This study evaluates the association between Internal Addiction (IA) and psychiatric co-morbidity in the literature. Meta-analyses were conducted on cross-sectional, case–control and cohort studies which examined the relationship between IA and psychiatric co-morbidity. Selected studies were extracted from major online databases. The inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) studies conducted on human subjects; 2) IA and psychiatric co-morbidity were assessed by standardised questionnaires; and 3) availability of adequate information to calculate the effect size. Random-effects models were used to calculate the aggregate prevalence and the pooled odds ratios (OR). Eight studies comprising 1641 patients suffering from IA and 11210 controls were included. Our analyses demonstrated a significant and positive association between IA and alcohol abuse (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.14-4.37, z = 6.12, P < 0.001), attention deficit and hyperactivity (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 2.15-3.77, z = 7.27, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 2.04-3.75, z = 6.55, P < 0.001) and anxiety (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.46-4.97, z = 3.18, P = 0.001). IA is significantly associated with alcohol abuse, attention deficit and hyperactivity, depression and anxiety.

This research examined factors associated with Internet addiction in adolescence using a population-based cross-sectional survey with self-reported questionnaires. Participants were recruited from high school students, ages 13 to 18 years, registered on the secondary school registry in Guangzhou city using a stratified random sampling technique. Internet addiction was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Information was also collected on demographics, health behaviors, and perception of personal condition. Depression was assessed by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. The majority of respondents were classified as normal users of the Internet (n = 1,392, 89.2%), with 158 (10.2%) moderately and 10 (0.6%) severely addicted to the Internet. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analyses suggested a 50% increased odds for males to be addicted to the Internet (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.2) when compared to females. Other potential risk factors included drinking behavior (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1–2.8), family dissatisfaction (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.3–4.3), and experience of recent stressful events (OR = 10.0, 95% CI = 6.5–12.2). Stress-related variables were associated with Internet addiction among adolescents as they are also related to other addictions. Clinicians need to be aware of potential comorbidities of other problems such as stress and family dissatisfaction among adolescent Internet addiction patients.

To examine the relationships between clinical or histological chorioamnionitis and cerebral palsy using a meta-analysis approach. A systematic review of the literature appeared in PubMed between 2000 and 2009 was conducted using the search terms "cerebral palsy" and "infection," with broad-scope variations in terminology of "white matter damage," "periventricular leukomalacia," "cystic periventricular leukomalacia," "chorioamnionitis," "intrauterine infection," "intraventricular hemorrhage," "funisitis," "fetal inflammatory response," "early neonatal sepsis," "neurological impairment," "virus," "bacteria," "fungi," and "protozoa," with variations of suffixes (eg, "viral," "bacterial," "fungal," "protozoan," etc), and "urinary tract infection," "bacterial vaginosis," "bacteriuria," and "cytokines." The related key words "gestational age," "small for gestational age," "preterm," and "low birth weight" also were added to the search terms. Only studies published in English were included. Three hundred eight articles were retrieved and systematically reviewed independently by two authors. Application of four inclusion criteria led to 15 studies being considered for data abstraction. An exposure was considered relevant if it met the established criteria for clinical or histological chorioamnionitis. The outcome was a diagnosis of cerebral palsy in accordance with established criteria. The data were abstracted onto standard forms, correlated according to eight characteristics, and tabulated. Twelve of the 15 studies contained information on the association between clinical chorioamnionitis and cerebral palsy, and eight studies included information on the association between histological chorioamnionitis and cerebral palsy. The results indicated that there were significant associations between clinical chorioamnionitis or histological chorioamnionitis and cerebral palsy, for clinical chorioamnionitis (chi1=13.91; P<.001) with a pooled odds ratio of 2.42 (95% confidence interval 1.52-3.84), and for histological chorioamnionitis (chi1=6.86; P=.009) with a pooled odds ratio of 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.17-2.89). The data suggested increased risks of 140% and 80% for neonates exposed to clinical chorioamnionitis or histological chorioamnionitis, respectively. The significant association of clinical or histological chorioamnionitis with cerebral palsy suggested that clinical strategies to prevent or reduce chorioamnionitis would lead to a reduction in cerebral palsy. The culture techniques currently used to diagnose the presence of pathogenic microorganisms during pregnancy need to improve, both in their methodology and in the length of time they require.

Objective To examine the effect of pathological use of the Internet on the mental health, including anxiety and depression, of adolescents in China. It is hypothesized that pathological use of the Internet is detrimental to adolescents' mental health. Design A prospective study with a randomly generated cohort from the population. Setting High schools in Guangzhou, China. Participants Adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years. Main Exposure Pathological use of the Internet was assessed using the Pathological Use of the Internet Test. Outcome Measures Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Zung Depression and Anxiety Scales. Results After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the relative risk of depression for those who used the Internet pathologically was about 2½ times (incidence rate ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.3) that of those who did not exhibit the targeted pathological internet use behaviors. No significant relationship between pathological use of the Internet and anxiety at follow-up was observed. Conclusions Results suggested that young people who are initially free of mental health problems but use the Internet pathologically could develop depression as a consequence. These results have direct implications for the prevention of mental illness in young people, particularly in developing countries.

This study aims to investigate the association between mental health literacy and the mental health status, particularly depression, among adolescents.