Male Users Research Articles

Evaluation of metacognition, difficulties in emotion regulation and addiction severity levels of individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder

ABSTRACT Aim This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between metacognition, difficulties in emotion regulation, and level of addiction severity in individuals with substance use disorder. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out with 121 participants at the Alcohol and Drug Addicts Treatment and Research Center between February and June 2023. The data were collected using the Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MTQ-30), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Brief Form (DERS-16), and Addiction Profile Index (API). Results All the participants were male and polysubstance users; the age of the onset of substance use was 16.43 ± 5.95; they had been receiving treatment for addiction for an average of 1.79 ± 2.16 years. There was a strong positive significant correlation between the mean total MTQ-30 score and the mean total DERS-16 and API scores (r = .704, p < .001; r = .776, p < .001) and a moderate positive significant correlation between the mean total DERS-16 score and the mean total API score (r = .628, p < .001). It was determined that metacognition had an effect at a rate of 60.3% and difficulty in emotion regulation had an effect at a rate of 39.5% on the addiction severity of individuals. Conclusion Addiction severity was found to increase as the levels of metacognitive impairment and difficulty in emotion regulation increased.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS ON CONSUMER PURCHASE DECISION

The data provides useful insights into social media users' preferences and actions surrounding influencer marketing across various platforms and demographics. Instagram is the most popular platform, with Facebook maintaining a balanced user base and YouTube attracting more male users. Females choose fashion and beauty products, whereas guys prefer technology and electronics. Younger generations are increasingly active in influencer marketing, demonstrating their importance in this space. Trust in influencer recommendations varies with age, with younger populations showing higher levels of trust. The majority of respondents base their purchases on influencer recommendations, revealing influencers' powerful influence on consumer behavior. Furthermore, the domination of product suggestions based on influencer endorsements reveals social media influencers' immense impact, particularly among younger viewers.. However, there are challenges to authenticity and transparency in influencer marketing. Instagram, in particular, is being questioned about its authenticity, leading users to lose faith. Deceptive endorsements on this media typically lead to unfollowing, highlighting the importance of authenticity in maintaining audience engagement and confidence. Furthermore, there is skepticism regarding influencer transparency when it comes to releasing agreements, indicating that influencer-brand relationships should be more honest and clear. Overall, these insights highlight the changing nature of influencer marketing and the necessity for businesses and influencers to embrace authenticity and transparency in order to develop meaningful connections with their audience in the digital sphere.

Problematic pornography use and novel patterns of escalating use: A cross-sectional network analysis with two independent samples

Modern internet pornography allows users to harness sexual novelty in numerous ways, which can be used to overcome desensitisation through increasing volume of use (quantitative tolerance), progressing to more stimulating genres (qualitative escalation), skipping between stimuli (tab-jumping), delaying orgasm (‘edging’), and engaging in pornographic binges. However, existing research has not yet evaluated how these potentially reciprocal consumption patterns relate to problematic pornography use (PPU). To this end, we recruited two independent samples of male pornography users (N1 = 1,356, Mage = 36.86, SD = 11.26; N2 = 944, Mage = 38.69, SD = 12.26) and examined the relationships between these behavioural dimensions and self-reported difficulties in controlling one’s pornography use. Data were analysed through the network analysis approach (using Gaussian graphical models). As hypothesised, i) quantitative tolerance was centrally placed within the overall network, and ii) acted as a statistical bridge node between other patterns of pornography use (e.g., pornographic binges), and all measured facets of PPU. Our results are consistent with other emerging literature suggesting that tolerance, pornographic binges, tab-jumping, and edging behaviours as relevant features ofPPU, and that upscaling overall usage may connect broader patterns of use with problematic engagement. Clinical and theoretical implications, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in Chatbot Use

Chatbots are becoming increasingly popular in business due to their ability to deliver immediate responses to customers. However, there is limited empirical evidence focusing on customers’ perspectives. This study aims to investigate the determinants of customer satisfaction in chatbot use as well as provide an overview of chatbot users in Indonesia. The research uses quantitative methods and descriptive types of research, with the number of samples being 150 chatbot users. All data collected met the criteria for validity and reliability and were analyzed descriptively and quantitatively through multiple linear regression methods. The research showed that most of the respondents were male chatbot users, aged 18–29 years, had last used chatbots between 1–3 months ago, and used chatbots to convey their complaints/problems. It is also known that banking chatbots are the most frequently used chatbots. Additionally, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are the determinants of customer satisfaction in chatbot use. Of these two factors, perceived usefulness has a dominant influence on chatbot consumer (user) satisfaction in Indonesia.

Effects of the mindfulness program for male substance abusers in Thailand on stress, deliberate self-harm, and drug abstinence intention: A repeated-measure design.

Substance abuse is prevalent among males, and mindfulness could serve as a means of helping individuals suffering from the adverse effects of substance abuse find relief. This study employed a one-group repeated-measure design and aimed to evaluate the effects of the mindfulness program on stress, deliberate self-harm, and drug abstinence intention among male substance abusers. The mindfulness program was implemented for Thai males with a history of narcotic drug use. Five participants were recruited from a rehabilitation institute in Thailand using convenience sampling. The program consisted of eight sessions over four weeks. The study outcomes were measured at three time points: pre-intervention (Time 1, Week 1), post-intervention (Time 2, Week 4), and follow-up (Time 3, Week 6). Research instruments included the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Drug Abstinence Intention Questionnaire, all of which had Cronbach's alpha values above 0.80. Data analysis was carried out using the Friedman test and Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc test. The eight-session program was implemented as intended, with a retention rate of 100%. The mean scores of deliberate self-harm and drug abstinence intention were significantly different across the three time points (χ2 = 10.000 and χ2 = 9.579, p <0.01, respectively). After conducting pairwise comparisons, the mean scores of deliberate self-harm at Time 2 and Time 3 were significantly lower than those at Time 1. Additionally, the mean scores of drug abstinence intention at Time 2 and Time 3 were higher than those at Time 1. However, the mean score of stress did not have a significant difference. This program was both acceptable and effective in reducing deliberate self-harm and improving drug abstinence intention. These findings suggest that nurses and healthcare teams involved in caring for individuals with substance abuse issues could utilize this intervention alongside other therapies or hospital treatments. Consequently, relapse prevention among substance abusers could be achieved.Thai Clinical Trials Registry Number: TCTR20230404001.

Exploring equity perception of electric vehicles from a social media perspective

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered a promising solution for climate change. However, their introduction has raised uncertainties in transportation equity, reflecting the diverse public perceptions and discussions on this issue. Understanding these perceptions is crucial for integrating equity into EV adoption effectively. To bridge this gap, our study used a social media approach to conduct a cross-platform equity analysis on two popular online social networks (OSNs): Twitter and Reddit. We identified 22,533 tweets and 12,318 Reddit comments relevant to equity from all EV-related discussions from 2011 to 2022. Our analysis utilized different features of the two OSNs, including verified account identity and Reddit communities, to present a comprehensive picture of equity perception in social media. Additionally, we used machine learning methods to infer Twitter users’ demographic attributes and integrate user demographics into equity analysis. Our findings show that political accounts are the center of attention on Twitter, but they are accompanied by negative attitudes. Many fringe communities are highly active in equity discussions on Reddit. Our study also found that younger people pay less attention and hold more negative sentiments towards equity discussions, while male and female users have similar interests in equity and similar sentiment. Notably, the proportion of equity discussions remains low in the overall EV corpus, despite a significant increase in recent years.

Analyzing the Combined Effects of Sarcasm and Emotion for Gender Prediction

“Women are bitchy but men are sarcastic”, such comments reveal the relationship between gender and sarcasm. Automatic gender identification can play a crucial role in services that depend on data about a user’s background. Although for some social media users the gender of a user is typically unavailable due to privacy and anonymity. Based on the notion that male and female users may express their thoughts and sentiments differently in their posts, social media accounts can be examined using their posts (text) in order to automatically identify the gender of an anonymous user. In the current work, efforts are made in analyzing the effects of emotion and sarcasm intended by the users in their tweets for predicting gender. Sarcasm + emotion aided gender prediction systems are developed using different machine learning and neural network-based architectures. In our developed model, tweet features are extracted by using pre-trained GloVe embeddings. The sarcasm intensity is concatenated with the corresponding tweet representation and at last classification layer is used to predict the gender labels. For the experimentation purpose, the PAN-2018 dataset has been used. We have also shown the effect of utilizing emotion, and sarcasm information over gender prediction using different models

Retrospective Monkeypox Virus Surveillance Among Male Users of I Want the Kit in Maryland, United States.

Retrospective surveillance leveraging male rectal swab sample remnants from I Want the Kit from July 2021 through October 2023 identified 1 symptomatic and 1 asymptomatic mpox case at the peak of transmission in 2022. Although sporadic cases continue to be reported in Maryland, additional asymptomatic cases were not identified in this leveraged surveillance.

Gender Biases in Error Mitigation by Voice Assistants

Commercial voice assistants are largely feminized and associated with stereotypically feminine traits such as warmth and submissiveness. As these assistants continue to be adopted for everyday uses, it is imperative to understand how the portrayed gender shapes the voice assistant's ability to mitigate errors, which are still common in voice interactions. We report a study (N=40) that examined the effects of voice gender (feminine, ambiguous, masculine), error mitigation strategies (apology, compensation) and participant's gender on people's interaction behavior and perceptions of the assistant. Our results show that AI assistants that apologized appeared warmer than those offered compensation. Moreover, male participants preferred apologetic feminine assistants over apologetic masculine ones. Furthermore, male participants interrupted AI assistants regardless of perceived gender more frequently than female participants when errors occurred. Our results suggest that the perceived gender of a voice assistant biases user behavior, especially for male users, and that an ambiguous voice has the potential to reduce biases associated with gender-specific traits.

Individual differences in service quality of university libraries in Bangladesh

This study measured the individual differences in the service quality of Bangladeshi university libraries by type of university, user and gender. A modified SERVQUAL (service quality) model was adopted for the academic library environment, which included 30 items under five dimensions with a 7-point Likert scale. The survey was conducted among 61 teachers, 50 researchers and 455 students from two public, two international and two private universities in Bangladesh. The individual differences in library service quality were calculated through an analysis of variance and independent sample t-test for the university, user and gender categories. The overall service quality was significantly different ( p &lt; .001) among the users of the public ( M = 4.02), private ( M = 5.08) and international ( M = 5.10) university libraries, as well as between male ( M = 4.48) and female ( M = 5.01) users. Several statistical methods supported the sampling adequacy, reliability and validity of the adapted model, which could be used as a basis for further assessments of library service quality by different demographic groups, both locally and globally.

Use Intention of Mobile Music and Audio Platforms Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults

Listening to music and audio is a main entertainment channel for middle-aged and older groups. Based on the technology acceptance model, we conducted interviews with 10 Chinese adults (M = 58.8, SD = 7.41) and a questionnaire with 355 users (M = 57.5, SD = 1.77) aged between 45 and 80 to explore the factors influencing the intention to use mobile music and audio platforms. The results reveal that perceived ease of use, social influence, satisfaction, habit, content quality, and perceived entertainment positively affect use intention, of which perceived ease of use is the most important. In addition, there is no significant difference in use intention between female and male users. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. This study concludes six critical factors affecting the intention to use music platforms for Chinese middle-aged and older people. Platform designers should attach importance to the ease of use of platforms to make them more acceptable to middle-aged and older users.

Excessive androgen exposure and risk of malignancies: A cohort study.

A link between androgen use and the risk of cancers, especially prostate and breast cancer, has been suggested. The knowledge about a possible association is limited. The study aimed to investigate cancer incidence rates, particularly those related to prostate and breast cancer, in male androgen users and compare them to a control group. We included male androgen users identified through a nationwide anti-doping testing program in Danish fitness centers from 2006 to 2018. We paired each case with 50 male controls of the same age, selected randomly. The cohort was followed from baseline and until 2023. The outcome was the incidence of prostate cancer, breast cancer, or any cancer excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. The study included 1,189 androgen users and 59,450 controls, with a mean age of 27 years at enrolment. During the follow-up period with a mean length of 11 years, 13 androgen users, and 612 controls were diagnosed with cancer. This resulted in an incidence rate ratio of 1.05 (95% CI: 0.55-1.81). None of the androgen users were diagnosed with prostate or breast cancer. Male androgen users did not face an increased short-term risk of cancer, neither overall nor related to prostate or breast cancer. Our study indicates that the absolute risk of malignancies in androgen users is comparable to that in the background population. However, we cannot exclude androgens as a cancer risk factor due to the limited sample size, relatively short follow-up period, and subject age.

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.

Peran Influencer, Fitur Live Streaming dan Electronic Word Of Mouth Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Produk Skincare The Originote pada Aplikasi Tik Tok

The Tik Tok application has become one of the most popular digital media that is widely used by entrepreneurs as an online shopping platform and has around 99.1 million users in Indonesia in 2021, with an average of 68% female users and 32% male users. This research aims to examine the role of influencers, live streaming features and electronic word of mouth on purchasing decisions for The Originote skincare products on the Tik Tok application. With an unknown population, the Lemeshow formula is used to calculate the sample size, with 100 respondents. This research is quantitative and uses the Smart PLS analysis tool. The research results show that Influencers have a significant positive effect on Purchasing Decisions, the Live Streaming Feature has a significant positive effect on Purchasing Decisions and Electronic Word of Mouth has no effect on Purchasing Decisions for The Originote Skincare Products on the Tik Tok Application.&#x0D;

Spatial Spillover of the Global Internet Penetration Rate and the Digital Gender Divide

This study investigated the possible contributing factors to the digital gender divide and the spatial spillover effects of submarine communication cables on neighboring areas. Using spatial statistical models and global data, this study examined the Internet penetration rate and the digital gender divide in 186 countries. Data sources included open source data, social media, ITU and UNCTAD databases, and the World Bank. The study estimated the average male and female Internet users in 186 countries using Facebook API. The number of submarine communication cables between countries was used as the basis for constructing the spatial weights matrix. The countries with the highest Internet penetration rate were mostly in Europe. Those with the lowest Internet penetration rate were in Africa, Central Asia, and West Asia. Thirteen of the 15 countries with the worst Internet penetration rate were located in the African region. A significant digital gender divide arose in the developing and the least-developed countries. We argue that connectivity is key to the reduction of the digital gender divide and to ensuring that more women have access to the Internet. The study ascertains that the Internet penetration rate is related to the digital gender divide in individual countries and has a spatial spillover impact in surrounding nations connected by submarine communication cables. The study demonstrates that submarine cables serve as important infrastructure for closing the digital gender divide and deserve increased analytical attention.

Loneliness among Substance Abusers of Type A and B Personality

The present research aimed to explore feelings of loneliness among substance abusers of type A and B personality. The study shows the difference between substance abusers and normal individuals. The sample consisted of N= 120 participants, substance abusers (60) and normal individuals (60). Their age range was 25-40 years. Only male substance abusers were included in the study. Demographic variables were also analyzed. The study shows the difference between substance abusers and normal individuals. Findings show that normal individuals have less loneliness level in type B as compared to drug-addicted type A personality. It was also found that loneliness is directly correlated to type A personality and indirectly correlated to type B personality of drug addicts.

The demand for male contraception: Estimating the potential market for users of novel male contraceptive methods using United States National Survey of Family Growth data

ObjectiveTo estimate the potential market for novel male contraceptives (NMCs) using United States National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) data, 2015–2017. Study designWe described the market for NMCs via secondary analysis of the 2015–2017 NSFG’s weighted male respondent data, utilizing surrogate markers for contraceptive switching (NSFG) and contraceptive discontinuation data from the Contraceptive CHOICE project. Potential NMC users included men relying on: (1) no methods or less effective methods but who reported that they would be “very upset” if they got someone pregnant, (2) permanent methods but who reported that they might still want more children, (3) a female partner’s method that she might discontinue in the next year, (4) a male method even when his partner uses her own contraceptive. ResultsOf 3340 respondents—representing 55,890,830 sexually active, reproductive-age men—23.2% used no contraception at last intercourse, 15.8% condoms, 5.1% withdrawal, and 5.1% vasectomy. Among respondents relying solely on condoms, withdrawal, or no method, 19.7%, 3.8%, and 4.4% would be “very upset” if they got someone pregnant. For permanent contraceptive users, 17.3%−20.5% wanted another child. For men reliant on their partner’s long-acting reversible or combined hormonal contraceptive, 12–17% and 45–51% of partners might discontinue their method. These data conservatively suggest that 13% or more than 7 million men would potentially use NMCs, rising to 15.5 million with less restrictive contraceptive switching criteria. ConclusionAdjusting for pregnancy attitudes and likelihood of contraceptive switching, a substantial portion (between 7–15.5 million) of reproductive age men in the US are potential NMC users. ImplicationsThe population of potential novel male contraceptive users extends beyond just users of condoms, withdrawal and vasectomy and should include couples practicing dual-partner contraception and female partners using contraceptive methods that they may become dissatisfied with and discontinue.

Research and recommendations on user immersion in Virtual Reality (VR) technology based on data mining

This paper describes the applications and challenges of virtual reality (VR) technology, with a focus on how to improve users' sense of experience in VR environments. In order to better understand users' sense of experience in VR environments, this paper uses a variety of methods for data analysis. The findings show that the older and longer the duration, the more immersive the user is and the higher the immersion with Oculus Rift. 30-36 year old males, 32-35 year old females, and 34-40 year olds experienced higher immersion, while 34-44 year olds had the lowest motion sickness but the best experience. Men with HTC Vive experience higher immersion, while women and others with Oculus Rift experience higher immersion. According to the study, the HTC Vive is best for users under the age of 30, the Playstation VR is best for users aged 30-50, and the Oculus Rift is best for users over 50. In terms of duration, the Oculus Rift provides the best experience for users under 10 minutes and over 40 minutes, while the HTC Vive is better in the 10-40 minute duration. Male users are most immersed at 23-31 minutes, female users are most immersed at 23-31 minutes, and other users are most immersed at 26-33 minutes. Motion sickness was lowest, but the best duration of the experience was 31 minutes.HTC Vive users felt higher immersion at 25-32 minutes, Playstation VR users at 21-28 minutes, and Oculus Rift users at 25-34 minutes. These conclusions provide an important reference basis for improving users' experience in the VR environment. At the same time, this paper puts forward targeted recommendations based on the conclusions drawn from the statistical analysis of the data, which can largely help users to improve the sense of VR experience and bring users an immersive virtual reality experience.

Combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on the risk of liver cancer according to metabolic syndrome: A nested case-control study in South Korea.

Tobacco and alcohol may interact to increase the risk of liver cancer, which might be modified by other risk factors. Their combined effects in the context of metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain unclear. Given the increasing prevalence of MetS, this nested case-control study was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on liver cancer risk with stratification by MetS. We included 15,352 liver cancer patients and 92,112 matched controls who attended the nationwide general health examination during 2009-2019, using a customized database (N = 5,545,835) from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Liver cancer risk according to smoking and alcohol consumption was estimated using conditional multivariable logistic regression. Additive and multiplicative interactions between these two factors were assessed. Results showed that in men, dual current users were at a significantly higher risk of liver cancer compared with dual nonusers, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval: (1.50, 1.72). Interactions were detected between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption (0.1-28 g/day) and heavy smoking (>20 pack-years) on additive scale, relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.34 (0.16, 0.51), attributable proportion = 0.22 (0.11, 0.33), synergy index = 2.75 (1.85, 3.66), and multiplicative scale, aOR for the product term = 1.28 (1.11, 1.49). An additive interaction was also revealed between light-to-moderate drinking and light-to-moderate smoking in the MetS subgroup. In women, light-to-moderate drinking/nonsmoking was negatively associated with the risk in the non-MetS subgroup. In conclusion, a holistic health promotion program should target male dual users of tobacco cigarettes and alcohol, including light-to-moderate users, especially those with MetS.

Evaluation of a mobile COVID-19 vaccination van outreach service in an outer South London borough.

This study aimed to explore differences in users of a COVID-19 mobile vaccine van service and users of a COVID-19 static vaccination hub, and the impact of changes in national COVID-19 vaccine policy on vaccine uptake. The age distribution of male and female service users in each service was compared. The average number of vaccines administered per hour per week was analysed. Females aged 80-89 represented 51.9% (95% CI 49.5-54.3%) of female vaccine van users compared with 2.8% (95% CI 2.5-3.1%) of female static hub users. The static hub had significantly greater proportions of female service users in all other age brackets.For males, the greatest difference was in those aged 70-79 who represented 29.8% (95% CI 27-32.6%) of vaccine van users and 16.6% (95% CI 16-17.2%) static hub users.Fewer vaccines were administered 2-3weeks before the COVID-19 autumn booster policy change compared with 2-3weeks after; 1.92 versus 6.25 vaccines per hour, respectively (Mann-Whitney U=7, n1=11, n2=8, P<0.01 two-tailed). These findings suggest that a mobile vaccine van service is an effective model for increasing COVID-19 vaccination uptake in elderly residents, particularly after a national policy change.