High-risk Behaviors Research Articles

Latent profiles of emotion regulation among university students: links to repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing.

Recent years have seen a deterioration in the mental health of university students and notable surge in the need for psychological support. Due to its links to psychopathology and high-risk behaviors, difficulty in emotion regulation frequently serves as a transdiagnostic dimension. This cross-sectional study used a person-centered analytical approach (latent profile analysis; LPA) to identify groups of Portuguese university students with similar profiles of emotion regulation difficulties (N = 261; Mage = 22.5 ± 1.2 years; n = 213 female) and describe how these groups differ in their presentation of repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing. The analyses identified four latent profiles: 14.5% of students showed global dysregulation (the Low Emotion Regulation Profile), 23% were moderately dysregulated with elevated problems in goal-directed behavior (the Moderate Emotion Regulation Profile), 8% showed specific difficulties with low emotional awareness and clarity (the Low Insight Profile), and 54.4% showed adaptive emotion regulation (the High Emotion Regulation Profile). As anticipated, the Low Emotion Regulation Profile had the lowest subjective wellbeing and the highest prevalence of repetitive negative thinking and internet addiction. Students with a Low Insight Profile also showed low subjective wellbeing, but less repetitive negative thinking compared to the Low Emotion Regulation Profile. Our findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving health and wellbeing among university students should consider each student's unique set of emotion regulation difficulties, rather than focusing on particular strategies. Further research may help determine whether emotion regulation profiles can serve as predictive indicators of varying mental health trajectories and subjective wellbeing in university students.

High-risk neighbourhoods and behaviour outcomes in children born extremely preterm.

Study the association between neighbourhood risk and behaviour in extreme preterm (EPT) children. We hypothesised that EPT children living in high-risk neighbourhoods have increased risk of clinical range behaviour problems at age 30-36 months. Retrospective analyses of Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)scores for 739 EPTs born 2005-2016. Addresses were geocoded to identify census block groups and create high versus low-risk groups. Regression analyses assessed the impact of neighbourhood risk on behaviour. Children from high-risk (N = 272, 39%) and low-risk (N = 417, 61%) neighbourhoods were compared. In adjusted analyses, odds of clinical range scores remained greater in high-risk neighbourhoods for Emotionally Reactive (OR: 4.32, CI: 1.13, 16.51), Somatic Complaints (2.30, CI 1.11,4.79), Withdrawn (OR: 2.56, CI: 1.21, 5,42), Aggressive Behaviour (OR: 4.12, CI: 1.45, 11.68), Internalising (OR: 1.96, CI: 1.17, 3.28), and Total score (OR: 1.86, OR: CI: 1.13, 3.07). Cognitive delay was higher in high-risk neighbourhoods and a risk factor for Attention Problems (2.10,1.08, 4.09). Breast milk was protective for Emotionally Reactive (OR: 0.22, CI: 0.06, 0.85) and Sleep Problems (OR: 0.47, CI:0.24, 0.94). Neighbourhood risk provided an independent contribution to preterm adverse behaviour outcomes with cognitive delay an additional independent risk factor. Breast milk at discharge was protective.

Seat belt detection using gated Bi-LSTM with part-to-whole attention on diagonally sampled patches

One of the high-risk behaviors leading to severe traffic injuries is not wearing a seat belt. It is therefore very important to be able to automatically detect seat belts from surveillance images, encourage drivers to wear seat belts, and enhance passenger safety. In this paper, a novel deep neural network, Gated Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory network with part-to-whole attention (GBL-PA), is proposed for seat belt detection from surveillance images. The innovation of our model lies in its unique diagonal sampling strategy, which meticulously captures the seat belt’s fine details, typically oriented from top right to bottom left across the torso of vehicle occupants. Our framework’s novelty is further encapsulated by the part-to-whole attention mechanism, which intelligently harmonizes the detailed local information from seat belt-specific patches with the broader contextual insights from the regional proposals. The pioneering design of a Gated Bi-directional LSTM network facilitates the dynamic integration of interactions across patches to deliver an optimized final prediction. The superiority of GBL-PA is established through rigorous comparison with the state-of-the-art methods on a new, large benchmark dataset comprising 14,936 images from traffic surveillance footage. Our framework demonstrates a notable improvement, achieving a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 72.3%, which surpasses the second best, YOLOX, by 0.9% mAP. This significant and consistent outperformance across various metrics underscores the transformative potential of GBL-PA in the realm of traffic safety enforcement. The source code of our framework is available at ANONYMISED.

A Bluetooth-Based Smartphone App for Detecting Peer Proximity: Protocol for Evaluating Functionality and Validity.

While ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is commonly used to study social contexts and social influence in the real world, EMA almost exclusively relies on participant self-report of present circumstances, including the proximity to influential peers. There is the potential for developing a proximity sensing approach that uses small Bluetooth beacons and smartphone-based detection and data collection to collect information about interactions between individuals passively in real time. This paper aims to describe the methods for evaluating the functionality and validity of a Bluetooth-based beacon and a smartphone app to identify when ≥2 individuals are physically proximal. We will recruit 20 participants aged 18 to 29 years with Android smartphones to complete a 3-week study during which beacon detection and self-report data will be collected using a smartphone app (MEI Research). Using an interviewer-administered social network interview, participants will identify up to 3 peers of the same age who are influential on health behavior (alcohol use in this study). These peers will be asked to carry a Bluetooth beacon (Kontakt asset tag) for the duration of the study; each beacon has a unique ID that, when detected, will be recorded by the app on the participant's phone. Participants will be prompted to respond to EMA surveys (signal-contingent reports) when a peer beacon encounter meets our criteria and randomly 3 times daily (random reports) and every morning (morning reports) to collect information about the presence of peers. In all reports, the individualized list of peers will be presented to participants, followed by questions about peer and participant behavior, including alcohol use. Data from multiple app data sets, including beacon encounter specifications, notification, and app logs, participant EMA self-reports and postparticipation interviews, and peer surveys, will be used to evaluate project goals. We will examine the functionality of the technology, including the stability of the app (eg, app crashes and issues opening the app), beacon-to-app detection (ie, does the app detect proximal beacons?), and beacon encounter notification when encounter criteria are met. The validity of the technology will be defined as the concordance between passive detection of peers via beacon-to-app communication and the participant's EMA report of peer presence. Disagreement between the beacon and self-report data (ie, false negatives and false positives) will be investigated in multiple ways (ie, to determine if the reason was technology-related or participant compliance-related) using encounter data and information collected from participants and peers. Participant recruitment began in February 2023, and enrollment was completed in December 2023. Results will be reported in 2025. This Bluetooth-based technology has important applications and clinical implications for various health behaviors, including the potential for just-in-time adaptive interventions that target high-risk behavior in real time. DERR1-10.2196/50241.

Patterns and Characteristics of Amphetamine-type Stimulant Use in a North-eastern State of India: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: South Asia generally reports low levels of amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use, with few studies on the pattern of ATS use. We assessed the pattern of ATS use and associated high-risk behavior in Manipur, a north-eastern state of India. Methods: 209 adult male ATS users (mean age 28.8 years) from three districts of Manipur were interviewed. Data were collected on the patterns of high-risk behavior with ATS use, health consequences, and help-seeking. The severity of use with various substances was assessed using the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, respectively. Results: The mean duration of ATS use was 3.7 years (SD 2.3). The majority used ATS almost daily (88%) and depended on ATS (77%). Methamphetamine (99.5%) was the most used ATS orally. Around 87% also suffered from opioid dependence. About 76% injected drugs, most commonly heroin. Almost three-fourths (78%) used ATS before their sexual intercourse, 31% of whom did not use condoms. Most reported physical problems with ATS and had above-cut-off scores on PHQ-9 and GAD-7. The majority (95%) reported that they could procure ATS easily. Also, the majority (93%) had thought of quitting ATS use. Discussion: Most ATS users start using ATS at a young age and have comorbid other drug use, including heroin. ATS use is associated with various physical and psychological problems. Focusing on ATS use in India and developing strategies to address this problem is essential.

HIV risk behaviour, viraemia, and transmission across HIV cascade stages including low-level viremia: Analysis of 14 cross-sectional population-based HIV Impact Assessment surveys in sub-Saharan Africa.

As antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage for people living with HIV (PLHIV) increases, HIV programmes require up-to-date information about evolving HIV risk behaviour and transmission risk, including those with low-level viremia (LLV; >50 to ≤1000 copies/mL), to guide prevention priorities. We aimed to assess differences in sexual risk behaviours, distribution of viral load (VL) and proportion of transmission across PLHIV subgroups. We analysed data from Population-based HIV Impact Assessment surveys in 14 sub-Saharan African countries during 2015-2019. We estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) of self-reported HIV high-risk behaviour (multiple partners and condomless sex) across cascade stages via generalised estimation equations. We modelled the proportions of transmission from each subgroup using relative self-reported sexual risk, a Hill function for transmission rate by VL, and proportions within cascade stages from surveys and UNAIDS country estimates for 2010-2020. Compared to PLHIV with undetectable VL (≤50 copies/mL), undiagnosed PLHIV (aPR women: 1.28 [95% CI: 1.08-1.52]; men: 1.61 [1.33-1.95]) and men diagnosed but untreated (2.06 [1.52-2.78]) were more likely to self-report high-risk sex. High-risk behaviour was not significantly associated with LLV. Mean VL was similar among undiagnosed, diagnosed but untreated, and on ART but non-suppressed sub-groups. Across surveys, undiagnosed and diagnosed but untreated contributed most to transmission (40-91% and 1-41%, respectively), with less than 1% from those with LLV. Between 2010 and 2020, the proportion of transmission from individuals on ART but non-suppressed increased. In settings with high ART coverage, effective HIV testing, ART linkage, and retention remain priorities to reduce HIV transmission. Persons with LLV are an increasing share of PLHIV but their contribution to HIV transmission was small. Improving suppression among PLHIV on ART with VL ≥1000 copies/mL will become increasingly important.

Mpox across countries from Central and Eastern Europe - 2022 outbreak

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to assess socio-demographical characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes in patients diagnosed with mpox. MethodsA survey on patients diagnosed with mpox was performed in 14 countries from Central and Eastern Europe. Data was compared according to HIV status and country of origin (EU vs. non-EU). Mpox diagnosis was confirmed by RT-PCR from oropharyngeal swabs, skin lesions, and other body fluids. ResultsOut of 154 patients confirmed with mpox in 2022, 99.3% were males, with a median age (years) of 35 (IQR 30–39), 90.2% MSM and 48.7% PLWH. Compared to HIV-negative subjects, PLWH had more frequent high-risk behaviours:chemsex (p = 0.015), group sex (p = 0.027), and a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (p = 0.004). Persons from EU were more often PLWH (p = 0.042), MSM (p < 0.0001), had multiple sexual partners (p = 0.025), practiced chemsex (p = 0.008) or group-sex (p = 0.005) and had more often history of STIs (p < 0.0001). The median CD4 cell count/mL at mpox diagnosis was 713 (IQR 486–996) and 73.5% had undetectable HIV VL. The commonest clinical features were fever (108 cases), lymphadenopathy (78), and vesiculo-pustular rash: penile (76), perianal (48), limbs (67). Fifty-one (31%) persons were hospitalized due to complications or epidemiological reasons. Three patients received tecovirimat or cidofovir. The outcome was favorable for all patients, including 4 with severe forms. ConclusionsMpox was diagnosed predominantly in young MSM, with high-risk behaviors and history of STIs. Effective contact tracing and vaccination are important strategic pillars to control mpox outbreaks.

The Effect of High Risk Behavior on Project Success in the Existence of Competency of Project Manager as a Moderator

Efficient project management is necessary for the success and survival of information technology sector of Pakistan in this rapidly changing technology era. The aim of the study is to check the complex relation among high risk behavior and success of projects in the information technology sector of Pakistan by keeping in place competency of project managers as a moderator. Consideration of efficient project management and rapidly technological changes is necessary for success of information technology sector as this sector is facing worldwide competitiveness and plenty of risk of failure. Instant study contains 330 sample size from information technology sector of Pakistan. Quantitative technique is used in this study. Theoretical framework of this study built on the relationship of high risk behavior, project manager competency and project success of information technology sector of Pakistan. The core motive of this study is to check the effect of high risk behavior in the projects on the success of information technology sector projects of Pakistan in the existence of competency of project managers as a moderator. Data analysis and findings of this study reflects that there is positive association among high risk behavior and success of information technology projects and competency of projects managers positively enhances this relationship. Both hypothesis of the study accepted. This study is important for both researchers and practitioners. From researchers’ point of view, it opens more avenues for further research and for practitioners it gave recommendations for enhancement of the success of the projects that ultimately leads to success of that organization.

Executive function and preterm birth: A longitudinal study

Infants born low birth weight (LBW) and preterm are at risk for developmental delay and cognitive deficits. These deficits can lead to lifelong learning difficulties and high-risk behaviors.Preterm (PT) and full-term (FT) groups were compared across infant and toddler measures of behavior and development to extract early indicators of executive function (EF). The goal was to extract indicators of EF from standardized infant assessments.PT (<2500 grams and <37 weeks) and FT (> 2500 grams and >37 weeks) were compared across assessment and EF components were identified from the BSID-III. A multivariate linear model was used to examine group differences.All children (99 PT and 46 FT) were administered the Bayley III and the DMQ assessments for session 1 (6-8 months). During session 2, N=78 PT and 37 FT (18-20 months), the CBCL was added to previous assessments, and the BRIEF-P was added to previous assessments in session 3, N= 52 PT and 36 FT for session 3 (See Table 1).Significant change scores were found on BSID-III subtests and EF components across all 3 sessions. The PT group also showed significantly more behavioral concerns on the CBCL at 18 months and 36 months and had lower scores on the BRIEF-P than their FT peers. The number of children born PT (N = 27, 52%) who were in Early Intervention (EI) increased across the 3 sessions. Examining early indicators of EFs supported the development of early identification that could lead to decrease adverse outcomes often associated with preterm birth.

Underage drinking, prevalence and predictors in India: Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data

ABSTRACT Underage drinking is a high-risk behavior associated with adverse health consequences among children and youth. Globally, underage drinking is the leading cause of social crimes, disability, and premature accidental and suicidal deaths among the young population. Despite leading to serious health and social problems, it has been a scarcely studied issue in India. This study assessed the prevalence and socio-economic predictors of underage drinking in India using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2021 data from 306,929 individuals in the age group of 15–20 years. Analyzing these data, the prevalence of underage drinking was assessed, and regression analysis was undertaken to identify the significant predictors of underage drinking in India. The population prevalence of underage drinking in India was 2%. Age, sex, education, marital status, family structure, house type, religion, social category, wealth index, place of residence, region, and tobacco use were the statistically significant predictors of underage drinking. Despite restrictions on the purchase and consumption of alcohol by the underage population, the prevalence is high in most of the Indian states and varies across individual, behavioral, familial, socio-economic, and demographic factors. There is a pressing need to delay the minimum legal drinking age, establish uniform criteria for age restrictions across India, enforce age restrictions, and create awareness about the harms of underage drinking in India.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Brucellosis among the Rural Population in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Abstract Introduction: Brucellosis is a disease that can have severe consequences for both humans and animals, resulting in considerable economic losses due to its impact on human health and animal productivity. To prevent the transmission of this disease from animals to humans, it is essential to improve the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). This study aimed to evaluate the KAP and associated risk factors for human brucellosis among rural populations in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Materials and Methods: Using closed-ended questionnaires, a cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data on demographics and risk exposure variables from 382 participants. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate demographic features and KAP. Results: 78.5% were male, and 21.5% were female. Their ages ranged from 18 to 90 years, and 92.1% were married. Only 4.5% of respondents had heard of brucellosis, 21.5% consumed unpasteurized milk, 3.9% used protective gloves while assisting during calving, and 15.4% milked the animal. Furthermore, 21.2% buried animal birth products, 10.9% burned animal birth products, and 13.6% threw animal birth products in the dustbin. Overall, the respondents’ attitude was average to poor. Conclusion: This study revealed that the rural population has poor knowledge and high-risk self-reported practices and behaviors for brucellosis. Therefore, enhancing public health education and local organizational involvement is imperative to increase the community’s capacity to prevent brucellosis as an integral part of the National Control Program on Brucellosis in India.

Association of ever use of e-cigarettes with health and lifestyle variables among young adults: a Canadian health measure survey study.

Our study found that EC use was independently and significantly associated with increased odds of life stress and an indication of poorer QOL. Ongoing surveillance on young EC users is important to measure the long-term impact of vaping on their physical, mental health and quality of life to target for interventions. • E-cigarette use has been associated with high-risk behaviours and adverse mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. • E-cigarette users had significantly higher odds of being physically active and higher amounts of life stress.

Chemsex among men who have sex with men during the Mpox health crisis in Brazil: A nationwide web survey.

To understand the factors associated with the practice of chemsex among MSM in Brazil, especially during the Mpox health crisis, and to design effective prevention and intervention strategies specifically for this population. A cross-sectional and analytical study using an electronic survey, conducted from September to December 2022, during the peak of the Mpox outbreak in Brazil. A total of 1452 MSM aged 18 and older. Data were collected via the REDCap platform through a survey with 46 questions. These addressed demographic data, sexual affiliations, practices, experiences with Mpox, healthcare service usage, and stigma or fear related to Mpox. The prevalence of chemsex was 19.42% (n=282). Multivariate Poisson modeling indicated a high incidence of chemsex among those diagnosed with Mpox and those involved in high-risk behaviors. The practice of chemsex was six times higher among those diagnosed with Mpox (95% CI: 4.73-9.10). MSM who engage in bugchasing had a prevalence twice that of the main outcome (95% CI: 1.31-3.16). There is a significant need for targeted interventions for MSM in Brazil, especially given the Mpox outbreak. This study highlights the strong relationships between chemsex, experiences with Mpox, and various sexual behaviors, underscoring the importance of effective public health initiatives.

Medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: a reflection on the JHUSOM experience

BackgroundWe sought to understand the relative risk of COVID-19 infection and identify risk factors for infection to identify targets for mitigation among medical students.MethodsAn observational cohort study of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine students was conducted from June 2020 to July 2021. Blood samples were collected and tested at three visits to assess for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered at each visit to collect demographic information and assess potential social and behavioral risk factors.Results264 students enrolled in the study, and 38 participants completed all study requirements by study end. Roughly 6% of the first- and second-year classes had a reported positive COVID-19 test compared to 5% of third- and fourth-year students. By visit 3, 92% of medical students had detectable antibodies against COVID-19 compared to 4% during the study enrollment period. From study enrollment to visit 3, there was a 10-fold increase in the percentage of students reporting attending large social gatherings and dining in restaurants.ConclusionsOverall, few COVID-19 cases were found among medical students, even those on clinical rotations. As the study progressed, students reported engaging in higher-risk social behaviors in conjunction with increasing vaccination rates among students.

Opportunities for risk-taking during play alters cognitive performance and prefrontal inhibitory signalling in rats of both sexes.

Social play behaviour is a rewarding activity that can entail risks, thus allowing young individuals to test the limits of their capacities and to train their cognitive and emotional adaptability to challenges. Here, we tested in rats how opportunities for risk-taking during play affect the development of cognitive and emotional capacities and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function, a brain structure important for risk-based decision making. Male and female rats were housed socially or social play-deprived (SPD) between postnatal day (P)21 and P42. During this period, half of both groups were daily exposed to a high-risk play environment. Around P85, all rats were tested for cognitive performance and emotional behaviour after which inhibitory currents were recorded in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in mPFC slices. We show that playing in a high-risk environment altered cognitive flexibility in both sexes and improved behavioural inhibition in males. High-risk play altered anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in males and in the open field in females, respectively. SPD affected cognitive flexibility in both sexes and decreased anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in females. We found that synaptic inhibitory currents in the mPFC were increased in male, but not female, rats after high-risk play, while SPD lowered prefrontal cortex (PFC) synaptic inhibition in both sexes. Together, our data show that exposure to risks during play affects the development of cognition, emotional behaviour and inhibition in the mPFC. Furthermore, our study suggests that the opportunity to take risks during play cannot substitute for social play behaviour.

High-risk sexual behavior among Malaysian adolescents who use drugs: a mixed-methods study of a sample in rehabilitation

ABSTRACT Background The high-risk sexual behaviors of drug-using adolescents in Malaysia is an under-researched topic. Methods Eighty adolescents undergoing rehabilitation participated in this mixed-methods study. Results The sample was mostly males (70%), and the mean age was 18.2 years (SD = 1.40). More than three-fifths (63%) had used only methamphetamine and the mean duration of all drug use was 3.15 years. Sixty-nine percent reported previous sexual experience. High-risk sexual behaviors include having unprotected sex (11%), sex with more than one person (84%), and sex under the influence of drugs (94%). About 44% of the sample had intimate partners who use drugs. Most respondents (64%) were aware of the advantages of safe sex and were familiar with HIV transmission modes (74%). Results from multivariate logistic analysis indicate that females had significantly higher odds of engaging in unprotected sex and having intimate partners who use drugs, relative to males; males were, however, more likely to have sex under the influence of drugs. Responses from the interviews suggest that adolescents who use drugs engage in high-risk sexual behaviors primarily because drugs are used to enhance sex. Conclusions A comprehensive sex education program tailored for drug-using adolescents should be made an integral part of rehabilitation.

Diabetes-related instrument to assess preventive behaviors among adolescents (DIAPBA): a tool development and psychometric research

BackgroundType 2 diabetes is a chronic but preventable disease that is on the rise among adolescents. Evaluating adolescents’ behavior and planning to prevent it require a valid and reliable instrument. This study aims at designing a psychometric instrument to measure adolescents’ behavior with respect to type-2 diabetes.Research Design and methodsIn this methodological research, 770 students (adolescent boys and girls aged 13–15 years) participated through multistage sampling. The Inclusion criteria were: junior high school students, students’ willingness for participation and not suffering from type-1 or type-2 diabetes. The questionnaire was designed by examining the relevant literature and the existing questionnaires as well as considering the research team’s comments. The validity of the study was determined through face validity and content validity both quantitatively and qualitatively. The construct validity was determined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was measured via intraclass consistency coefficient (ICC) and internal consistency reliability was measured by Cronbach Alpha. SPSS 16 and Eq. 6.1 were used for data analysis.ResultsAt first, a list of 47 initial items was designed and compiled, and after by removing similar (10 questions) or inappropriate sentences (12 questions), a draft questionnaire with 25 questions was designed. No items were removed in the face validity phase. Based on exploratory factor analysis, the number of items in the questionnaire was reduced to 20 items and was categorized in five dimensions of stress management, healthy food/healthy diet, unhealthy food/unhealthy diet, high-risk behavior, and self-care. The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the model. The internal consistency coefficient was confirmed measuring Cronbach Alpha at 0.70 with ICC = 0.80.ConclusionThe questionnaire designed has standard psychometric properties to assess adolescents’ behavior with respect to type-2 diabetes prevention. The reliability and the validity of the questionnaire as well as its general structure were confirmed.

Googling “Twitter Alter” and “HIV/AIDS” in the Philippines: An infodemiological study from 2011 to 2021

Introduction: Online “Twitter Alter” accounts have emerged in the Philippines, particularly among its men who have sex with men (MSM) community, including gay and bisexual men. It enabled them to mask their identities, avoiding discrimination based on their sexual preferences, orientations, and behaviors. Given these and the rising use of the internet, Google Trends can be used as a surrogate measure to determine changes in public interest concerning HIV and Twitter Alter. Methods: This study aimed to elucidate search pattern changes and related interest of the online public regarding “Twitter Alter” and “HIV/AIDS” over ten years from July 2011 to June 2021. An analysis of Google Trends for keywords “Twitter Alter” and “HIV/AIDS (Illness)” from July 2011 to June 2021 was done as a surrogate measure of public interest and awareness. Search volumes, related queries, and topics were described and compared. Results: It was found that the search volume for “Twitter Alter” has increased by about 10000% while the “HIV/AIDS (Illness)” search volume decreased to 67%. Conclusion: Online public interest, as an alternative measure to public awareness, has increased for “Twitter Alter” while decreasing for HIV. Given these, “Twitter Alter” may put its users, mostly young MSM, at a more conducive venue for high-risk sexual behaviors due to the higher behavioral control while avoiding public stigma. Nonetheless, the online “Twitter Alter” community may also be mustered in information campaigns for HIV prevention.

Sexual Behaviors in Iranian Working Children and the Correlated Risk Factors: Result of the Large-Scale Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) Survey

This study aimed to investigate the sexual behaviors among working children and the associated factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1937 working children in the 10–18 age range in 15 provincial capitals in 2019–20 (Feb–May); the Response rate was 94.9%. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the variable of sexual behaviors. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. The prevalence of sexual behaviors in working children was 4.2%. The results showed a significant difference between those who reported sexual behaviors and those who did not in terms of age, identity document (ID), running away from home, alcohol use, and substance use. There was a statistically significant relationship between fathers’ unemployment and sexual behaviors among working children. Furthermore, we found that having divorced parents could increase the odds of sexual behaviors by 3.74 times. The findings showed that related welfare and support organizations should design and implement effective and continuous training and interventions to raise awareness and reduce the prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors in working children. They should also provide family counseling and promote parental supervision of children.

Traumatic Experiences and High-Risk Behaviors Among Runaway Youth in Residential Care Centers: The Influence of Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity

ABSTRACT Running away from a residential care center is a worrying reality due to high-risk behaviors adopted by many youths such as delinquency, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior and risky driving. Because youth in residential care may have been exposed to a variety of traumatic experiences (e.g. emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect), the purpose of this study is first, to examine the association between these experiences and high-risk behaviors in adolescents in residential care. Second, this study aims to explore the explanatory mechanisms (impulsivity and sensation-seeking) behind the adoption of high-risk behaviors in runaway and non-runaway youth in residential care. To this end, 125 adolescents aged 15–17 who had run away at least once and 75 who had never run away from their residential care center completed self-report questionnaires about traumatic experiences, high-risk behaviors, sensation seeking and impulsivity. To address the study objectives, correlation and conditional mediation analyses were conducted. Results indicate that sensation seeking influences the relationship between traumatic experiences and delinquency, as well as drug and alcohol use. Thus, addressing sensation seeking tendencies could reduce the risks inherent in the adoption of certain high-risk behaviors among youth in residential care centers.