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Addictive Behaviors Apr 2023This large-scale meta-analysis aimed to provide the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the available evidence from the pre-COVID period on risk and protective... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
This large-scale meta-analysis aimed to provide the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the available evidence from the pre-COVID period on risk and protective factors for (internet) gaming disorder (as defined in the DSM-5 or ICD-11) across all studied populations. The risk/protective factors included demographic characteristics, psychological, psychopathological, social, and gaming-related factors. In total, we have included 1,586 effects from 253 different studies, summarizing data from 210,557 participants. Apart from estimating these predictive associations and relevant moderating effects, we implemented state-of-the-art adjustments for publication bias, psychometric artifacts, and other forms of bias arising from the publication process. Additionally, we carried out an in-depth assessment of the quality of underlying evidence by examining indications of selective reporting, statistical inconsistencies, the typical power of utilized study designs to detect theoretically relevant effects, and performed various sensitivity analyses. The available evidence suggests the existence of numerous moderately strong and highly heterogeneous risk factors (e.g., male gender, depression, impulsivity, anxiety, stress, gaming time, escape motivation, or excessive use of social networks) but only a few empirically robust protective factors (self-esteem, intelligence, life satisfaction, and education; all having markedly smaller effect sizes). We discuss the theoretical implications of our results for prominent theoretical models of gaming disorder and for the existing and future prevention strategies. The impact of various examined biasing factors on the available evidence seemed to be modest, yet we identified shortcomings in the measurement and reporting practices.
Topics: Humans; Male; Protective Factors; Behavior, Addictive; Video Games; COVID-19; Internet
PubMed: 36571943
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107590 -
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Apr 2022Poor mental health (MH) is a substantial public health problem, affecting over 13% of the population worldwide. Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees (ASIR) are at... (Review)
Review
Poor mental health (MH) is a substantial public health problem, affecting over 13% of the population worldwide. Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees (ASIR) are at high risk of MH problems due to intercultural adjustment stress, racism and discrimination. This scoping review of 49 studies explored pre- and post-migration MH determinants among ASIR in North America. Pre-migration MH determinants were politically related. English illiteracy was a significant triggering factor for distress and depression. Post-migration sociocultural MH protective factors included positive ethnic identity, spirituality, family support and social cohesion. Resilience, expressed as hope, significantly protected ASIR against depression and distress. MH triggering factors, emanating from social inequalities, were domestic violence, discrimination, stigmatization and poverty. Mixed-methods studies are needed to inform culturally-congruent, MH-promoting and resilience-building interventions. Intersectoral collaboration and Healthy Public Policy, based on the WHO Health in All Policies framework, are required to address social and health inequities, reducing MH challenges among ASIR.
Topics: Emigrants and Immigrants; Humans; Mental Health; North America; Protective Factors; Refugees
PubMed: 33987797
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-021-01215-6 -
Psychological Reports Aug 2021While research tends to focus on understanding risk factors associated with adverse childhood and adolescent experiences, there is growing empirical support within the...
While research tends to focus on understanding risk factors associated with adverse childhood and adolescent experiences, there is growing empirical support within the field of human services to also focus on strengths and protective factors that bolster resilience in life. This study investigated the psychometrics of the Resilience Protective Factors Checklist (RPFC), which is a questionnaire that assists in the identification of protective factors empirically linked to resilience and positive outcomes. In addition, associations between protective factors, childhood adversity, and quality of life outcomes were examined. Participants were undergraduate college students ( = 1,256). The results revealed good psychometric properties for the RPFC and the factor analysis supported the resilience structural model of three interrelated areas of protective factors - Individual, Family, and Community influences. All three areas of protection were positively correlated with all four domains of positive life outcomes (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and a healthy environment) and negatively correlated with adverse childhood experiences. RPFC's individual protective factors positively predicted physical health and psychological health outcomes, while the community protective factors positively predicted environmental health outcomes. In addition, the RPFC's family protective factors moderated the path between adverse childhood experiences and social relationships. That is, for individuals who have experienced more adverse childhood experiences, those with higher levels of RPFC family protective factors had positive social relationship outcomes, while those with lower levels of family protective factors had negative social relationship outcomes. These findings lend support for the utilization of assessment measures for identifying and promoting protective factors that can buffer life adversity and heighten resilient positive outcomes.
Topics: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Checklist; Female; Humans; Male; Protective Factors; Quality of Life; Resilience, Psychological; Young Adult
PubMed: 32799743
DOI: 10.1177/0033294120950288 -
Psychiatry Research Jul 2022The rates of posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) are high among refugee populations. At the same time, evidence is emerging of intergenerational transmission of... (Review)
Review
The rates of posttraumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) are high among refugee populations. At the same time, evidence is emerging of intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. The objective of this study was to examine the current knowledge on risk and protective factors for adverse mental health outcomes in the non-exposed offspring of trauma-affected refugees. A systematic search was undertaken from 1 January 1981 to 5 February 2021 (PubMed, Embase, PSYCInfo). Studies were included if they reported on families of trauma-exposed refugee parents and mental health outcomes in their non-exposed children. The search yielded 1415 results and twelve articles met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies emphasized the negative effects of parental mental health symptoms. There was substantial evidence of an association between parental PTSD and increased risk of psychological problems in offspring. Parenting style was identified as both a potential risk and protective factor. Risk/protective factors at the individual and family level were identified, but findings were inconclusive due to sample sizes and study designs. There is a need for evidence-based interventions aimed at improving child outcomes, especially by improving parental mental health and reinforcing parenting skills. Future research should aim to incorporate broader aspects of child development.
Topics: Child; Humans; Parenting; Parents; Protective Factors; Refugees; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 35580432
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114604 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2022In Chile, studies on protective factors and risk factors for sexual violence are limited and very few have incorporated analysis of different types of capital (social,...
In Chile, studies on protective factors and risk factors for sexual violence are limited and very few have incorporated analysis of different types of capital (social, economic, human) as social resources in the protection against sexual violence. The objective of this research is to evaluate to what extent the stock of different capitals act together, as either protective or risk factors in sexual violence in different interpersonal environments. The sample consisted of 1665 women between 15 and 30 years of age (M = 23.47, SD = 4.41). Artificial neural network analysis and social network analysis were used. The nodes representative of human and economic capital have a protective role of low relevance due to their position in the network, while the nodes of social capital acquire a structural relevance due to the central positions of the network. It is concluded that the structural social capital of neighborhood networks constitutes the main protective factor for sexual violence in all areas, and in turn, the structural social capital of networks with non-significant others was the main risk factor in sexual victimization.
Topics: Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Protective Factors; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; Sex Offenses; Social Capital; Social Support
PubMed: 35055599
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19020777 -
Clinical Child and Family Psychology... Jun 2016Extending previous reviews related to cultural responsiveness in the treatment of ethnic minority youth, the current review provides a critical assessment and synthesis... (Review)
Review
Extending previous reviews related to cultural responsiveness in the treatment of ethnic minority youth, the current review provides a critical assessment and synthesis of both basic and applied research on the integration of three racial-ethnic protective factors (racial identity, racial socialization, Africentric worldview) in psychosocial prevention and intervention programs for Black children and adolescents. Seventeen programs meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated for the extent to which racial-ethnic protective factors and related mechanisms were integrated, applied, and tested in such programs. A systematic assessment of these programs revealed that several prevention and intervention programs drew upon the three factors, particularly Africentric worldview. In addition, a number of studies hypothesized and assessed mechanisms, both those previously identified in conceptual literature and those that emerged from the interventions themselves. A set of recommendations encouraging the implementation of these factors into future prevention and intervention programs, examples of how clinicians can infuse these factors into psychotherapy, and areas for future research are discussed.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Black or African American; Child; Child Development; Humans; Mental Disorders; Protective Factors; Social Identification; Socialization
PubMed: 27083688
DOI: 10.1007/s10567-016-0201-6 -
Nature Reviews. Neurology Nov 2018
Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Dementia; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Middle Aged; Protective Factors; Risk Factors; United Kingdom
PubMed: 30214046
DOI: 10.1038/s41582-018-0073-0 -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Jun 2021There is a growing body of research involving transgender (trans) individuals that foregrounds elevated rates of suicidality in trans populations. Although peer support... (Review)
Review
RATIONALE
There is a growing body of research involving transgender (trans) individuals that foregrounds elevated rates of suicidality in trans populations. Although peer support is increasingly studied as a protective factor against suicide among trans persons, the scholarship in this area continues to be limited and has yet to be synthesized and appraised.
OBJECTIVE
In this paper, we address this existing gap in the literature by presenting the results of a scoping review of the literature examining the significance and function of peer support in mitigating suicide risk in trans populations.
METHODS
This scoping review is based on an analysis of 34 studies that were included following the execution of a methodical search and selection process. Drawing on scoping review methodology, along with PRISMA-P guidelines, we selected peer-reviewed empirical works, published between 2000 and 2020, which examined relationships between providing, seeking, and/or receiving peer support and suicide risk in trans populations.
RESULTS
Our findings, which are conceptualized using the minority stress model as a guiding theoretical framework, reveal that while the literature generally substantiates the protective significance of peer support for trans persons, a small body of work also uncovers novel and unanticipated sources of peer support, including social support offered by trans peers online, which are infrequently and inconsistently examined in this body of scholarship.
CONCLUSIONS
Using our appraisal of the literature, we outline the need for future research to further elucidate the significance and function of peer support in protecting against suicide among trans persons. In particular, we discuss the need for exploratory inquiry to inform a conceptualization and operationalization of peer support that more fully and consistently accounts for how such support (including online and community-based support) is sought, received, and experienced among trans persons in the context of suicide.
Topics: Humans; Peer Group; Protective Factors; Social Support; Suicidal Ideation; Transgender Persons; Suicide Prevention
PubMed: 34010778
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114026 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022This study investigates the principal risk and protective factors associated with student distress and school dropout in a group of preadolescents, through a qualitative...
This study investigates the principal risk and protective factors associated with student distress and school dropout in a group of preadolescents, through a qualitative and quantitative comparison between the perspectives of students, parents, and teachers. We administered a questionnaire to evaluate student distress and school dropout in a middle school (student's age range 13-15 years). We afterwards analyzed the responses of students at risk of school dropout. We also administered a semi-structured interview with their parents and their teachers. The results indicated significant levels of school distress in students (Collective Distress > 8.75) and a problematic relationship between parents and students (22.42%). We also found a problematic relationship between teachers and students (24.39%). The main protective factor of student distress and school drop-out indicated by the students was a more sensitive and supportive relationship with both parents and teachers. On the contrary, parents and teachers indicated as possible causes of school distress and drop-out the intrinsic students' motivation or other external factors associated with the community. The results of our study highlight the importance to apply a multidimensional and transactional psycho-educational model, in which the relationship between the students and their caretaker plays a major role.
Topics: Adolescent; Educational Personnel; Humans; Protective Factors; School Teachers; Schools; Student Dropouts; Students
PubMed: 36231889
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912589 -
Risk and Protective Factors of Disordered Eating in Adolescents Based on Gender and Body Mass Index.International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2020The current study aimed to identify potential psychosocial risk and protective factors contributing to eating disorders in adolescents, and observe any differences...
The current study aimed to identify potential psychosocial risk and protective factors contributing to eating disorders in adolescents, and observe any differences between genders and Body Mass Index (BMI) categories. A cross-sectional survey was carried out with a total of 2605 (1063 male) adolescents, who were assessed for disordered eating, body-image satisfaction and investment, appearance/weight-related anxiety, situational dysphoria, media influences, self-esteem, and body appreciation. The results revealed that weight/appearance-related anxiety and situational dysphoria were the most significant risk factors for both genders. Pressures from the media posed a significant risk only for males and the internalization of the thin ideal only for females; however, the internalization of the athletic ideal did not pose as a significant risk factor. Compared to gender, these risk factors did not differ based on BMI. Additionally, body appreciation was found to be a robust protective factor (unlike global self-esteem) for both genders, and across all BMI groups. The findings indicate that the most significant risk and protective factors of eating disorders do not differ largely for male and female adolescents or different BMIs. Intervention and prevention programs would therefore benefit from the inclusion of exercises that reduce the constructs of weight/appearance-related anxiety and situational dysphoria, and promote body appreciation.
Topics: Adolescent; Body Image; Body Mass Index; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Protective Factors; Risk Factors; Self Concept; Sex Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 33321884
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249238