Kadriye Avcı

Assessment of medical students’ attitudes on social media use in medicine: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSocial media has created a revolution in health services. Information available on the Internet and via social media is now being used as reference guides for sensitive health issues by nonprofessionals, physicians, and medical students. When used by physicians and medical students, social media has the potential to raise issues such as the blurring of the line between professional and private lives, patient relations, and medical ethics. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the use of social media and attitudes toward its use in medicine among medical students.MethodsMedical students from Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine (Afyonkarahisar, Turkey) were asked to participate in a survey consisting of two sections, the first containing questions assessing the frequency of social media use and the second regarding attitudes toward the use of social media in medicine.ResultsSurvey responses indicated that 93.4% of medical students used social media and 89.3% used social media for professional purposes. Factor analysis showed that attitudes toward social media are based on five factors: professional usefulness, popularity, ethics, barriers, and innovativeness. A structural equation model revealed the highest positive correlation between usefulness and innovativeness; ethics had a low but positive correlation with other factors.ConclusionsAlthough social media is being used extensively by medical students, they appear unaware of possible ethical issues. Therefore, social media guidelines should be developed.

Disordered eating attitudes, alexithymia and suicide probability among Turkish high school girls

We aimed to examine association between disordered eating attitudes (DEAs), alexithymia and suicide probability among adolescent females and to explore potential link between alexithymia and suicide probability in subjects with DEAs. 381 female students completed Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS). It was found that 13.2% (n=52) of the subjects have DEAs. Results indicated that total TAS-20 score and scores of Difficulty in Identifying Feelings (DIF) and Difficulty in Describing Feelings (DDF) subscales were significantly higher in DEAs group than in those non DEAs group (p<0.05). Additionally, total SPS score (p<0.001), Hopelessness (p=0.001), Suicide Ideation (p<0.001) and Hostility (p=0.003) subscales scores of SPS were significantly higher in the alexithymic DEAs than the non-alexithymic DEAs group. In order to control potential effect of depression, SPS subscales were used as covariate factors in ANCOVA. Negative Self-Evaluation subscale yielded a statistically significant difference between groups, other subscales did not. Results point out these; DEAs are relatively frequent phenomenon among female students in Turkey and presence of alexithymia was associated with an increased suicide probability in adolescents with DEAs. The results should be evaluated taking into account that depressive symptomatology was not assessed using a depression scale.

Association between premenstrual syndrome and alexithymia among Turkish University students

Abstract Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a heterogeneous disorder, which includes physical, cognitive, affective and behavioral symptoms. The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting PMS and the relationship between PMS and alexithymia. The research was performed with 308 students. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) and a premenstrual assessment form (PAF). The prevalence of PMS in our sample was 66.6%. The contributing factors to PMS were having a history of psychiatric treatment and having a smoking habit (p < 0.05). The PMS group showed higher scores than the non-PMS group on all the items of the TAS-20 which includes the three factors: difficulty in identifying feelings, difficulty in describing feelings and externally oriented thinking (p < 0.05). The alexithymic students showed higher scores on all PAF subscales (p ≤ 0.001). Further studies are needed to determine the probable role of alexithymia in the pathogenesis of PMS.

Examination of the mass media process and personal factors affecting the assessment of mass media-disseminated health information

This study examined the mass media and personal characteristics leading to health communication inequality as well as the role of certain factors in health communication’s mass media process. Using both sociodemographic variables and Maletzke’s model as a basis, we investigated the relationship between selected components of the mass communication process, the receiving of reliable health information as a result of health communication, and the condition of its use. The study involved 1853 people in Turkey and was structured in two parts. The first part dealt with questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, the use of the mass media and the public’s ability to obtain health information from it, the public’s perception of the trustworthiness of health information, and the state of translating this information into health-promoting behaviours. In the second part, questions related to the mass communication process were posed using a five-point Likert scale. This section tried to establish structural equation modelling using the judgements prepared on the basis of the mass media model. Through this study, it has been observed that sociodemographic factors such as education and age affect individuals’ use of and access to communication channels; individuals’ trust in and selection of health information from the programme content and their changing health behaviours (as a result of the health information) are related to both their perception of the mass communication process and to sociodemographic factors, but are more strongly related to the former.

Gender-Related Factors for Depressive Symptoms in Turkish Adolescents

PROBLEM Currently more adolescents suffer from mental health problems than compared to the past. PURPOSE This study was designed to extend the knowledge of depressive symptoms in adolescence and to determine the gender-related factors associated with it. METHODS The study sample consisted of (N = 487) adolescents. The Childrens Depression Inventory (CDI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-S), and UCLA loneliness scale (UCLA-LS) were completed by the participants. FINDINGS Among the study population, 26.6% (n = 130) scored ≥ 19 on the CDI, which was the cut-off point. UCLA-LS, hyperactivity and conduct problems, and peer problems subscale scores of SDQ-S were found significantly higher in males (p < .05). Emotional symptoms, pro-social behavior subscale scores of SDQ-S, and a family member, a friend subscale scores of MSPSS were found significantly higher in females (p < .05). For males, loneliness and hyperactivity and conduct problems, while for females, emotional symptoms and loneliness (p < .05) were predictive variables. Pro-social behavior and perceived family member support were protective variables for females scoring high enough to be diagnosed with depression (p < .05). CONCLUSION We suggest further studies to confirm these results as well as establishing strategies for better detection of depressive symptoms when working on adolescents.