Lying is a multidimensional problem that occurs due to cognitive and social factors and harms the person in many ways. With the widespread use of digital technologies, lying behavior has become increasingly easier and more common. Revising existing measurement tools in the literature by incorporating digital media is a need of the digital age. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to reveal individuals’ Tendency to lie in the digital environment and to examine the psychometric properties of this scale according to some variables. The sample was created with 495 participants from across Turkey. The scale named ‘Tendency of Lying in Digital Environments Scale’ (TOLDES) consists of 30 items and 5 factors (Unrealistic sharing, Romantic deception, Exaggeration, Gossip, Anonymity) and explains 69.83% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis of the scale resulted in acceptable goodness-of-fit values. Internal consistency reliability coefficient Cronbach Alpha value was found to be .95. According to Cohen’s d calculations, the use of unrealistic sharing, romantic deception, and exaggeration in the TOLDES creates a difference with a medium effect size in men. It was concluded that the TOLDES was valid and reliable and it could be used in the next studies.

Background: The drug-scene-related community impacts include conditions, activities, and behaviors related to dealing/using drugs in public that hurt communities’ safety, stability, and integrity. This study aims to design and assess the psychometric properties of a scale to investigate the most important drug-scene-related community effects to prioritize interventions. Methods: This study was a qualitative cross-sectional study conducted in three phases. In the first phase, according to the previous studies and literature review, the items pool was developed. In the second phase, the validity was assessed by face, content, and construct validity. Furthermore, to evaluate reliability, internal consistency and stability were calculated. In the third phase, the most important drug scene-related community impacts were investigated using the Friedman test. Results: An initial 70-item version of the scale was generated. In the quantitative face validity assessment using item impact score, 4 items were omitted. After calculating the content validity ratio and index, 22 items remained. In the item analysis, 1 item was deleted. Exploratory factor analysis showed 5 factors that explained more than 65/63% of the variance. The most effective drug scene-related community impacts were the pull effect, exposure to major activities of the drug scene, environmental pollution, perception of unsafety, and lack of tranquility respectively. Conclusion: The drug-scene-related community impacts scale is a valid and reliable scale with 21 items to assess drug-scenerelated community impacts. The magnet of drug users/dealers to drug scenes and the notoriety of the neighborhood as a drug scene were the most effective drug-scene-related community impacts. Drug-scene-related community effects influence and reinforce each other because of multiple factors that are not only related to the personal behaviors of people who use drugs but also the societal structures

A simple but questionable view holds that alcohol-related mortality is directly and closely related to the total consumption of alcohol in a country. To study how uniform this relationship is, trends and changes by age and diagnosis in alcohol-specific deaths were studied in Finland between the years 2007-2022, a period when both alcohol consumption and alcohol-specific mortality showed a decreasing trend. Alcoholic liver disease mortality trends deviated markedly from those for the other diagnoses. Among those aged 64 years or less, there was a consistent decreasing trend for the other categories while liver disease showed a slight increase after the initial decrease. Among the population aged 65 years or more both liver disease and other groups showed an increasing trend. Alcohol poisoning decreased in both age groups. Mortality in all other diagnostic groups decreased in the younger age group and increased in the older group. Age-adjustment or gender did not explain differences. The different mortality trends were not consistent with the assumed uniform effect of alcohol consumption on alcohol-related harms. Other risk factors than alcohol may play a significant role. These are discussed and need to be considered to yield better estimates than the simplistic assumption of a 100 % attributable fraction of alcohol in these diagnoses.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem worldwide, and the prevalence of diabetes mellites is steadily increasing in developing countries including Ethiopia. Adherence to diabetes self-care activities is a vital strategy for the reduction in diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to assess the level of self-care practice and its associated factors among adult diabetes patients in Tercha Zonal diabetes center: A Southern Nation Nationality of Ethiopia. Methods: An facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 213 diabetes mellitus patients follow-up at Tercha Zonal diabetes center selected by systematic random sampling. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and test the association between selected variables. Statistical significance was declared at p-value <0.05. Results: Out of the 213 study participants, only 84 (39.4%) had good self-care practices. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that attending secondary education (AOR=16.015,(95%CI:1.925-133.251),P=0.01] and college and above [AOR=89.553, (95%CI:9.732–824.021),P<0.001]and having diabetes complications [AOR=0.412, (95%CI:0.204 – 0.832), P=0.013] were significantly associated with good self-care practice. Conclusion: The study revealed that a significant number of the study participant have poor self-care practices in the prevention and control of diabetes mellitus. Educational level, and having diabetes complications were found statistically significantly associated with a good level of self-care practice. Therefore, all frontline healthcare providers should provide basic information and counseling regarding diabetes self-care practice.

Background: Instagram is a popular social media platform which uses algorithms to tailor content to the specific interests of individual users. We proposed that this tailored content induces a flow state where users become completely absorbed and time passes imperceptibly, creating a highly satisfying experience. For those who use Instagram to escape from depression, Instagram may provide the relief that they seek, but at a cost – neglecting real-life social supports and work/academic commitments. This neglect leads to further problems that prompt greater Instagram dependence. Methods: Using a repeated-measures design, 114 participants engaged in three conditions (Control, Generalized, and Personalized) for 10 minutes each. Participants answered questions about flow and positive affect (after each condition), as well as their Instagram use habits, depression, reasons for using Instagram, and time spent on Instagram. Results: We demonstrated that Instagram’s algorithms were effective. Participants experienced significantly greater flow and positive affect when using their tailored-content Instagram compared to a generalized account based on the interests of 30 random users. As evidence for our proposed cycle of dependence, we showed significant associations between depression, flow, and a measure of problematic Instagram use, as well as associations between being motivated to use Instagram to escape problems and problematic Instagram use. Conclusions: These results suggest that, at least for a subset of individuals with depression, Instagram serves as a maladaptive, escape-coping mechanism which induces flow and elevates mood, but ultimately leads to more problems due to overextended Instagram use.

This study is an attempt to determine the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) on reducing bullying behaviour among secondary school students in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State. The population of the study consisted of 653 bullies in all the senior secondary school two (SS11) in Nsukka Education Zone. A sample size of eighty-three (83) students identified as bullies using the Bullying Behavior Inventory (BBI) was used for the study. They were randomized into two equal groups for experimental and control groups. The experimental group was treated with cognitive behaviour therapy for six (6) weeks while the control group received no treatment. The study a quasi-experimental design. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. BBI had its content validity estimated by the total item cumulative variance of 75.25% while its construct validity estimated by factor loading matrixes ranged between 0.45 and 0.88. The reliability was established using cronbach alpha at r=0.80, p<0.05 level of significance. Data collected were analyzed with mean, standard deviation. Results showed that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) had significant efficacy on reducing bullying among secondary school students as determined by their pretest and posttest mean scores. Cognitive behavior therapy had significant efficacy of reducing bullying on the experimental group. Based on the findings, recommendations were made including that students with bullying behaviour should be encouraged to go for counseling sessions and counselors should be trained on the proper application of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and that the government and counseling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) should organize workshops and seminars to sensitize and train counselors on how to use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help students subdue their bullying behaviours.

As gambling companies expand into the digital world, they have begun to approach the next generation in novel ways. Most recently, gambling companies have partnered with academic institutions to reach younger and more impressionable adults. Per a recent New York Times Articles titled, “How College and Sports Betting Companies “Ceasarized” Campus Life”, over eight universities have already partnered with online sports betting companies [1]. These academic institutions direct students, irrespective of age, to betting websites with promo codes which provide “free” funds to gamble [1]. While the full extent of the repercussions of such actions are not yet clear, to hand-wave these endorsements as “harmless” and “free” is sorely naïve.

No matter when or from which direction a neural signal is transmitted, the neural signal expression of a neuron within a neural region is unique. This unique neural signal expression is determined by the nature of the neuron, which is determined by the neurotransmitters it secretes. In the nervous system, the particlization process of neural signals can create structural relationships between neurons within a neural region. Within a neural region, the extreme combinations of the particlization process of neural signals from different neurons generate consciousness. The specific and non-specific neural tracts together form a reflex cross-section composed of the neural structures within the thalamic reflex pathway. The neural structures that make up the thalamic reflex cross-section are easily controlled by the thalamus, affecting the neural activity of various neural structures within the entire cerebral cortex, and forming neural reflex responses throughout the cerebral cortex

People may never be able to find a neural mechanism that measures the number of action potentials at the neuron scale. For the entire cerebral cortex, a neuron is merely a geometric point, devoid of spatiotemporal features. Neurons cannot tolerate electrical activity that is consistently higher than the action potential. At a certain point in time, numerous neurons collectively generate an “unbearable neural behavior” that forms a “neural sensation.” This “neural sensation” merges to create “neural information,” which in turn produces a “conscious response” within the entire cerebral cortex. The sensations caused by granule cells in the cerebral cortex are specific, while those caused by projection cells in the cerebral cortex are structural. This is because the distribution of granule cells in the cerebral cortex is highly specialized, while projection cells are homogenized. In a brain, neurons with the same properties possess the same neural sensations.

The decriminalization of enhancement drugs has had a major impact on society. These drugs, which are designed to increase physical and mental performance, have become increasingly popular among athletes and other individuals seeking an edge in their chosen field. Decriminalizing these substances has allowed for more open discussion about their use and potential benefits while also removing the stigma associated with them as well as any legal ramifications that may have been attached previously. This shift in attitude towards enhancement drug use is likely to lead to increased research in the area, leading to a better understanding of how they work and what effects they can produce when used responsibly. In this opinion, I briefly discuss topics related to the criminalization of enhancement drugs. First, I investigate the question, “What is an enhancement drug?” using my own research. Second, I explore how drug use is regulated. Finally, I situate these debates in relation to calls for drug decriminalization. The regulation of drug use is a complex issue that involves legal, social, and health considerations. Decriminalization has been proposed to address the negative consequences of drug use and reduce the harms associated with criminalization. I conclude by exploring the potential implications of decriminalization for society and discuss the need for further research in this field.