Indian Young Adults Research Articles

Gender Differences in Moral Development: Kohlberg-Gilligan Debate

Morality is an important cornerstone for smooth functioning societies. It has been a burning issue for intellectuals and academics since times immemorial. Kohlberg-Gilligan debate is a recent addition to this long-standing historical issue. The present study attempts to understand gender differences in moral development using Kohlberg’s theoretical framework. Purposive and convenience sampling was used to select 84 college students (42 males, 42 females; 18-24 years). Content analysis was used to assess the responses given by the participants on five hypothetical moral dilemmas. The data was analysed using frequency, percentage, and chi-square test. Although there were no significant gender differences on each dilemma, overall responses given by the total sample indicated that females had a higher level of moral development compared to males. 39% of the total sample fell in the post-conventional level. The nature of the dilemma influenced the participant’s placement on the stage. The findings have consequences for Indian young adults’ moral reasoning as well as the steady shift in male and female societal roles.

Assessing Social and Emotional Competencies of Undergraduates: A Cross-Cultural Study

The study was conducted to assess social-emotional competencies among Indian and Ethiopian undergraduates. A total of 400 (200 each) participants, with an equal number of 100 male and female were selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from Punjabi University (India), and Wollega University and Ambo University (Ethiopia). The participants were tested with the Social Skills Inventory (SSI: Riggio & Carney, 2003), which consists of two super-dimensions, i.e. emotional competence and social competence each having three sub-dimensions: emotional expressivity, emotional sensitivity, emotional control, and social expressivity, social sensitivity and social control respectively. Obtaineddata were subjected to t-statistics. Significant mean differences in social-emotional competence were observed between the Indian and Ethiopian young adults;male and female samples of the two countries. The Indian sample was greater in Social-emotional competence than the Ethiopian sample. Similarly, male and female participants from the Indian sample were greater in social-emotional skills than that of the Ethiopian sample, except for emotional sensitivity with the female participants, where the mean difference was non-significant. Further explorations are recommended to consolidate or refute the result of the present study.

Perceived Stress, Gratitude and Altruism among Indian Young Adults and Middle-Aged Adults during Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly altered our lives; it has produced both negative and positive impacts on people’s lives. This pandemic has taught us about how not to take even a small thing for granted, it has taught us the value of life and how to be grateful for everything in life. Likewise, pandemic also taught us about how to selflessly care for someone, being altruistic is the need of the hour. Many people went out of the way to help others, this shows how much we as humans have changed. Therefore, the current paper aims to study the Perceived stress, Gratitude, and Altruism among Indian young adults and middle-aged adults during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The study includes a sample of four hundred twenty-eight participants; two hundred forty-six young adults and one hundred eight two middle-aged adults were recruited. Due to the pandemic, all the data was collected through online postings on various applications. Three tools were used in the study; Perceived stress scale (PSS) developed by Cohen and Williamson (1988) to measure the perceived stress of the sample, The Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) developed by McCullough et al. (2002) to assess the gratitude of the sample and Generative Altruism Scale (GALS) developed by Bussing et al. (2013) to measure the altruism of the sample. For statistical analysis, a t test was used to compare the means of the sample and Pearson correlation was used to measure the correlation between the variables. The results suggested that there is no significant difference in perceived stress among young adults and middle-aged adults, likewise, no significant difference was found in altruism among the sample, whereas, a significant difference was found in gratitude between the sample. This research also attempts to study the correlation between the variables; perceived stress, gratitude, and altruism. Correlation came out to be positive for all the variables, which means if perceived stress increases, gratitude, and altruism also increase, likewise, if gratitude increases altruism also increases. It can be seen in the study how increased stress led to increased pro-social behavior. More research needs to be done in the field, as a lack of reviews were seen in the study.

The Impact of Rock Music on Indian Young Adults: A Qualitative Study on Emotions and Moods

Music has proven to play a vital role in social and emotional development in teenagers and young adults. From contemplation, developing self-identity, understanding interpersonal relationships, and providing possibilities of experience mastery, agency, and self-control with the help of self-directed activities, music helps its audience develop in all aspects of life. In specific, Rock music, since its existence has been more than entertainment, artists expressed themselves and shared their opinions through their musical pieces. Infamous for promoting drugs and alcohol, Rock Music used its platform to enlighten the audience about taboo topics like racism, inequality, and other social issues. This research paper uses a qualitative methodology approach to understand Rock Music listeners’ points of view. Data was collected through ‘in-depth interviews’ of 15 participants hailing from different parts of the country. Rock Music has several positive effects on the listeners. Rock can elevate moods, induce emotions, helps the listeners be more productive and creative with their everyday work, and constantly motivate them to do better in every aspect of life. Rock provides a platform to express feelings and vent out all the angst, especially for those who otherwise do not voice their opinions because of their nature in general. Rock Music has been able to shape personalities, characteristics, and thought processes. Moreover, majorly, Rock Music helps people with anger management.

Do \u201cMyths\u201d of low back pain exist among young Indian college-going adults with a history of low back pain? A cross-sectional study

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a prominent public health problem which causes disability around the globe. The prevalence of LBP is on the rise in lower to middle-income countries. India has a varied prevalence of LBP among the rural as well as urban population ranging from 6.2 to 92%. There has been a marked increase in young adults getting LBP with a proportion converting to chronic LBP later in life. Beliefs associated with any disorder affect the course, management, and need for imaging studies. Negative beliefs about LBP in any population may lead to unnecessary psychologic distress and an increase in disease burden. Focusing these negative beliefs on the younger population can help curb the chronicity and lessen the disability caused by it. This cross-sectional study explored the presence of myths in 516 college-going Indian young adults from Lovely Professional University.ResultsA total of 516 individuals participated in the study. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 22.69 years (2.417). Among them, 47.5% (245) were females and 52.5% (271) were males. The findings show that a high percentage of college-going young adults have false beliefs in most of the ten domains (myths) explored. The most prevalent myths were “LBP is caused by weak ‘core’ muscles and having a strong core protects against future LBP” (81.2%) and “LBP is caused by poor posture when sitting, standing, and lifting” with 80.6% agreeing to it.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that the myths of low back pain are widespread among the studied population. The findings suggest that community education programs must be developed to address these myths, hence reducing the disease burden associated with back pain.

Nocturnal Fat Oxidation and Metabolic Flexibility of Young Male Indian Adults Using Indirect Calorimetry

Indian adults tend to inappropriately accumulate body fat even at low Body Mass Index (BMI). Usually, fat that is stored in the fed state is mobilized for energy during nocturnal fasting, thus achieving daily fat balance. This is called metabolic flexibility, which may be lost in some individuals leading to body fat accumulation. Measuring fat balance requires 24h measurement of fat oxidation, but nocturnal fat oxidation could be a reasonable surrogate. The variability of nocturnal fat oxidation is also unknown. A retrospective analysis on 24h fat oxidation in adult men (n=18) was carried out to test the former hypothesis, while the variability of nocturnal fat oxidation was measured prospectively in 5 adult men, who were fed the same diet for 2 days prior to the measurement. Whole-body indirect calorimetry was used for measuring Respiratory Quotient (RQ), energy expenditure and fat oxidation. In 24h analyses, nocturnal (0.44 ± 0.21 g/kg) was significantly higher than diurnal fat oxidation (0.24 ± 0.21 g/kg) and was 64.5% of the total 24h value. Nocturnal fat oxidation was positively correlated with 24h fat oxidation (r = 0.937; p<0.01) and inversely correlated with 24h fat balance (r = -0.850; p<0.01). Metabolic flexibility, measured as the Fed: Fasted RQ ratio, was negatively correlated with BMI (r = -0.226; p=0.366). The intra- and inter-individual variability of 12h nocturnal fat oxidation was low, at 4.7% and 7.2%, respectively. Nocturnal fat oxidation has a low variability when prior diets over 2 days are constant and the Fed: Fasted RQ ratio is an index of metabolic flexibility, which relates to BMI in young adults.

Branded Web-Series And Its Impact On The Indian Gen-Y And Gen-Z Consumers

With rapid digitalization currently taking place in India, young Indian adults have been heavily relying on digital media for entertainment content that discusses unconventional topics and resonates with their mindset, which traditional Indian TV programs often fail to do.

Antecedents and consequences of consumers' attitudes toward product placements: evidence from India

PurposeAdvertising clutter has fueled the rise of nontraditional advertising methods. The current study, conducted in India, adopted the consumer socialization framework to assess product placement attitudes and behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire-based survey was conducted to gauge consumers' responses to product placements. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the relationship between different variables.FindingsThe results revealed that young Indian adults are positive about product placements as they believe that incorporating brands into the content adds realism. The authors found that socialization agents significantly impact viewers' attitudes toward product placements which in turn influence their purchase intentions. The authors also found that product acceptability impacts consumers' purchase intentions.Practical implicationsThis paper provides important insights into consumers' perceptions of product placements. Based on the findings, marketers can formulate effective product placement strategies.Originality/valueMost of the studies existing in this area have been conducted in the developed markets except a few which have been conducted in the emerging markets. Hence, the present study is an attempt to fill this research gap. This study is among the first to establish a relationship between product acceptability and consumers' purchase intentions.

Normative Reference Values for Trunk Range of Motion and Isometric Muscle Strength in Asymptomatic Young Indian Adults.

To determine normative reference values for trunk range of motion (ROM) and isometric strength (TIS) in asymptomatic young, Indian adults. Age, gender, body mass index, lifestyle, and dynamometer-based device measurements of trunk ROM and TIS in extension (EXT), flexion (FLX), and rotation (ROT) were recorded and analysed in 80 asymptomatic subjects between 20 and 40years of age. Correlation analysis was performed to determine factors influencing EXT and FLX ROM and TIS. The normative reference values for mean trunk EXT, FLX, right ROT, and left ROT ROM were 23° (95th percentile 31.9°), 40.2°(95th percentile 51.5°), 36.8°(95th percentile 57.7°), and 35.4° (95th percentile 55.7°), respectively; and for mean EXT, FLX, right ROT, and left ROT TIS were 118.1 Nm (95th percentile 278.8 Nm), 63.8 Nm (95th percentile 159.4 Nm), 39.9 Nm (95th percentile 113.6 Nm), and 42.8 Nm (95th percentile 108.9 Nm), respectively. The mean EXT (p = 0.0002), right (p = 0.02), and left ROT ROM (p = 0.01), and the mean EXT, FLX, and ROT TIS (p < 0.0001) were significantly greater in males compared to females. The FLX, EXT, and ROT TIS showed significant strong correlation with EXT and FLX TIS. Mean TIS values in Indian subjects were lower when compared to subjects from other countries. This study established normative reference values for trunk ROM and TIS in asymptomatic young Indian adults. These reference values can be helpful to diagnose trunk ROM and TIS deficits, identify subjects at risk for LBP and disability, and individualise rehabilitation treatment in them.

New Meat on the Block: Factors Influencing India’s Gen Z’s Decision to Purchase Plant-based Meat

There have been increasing concerns regarding the meat industry due to its negative influence on the environment, such as freshwater pollution, biodiversity loss, and increased methane emissions. These concerns have sparked the public’s interest in plant-based meat, the demand for which is expected to reach USD 27.5 billion by 2025. This study evaluated the factors influencing the decision of India’s Gen Z (aged 15-25) to purchase plant-based meat by conducting an online survey using a mixed method research approach. Among the eight different factors examined, the study found environmental consciousness as one of the highest-rated factors in all the three categories of respondents—combined (vegetarians and non-vegetarians), vegetarians, and non-vegetarians—in influencing their decision to purchase plant-based meat. This finding mirrors the growing environmental awareness of Gen Z globally. Health/safety was another top-rated factor for all three groups, possibly due to the increasing concern of zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19. Conversely, price, convenience, and food curiosity were the least influential, highlighting the Indian market's unique characteristics. As a significant majority of young Indian adults live with their parents, plant-based companies targeting Gen Zs need to consider India’s family-oriented culture and the parents’ dominant role in determining meal choices at home. While companies could incorporate plant-based meat products into traditional food and well-known dishes to appeal to parents, companies can also target the more independent Gen Zs by emphasizing plant-based meat as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat. Additional nuanced marketing strategies for vegetarians and non-vegetarians have also been discussed in this paper.

Respiratory Exchange Ratio in Obese and Non-obese Sedentary Indian Young Adults in Moderate- and Vigorous-intensity Exercise

Respiratory Exchange Ratio in Obese and Non-obese Sedentary Indian Young Adults in Moderate- and Vigorous-intensity Exercise

A reduced state of being: The role of culture in illness perceptions of young adults diagnosed with depressive disorders in Singapore.

Illness perceptions form a key part of common-sense models which are used widely to explain variations in patient behaviours in healthcare. Despite the pervasiveness of depressive disorders worldwide and in young adults, illness perceptions of depressive disorders have not yet been well understood. Moreover, while a high proportion of cases of depressive disorders reside in South-east Asia, few have explored illness perceptions that are culturally relevant to this region. To address these limitations, this study aimed to understand illness perceptions of young adults diagnosed with depressive disorders. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted among Chinese, Malay, and Indian young adults aged 20 to 35 years old, who were seeking treatment at a psychiatric hospital. Data reached saturation after 33 interviews (10 to 12 interviews per ethnic group) and five themes emerged from the thematic analysis: 1) A reduced state of being experienced at a point of goal disengagement, 2) the accumulation of chronic stressors in a system that demands success and discourages the pursuit of personally meaningful goals, 3) a wide range of symptoms that are uncontrollable and disabling, 4) poor decision making resulting in wasted opportunities, with some positive takeaways, and 5) accepting the chronicity of depression. Young adults typically experienced depression as a reduced state of being and it was thought of cognitively as an entity that may be a part of or separate from the self. Over and beyond these aspects of cognitive representations was the emergence of themes depicting conflicts and dilemmas between the self and the social environment that threatened self-identity and autonomy. Addressing these conflicts in therapy would therefore be of utmost relevance for young adults recovering from depressive disorders in the local setting.

Social Media Addiction Among Indian Young Adults During COVID-19

Purpose: The study aims at understanding the prevalence and the paramount significance of the abuse of social media and its’ addiction during the present COVID-19. It also aims at understanding how accustomed or habituated people are, in terms of social media use. Methodology: A survey was conducted on 204 young adults in India using the shortened version of Social media Addiction Survey (Sahin, 2018). Reliability and Validity Tests were conducted along with One Sample t-test to understand the effect that each item had on the use of social media among the participants. Findings: Internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient) is 0.896, andinter-item validity is significant at 0.01 level, i.e. at a 99% confidence interval. The majority of the participants are eager to use social media and be informed about the content shared by their respective groups. Most participants also tend to spend more time on social media when they are alone. Study Implications: The paper suggests that the shortened version of the Social Media Addiction Scale is applicable for different populations irrespective of their age group and cultural backgrounds. However, further research indicated in the domain and field of social media in terms of addiction among more young adults is recommended.

Screening of cardiovascular risk assessment accuracy of anthropometric indices in Indian children and adolescents.

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is the most popular anthropometric marker to define obesity and cardiometabolic risk. BMI is limited in its ability to discriminate central adiposity and other indices such as waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio (WHtR) could be a better choice. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relative accuracy of these indices for the prediction of hypertension in Indian children and young adults. Methods: Anthropometric indices and blood pressure measurements were obtained in 2609 adolescent children and young adults (10-20 years) across a national residential school system. Z-scores were calculated for anthropometric parameters using the Box-Cox-Cole-Green method and World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts. Hypertension was defined using the sex, age and height specific cutoffs for systolic blood pressure. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis was performed to examine the predictive ability. Results: Girls had higher BMI for age in our dataset (p < 0.001), along with higher odds for stunting (95% CI: 1.21 - 1.88) as well as central obesity (95% CI: 2.44 - 3.99). Hypertension was seen in 10.6% of the subjects, with higher age, and higher BMI or WHtR as the predictors. Prehypertension was higher in males (p <0.001). WHtR had acceptable but modest discrimination ability for hypertension (AUC > 0.6) in boys (AUC=0.62) and girls (AUC=0.66).Performance of BMI was better in boys (AUC = 0.67) but poor in girls (AUC = 0.55) Conclusion: WHtR was a better predictor of hypertension in Indian adolescent girls and could be used as an augmented parameter to BMI for a better assessment of cardiovascular risk.

Cephalometric Norms-based on Steiner’s Analysis on Young Adults of Tamil Nadu Population

Aim-The purpose of the study was to establish skeletal and dental parameters for Tamil Nadu young adults using Steiner’s analysis and comparing it with Caucasians, as well as other racial groups. Materials &amp;Methods- A study of 70 south Indian young adults (35 male and 35 female) within the age range of 18-28 years with acceptable profile and occlusion was selected for the study and assessed using Steiner’s analysis. Results- The Tamil Nadu population showed a more skeletally protrusive maxilla, dentally proclined and forwardly positioned upper and lower incisor, it also exhibited a horizontal growth pattern when compared with Caucasians norms. The Tamil Nadu male samples reported a protrusive skeletal and dental pattern when compared to female samples. Conclusion-The result of the study supports the fact that the norms and standards of one racial group could not be used without modification for other racial groups and each different racial group would have to be treated according to its individual characteristics. A case of malocclusion needs to be treated based on the individual merits and demerits of that case and not based on a template of norms derived from mean values of select subject groups with ideal occlusion and proportion.

Risk Factors and Comorbidities in Young Indian Patients with Hypertension: REAL YOUNG (Hypertension) Study.

PurposeTo analyze the risk factors and comorbidities among the young Indian adults with hypertension.Patients and MethodsThis was a retrospective, multicentric real-world study which included patients diagnosed with and receiving treatment for hypertension. Data were collected from the medical records of clinics/hospitals across 623 study sites in India. Patients of either sex and aged 18–45 years were included. Demographic details (age, sex, anthropometric measurement), medical and family history, sedentary lifestyle, smoking status and alcohol consumption data were extracted. Descriptive and comparative analysis (Mann–Whitney U and chi-squared test) was done.ResultsOut of 15,006 young patients diagnosed with hypertension (men=63.6%), 65.7% belonged to the age group of >35–45 years. The median body mass index was 27.0 kg/m2. Patients diagnosed with only hypertension were 29.1% while other predominant comorbidities with hypertension were diabetes mellitus (42.4%) and dyslipidemia (7.8%). Hypertension with diabetes mellitus were prevalent in the age group of >35–45 years (43.8%). More than half of the patients with hypertension (n=7656) had a sedentary lifestyle. Overall, 35.6%, 47.3%, and 56.7% of the patients were alcoholic, smokers (present and former), and had a family history of hypertension, respectively.ConclusionThe results showed that among the young population, hypertension was common in the age group of >35–45 years and diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia were common comorbidities. Family history, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index may also contribute to hypertension.

Original Research Article_Of Persistence and Pursuit: Unwanted Pursuit Behavior in Indian Young Adults

Original Research Article_Of Persistence and Pursuit: Unwanted Pursuit Behavior in Indian Young Adults

Coping styles as predictors of negative affective conditions in Asian Indians: does being optimistic still make a difference?

The present study examined the role of optimism, as measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised, and coping styles, as measured by the COPE scale, in predicting negative affective conditions (viz., depressive symptoms, stress, and negative affect) among 386 Asian Indian young adults (197 females and 189 males). Results from our hierarchical regression analyses indicated that coping styles accounted for a medium-large amount of variance in negative affective conditions, after controlling for demographic factors (i.e. age, gender, parent’s education, and monthly income). Five coping styles were significant in predicting negative affective conditions across all three indices; mental disengagement, denial, and venting emotions were found to be maladaptive, while positive reinterpretation and humor were found to be adaptive among Asian Indian young adults. Furthermore, when optimism was included in the prediction model, optimism consistently accounted for additional variance in negative affective conditions, beyond coping styles. Due to the additional variance among negative affective conditions accounted for by optimism when compared to coping, we advise that mental health professionals consider prioritizing the reinforcement of positive expectancy in addition to enhancing adaptive coping styles and reducing the use of maladaptive coping among Asian Indians.

REAL-world evidence of risk factors and comorbidities in YOUNG Indian adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A REAL YOUNG (diabetes) study.

Objective:To assess the clinical characteristics, risk factors, and comorbidities associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in young adult patients.Methods:This is a retrospective, multicentric real-world study that included young adults (18–45 years) with T2DM. Primary information including demographics, medical and family history, biochemical measures (pre-and post-prandial blood glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] and blood pressure, and lipid parameters) smoking and drinking habits were collected retrospectively from the medical records of the respective hospitals/clinics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and appropriate comparative statistics.Results:A total of 22,921 patients from 623 sites were included. The median age was 37.0 years and the majority were men (61.6%). The proportion of patients from the age group >35–≤45 years was 62.7%. Among all patients, 46.9% had only T2DM; however, 53.1% of patients had T2DM with other comorbidities (T2DM with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and both). The majority of patients had elevated body mass index (BMI) (overweight, 46.6%; and obese, 22.9%). Family history of T2DM (68.1%) was most common in overall population. Sedentary lifestyle (63.1%), alcohol consumption (38.9%), and regular smoking (23.1%) were the most common associations in patients with T2DM with dyslipidemia and hypertension. Uncontrolled HbA1c level (≥7%) were observed in 79.2% of patients. The level of HbA1c was significantly increased with the duration of T2DM and sedentary lifestyle (p < 0.001).Conclusion:Higher BMI, family history of T2DM, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption, and smoking were the most common risk facors, while hypertension and dyslipidemia were the most prevalent comorbidities associated with T2DM in young Indian adults.

Atherogenic Risk Factors among Young Indian Adults with Epilepsy on Treatment with Phenytoin: Need for Novel Therapeutic Strategies.

Risk for the development of coronary heart disease and diabetes is found to be more among people with epilepsy especially when on treatment. Redox imbalance contributes to this risk especially in India as it is the diabetic capital of the world with higher prevalence of inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate atherogenic risk factors; dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and systemic inflammation among young Indian adults with epilepsy on treatment with Phenytoin. Three groups of age and gender-matched young subjects were recruited. Group 1-Healthy control subjects, Group 2- Newly diagnosed epileptic young adults with recent epileptic seizures, Group 3- Epileptic adults on treatment with Phenytoin for more than 6 months were recruited. Dyslipidemia was found among the newly diagnosed epileptic subjects in comparison to healthy subjects. The LDL-cholesterol further increased, and HDL-cholesterol further decreased in the third group treated with Phenytoin. Body mass index of these treated epileptic subjects was more in comparison to healthy control. Low-grade inflammation as assessed by hsCRP and oxidative stress were significantly higher among the newly diagnosed epileptic subjects when compared to the healthy controls which further increased on treatment with phenytoin. We found dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and low-grade inflammation among newly diagnosed epileptic subjects which further increased on treatment with Phenytoin for more than 6 months. From this study, we conclude that dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation are identified among the newly diagnosed young adult Indian epileptic patients. Phenytoin treatment further augmented these complications.