity; teacher-related factors primarily comprised activity choices, teachers competence, controlling style, autonomy support; and contextual factors primarily cover desolate climate, perceived caring climate, strong sense of competition and winning setting.

Conclusion

The results indicate that bullying is a complex and multifaced behavior primarily determined by demographic, physical movement, physical appearance, psycho-cognitive, teacher-related, and contextual factors. Future studies need to enhance the diversity of research samples and comparative studies on the factors influencing bullying behavior among children and adolescents in different countries. Additionally, a more extensive range of intervention studies addressing bullying behavior among children and adolescents is warranted.

Bullying Victimization and Associations With Substance Use Among US Middle School Students: 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

BACKGROUND

Research shows associations between bullying victimization and substance use for teens. However, more research about this relationship for younger adolescents and across race/ethnicity is needed.

METHODS

Prevalence and pooled logistic regression analyses of 2019 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 13 states (N = 74,059 students) examined associations between self-reported bulling victimization (at school, electronically, and both) and having ever tried cigarette smoking, alcohol, or marijuana; used an electronic vapor product; or misused prescription pain medicine. Regression analyses were adjusted by age and sex/race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

All 3 measures of bullying victimization were significantly associated (p < .05) with the 5 substance use behaviors examined (adjusted prevalence ratios ranged from 1.29 to 2.32). These associations held across sexes. Significant associations were found within all 7 race/ethnicity categories, with the most associations reported for the non-Hispanic (NH) white, NH black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, and NH Asian groups.

CONCLUSION

The association between bullying and substance use by middle school is a highly relevant issue to consider as students return to classrooms.

Sedentary Behavior and School Bullying in Adolescents: An Analysis Based on a National Survey in Colombia

BACKGROUND

Sedentarism has been associated with poorer mental health, greater likelihood of bullying and suicide risk; however, studies with national coverage are needed to characterize contexts and allow comparisons between nations. The aim of this study was to examine the association between sedentary lifestyles with bullying in the social context of Colombian adolescents.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study with 78,772 adolescents aged 13-17 years participating in the 2017 National School Health Survey. Sedentary behavior was defined as sitting for 3+ hours/day of leisure time, while bullying was identified by self-report of being victimized 1+ times/month. Relative frequencies were estimated and, using a log-binomial regression model, prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 15.31% of students reported being victims of bullying. A higher probability to be bullied was estimated in sedentary adolescents (PR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.29), as well as in females, ethnic minorities, those who went hungry in the last month due to lack of food, students with health problems, and private schools.

CONCLUSIONS

Bullying was related with sedentary leisure time, gender, ethnicity, type of educational institution, and presence of health problems. Being a multicausal phenomenon, bullying demands policies and programs with a greater focus on the most vulnerable groups.

Prevalence and associated factors of bullying victimization among Chinese high school students in Shandong, China

BACKGROUND

Bullying is a growing concern worldwide. However, there is insufficient research on the prevalence and factors associated with different forms of bullying in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of bullying victimization among Chinese high school students.

METHODS

Data from the 2020-2021 cross-sectional survey of the DYH program were used. A total of 8203 high school students were randomly selected from all 17 cities in Shandong Province, China. Bullying victimization was measured using two separate questions and identified into three types: school bullying victims, cyberbullying victims, and combined bullying victims. The multinomial logit model was used to explore the factors related to bullying victimization.

RESULTS

The prevalence of bullying victimization was 11.59 %, with 4.04 % of school bullying, 3.37 % of cyberbullying, and 4.18 % of combined bullying. Smoking was negatively associated with bullying victimizations. Male, physical exercise, peer relationships, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were significantly associated with school bullying victims and combined victims. Watching TV was an influencing factor for school bullying victims and cyberbullying victims. Single-child households, family economic status, drinking alcohol, parent-child relationships, and paranoia were correlated with different types of bullying victimization.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design limited the examination of causal inferences.

CONCLUSION

We should pay more attention to cyberbullying victimization, which has become as common as school bullying victimization among high school students. The associated factors explored in this study may contribute to understanding bullying victimizations and designing bullying intervention strategies among high school students in China.

A Social-Ecological Approach to Modeling Sense of Virtual Community (SOVC) in Livestreaming Communities

Participation in communities is essential to individual mental and physical health and can yield further benefits for members. With a growing amount of time spent participating in virtual communities, it's increasingly important that we understand how the community experience manifests in and varies across these online spaces. In this paper, we investigate Sense of Virtual Community (SOVC) in the context of live-streaming communities. Through a survey of 1,944 Twitch viewers, we identify that community experiences on Twitch vary along two primary dimensions: belonging, a feeling of membership and support within the group, and cohesion, a feeling that the group is a well-run collective with standards for behavior. Leveraging the Social-Ecological Model, we map behavioral trace data from usage logs to various levels of the social ecology surrounding an individual user's participation within a community, in order to identify which of these can be associated with lower or higher SOVC. We find that features describing activity at the individual and community levels, but not features describing the community member's dyadic relationships, aid in predicting the SOVC that community members feel within channels. We consider implications for the design of live-streaming communities and for fostering the well-being of their members, and we consider theoretical implications for the study of SOVC in modern, interactive online contexts, particularly those fostering large-scale or pseudonymized interactions. We also explore how the Social-Ecological Model can be leveraged in other contexts relevant to Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), with implications for future work.

The Effect of Violent and Melodrama Movies on Risky Decision-making and Behavioral Inhibition in Adolescents

Introduction

Brain functional performance is a collection of outstanding mental processing that provides a framework for achieving goals based on targeted behaviors. Disorders in executive functions make it difficult for a person to perform everyday tasks. One of the phenomena highlighted in various media is the violence that adolescents welcome with the production of violent movies. This study aimed to investigate the effect of violent movies on risky decision-making and behavioral inhibition of adolescents and compare the effects of violence with melodrama movies.

Methods

This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design with a control group among 60 adolescents (30 girls and 30 boys) living in Tehran City, Iran. They were selected using the available sampling method. For this purpose, neurological tests of Iowa Gambling and go-no go were used.

Results

The results showed that violent movies caused a significant increase in risky decision-making (P<0.05). In addition, these types of movies caused a significant decrease in behavioral inhibition among adolescents (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Movies with ill-mannered stories and content that glorify violence harm adolescents' decision-making and deterrence, leading them to make risky decisions and weaken their inhibition power.

Relationship between depressive symptoms and internet usage time among adolescents: Results from a nationwide survey

Adolescent depression is becoming a public health problem. In this study the association between depressive symptoms and internet usage time in adolescents was examined, with data collected from the China Education Tracking Survey (CEPS). The survey is publicly available and carried out nationwide. A logistic regression analysis was conducted with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), the subgroup analysis examined the relationships between internet usage time and depressive symptoms. A total of 10,705 adolescents were involved, where 46.4% of them are caught by the internet for more than two hours per day. Adolescents keeping on the internet for 6-8 h per day were reported to have higher odds of depressive symptoms than adolescents who were free from it with the confounders of individual, family, and school adjusted, which were observed among groups with a medium family economic status without living with their father and with a sleep time less than nine hours. The results revealed that adolescents spending more time online had a higher risk of experiencing depression symptoms. This study suggested that it is helpful for mental health professionals to evaluate and develop prevention interventions for depressive symptoms in adolescents promptly through monitoring and managing online time.

Association Between Concussions and Suicidality in High School Students in the United States

Importance

Prior research has shown a statistically significant association between sustaining a concussion and suicidality in adolescents, but this prior research controlled for relatively few variables predictive of suicidality.

Objective

To examine whether sustaining a concussion remained a significant predictor of suicidality after controlling for relevant covariates (e.g., sexual abuse/assault, bullying, substance use, depression), hypothesizing that the relationship between concussion and suicidality would become non-significant after controlling for these variables.

Design

This study involved secondary data analysis of the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) System, a national cross-sectional study of adolescents. Analyses were stratified by gender.

Setting

A national sampling of U.S. high school students.

Participants

Eleven thousand two hundred sixty-two students in the YRBS database, including 5,483 boys and 5,779 girls.

Exposure(s)

Participants included in the analyses reported whether, in the last year, they experienced a concussion and/or suicidality.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome was suicidality (i.e., ideation, planning, attempt), which was predicted by concussion in an unadjusted analysis and by concussion along with other risk factors in a multivariable analysis.

Results

The final sample included 11,262 participants with available data on concussion and suicidality in the last year (14–18 years-old; 51.3% girls; 49.0% White). Per unadjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, there was a relationship between concussion and suicidal ideation [girls: OR = 1.46 (1.24, 1.73); boys: OR = 1.69 (1.41, 2.03)], planning (girls: OR = 1.39 [1.16, 1.66]; boys: OR = 1.76 [1.44, 2.14]), and attempt [girls: OR = 1.70 (1.32, 2.19); boys: OR = 3.13, (2.37, 4.15)]. These relationships became mostly non-significant after controlling for relevant risk factors for suicidality. The adjusted odds ratios showed no relationship between concussion and suicidal ideation [girls: OR = 1.11 (0.86, 1.44); boys: OR = 1.24 (0.92, 1.69)] or planning (girls: OR = 1.07 [0.82, 1.40]; boys: OR = 1.12 [0.82, 1.55]); but a significant relationship with suicide attempts in boys [OR = 1.98 (1.28, 3.04)], but not girls [OR = 1.05 (0.74, 1.49)].

Conclusions and Relevance

There was an association between concussion and suicidality in U.S. high school students; however, after controlling for other variables (e.g., depression, sexual abuse/assault, illicit drug use), there was no association between concussion and suicidality aside from a significant relationship between concussion and attempts in boys.

Problem Gaming and Suicidality: A Systematic Literature Review

•

This is the first review on the association between problem gaming and suicidality.

•

12 studies were identified, all of which found a positive association.

•

Future studies should investigate the causality and mechanisms in the relationship.

Background

No studies have so far synthesised the current evidence concerning a possible relationship between problem gaming and suicidality. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the literature. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between problem gaming and suicidality. The review was funded by the Norwegian Competence Center for Gambling and Gaming Research.

Methods

The review was pre-registered in PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42021279774). Searches were conducted in Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, PubMed and Google Scholar, September 2021. Studies that reported data on the relationship between problem gaming and suicidality, published between 2000 and 2021, and written in any European language were included. Studies investigating internet addiction/problematic internet use and not problem gaming, specifically, and studies investigating mental health in general or mental health outcomes other than suicidality, were excluded. Data from the included studies were extracted independently by two coders who also evaluated for risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The results from each included study were presented in a table.

Results

A total of 12 cross-sectional studies, with in total 88,732 participants, were included in the review. In total 10 studies investigated the association between problem gaming and suicidal ideation. One of these also investigated the association between problem gaming and suicide attempts. Two studies combined suicidal ideation and suicide attempts into one variable and investigated the association between that variable and problem gaming. In total 11 of the 12 included studies found positive, crude associations between problem gaming and suicidal ideation/attempts. Five studies adjusted for possible confounding variables. Three of these still found significant associations between problem gaming and suicidal ideation, one found a positive but not statistically significant association, and the fifth found an inverse, non-significant association.

Discussion

The current findings indicate that there is an association between problem gaming and suicidal ideation, and likely between problem gaming and suicide attempts. The most important limitation of the included studies is the lack of longitudinal designs. Future studies should aim to investigate the causality and mechanisms in the relationships using more stringent designs.

Lifestyle Behaviors and Suicide-Related Behaviors in Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study Using the 2019 YRBS Data

Objective: The purpose of this research was to investigate the prevalence of lifestyle behaviors and suicide-related behaviors and the association between them using a nationally representative sample of adolescents from the USA. Methods: 13,677 high school students aged 14-18 years were included in this cross-sectional study. The research data were retrieved from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Survey in 2019. All data on age, sex, grade, race, physical activity, television time, fruit intake, and suicide-related behavior were self-reported by students. Logistic regression models were adopted to examine the association between lifestyle behaviors and the suicide-related behaviors. Results: Students who played video/computer games for ≥2 h had higher risk of suicide attempt (OR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.30-1.85). Daily sleep duration of ≤8 h was positively associated with considering a suicide attempt (OR = 1.99, 95%CI: 1.62-2.43). In addition, participants who did not engage in any sport team were more likely to report considering a suicide attempt (OR = 1.50, 95%CI: 1.24-1.81). Conclusion: This research suggests that some lifestyle behaviors (e.g., time for video or computer use, sleep duration, sports team participation, regular breakfast intake, and substance use) are associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior and ideation in high school students. To identify the specific effect of multiple lifestyle factors in influencing the risk of suicide-related behaviors in high school students, longitudinal studies are warranted in future.

Hierarchical Analysis of Disparities in Suicidal Outcomes With Intersection of Sexual Minority and Gender Among U.S. Youth, 2017

Sexual minority youth have a higher risk of suicidal behaviors than their straight peers. Despite this alarming trend, there is limited information on how health-risk factors are systematically associated with suicidal outcomes in relation to the intersection of sex and sexual orientation identity. Data from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (Grades 9-12, N = 14,108) were analyzed to examine three distinct suicidal outcomes (i.e., suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempt). Separate hierarchical logistic regression models were performed to gradually adjust for influencing factors in examining the association between suicidal outcomes and sexual orientation identity (i.e., heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual, and unsure), stratified by self-reported sex. There exist significant differences in youth suicidal behaviors based on sexual orientation identity and sex: lesbians (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.7, 95% CI [1.5, 5.0]), bisexual girls (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI [1.3, 2.6]) and bisexual boys (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI [1.3, 5.2]) had higher odds of suicide attempts than their straight peers. Unsure boys and girls also reported higher risks of suicidal ideation and suicide plan as compared with their straight peers. Having a very short sleep duration, reporting ever use of illicit drugs, being bullied, and feeling sad/hopeless were associated with elevated risks of suicidality across males and females. This study identified potential disparities in suicidal outcomes by sexual orientation identity as well as factors that attenuate or strengthen this relationship in a representative sample of adolescents across the United States. An improved understanding of the differences in suicidal outcomes will serve as an opportunity to ameliorate any potential inequalities and improve sexual minority youth' health outcomes.

Examining Profiles of Latinx Sexual Minority Adolescents Associated with Suicide Risk

Few studies have focused on within-group heterogeneity about specific factors that make lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) Latinx adolescents at greater odds than other LGB adolescents for suicide We take a unique mixture-modeling approach by creating profiles of Latinx LGB adolescents based on suicide risk factors used in previous investigations (bullying, alcohol, sleep, social media, and poor grades). We use these profiles in a logistic regression to investigate suicidality A sample of 686 LGB, Latinx adolescents were used in a latent profile analysis yielding four distinct profiles. Class 4 represented the highest risk, with high rates of bullying, alcohol, poor grades, and use of electronics, while class 3 represented the lowest risk with low rates of bullying and alcohol Results speak to the need to address suicidal ideation through multiple factors, noting the strong association that both bullying and alcohol have with suicidal ideation.

Suicidal behaviors and sedentary lifestyles among adolescents: A cross-sectional epidemiological study in Latin American and Caribbean countries

OBJECTIVES

To verify the association between suicidal behaviors (ideation, planning, and attempts) and sedentary behaviors among adolescents from four Latin American and Caribbean countries.

METHODS

A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (Bahamas, Curação, El Salvador, and Guatemala). The sample comprised 6,813 adolescents aged 11-18 years, of which, 3,559 were females. The three suicidal behaviors considered were ideation, planning, and attempts. Sedentary behavior was regarded as the time that adolescents spent sitting, excluding time at school. Crude and adjusted logistic regression were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Suicidal ideation was present in 10.7% of males and 22.7% of females. Suicidal planning was present in 8.6% of males and 16.3% of females. Suicidal attempt was present in 9.3% of males and 16.3% of females. Sedentary behavior was present in 39.6% of males and 45.7% of females. It was identified that male adolescents who reported spending ≥3 hours/day in sedentary behavior were more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.13-1.80), whereas female adolescents who reported spending ≥3 hours/day in sedentary behavior were more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.30-1.83), planning (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.28-1.86), and attempts (OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.09-1.57).

CONCLUSION

Adolescents of both sexes who reported spending ≥3 hours/day in sedentary behaviors were more likely to have some suicidal behaviors than those who spent less time in sedentary behaviors.

Bullying victimization, physical inactivity and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Physical activity and sedentary behavior are related with psycho-social variables among youth, however its relationship with bullying victimization is unclear. The aim of the study was to clarify the associations between physical activity and sedentary behaviors with bullying victimization among children and adolescents.

METHODS

Two independent authors searched in four databases. The studies were selected/included only if participants were children and/or adolescents and the relationship between physical activity and/or sedentary behavior with bullying victimization was reported. Random-effects meta-analyses were used.

RESULTS

A total of 18 cross-sectional studies (including 386,740 children and adolescents, 51.8% females) were reviewed. Our study found that not meeting the physical activity guidelines (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.23) and excessive sedentary behavior (i.e., 2 h per day or more of screen time) (OR = 1.21, 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.28) were associated with 14 and 21% higher bullying victimization, respectively. Consistent associations were also found when we analyzed specific forms of bullying for sedentary behavior, including traditional and cyberbullying.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study establishes the first quantitative framework for understanding the influence of physical activity and sedentary behavior on bullying victimization, and lays the groundwork for future studies and interventions aimed to its promotion.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

CRD42018099388 .

Lifestyle behaviors predict adolescents bullying victimization in low and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

In this study we aimed to provide a global perspective of the association between different lifestyle behaviors and bullying in school adolescents and to ascertain whether or not the Human Development Index moderated those associations.

METHODS

Data from the Global school-based Student Health Survey were analyzed in 273 121 from 82 countries. Logistic regression was applied to determine country-specific bullying victimization probability from meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity, excessive sitting time, physical education attendance and active transport. Meta-analysis was then undertaken to ascertain pooled global effect estimates of the relationship between these behaviors and bullying victimization. Linear regression was used to study the relationship between odds of bullying from meeting the lifestyle guidelines and the Human Development Index.

RESULTS

Our estimates indicate that excessive sitting time [1.38 (1.34,1.41)], attendance to physical education [0.87 (0.85,0.89)], and active transport [0.94 (0.91,0.97)] but not overall physical activity [1.01 (0.99,1.04)] were associated with bullying in the study sample.

LIMITATIONS

The present study is limited by its cross-sectional nature. Also, only two countries were surveyed from the European region CONCLUSIONS: Active commuting and attendance to physical education play a protective role for bullying, while physical activity does not.

Identifying Distinct Subgroups of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth for Suicide Risk: A Latent Profile Analysis

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to identify profiles of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth who are at risk for suicidal behavior.

METHOD

Data were collected through the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (N = 2,738). We used latent profile analysis to create identity profiles using variables associated with suicide, including bullying, alcohol use, poor grades, electronics use, and sleep hours.

RESULTS

The LPA revealed a 6-class solution. Class 6 represented the highest risk profile with the highest scores in alcohol, bullying, poor grades, electronics use, and the least sleep and were 17 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to class 2 (the lowest-risk class). Classes 1, 3, 4, and 5 had a mixture of both high and low risk mean scores across the variables, with class 3 showing the strongest relationship to suicide (7 times more likely than class 2).

CONCLUSION

Because high-risk classes in our study had multiple factors contributing to associations to suicide, programming aimed at attenuating youth suicide among LGB youth may benefit from addressing multiple issues simultaneously (e.g., substance use and bullying). This would be a departure from more traditional programs for LGB youth which are predicated on one specific risk behavior, such as coping with bullying or substance use separately.

Physical activity, sedentary, and dietary behaviors associated with indicators of mental health and suicide risk

We used data from the 2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey to examine associations between physical activity, sedentary, and healthy dietary behaviors and indicators of mental health, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal attempts among a representative sample of US high school students. Sex-stratified logistic regression was used to separately model each mental health-related outcome on the health-related behaviors, while controlling for race/ethnicity, grade, and body weight status. Significant associations were found between insufficient physical activity, sedentary, and less healthy dietary behaviors and the mental health-related outcomes. Feeling sad and hopeless was associated with not eating breakfast on all 7 days (past week), drinking soda or pop (female only), not meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline (male only), not playing on at least one sports team, and playing video/computer games or using a computer more than two hours (per day). Suicidal thoughts were associated with not eating breakfast on all 7 days, drinking soda or pop, not meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline, and playing video/computer games or using a computer more than two hours per day. Attempted suicide was associated with not eating breakfast on all 7 days, drinking soda or pop, drinking sports drinks, watching television more than two hours per day, and playing video or computer games or using a computer more than two hours per day (male only). While limiting sedentary behaviors and increasing physical activity and healthy dietary behaviors is not a sole solution for improving mental health among adolescents, it could be another possible strategy used in schools to benefit all students.

Aggression and its predictors among elementary students

Background:

Aggression is the most significant psychopathological risk factor. It is a multifaceted construct and can affect students’ social, mental and physical health. The present study was conducted to investigate factors associated with aggression among elementary school girls and boys using the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Theory in Kermanshah city, Iran.

Methods:

The cross-sectional study was conducted on 900 students, including 445 girls and 455 boys, 563 parents and 104 elementary school teachers in the fourth, fifth and sixth educational grades in Kermanshah city in 2018. The proportionate stratified random sampling was used. The Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) was used to measure aggression. To measure the variables of social cognitive theory, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software.

Results:

It was showed that 29% and 10% of the students had moderate and high levels of aggression, respectively. Also, 30.6% of them were moderate victims and 45.6% were intense victims. Self-efficacy (p less than 0.001), perceived social norms (p=0.011), observational learning (p less than 0.001), outcome expectations (p=0.027), outcome expectancies (p=0.028) and per-ceived situational (p less than 0.001) were reported as the significant predictors of aggressive behaviors in the students based on the Social Cognitive Theory constructs. In total, they explained for 37.3% of changes in aggressive behaviors. Parents’ knowledge (p=0.005), parents’ attitude (p=0.012), teachers’ attitude (p less than 0.001), and teachers’ self-efficacy (p=0.021) had statistically significant relationships with aggression in the students.

Conclusions:

Aggression among children and adolescents is getting alarmingly prevalent. The Social Cogni-tive Theory is the appropriate framework for the prediction of aggression behaviors in children and adolescents. Therefore, designing and implementing educational interventions based on this theory can help with the management of aggression in children and adolescents.