Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a common public health issue with a variety of consequences, including behavioral addiction such as Internet Addiction (IA). Despite widespread recognition of this issue, the underlying mechanisms are not well studied in recent literature. Additionally, studies have indicated gender disparities in the prevalence and manifestation of ACEs and IA. The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of resilience on the link between ACEs and IA among high-school students according to gender in Mahdia city (Tunisia). We conducted a cross-sectional survey for two months (January- February 2020), among 2520 schooled youth in Mahdia city (Tunisia). The Arabic-language edition of the World Health Organisation ACE questionnaire was used. The validated Arabic versions of the Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale and the Internet Addiction Test were the screening tools for resilience and IA. Data were analyzed according to gender. The majority of youth (97.5%) were exposed to at least one ACE with the most prevalent being emotional neglect (83.2%). Exposure to extra-familial ACEs was also high reaching 86.9% with higher rates among boys for all types of social violence. Internet addiction was common among students (50%) with higher prevalence for boys (54.4% vs 47.7%for girls, p = 0.006). Resilience scores were86.43 ± 9.7 for girls vs 85.54 ± 9.79 for boys. The current study showed that resilience mediated the link between ACEs, especially intrafamilial violence, and internet addiction (%mediated = 15.1). According to gender, resilience had a significant mediating role on internet addiction for girls (%mediated = 17) and no significant role for boys. The mediating effect of resilience in the relationship between ACEs and cyberaddiction among schooled adolescents in the region of Mahdia (Tunisia) has been identified.

Given that resilience is the ability to cope with adversities, and impulsivity is characterized with rapid reactions without foresight, we aimed to explore the pathways between intra-familial childhood adversities, resilience, impulsivity and suicidal behaviors among adolescents in Mahdia and Gafsa cities (Tunisia). We conducted a cross-sectional study in secondary schools from January to February 2020. Exposure to intra-familial early life experiences was evaluated by the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)-International Questionnaire. Resilience and impulsivity were assessed via the Adolescent Psychological Resilience and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. A total of 3170 students were recruited with a response rate of 74%. About 81.1% of them reported being emotionally abused. The resilience mean score was 86.10 ± 9.85. Impulsivity was screened among 42.2% of them. About 38% of students presented suicidal thoughts, 16.4% had a suicide plan, and 10.8% have made a suicide attempt. We found that exposure to intra-familial ACEs predicts suicidal behaviors through impulsiveness (% mediated = 18% for emotional violence) and interpersonal resilience (% mediated = 24% for emotional violence; % mediated = 20.4% for physical violence). Our results emphasize the need to prevent ACEs, and to seek out a way to promote ACE protective factors among adolescents such as resilience.

Introduction: Dropping out of school is a problem that weighs heavily on the school system in Tunisia. Thus, Prevention programs are being implemented to improve the quality of education in Tunisia. The objective of our study is to describe the perceptions of middle-school teachers in the region...

Introduction: Stigma against people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV), particularly from healthcare providers, continues to be a significant barrier discouraging individuals from seeking necessary care. However, HIV stigma, particularly among healthcare workers, is still underexplored, with limited focus on medical students. This study assesses the impact of active stigma reduction workshops on stigma towards PLHIV among a sample of medical students in Tunisia and identifies its related factors. Method: We performed a quasi-experimental study among all fifth-year students during the academic years 2024 and 2025 in the Faculty of Medicine of Monastir (Tunisia). We evaluated HIV stigma before and after each workshop via self-administrated and anonymous questionnaire. We used the validated versions of the brief HIV knowledge questionnaire and the Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale. Results: A total of 216 medical students completely answered the questionnaire. Overall, most participants demonstrated a good level of HIV-related knowledge (88.4%). Good HIV knowledge, higher parental education and involvement in community or associative activities were significantly associated with lower stigma levels. Interestingly, using multivariate analyses, poor parental educational level and being stigmatized were independently associated with higher prejudice scores. This student-centered learning approach was revealed to be effective in significantly improving HIV-related knowledge and reducing HIV stigma among medical students. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the value of integrating active learning methods into the medical curriculum to prepare future healthcare providers to deliver stigma-free care in order to promote ethical and inclusive behavior toward PLHIV.

Hand hygiene (HH) and Biomedical waste management (BMWM) are fundamental elements of infection prevention and control. Published comparisons of these activ