Background: As Internet gaming became publicly available over the past 25 years, Internet gaming disorder emerged as a new diagnostic entity and became established in psychiatric diagnostic systems as a form of addiction. Given the recency of its advent, reliable data on the epidemiology and psychiatric comorbidity of this disorder in specific geographic regions are scarce and dearly needed for appropriate treatment. Results: A total sample of number = 1332 participants completed the questionnaire. Four-hundred twenty-three of them were gamers; in this cohort, the prevalence of Internet gaming disorder was 6.1%. A strong association between Internet gaming and several psychiatric disorders (attention deficit, hyperactivity, depression, and anxiety) was found. Conclusions: Internet gaming disorder is frequent in adults from Arab countries. It is associated with psychiatric comorbidities in this current sample; the nature of this association needs to be properly investigated.

Background and Aims: Despite the significant milestone of vaccine discovery, the spread of misinformation and pseudoscientific claims has resulted in an increasing number of people refusing vaccination in Syria. In this study, we aimed to explore fears and misconceptions towards COVID‐19 vaccines among the Syrian population.Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross‐sectional study between January and May 2022, using a convenience sample of 10,006 participants aged at least 18 years and living in Syria. We administered a validated online/paper questionnaire and conducted face‐to‐face interviews. We used SPSS software (version 26) for statistical analysis, assessing our data using frequency and χ² tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: The majority of the participants were female 6048 (60.4%), university degree holders 7304 (73%), and from urban areas 8015 (80.1%). Approximately half of the participants 5021 (50.2%) belonged to the medical sector (49% had concerns about the vaccine). Females, university degree holders, and participants with a history of symptomatic COVID‐19 were more likely to have fears about the vaccines. The main concerns about the vaccines were the rapid development, fears of blood clots, and common side effects. The prevalence of some misconceptions was relatively high, such as the belief that the vaccine is an experiment or a secret plan to reduce the population. Reliable sources are crucial to fight misleading information on social media.Conclusion: COVID‐19 vaccine is key to controlling the spread, but acceptance rate is critical. High variability in vaccine acceptance and high vaccine hesitancy can affect the efforts to terminate the COVID‐19 pandemic. Addressing the barriers associated with the acceptance of COVID‐19 vaccination will be the cornerstone to achieving maximum vaccination coverage. It is important to consider the reasons for refusing the COVID‐19 vaccine when interpreting the results of any study on vaccine attitudes among the Syrian population.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of COVID-19 vaccine side effects among Syrian adults, with a focus on the AstraZeneca and Sputnik Light vaccines, in light of the low vaccination rate in Syria (below 18%) attributed to fear of side effects. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May 2022, using probability-based and convenient sampling strategies. Data was collected through online, paper, and face-to-face questionnaires that included demographic and vaccine-related questions. Out of 3,766 participants, the majority were female (56.7 %) and aged 18–24 years (53.3 %). Most participants had a university-level qualification (71.2 %) and were related to the medical sector (53.2 %). A significant proportion (47.0 %) received AstraZeneca, Sputnik Light (22.1 %) and Sinopharm (14.7 %). Common side effects included sleepiness and lethargy (50.0 %), fever and chills (45.0 %), and pain/swelling at the injection site (35.9 %). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that male (OR: 0.57, CI: 0.48–0.68) and participants aged 45–65 years (OR: 0.53, CI: 0.40–0.70) were less likely to experience side effects. Participants who believed COVID-19 posed a high threat to their personal life had higher odds of side effects (OR: 1.74, CI: 1.22–2.46). Vaccine type was also associated with side effects, with Sputnik Light (OR: 2.52, CI: 1.85–3.46) and AstraZeneca (OR: 1.61, CI: 1.26–2.05) having increased odds. Our study found that COVID-19 vaccines are well tolerated among the Syrian population, with short-term side effects that typically resolve within three days. These findings are expected to bolster vaccination rates through enhanced public confidence and acceptance.

Over six million individuals have died as a result of the infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes Covid-19. The first COVID-19 vaccines were introduced to the public in 2020 through emergency authorizations. This study aims to uncover the fears and misconceptions behind the hesitation or refusal of taking the COVID-19 vaccine in Syria. Methods: Through a nationwide cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 10006 participants who were at least 18 years old and living in Syria participated in a validated questionnaire during the period between January and May 2022 Results: The majority of recruited individuals were female (n= 6048; 60.4%) from the (18-24) age group (n= 5908; 59%). We recorded 5811 (58%) participants who still have fears and anxieties about the COVID-19 vaccine. The main concerns about vaccines were the rapid development of vaccines (41.4%), fears of blood clots (37.9%), the fears of common side effects (35.2%), and allergic reactions (26.5%). Conclusion: The COVID-19 vaccine is considered the most promising measure for controlling the spread of infection. The success of this policy will depend on the rate of global acceptance of the vaccine. High variability in vaccine acceptance and high vaccine hesitancy can affect the efforts to terminate the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the barriers associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination will be the cornerstone to achieving maximum vaccination coverage. The most common reasons behind refusing the vaccine in Syria were fear of side effects, followed by fears, general concerns, manufacturing-related reasons, and conspiracy belief