This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to diabetes mellitus (DM) among outpatients in Herat, aiming to identify key gaps and inform educational and policy interventions. An outpatient-based cross-sectional study, using a structured-, validated-, and interviewer-administered questionnaire, was conducted among 421 adult outpatients at Herat Regional and Jami Hospitals. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression were performed in SPSS 27 to explore associations between KAP levels and sociodemographic factors. Overall, 54.4% had good knowledge, 51.3% positive attitudes, and 52.5% good practices. Knowledge correlated with education, diabetes education, and family history (p<0.001). Positive attitudes were more common in singles, urban residents, and media users (p<0.05). Good practices were higher in females, housewives, and those working fewer hours (p<0.05). In multivariable analysis, knowledge was associated with age 25-34 (AOR 3.94, p=0.044), rural residence (AOR 0.20, p=0.032), university education (AOR 0.19, p=0.028), normal BMI (AOR 0.11, p=0.019), and family history of Type 2 diabetes (AOR 0.25, p=0.007). Positive attitudes were linked to working 2-9h (AOR 3.41, p=0.012), whereas medium income decreased odds (AOR 0.23, p=0.013). Good practices were associated with female sex (AOR 0.13, p=0.010), being married (AOR 0.20, p=0.047), working 2-9h (AOR 3.50, p=0.033), literacy without schooling (AOR 12.31, p=0.012), and prior diabetes education (AOR 8.90, p<0.001). High income showed a negative association (AOR 0.21, p=0.040). Although moderate KAP levels were observed, critical gaps remain, particularly in lifestyle practices and routine monitoring. Comprehensive public health strategies including structured education, media outreach, and culturally tailored interventions are vital to improve diabetes awareness and management in Afghanistan.

Social media use is ubiquitous, permeating nearly all populations globally, including men who have sex with men (MSM), despite there being mixed impacts to its use. To fill this gap, we sought to typologize social media usage, mental health, and sleep health among MSM in Paris, France, a city with a large LGBTQIA+ community and high social media usage. Participants were recruited using broadcast advertisements on a popular geosocial networking application in Paris in October 2016. Consenting participants completed a self-administered survey online (French or English) that assessed: sleep characteristics; mental health; and social media use behaviors. We conducted a Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to characterize the number of distinct latent classes across the three primary constructs of interest. A total of 580 participants completed the survey and 539 (92.9%) provided complete data for the LCA. The four-class model fit our data best; thus, we assigned participants to one of four distinct latent classes: 1) MSM using social media for sex with stress and poor sleep (n=97), 2) MSM using social media generally with good mental and sleep health (n=172), 3) MSM using social media for sex with good mental and sleep health (n=147), and 4) MSM using social media for sex with distress and poor sleep (n=123). Findings from this work may inform culturally-tailored interventions, public health messaging, and policy efforts to promote mental, behavioral, and digital health among MSM in France and beyond, while identifying opportunities to leverage digital platforms for sleep and mental health in digital communities. • Most men who have sex with men in France used at least one social media platform • Distinct patterns of sleep quality, mental health, and social media use emerged • Using social media for sex typologized with poor mental health and sleep • Digital networks are important when designing interventions for MSM

Problematic social media usage (PUSM) has become a growing public health issue, with adolescents being particularly vulnerable. The absence of a standardized diagnostic tool has hindered consistent clinical identification and research advancement. To address this gap, the present study systematically evaluated the applicability of the DSM-5 Internet gaming disorder (IGD) criteria for diagnosing PUSM. A total of 405 participants were recruited and divided into five groups: PUSM, gaming disorder (GD), regular social media users (RSMU), regular gamers (RG), and healthy controls (HC). In this study, patients were evaluated using both ICD-11 and DSM-5. The ICD-11 criteria served as an external criterion, providing a benchmark for the validity testing of the DSM-5 framework. The DSM-5 IGD criteria demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy (>80%) for both PUSM and GD, except "deception". The ICD-11 and DSM-5 criteria exhibited high consistency, though the ICD-11 criteria adopted a stricter diagnostic threshold. No significant differences were observed between the PUSM and GD groups in terms of symptom profiles, functional impairment, or clinical severity. This study provides empirical support for adopting the DSM-5 IGD diagnostic criteria as a standardized clinical tool for assessing PUSM. However, the "deception" criterion requires further validation due to its weak diagnostic performance. The findings further confirm the conceptual and symptomatic homogeneity between PUSM and IGD, supporting their classification within a unified behavioral addiction framework.

How does the perceived ubiquity of social media influence employees’ broad and deep socialization-based social media usage and digital well-being?

Generational differences in privacy concerns and self-disclosure as predictors of relationship closeness in China.

ABSTRACT A total of 780 Saudi Olympic viewers were surveyed immediately following the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games to determine the degree to which Social TV use was prevalent within the population. This study situates Social TV within the Saudi Arabian sport media context, where mobile media, Olympic fandom, and national identity increasingly intersect during major international sporting events. While social presence predicted one’s likelihood to participate in Social TV behaviors, bridging social capital and perceived sociability did not. Additionally, age was inversely related with Social TV behaviors, suggesting that younger viewers were more likely to incorporate interactive and second-screen practices into their Olympic viewing routines. Patriotism and one’s identification with the Saudi Olympic team predicted Social TV use while internationalism, or the desire for global kinship, was an inverse predictor. Together, these findings extend Social TV research beyond Western media contexts and highlight how socially interactive Olympic viewing may be shaped by both media motivations and culturally specific identity orientations.

In a technologically advanced world like this, no one is isolated from the effects of smartphones and social media. Everyone nowadays uses social media, even parents who know very little about it as compared to younger generations; still, they use it, and it somehow hampers their way of living and family dynamics in general. Social media has led to the rise of a new phenomenon named "phubbing," which refers to focusing on a phone rather than having face-to-face conversations with the person in front of them. Both excessive social media usage and phubbing have been linked to harmful effects on multiple domains of human life, including academics, career, interpersonal, social, etc. While significant research has been done on phubbing and its effect on interpersonal and peer relationships, very little is known about how it impacts parenting and even less about the comparative patterns between mothers and fathers. This research aims to compare maternal and paternal phubbing to highlight gendered patterns of digitalisation. The study provides insights into the concepts of social media and phubbing behaviours. By highlighting gendered patterns of digital use and how it varies across gender, the study may offer essential insights to policymakers and awareness programs. Additionally, the study helps us understand how using digital platforms in a mindful manner is crucial for parents. Moreover, the study offers necessary implications to concerned institutions in order to promote digital awareness.

Social media has become indispensable in our lives, serving as a crucial platform for both education and socialization. The aim of the study is to investigate the utilization of social media by undergraduate students in the Imphal West area of Manipur. To achieve the study's objective, a descriptive research approach was employed, with a sample of 100 undergraduate students selected via simple random sampling from diverse colleges in Imphal West District, Manipur. The obtained data were further analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The study revealed that students engaged with social media daily for 2 to 4 hours, with Instagram as the predominant platform, and that their overall social media usage was moderate. This study examined the impact of demographic variables.

US Latine and Hispanic communities face a 1.5 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer disease and related dementia (ADRD) with limited access to culturally and linguistically congruent primary prevention education. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the digital divide, highlighting a need to focus on alternative digital methods for delivering brain health and ADRD primary prevention education. Social media emerged as a promising tool. The objective of this paper is two-fold. We first describe the development and pilot study of our social media-based Latine-Hispanic Digital Brain Health Program guided by evidence-based frameworks in ADRD. We then present the quantitative and qualitative results from the first 14 months of the program (October 2023-December 2024). We used human-centered design to develop the Digital Alzheimer Health Education Model, which was implemented via 3 social media platforms-Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter). Our bilingual and bicultural team implemented the model by creating and disseminating tailored educational content in English and Spanish for the resulting Latine-Hispanic Digital Brain Health Program, emphasizing consistency and rapport, storytelling, cultural relevance, linguistic inclusivity, and visual representation. A mixed methods analysis (descriptive statistics and sentiment analysis) was conducted using social media data analytics and users' comments to guide program evaluation and refinement. From October 2023 to December 2024, we retained 857 followers across our social media platforms (Instagram: n=534; Facebook: n=124; and X: n=199). Growth in follows, consistent reach and engagement, and positive sentiment were observed on Facebook and Instagram. X was not included in the analysis due to data access limitations. The development and pilot study of the Latine-Hispanic Digital Brain Health Program have demonstrated potential in leveraging social media to disseminate brain health and ADRD prevention education to the US Latine and Hispanic communities in English and Spanish. Our preliminary findings demonstrate that culturally and linguistically congruent social media-based approaches hold potential to improve engagement with brain health and ADRD primary prevention education among US Latine and Hispanic populations.

Social media is a ubiquitous part of the modern world and plays a key role in the dissemination of information. While utilizing social media for educational purposes has been repeatedly demonstrated as feasible, it has been underutilized in medical education and remains a critical opportunity to integrate microlearning and stigma reduction curricula. A cross-sectional survey on social media usage, attitudes, and beliefs was sent to medical and nursing students at two large academic institutions within Philadelphia. Descriptive statistics are reported, and non-parametric tests were utilized for exploratory analyses. Health learners were low consumers of social media, reporting using the majority of social media platforms for under an hour a week each. The most used platforms were Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Learners overwhelmingly endorsed that social media can be used to enhance health knowledge (72.4%) and as a valuable learning tool for health profession students (65.5%). The statements with the highest endorsement were that social media can influence how providers view and interact with their patients (85.1%) and that social media can be used as a tool to reduce and address bias (75.9%). While learners were skeptical of the trustworthiness of information on social media, they reported that they were able to determine whether a source was trustworthy (77.0%). Lastly, most health learners reported they would use an evidence-based social media page on a short video-based platform like Instagram or TikTok (57.5%). Although health learners may represent low social media users, they did report that they consumed and engaged with health information on social media and agreed social media could be used to enhance their health knowledge and influence their interactions with patients. This represents an opportunity in medical education to better utilize social media as a modality for microlearning, stigma reduction, and the dissemination of accurate health information from a trusted source.

ABSTRACT Aging is a complex process involving physical, psychological, and social adjustments, often requiring support from others. Older women constitute a disadvantaged group and commonly face challenges such as the loss of a spouse or partner, reduced attention from children, and age-related difficulties. This study was conducted between September and December 2024 to examine the relationship between life satisfaction, loneliness, perceived social support, and social media use among older women. A total of 225 older women living in a northern province of Türkiye participated. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire prepared by the authors, the Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used in data analysis. A significant positive correlation was found between participants’ life satisfaction and multidimensional perceived social support. Additionally, the SWLS total score was negatively correlated with the DJGLS Emotional Loneliness subscale (r = −0.295, p < .001), the Social Loneliness subscale (r = −0.424, p < .001), and the total DJGLS score (r = −0.418, p < .001). Social media use was also significantly associated with marital status, educational level, and daily routines. The findings indicate that several factors influence life satisfaction and loneliness among older women. There is a need for health promotion programs aimed at reducing or mitigating these factors throughout the aging process.

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) has emerged as an increasingly concerning psychological phenomenon among university students as the most active social media users. While the negative relationship between FoMO and psychological well-being has been extensively studied, the role of self-control as a moderator particularly within Ryff's eudaimonic psychological well-being framework in the Indonesian context has not been systematically reviewed. This study aims to conceptually and theoretically examine the role of self-control as a moderator in the relationship between FoMO and psychological well-being among university students, while identifying the novelty and research gaps justifying this study. This study employs a systematic literature review method, identifying, selecting, and synthesizing articles from Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsycINFO published between 2013 and 2024 using keywords FoMO, self-control, psychological well-being, and university students. Review of 28 eligible articles demonstrated: (1) FoMO consistently correlates negatively with student psychological well-being; (2) self-control serves as a protective factor through strengthening self-regulation and preventing compulsive digital behavior; (3) no study has explicitly tested the moderating effect of self-control on the FoMO eudaimonic psychological well-being relationship in Indonesia. There is strong theoretical and empirical justification that self-control can moderate the negative impact of FoMO on student psychological well-being. The novelty of this study lies in integrating three constructs (FoMO, self-control, and Ryff's psychological well-being) into a moderation model not previously tested in the Indonesian cultural context.

Social media is a central part of the lives of adolescents in 2025. The recent rise of short-form content and gamification features has coincided with an increasing prevalence of mental health problems among this age group. Many policy makers are considering restrictions to the amount of time under-16s spend on social media. Despite this, there is limited contemporary evidence about the extent of their social media use, nor meaningful estimates of the effect a reduction may have on their mental health. Here, we estimate daily social media usage for adolescents in the culturally and ethnically diverse city of Bradford, England, plus its association with their mental health. We did a cross-sectional analysis of data from Born in Bradford: Age of Wonder 2023-24, a school-based survey of students aged 12-15 (n = 8,466). We weighted the sample to be representative of the city-wide population of 12-15-year-olds and report the median daily screen time spent on social media apps by age, sex, and ethnicity. We used a log-linear model to estimate the effect of daily social media screen time on anxiety and depression symptoms (RCADS-25), adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, free school meal eligibility, special educational needs, deprivation, and season of survey completion. Predictions from this model were used to estimate the change in prevalence of clinical threshold symptomatology associated with a range of daily screen time limits. The median time spent using social media apps was 3.36h per day (IQR 1.88-5.44). Longer durations of social media use were associated with greater mental health symptoms after adjustment for potential confounders. In a scenario where this association is causal, capping social media use at a maximum of 3h per day would lead to a 1.25ppt (95% CI 0.74ppt - 1.76ppt) decrease in the prevalence of clinical threshold symptomatology (a reduction from 10.7% to 9.5%), equivalent to 13 fewer cases in a typical school of 1000 pupils. All groups of adolescents spend a large of amount of time using social media apps each day. We observed a significant association between social media use and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Assuming a causal relationship, daily time limits placed on social media may yield meaningful reductions in anxiety and depression symptomatology. Nevertheless, we cannot demonstrate strong evidence of a causal relationship, and robust methods such as controlled trials or natural experiments are needed to precisely determine the benefits and harms of policies restricting access for under-16s.

Online physician ratings are a model for patient satisfaction and play a key role in patient recruitment. This study examines the influence of different variables on hand surgeons' average ratings and patient engagement on physician review websites (PRWs). The American Society for Surgery of the Hand directory was queried for all actively practicing orthopaedic or plastic-trained hand surgeons in the United States. Individuals were randomly selected and searched on various social media platforms for professional accounts. A summated online presence score was calculated to identify the top 20% of social media users. The use of a practice group or personal website was also recorded, as was a surgeon's practice setting and region of practice. H-index was searched on Scopus. Patient rating information was collected from Healthgrades, Google, and Vitals. Physicians' medical school and residency programs were noted for being a top 20 program based on US News and Doximity rankings. A total of 97 orthopaedic and 102 plastic-trained surgeons were reviewed. Private practice orthopaedic surgeons had higher mean ratings on Healthgrades than those in academic practice. The top 20% of social media users had markedly higher mean patient satisfaction ratings. H-index was positively associated with patient ratings and social media usage. Male surgeons had higher ratings and engagement than female surgeons. Younger hand surgeons had greater ratings and engagement compared with surgeons who have been in practice longer. Medical school or residency program prestige did not markedly affect patient satisfaction ratings. Social media utilization and research productivity can influence patient satisfaction, measured by ratings and comments on PRWs. Given that most patients read PRWs before making an appointment, hand surgeons can use these data to optimize their online presence and overall ratings. IV.

One characteristic of the transition from low-choice to high‐choice media environments is the rise of political alternative news media. Few studies have so far focused on the longitudinal and reciprocal relationship between alternative media use and perceptions of societal problems. Building on the reinforcing spirals model, this study analyses the dynamic relationship between alternative media use and perceptions about three topics that vary in levels of baseline issue politicization: crime, economy, and health care. Using six-wave panel survey data collected in Sweden over three years, findings show that left-wing and right-wing alternative media use is more strongly related to perceptions of politicized than non-politicized issues. However, results from random-intercept cross-lagged panel models reveal few indications of within-person reciprocal dynamics. While users of left-wing and right-wing alternative media diverge significantly in the beliefs they hold about these issues, there is little evidence for media-driven belief reinforcement over time.

This study examines the structural relationships among sportscasters’ speech components, online relationships, and viewing behavior in the context of sports media. Drawing on theories of parasocial interaction, source credibility, and uses and gratifications, this research conceptualizes speech as a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive (logicality, verbal timing), affective (expressiveness), and perceptual (appearance, voice) elements. Data were collected from sports media users and analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that all speech components significantly contribute to the formation of online relationships, confirming that both cognitive and affective communication cues play a critical role in fostering perceived intimacy with sportscasters. However, only affective and perceptual components—specifically expressiveness and appearance—exert direct effects on viewing behavior, while cognitive components influence behavior indirectly through online relationships. Furthermore, online relationship is found to have a significant positive effect on viewing behavior, demonstrating its mediating role in linking communication cues to audience engagement. These findings suggest that viewing behavior is primarily driven by emotional resonance and relational closeness rather than by informational clarity alone. This study extends the literature by providing an integrated framework that explains how multidimensional speech cues influence media consumption behavior through relational mechanisms. Practical implications highlight the importance of enhancing both expressive delivery and relational communication strategies in sports broadcasting.

Medical residency is a demanding training stage characterized by high levels of stress and burnout. As digital natives, current medical trainees (ie, residents) are frequent users of social media; however, little is known about how their personal (nonprofessional) use relates to burnout and social media addiction (SMA). This study aims to characterize the prevalence of SMA among Chinese medical trainees and explore its complex relationships with social media use patterns, occupational burnout, and related risk and protective factors. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was deployed through Wenjuanxing and disseminated via WeChat between August 29 and September 10, 2024. Data included demographics, physical and psychiatric health history, work variables (eg, training year and night shifts), personality traits, and social media use. SMA was assessed using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of addiction, and mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to clarify the role of occupational burnout. Of 3621 medical trainees, 211 (5.8%) met the criteria for SMA (Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale ≥24, indicating addiction). Second-year medical trainees reported the highest addiction prevalence (92/1159, 7.9%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher burnout (odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% CI 1.23-1.62; P<.001), longer daily use (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.23-1.56; P<.001), physical health problems (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.13-2.16; P=.006), and psychiatric history (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.41-2.84; P<.001) significantly increased the odds of addiction, whereas conscientiousness was protective (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99; P=.02). Social media use showed significant U-shaped associations with burnout, physical health problems, psychiatric history, personality characteristics, and mental health outcomes. For example, medical trainees using social media 1 hour or less (104/404, 25.7% with psychiatric history) and more than 4 hours daily (97/419, 23.2% with psychiatric history) both had higher risk profiles than moderate users. Mediation analysis showed that occupational burnout explained 28.1% of the effect of psychiatric history and 29.6% of the effect of physical health problems on addiction risk. This large-scale survey provides the first systematic characterization of SMA among Chinese medical trainees and elucidates its associated risks and protective factors. Burnout consistently emerged as a key and pervasive predictor of SMA, functioning both as an independent risk factor and as a mediator amplifying the impact of health-related vulnerabilities. Moreover, the findings highlight that both minimal and excessive daily social media use may signal distinct behavioral manifestations of distress, potentially reflecting different clinical phenotypes: digital disengagement under acute stress versus compulsive engagement driven by chronic burnout. Notably, while mental health symptoms exhibited U-shaped associations with usage, SMA risk increased progressively with daily duration. These results underscore the need for interventions that extend beyond simply monitoring usage duration, emphasizing strategies to reduce burnout and enhance the overall well-being of medical trainees.

As politicians have come to challenge the role of media producers, there is a pressing need to understand how they participate in narrative contests. We address this need by analyzing social media data to offer insights into how Brazilian parliamentarians communicated during a crisis amid the Covid-19 pandemic. By investigating the connections politicians established with social media users, and the content they disseminated through their networks, we reveal three forms of narrative construction. Critics of the government engaged in what we call derivative reporting: They curated information from news media and adhered to journalistic content production formats, repackaging news to suit their agendas. While these politicians maintained ties with news media, the President’s allies severed those ties and presented themselves as alternative sources of information. These politicians established a communication ecosystem wherein the credibility of journalists was defied and state messages could be treated as authoritative truth. Local politicians skewed polarization, producing, instead, narratives about how they secured resources to solve the crisis. We discuss these modes of narrative construction as objectivity, authority, and proximity claims to epistemic authority, respectively. Our findings illuminate how political elites challenge what media sources ought to be trusted.

Social media platforms have deeply been integrated into daily communication and information seeking patterns of young people. Algorithms are increasing shaping content access and creation in social media with users increasingly exposed to algorithmically curated information. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has been integrated into social media algorithms to optimize users’ experience. Social media users may not fully comprehend algorithmic mechanisms and there is therefore need for social media literacy programmes to enhance algorithmic understanding and critical engagement in digital spaces as users choose and search contents that meets their needs. This article employs use and gratification theory to examine social media platforms mostly used by students and assess their awareness of algorithmic curation used to mediate social media interactions. The paper concludes that interventions on social media literacy will enable users to manage engagements while searching and sharing information in digital spaces.

Media use patterns and depressive symptoms in later life: the mediating effects of loneliness and cognitive function.