Quality of media reporting of suicidal behaviour in India

Introduction: Suicidal behaviors among adolescents are increasing globally, yet the differences between educational levels remain unclear, which hinders the design of specific prevention strategies. Objective: To compare suicidal behaviors (ideation, risk factors, and depression) between middle school and high school students in Pachuca and San Agustín Tlaxiaca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative, non-experimental study was conducted with 38 students (20 middle school students, 18 high school students) aged 14 to 18 years. Three instruments were applied: a test to assess the risk level of suicidal ideation and behavior, a risk factor guide, and the PHQ-9 depression questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Middle school students had a higher proportion of high risk for suicidal behaviors (30.00%) compared to high school students (5.56%). A high level of depression was found only in high school seniors (11.11%). Both groups showed similar proportions of high risk based on risk factors (25.00% in middle school and 22.22% in high school). A significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.52) was found between suicidal thoughts and risk factors (p < 0.05). The Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant differences between groups. (U = 145.5; p = 0.312). Conclusions: Although no statistically significant differences were found between educational levels and the groups were confounded by institution, municipality, and age, a trend toward a higher proportion of high risk for suicidal behaviors was observed in middle school students and of high depression in high school students. These findings should be interpreted with caution and support the need for prevention programs tailored to each educational level, to be confirmed in studies with greater statistical power and adjustment for confounders.

Abstract Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness associated with emotional and functional impairment, elevated suicide risk, and high individual and societal costs. BPD is under-researched in the general population, especially among males, and from a developmental perspective. We examined the prevalence and development of BPD symptoms in young men and explored the longitudinal associations with risk-taking behaviors. Methods Data came from the prospective-longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a population sample of young men. Participants were screened for BPD risk using the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI-BPD) at mean age 25 (2016–2018; n = 5,516) and again at mean age 28 (2019–2020; n = 5,367). Risk-taking behaviors (e.g., interpersonal violence, gambling, substance use) were self-reported at both time points. Multilevel regression models examined within-person changes in BPD symptoms, including self-harm, and risk-taking behaviors over time. Results 7.4% of participants had a high risk of BPD, defined by endorsing 7 + MSI-BPD items at least once. Among those with 7 + items endorsed at the first assessment, 29.5% still endorsed 7 + items three years later. Despite a general within-person decline in BPD symptoms with age, participants at initially high risk for BPD continued to exhibit elevated levels of risk-taking behaviors after three years. Conclusion BPD symptomatology affects a substantial proportion of young men. Despite its modest stability over time, it is associated with persistent engagement in various risk-taking behaviors. Interventions targeting BPD symptoms in male populations may offer a promising avenue towards mitigating substantial psychosocial burden associated with these behaviors.

Background: Young adults' extensive use of smartphones has resulted in several health concerns and one of which is Text Neck Syndrome. Prolonged neck flexion during smartphone use can lead to neck pain, disability and functional limitations. The study focused on determining the prevalence and knowledge regarding Text Neck Syndrome and identify predicting factors associated with the condition. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 240 undergraduate students selected using convenience method of sampling from four colleges in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. A standardized questionnaire with questions on demographics, participant behaviour and understanding of text neck syndrome was used to gather data. Two standardized tools neck disability index and the smartphone addiction scale-short version were used with prior permission to assess neck disability and smartphone addiction.8,9 Results: The results demonstrated that, prevalence of Text Neck Syndrome among the participants discovered to be 35.8% (95% CI:29.8%–42.3%) and 41.0% participants had smartphone addiction. Majority (71.7%) participants had adequate knowledge regarding Text Neck Syndrome and smartphone addiction was identified as a significant independent predictor of Text Neck Syndrome, with 2.2 times higher odds of developing the condition. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation found between smartphone addiction and neck disability. Conclusions: Text Neck Syndrome is a prevalent health issue among undergraduate students in Meghalaya, affecting more than one-third of the study population. Although most of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding text neck syndrome, the occurrence of the syndrome suggests the need of targeted educational, ergonomic and behavioural interventions among young adults.

Although knowledge and stigma about suicide are important factors in suicide prevention, there are no validated instruments available in Hungary. Our goal was to validate the Literacy of Suicide Scale—Short Form (LOSS-SF) and the Stigma of Suicide Scale—Short Form (SOSS-SF) in Hungarian. An anonymous online survey was administered to a self-selected online convenience sample of 954 participants of 38.0 years (SD: 14.8) of age. Our study used a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate a good model fit for a three-factor structure of the SOSS-SF scale. Invariance testing revealed that the scale is valid across gender, age and former suicide ideation. LOSS-SF had an acceptable unidimensional model fit as a two-parameter logistic (2PL) IRT (Item Response Theory) based survey, and results showed good infit–outfit with appropriate item discrimination and difficulty measures. The results show that the two instruments show sound psychometric properties and construct validity within this sample. While the Hungarian versions of the SOSS-SF and the LOSS-SF provide useful tools for assessing suicide stigma and suicide literacy in research settings, further validation on nationally representative samples may be required in case population-level norms are needed to inform national policy-makers.