bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cell phone addiction and its impact on students’ mental health
Authors: Villegas Dominguez J , Jimenez Recinos C , Gómez De La Cruz K I , Ávila Sánchez M , Trujillo Peña G J , Aguirre Ruiz E , Licona Martinez A M 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Stress, anxiety and depression increased during the confinement by COVID-19 and the mobile phone was a tool used for various school and communication functions in a necessary way, however, these mental health problems continue today as well as the way in which our mobiles are used. Objective: to determine the association between cell phone addiction and students’ mental health.

Methods
A cross-sectional, observational, prospective and analytical study was carried out between November and April 2023. Students between the ages of 15 and 26 were included; Subjects with a diagnosis of stress, anxiety, depression or with treatment for these diseases were excluded. Data collection was carried out using Google Forms, applying the DASS-21 test for stress, anxiety and depression (A.Cronbach 0.9) and the EDAS-18 cell phone addiction test (A.Cronbach 0.74). The SPSS v22 program was used, X2 test, Odds Ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI95%).

Results
1377 students were included, with an average age of 19.2(±2.1) years, with an average use of the telephone of 8.5(±4.5) hours a day, with a prevalence of depression of 51.3%, anxiety of 59.0% and stress of 46.3%.. Cell phone addiction is associated (OR/CI95%) with stress (3.5/2.7-4.6), anxiety (3.0/2.2-4.0) and depression (3.0/2.2-0.9) and with stress, anxiety and depression severe at the same time (6.9/4.5-10.8), while proper use is associated with being without any of these 3 pathologies (3.2/2.5-4.2). The use of the telephone to view social networks is associated with depression (1.5/1.0-2.2), the same as its use for games (0.6/0.5-0.8) and multimedia (0.6/0.5-0.8) (p &lt; 0.05).

Conclusions
The cell phone is a tool that is associated with the mental health of young people, however, it has the duality of favoring it with proper use, recreationally or harming it when addicted to the device, causing inappropriate use of the device. itself or, to facilitate unfavorable activities for the user.

Key messages
• The cell phone can lead to mental health problems, so we must educate the population about its correct use and the problems caused by its inappropriate use.
• The use of the cell phone could serve as an element that helps promote mental health, so it would be worth doing studies using it as a supervised therapeutic measure.
Private and public psychotherapy in Israel 5 years after the ‘mental health insurance reform'
Authors: Samuel H 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
In 2015, Israel implemented a mental health insurance reform aiming to increase availability of mental health services in the public sector. However, little is known about the private sector.

Aim
To characterize the differences between private and public psychotherapy sectors following the reform.

Methods
Data was collected in December 2020 via an internet survey among a representative sample of 4,688 Israeli adults and included questions about patients’ characteristics, treatment seeking, choice of provider, and patient experience.

Results
400 participants (8%) reported receiving psychotherapy treatment in the community in 2020. Of those, 49% were treated privately. Logistic regression showed that ultra-Orthodox Jews (95% CI 1.7-15; OR = 5), individuals with higher education (1.7-4.4; 2.7) and women (1.3-3.4; 2.1) were more likely to be treated privately, while Arabs (0.17-0.95; 0.4), individuals over 60 (0.2-0.6; 0.3), and those receiving psychiatric care (0.2-0.4; 0.3) were less likely. Private treatment was characterized by shorter waiting times (50% waited &lt; 2 weeks vs. 25% in the public sector; p &lt; 0.05), longer treatments (44% treated &gt; 1 year vs. 28%; p &lt; 0.05), and higher patient experience score (9.1 vs. 8.3 out of 10; p &lt; 0.05). The leading causes for choosing private care were the ability to choose the therapist and shorter waiting times. 20% of those treated privately had sought public treatment before opting for private care.

Conclusions
Following the insurance reform, private psychotherapy is still used by half of the patient population. The study highlights the existence of a population interested in receiving public care but not receiving it, and of differences in quality of care between the two sectors. Other countries considering publicly financed mental health care should consider scenarios where private care remains advantageous, and the public service is not responsive enough.

Key messages
• Despite the right to publicly funded care, half of the patients in Israel use private care. Patients who sought public care but turned to private providers suggest unmet needs in the public sector.
• Differences in treatment characteristics and in patient experience between the private and public sectors suggest differences in quality.
The resilience of elderly during the pandemic: data on mental health from the Italian surveillance
Authors: Casigliani V , Benoni R , Contoli B , Minardi V , Possenti V , Asta F , Masocco M 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Among the elderly mental health is an essential but often underestimated issue. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on mental health but its effects on this population are still unclear.
This study aims to describe the trend of depression in the elderly over the period 2016-2022 and its associated factors.

Methods
We used data on the elderly population (65+) collected from 2016 to 2021 by the Italian ongoing surveillance system PASSI d'Argento to analyse socio-demographic characteristics, isolation, and the prevalence of depression symptoms (through the Patient Health Questionnaire-2). In 2020-21 specific questions investigating the perception of the pandemic were introduced.

Results
Depression symptom prevalence decreased from 13.4%(IC:12.7-14.2) in 2016-2019 to 10,5%(IC:9,4-11,7) in 2020-21. People being female, aged over 85 years, having many economic difficulties and a low education level, and living alone and in a South region were at high risk of reported depressive symptoms in both periods. However, 66.6% reported being worried about COVID-19, and almost one-third of the sample had a painful experience related to the pandemic. Considering social isolation, people who didn't talk with anyone during a typical week decreased (20.4%,19.9-21 in 2016-19; 16.3%, 5.5-17.2 in 2020-21), while those who couldn't participate in social activities increased (70%,69.3-70.7 in 2016-19; 76.9%,75.8-78).

Conclusions
The Italian elderly population showed a decreasing trend in the prevalence of depression symptoms, with a marked drop during the pandemic. At the same time, worries and stressful experiences related to the pandemic were highly reported and participation in social activities was significantly affected: it may have impacted mental health among the elderly, who seemed to show resilience.

Key messages
• The surveillance system is relevant to monitor changes in elderly health and the factors associated in order to implement targeted interventions.
• Elderly Italians seem to have shown resilience with regard to mental health during the pandemic.
Child development of kindergarten immigrant and non-immigrant boys and girls in Manitoba, Canada
Authors: Urquia M , Fafard St-Germain A A , Godoy M , Brownell M , Janus M 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
The child development of immigrant children faces challenges related to integration and discrimination. Yet, little is known about differences in child developmental vulnerability before school entry according to maternal birthplace and sex.

Methods
Official immigration records were linked with the Early Development Instrument (EDI) assessments among 77,085 children in kindergarten in the province of Manitoba, Canada (2005-2017), 11,773 (15.3%) of whom had an immigrant mother. The EDI is a 103-item validated questionnaire completed by kindergarten teachers in publicly funded schools across five domains covering physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios of developmental vulnerability associated with 11 maternal birthplaces and child sex.

Results
Children of immigrant mothers from most birthplaces had higher adjusted odds of developmental vulnerability than non-immigrants in domains related to language, communication skills and general knowledge (Adjusted Odds Ratios ranging from 1.2 to 5.9), except those of the rest of North America & Oceania. Children of Sub-Saharan African mothers were more vulnerable in four domains. Boys were consistently more vulnerable than girls across domains and maternal birthplaces.

Conclusions
Children of immigrant mothers exhibited higher developmental vulnerability than non-immigrants in domains related to language and communication skills, potentially reflecting exposure to English and French as second languages, but not on physical health or emotional maturity.

Key messages
• Children of immigrants experience language and communication developmental challenges.
• The girl’s advantage in early development is confirmed among immigrant children from various origins.
Factors affecting the mental health of working migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Benavente P , Ronda E , Diaz E 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic consequences were amplified in groups in vulnerable situations, and migrants have been overrepresented in the COVID-19 statistics worldwide. Specifically, the consequences on mental health might have differential mechanisms for migrants. Particularly, working migrants could be in more vulnerable situations as they often work in essential jobs, with high exposure to disease and are subject to high unemployment rates. Studies suggest that complex interactions between individual and structural factors could help explain the differential impact of the pandemic among migrants. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of migrants working in Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is a secondary analysis to identify factors affecting migrants’ mental health and well-being.

Methods
We conducted in-depth personal interviews with 20 working migrants from different working sectors in Bergen and Oslo, using a purposive sampling method. Thematic analysis was used.

Results
Migrants’ mental health was affected by several factors classified into two levels: workplace and host country context. Discrimination was the only migrant-specific factor and was found at both levels. Among workplace-related factors, the pressure from companies to vaccinate against COVID-19 negatively affected mental health. At the host country context, the effect of the Norwegian welfare system was predominantly positive on migrants’ well-being. Like increased discrimination, social isolation was found at both levels and might have a differential impact on migrants.

Conclusions
Several factors negatively and positively affected the mental health of working migrants during the pandemic. Further research on these factors with an intersectional perspective is needed. This knowledge is crucial to design policies and developing strategies to improve health for everyone.

Key messages
• During the pandemic, pressure to get vaccinated and increased discrimination at the workplace negatively impacted migrants’ mental health, while effects of Norwegian social benefits were positives.
• In addition to workplace discrimination, other factors such as social isolation may have had a differential impact on migrants’ mental health during the pandemic and need further study.
Health Literacy in a migrant portuguese speaking community in Portugal and healthcare use
Authors: Garcia M , Machado R , Serra I , Tiago V 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Health Literacy is strongly related with barriers to accessing healthcare services. Migrants may represent a vulnerable population in this matter, usually correlated with the language barrier. We aim to answer the question “Which are the perceptions, behaviors and skills of a migrant Portuguese speaking community using and getting access to health care in Portugal?”

Methods
Descriptive, cross-sectional and exploratory study. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (Osborne et al.,2013) was applied with a sociodemographic and health characterization. Data were collected and processed from a sample of 101 participants from a group of 570 people from a migrant community, all native Portuguese speakers mostly born in African Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language.

Results
The sample represented 17,7% of the total population. Thus, a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 9% were assumed. In the Health Literacy Questionnaire, the Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency coefficient was calculated as between 0.714 and 0.928. The analysis dimensions were mostly positioned below the average of the scale and were influenced by education, migratory status and age. “Feeling understood and supported by health professionals” had the worst score. There were better results in those who sought primary health care services and who had chronic illnesses. Self-rated health worsened with increasing length of stay in the country. Approximately 31% never attended healthcare in Portugal because they did not feel the need or were unable to access it.

Conclusions
This study demonstrated the association between health literacy with migrants and healthcare use excluding the language factor. This community presented low healthcare services use and low health literacy levels despite the use of the same language. Interaction with primary healthcare services improved migrants health literacy. This study supported a community intervention with public and private stakeholders.

Key messages
• Migrants places potential constraints on healthcare utilisation in destination countries that are not necessarily related to language barrier.
• Health Literacy is crucial to migrants health, health care access and Public Health improvement.
Infodemics surveillance system to detect and analyze health misinformation using big data and AI
Authors: Zakir Hussain I , Kaur J , Lotto M , Butt Z , Morita P 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Health misinformation disseminated on social media detrimentally affects the public's reactions toward public health measures. This has led to costly and harmful public health crises. Due to a lack of a comprehensive expert system that collects and analyzes large volumes of social media data, public health officials are incapable of mitigating health misinformation trends online. This study aimed to remedy this by designing and developing a big data pipeline and ecosystem (Health Misinformation Analysis System (HMAS)) capable of identifying and analyzing health misinformation online.

Methods
The HMAS system relies on Python, Elastic Stack, and the Twitter V2 API as the main technologies forming the backbone of the system. It comprises of five main components: (1) Data Extraction Framework (DEF); (2) Latent Dirichlet Allocation Topic Model; (3) Sentiment Analyzer; (4) Misinformation Classifier; (5) Elastic Cloud Deployment. Components 1-4 are hosted on a virtual machine with low computing and memory requirements. Through the DEF, HMAS extracts data from the Twitter V2 API. The HMAS expert system uses pre-trained models to perform automatic health misinformation analysis. The analyzed data are loaded and visualized in Elastic Cloud through dashboards and analytics.

Results
The HMAS system performance is accurate and efficient. It has been successfully utilized by independent investigators to extract significant insights, including a fluoride-related health misinformation use case, which analyzed data from 2015 to 2021. Moreover, HMAS has been applied to a vaccine hesitancy use case (2007-2022) and a heat-related illnesses use case (2011-2022).

Conclusions
The novel HMAS expert system can potentially aid public health officials globally to detect and analyze concerning trends in health misinformation online. This system can also grow to integrate social media data from several platforms for multiplatform analysis and support non-Western language content.

Key messages
• The novel HMAS pipeline can collect, detect, and analyze the rapidly increasing amounts of misinformation proliferating on social media related to a particular topic or set of related topics.
• Identifying and monitoring health misinformation trends prevalent on social media through analytics dashboards and anomaly/risk detection alerts can lead to prompt governmental intervention.
Lampedusa Island hotspot is a crucial migrant health checkpoint. Is enough attention being paid?
Authors: Zjalic D , Farina A , Famà F , Cadeddu C 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
The migrant reception system in Italy operates on two levels: first and second reception centers. The first reception is carried out in collective centers -called hotspots- where newly arrived migrants are identified. Approximately, ¾ of the landings take place on Lampedusa, a small Italian island 113 km away from the Tunisian coast, that has its own hotspot. Here migrants should receive the first medical care and the first health screening and identification. The aim of this study is to understand the quality of healthcare provided at the Lampedusa hotspot.

Methods
A survey was conducted in April 2023 on all the 80 doctors and nurses who worked in the Lampedusa hotspot clinic between 2020 and 2022. In the first part, questions concerning their work in hotspot, experience, training before starting the task, and the actual needs of the migrant population were asked. In the second part, the focus was on available medical tools and screening for infectious diseases.

Results
Thirty-nine (46%) of the healthcare professionals responded to the survey, with half of them in their first work experience. Less than 40% had previously worked in a migrant assistance context. 93% of them started the job without a training course. 80% of respondents have never had access to protocols or guidelines and 80% believe that the structure is unsuitable for screening infectious diseases. Four out of 10 migrants seek treatment and ⅔ of the respondents state that there was no health screening.

Conclusions
These results highlight the need for health screening and treatment implementation, to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases, the development of antibiotic resistance, and the good management of economic resources. The migrant reception system in Lampedusa is highly present in the political and journalistic debate, but not as much in the scientific, as the latest publication dates back to 2015.

Key messages
• Lampedusa hotspot is an essential checkpoint for infectious disease and migrants’ health screening.
• Migrants’ health at arrival is a public health issue that must be better tackled by the scientific community.
Self-reported health status using EQ-5D-5L among refugees from Ukraine arriving in Norway in 2022
Authors: Hansen T , Labberton A S , Skogheim T S , Helland Y 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
The full-scale invasion in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in the number of refugees coming to Norway, and a rapid upscaling of the asylum system, including temporary solutions, which may have led to poorer information and access to services. This study assesses self-reported health status among refugees from Ukraine arriving in Norway during 2022.

Methods
Data were collected via a digital questionnaire in a cross-sectional study design between 28.10.22-31.01.23, via multiple physical contact points, including asylum reception centres, municipalities, non-profit organisations, as well as Facebook groups for refugees in Norway. Results were weighted by age and sex against all Ukrainian refugees registered with collective protection in Norway. Linear regression assessed association of age, sex and having higher education with estimated EQ-5D-5L values using a Romanian EQ-5D-5L value set.

Results
Results are preliminary and may be altered. Respondents (n = 731) were 83% female, 65% aged 30-49 years, 69% with higher education. Mean EQVAS score weighted for age and sex was 69.5 (95% CI 67.9, 71.1). The ten most commonly reported EQ-5D-5L health states, reported by 425 respondents, had a mean estimated value of 0.94; mean value for all reported health states was 0.87. The most severe levels were most often reported for anxiety and depression. Regression models showed higher estimated EQ-5D-5L state values for men compared to women (male: +0.026, p &lt; 0.05) and for those with higher education (+0.026, p &lt; 0.05), and lower estimated valued health states for the oldest age groups compared to the youngest (age 50-59: -0.066, p &lt; 0.01, age 70+: -0.096, p &lt; 0.01).

Conclusions
Self-reported health status using EQ-5D-5L differed by sex, age group and educational level. Whilst most respondents reported relatively mild health states, when severe levels were reported these were most often for anxiety and depression.

Key messages
• Self-reported health status using EQ-5D-5L among refugees from Ukraine arriving in Norway differed by sex, age group and educational level.
• Whilst most refugees from Ukraine responding to the survey reported relatively mild health states, when severe levels were reported these were most often for anxiety and depression.
Suitability of tools assessing adverse childhood experiences in young refugees – a systematic review
Authors: Abdelhamid S , Kraaijenvanger E , Fischer J , Steinisch M 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
With the persistence of ongoing crises and subsequent displacement of individuals, including children, gaining knowledge about adversities experienced in this context is crucial - given the harmful effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on mental and physical health. While questionnaires for ACE in children exist, it is uncertain if they comprehensively address adversities faced by refugee children. This review's objectives are to (1) identify and analyze current ACE questionnaires and determine if they are suitable for assessing refugee children's adversities, and (2) identify and analyze those previously used among refugee populations.

Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted in 2022 across five databases for articles published since 2010, including studies using an ACE questionnaire that recognized multiple adversities in healthy children and were published in English.

Results
A total of 103 ACE questionnaires were identified in 506 studies. Only 14 of the 103 questionnaires addressed a refugee-specific adversity with exposure to war/conflict and family separation being addressed most frequently (10 and 7 questionnaires). Their ability to capture refugee children's experiences was limited: available questionnaires used a maximum of three items to assess refugee-specific adversities, covering only a fraction of forms of adversities relevant to refugee children. Out of the 14 questionnaires that included a refugee-specific adversity, only three had reported psychometric properties. In addition, only two ACE questionnaires were used within a refugee population.

Conclusions
With the tools currently available, it is not possible to comprehensively assess the exposure to and severity of the adversities faced by refugee children. Adequate tools of exposure assessment are essential in order to understand refugee children's wellbeing and develop targeted mitigation strategies for those at risk.

Key messages
• Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can harm mental/physical health. Adequate tools assessing ACE exposure in flight contexts are needed in order to develop mitigation strategies for those at risk.
• With the tools currently available, it is not possible to comprehensively assess the exposure to and severity of the adversities faced by refugee children before, during and after flight.