Students experience stress because of difficult and demanding situations, which are related to metacognitive abilities and emotional control techniques. College students experience negative emotions frequently, which affect their capacity for metacognition. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between college students' perceptions of stress, metacognition, and emotional control. 226 college students in all, ranging in age from 18 to 35, participated in the cross-sectional study (M = 24.8, SD = 4.87). Participants completed a sociodemographic form, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. The study's findings showed that the majority of participants experienced moderate stress (Male= M = 32.4, SD = 5.3, Female= M = 28.7, SD = 4.9), and male students reported less mastery of metacognitive processes than female students. Additionally, a negative link between perceived stress and emotional regulation was discovered, suggesting that a low degree of emotional regulation was associated with a high level of stress. The findings further showed that higher levels of stress were associated with weaker metacognitive capacity and lower use of reappraisal as an emotional regulation method, respectively (r(224)=-.182). These results demonstrated a relationship between perceived stress, metacognitive abilities, and emotional regulation that might have significant consequences for supporting and promoting college student performance.
Cancer of the kidney is one of the 10 most common cancers found globally. Overall, it is the fourth most common cancer in men and the eighth most common cancer in women. Many kidney cancer patients experience psychologic problems and reactions. The present study examined relationship between anxiety, depression, and perceived stress symptoms in kidney cancer patients. Cross-sectional data were obtained from the patients diagnosed with kidney cancer. All participants completed sociodemographic form, Hospital Anxiety and Depression form, and Per-ceived Stress Scale. Statistical analysis was exercised using the Student’s t-test, Chi-squared test (χ2), Fischer’s exact test, ANOVA, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis one-way variance analysis. A total of 250 patients participated in the study. The mean age was 57.4 years (SD 6.4, range = 25–76 years). The majority of patients were males (73%) and married (218). Anxiety symptoms were determined in 91.2% patients, depression symptoms in 87.2% patients, and perceived stress symptoms in 93.6% patients. The mean scores of Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS)-Anxiety, HADS-Depression, and HADS-Perceived Stress were significantly different between age (P < 0.05), gender (P < 0.05), and income groups (P < 0.001). Kidney cancer patients showed poorer psychologic health. The overall levels of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress symptoms were higher among the studied kidney cancer patients. Findings of the current study could improve both psychologic well-being of patients and health-related quality of life.
Purpose: The aim of this study was is to compare brain structure volume, including cortical and subcortical regions of adolescents- methamphetamine users versus non-users. Materials and Methods: The study was designed to be cross-sectional, and structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from the participants, including ten methamphetamine users and nine non-users. volBrain program was used to evaluate the images. Results: The results showed that methamphetamine users altered brain structures- temporal, parietal lobes, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus volume. Also, the statistically significant difference in the volume between methamphetamine users and non-users was found in subcortical regions except putamen by age. Volumetric analysis of methamphetamine use in adolescents confirms a reduction in temporal lobes (methamphetamine users M±SD=3.43±0.18 non-users M±SD=3.48±0.22) and parietal lobes (methamphetamine users M±SD=2.23±0.24, non-users M±SD=2.37±0.33) in cortical regions in the brain as tissue volume. However, methamphetamine uses caused an increase in volume in the subcortical regions. Conclusion: Methamphetamine use appears to show decreased volume in the brain regions with age, which has adverse effects on cognitive, emotional, memory, and social abilities.
The present study aimed to compare neuropsychological characteristics of patients with schizophrenia and patients with schizophrenia–obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A total of 78 patients were included in the study, with 32 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 46 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-OCD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition criteria. Two groups of the patients were compared with each other in terms of demographic data, psychotic symptoms, and clinical and neuropsychological characteristics. In this study, the schizophrenia-OCD relationship was seen at a higher rate in male patients, and this group has worse clinical features. In addition, there was no significant difference among sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and social and neuropsychological functionality between the two groups. According to our results, patients with schizophrenia-OCD experience more depression and anxiety that are related to poorer quality of life. Longitudinal and more homogeneous patient groups are needed for further studies to reveal whether schizophrenia accompanied by OCD is a comorbidity, a subtype of schizophrenia, or a different disorder.
Objectives: Methamphetamine (MA) abuse during adolescence can have a significant impact on brain development. On the other hand, regular exercise is known to promote brain health and may have neuroprotective effects. The purpose of this study is to compare brain volumes in three different adolescent groups: those with active methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), adolescent athletes who regularly exercise, and healthy control adolescents. Methods: This MRI study involved three groups of adolescents: 10 with active MUD (9 males, 1 female), nine licensed runner adolescents (three males, six females), and 10 healthy adolescents (5 males, 5 females). Brain volumes were analyzed using T1-weighted images from a 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner, and then segmented automatically with vol2Brain. Statistical analyses included ANCOVA with sex as a covariate and LSD post hoc tests performed using SPSS Statistics 23. Results: Adolescents with MUD showed a 10% increase in total white matter volume compared to the athlete group. Conversely, cortical gray matter volume was reduced by 4% compared to the healthy control group and by 7% compared to the athlete group. The frontal and insular cortices in the MUD group had significantly diminished volumes compared to the athlete group. Overall, individuals with MUD had decreased gray matter volumes and increased white matter volumes in their brains. The brain volumetric differences between the MUD group and the athlete group were statistically significant. Conclusions: The brains of those with MUD displayed a reduction in gray matter volume and an increase in white matter volume, indicating damage from MA on the developing adolescent brain. The volumetric disparities between the MUD and athlete groups were found to be significantly different, suggesting a possible neuroprotective factor of exercise. Further studies are required to explore the potential of exercise-based interventions in alleviating the harmful effects of MA abuse.
1 January 2024 in The Journal of Medical Investigation
Background : The prevalence of bladder cancer increases rapidly among individuals. The knowledge, attitude, and healthy lifestyle behaviors of individuals in Turkey regarding bladder cancer are unknown. The present study aim was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of the participants about bladder cancer and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Methods?:?This cross-sectional study was conducted with 400 participants from outpatient clinic at Erciyes University. Data were collected by using a socio-demographic form and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale. Results?:?Findings revealed that 55% of the participants were aware of bladder cancer risks?;?smoking 55.5%, older ages 67%, synthetic dyes and some chemicals 43.7%, and overweight 34.5% increases the risk of bladder cancer. The findings showed that economic status and education effect on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale scores. The positive relationship was found between self-realization, exercise, and interpersonal subscale in those with high-income participants. It is found that exercise, nutrition, and stress management that have a positive attitude among non-smokers toward the risk factors of bladder cancer. Conclusion?:?The information obtained from the study can be used to inform patients about bladder cancer, risk factors, and cancer prevention. In this regard, healthcare professionals can increase patients f knowledge and create awareness by preparing informative brochures, giving information during the examination, or making presentations. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 40-46, February, 2024