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Higher education in the Gulf : quality drivers
\"This edited volume examines the drivers of higher education in the Gulf region. It examines contemporary pedagogical, management, strategic, and relevant issues on quality education that confront higher education institutions\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Adult Consequences of Late Adolescent Alcohol Consumption: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies
Background: Although important to public policy, there have been no rigorous evidence syntheses of the long-term consequences of late adolescent drinking. Methods and Findings: This systematic review summarises evidence from general population cohort studies of drinking between 15-19 years old and any subsequent outcomes aged 20 or greater, with at least 3 years of follow-up study. Fifty-four studies were included, of which 35 were assessed to be vulnerable to bias and/or confounding. The principal findings are: (1) There is consistent evidence that higher alcohol consumption in late adolescence continues into adulthood and is also associated with alcohol problems including dependence;® Although a number of studies suggest links to adult physical and mental health and social consequences, existing evidence is of insufficient quality to warrant causal inferences at this stage. Conclusions: There is an urgent need for high quality long-term prospective cohort studies in order to better understand the public health burden that is consequent on late adolescent drinking, both in relation to adult drinking and more broadly. Reducing drinking during late adolescence is likely to be important for preventing long-term adverse consequences as well as protecting against more immediate harms.
Journal Article
What’s in the box? Exploring UK players’ experiences of loot boxes in games; the conceptualisation and parallels with gambling
Loot boxes are a popular mechanic within many video games, but it remains unclear if some forms of loot boxes can be seen of as gambling. However, the perspectives of players are often neglected, such as whether they see them as ‘fair’ game elements and how closely they feel this aligns with gambling. In this paper, we synthesise a conceptualisation for loot boxes through players’ actual experience and explore if there are any parallels with gambling. Twenty-one participants who played video games took part in the research through either an interview or online survey. Thematic analysis suggested that six themes were core to exploring loot boxes: Random Chance Effects, Attitudes Towards Content, Implementation, Parallels with Gambling, Game Design, and The Player. The results suggested both indirect and direct parallels with gambling from the players experiences. Implications of game design and classifying loot boxes as gambling are discussed in relation to game design and risk factors of gambling and purchasing behaviour.
Journal Article
Feasibility and acceptability of safer gambling interventions (social norms and goal setting) delivered via text message for those at low-to-moderate risk of gambling harm: a four-arm randomised controlled feasibility study
ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility and acceptability of three SMS-delivered safer gambling interventions (goal setting (GS), descriptive norms (DN), injunctive norms (IN)) aimed at reducing the transition from low or moderate risk of gambling harm to problematic gambling, and the feasibility of a full-scale randomised controlled trial evaluating their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.DesignFour-arm, parallel-group, pragmatic, randomised controlled feasibility study with a nested qualitative study.SettingThe study was conducted in the UK. Participants were recruited online via UK-licensed gambling operators’ websites.ParticipantsAdults aged ≥18 years, gambling online at least weekly, with low-to-moderate gambling risk levels.InterventionsParticipants were block randomised in equal proportions to a delayed intervention control group or one of three 6-week text message interventions delivered via the secure messaging app WIRE: (1) GS: weekly prompts to set gambling-related goals with personalised feedback; (2) DN: weekly messages challenging misperceptions about peer gambling behaviours and (3) IN: weekly messages addressing misperceptions about peer attitudes towards gambling.Outcome measuresFeasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates, intervention adherence, data completeness and feasibility and acceptability of the interventions and study procedures. Secondary outcomes included gambling risk behaviours and cognitions, anxiety, depression, quality of life, healthcare use and productivity, measured at baseline, 7-weeks, and 3- and 6-months post-randomisation.ResultsRecruitment took place between April 2021 and August 2022 with final follow-up in February 2023. 167 participants (mean age 51.5; 36% male) were randomised (GS=43; DN=41; IN=42; Control=41). Retention at 6-months was 95.2%, with >95% completion for all outcome measures. Intervention adherence was high, with >95% of DN and IN participants responding to ≥4 messages and 93% of GS participants setting ≥4 goals. Qualitative findings indicated broad acceptability of the interventions and study procedures.ConclusionsThe study was feasible to conduct, interventions and study procedures acceptable to participants, and predefined progression criteria met. Findings support proceeding to a full-scale randomised controlled trial of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, focusing on the social norms interventions.Trial registration numberISRCTN37874344.
Journal Article
Did Usage of Mental Health Apps Change during COVID-19? A Comparative Study Based on an Objective Recording of Usage Data and Demographics
This paper aims to objectively compare the use of mental health apps between the pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 periods and to study differences amongst the users of these apps based on age and gender. The study utilizes a dataset collected through a smartphone app that objectively records the users’ sessions. The dataset was analyzed to identify users of mental health apps (38 users of mental health apps pre-COVID-19 and 81 users during COVID-19) and to calculate the following usage metrics; the daily average use time, the average session time, the average number of launches, and the number of usage days. The mental health apps were classified into two categories: guidance-based and tracking-based apps. The results include the increased number of users of mental health apps during the COVID-19 period as compared to pre-COVID-19. Adults (aged 24 and above), compared to emerging adults (aged 15–24 years), were found to have a higher usage of overall mental health apps and guidance-based mental health apps. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, males were found to be more likely to launch overall mental health apps and guidance-based mental health apps compared to females. The findings from this paper suggest that despite the increased usage of mental health apps amongst males and adults, user engagement with mental health apps remained minimal. This suggests the need for these apps to work towards improved user engagement and retention.
Journal Article
Social norms and goal-setting interventions to promote responsible gambling in low-to-moderate online gamblers: protocol for a four-arm randomised controlled feasibility study
IntroductionGambling is increasingly recognised as an important public health issue. Problem gambling is associated with highly negative impacts on physical, psychological and social well-being, not only for those who gamble but also for those around them. There has been a rapid expansion of internet gambling and attributes such as continuous play and instant rewards, and enhanced privacy may lead to a greater likelihood of gambling-related harms. In this randomised controlled feasibility study, we are testing (1) the acceptability and feasibility of three online responsible gambling interventions targeting people with low-to-moderate risk of online problem gambling and (2) the feasibility of a future full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.Methods and analysisFour-arm randomised controlled feasibility study with qualitative substudy. One-hundred and forty UK residents with low-to-moderate risk of online gambling recruited via gambling operators and social media will be randomised (1:1:1:1) to either (1) goal setting, (2) descriptive norms messages (challenge perceptions of peer behaviours), (3) injunctive norms messages (challenge perceptions of peer attitudes) and (4) control (delayed intervention). Interventions will be delivered over 6 weeks and individually tailored. Outcomes, administered online, will be measured at baseline, 7 weeks, and 3 and 6 months post randomisation (including gambling risk behaviours and cognitions, anxiety and depression, quality of life, health use and productivity). Analyses will be descriptive, focusing on feasibility and acceptability of the interventions and study procedures. Telephone/online interviews, with a subsample of approximately 30 participants, will elicit experiences of participating in the study. Prespecified progression criteria will guide decisions around whether to progress to a definitive RCT.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval obtained from Bournemouth University Research Ethics Committee (reference number 33247). Participants will be given a participant information sheet plus a ‘Key Facts’ summary and will provide informed online consent. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences and public engagement events.Trial registration numberISRCTN37874344.
Journal Article
A feasibility trial to examine the social norms approach for the prevention and reduction of licit and illicit drug use in European University and college students
Background
Incorrect perceptions of high rates of peer alcohol and tobacco use are predictive of increased personal use in student populations. Correcting misperceptions by providing feedback has been shown to be an effective intervention for reducing licit drug use. It is currently unknown if social norms interventions are effective in preventing and reducing illicit drug use in European students. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a multi-site cluster controlled trial of a web-based social norms intervention aimed at reducing licit and preventing illicit drug use in European university students.
Methods/Design
An online questionnaire to assess rates of drug use will be developed and translated based on existing social norms surveys. Students from sixteen universities in seven participating European countries will be invited to complete the questionnaire. Both intervention and control sites will be chosen by convenience. In each country, the intervention site will be the university that the local principal investigator is affiliated with. We aim to recruit 1000 students per site (baseline assessment). All participants will complete the online questionnaire at baseline. Baseline data will be used to develop social norms messages that will be included in a web-based intervention. The intervention group will receive individualized social norms feedback. The website will remain online during the following 5 months. After five months, a second survey will be conducted and effects of the intervention on social norms and drug use will be measured in comparison to the control site.
Discussion
This project is the first cross-national European collaboration to investigate the feasibility of a social norms intervention to reduce licit and prevent illicit drug use among European university students.
Final trial registration number
DRKS00004375 on the ‘German Clinical Trials Register’.
Journal Article
Perceptions and Misperceptions of Smartphone Use: Applying the Social Norms Approach
The social norms approach is an established technique to bring about behaviour change through challenging misperceptions of peer behaviour. This approach is limited by a reliance on self-report and a lack of interactivity with the target population. At the same time, excessive use of digital devices, known as digital addiction, has been recognized as an emergent issue. There is potential to apply the social norms approach to digital addiction and, in doing so, address some of the limitations of the social norms field. In this study, we trialled a social norms intervention with a sample of smartphone users (n = 94) recruited from the users of a commercial app designed to empower individuals to reduce their device usage. Our results indicate that most of the sample overestimated peer use of smartphone apps, demonstrating the existence of misperceptions relating to smartphone use. Such misperceptions are the basis for the social norms approach. We also document the discrepancy between self-report and smartphone usage data as recorded through data collected directly from the device. The potential for the application of the social norms approach and directions for future research are discussed.
Journal Article
(A)morally Demanding Game? An Exploration of Moral Decision-Making in a Purpose-Made Video Game
A purpose-made video game was used to measure response time and moral alignment of in-game moral decisions, which were made by 115 undergraduate students. Overall, moral decisions took between 4–6 seconds and were mostly pro-social. Previous gameplay, in-game, and post-game experiences predicted in-game moral alignment. Real-life moral salience was not related to in-game decision-making. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of the demands of video games and in-game moral decision-making models.
Journal Article
Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method
Background: The fear of missing out (FoMO) on social media refers to the apprehension that online content and interactions from others are unseen and reacted to in a timely fashion. FoMO can become problematic, leading to anxiety, interrupted sleep, lack of concentration and dependence on social media to generate gratification. The literature has mainly focused on understanding the FoMO experience, factors contributing to it and its consequences. Method: In this paper, we build on previous research and develop a FoMO Reduction (FoMO-R) approach that embraces technical elements such as autoreply, filtering, status, education on how FoMO occurs and skills on how to deal with it; e.g., self-talk and checklists. We evaluate the method through focus groups and a diary study involving 30 participants who self-declared to experience FoMO regularly. Results: The results show that the method was accepted by the participants and helped them to manage their FoMO. They also show that a set of extra functionalities in social media design is needed so that users can manage FoMO more effectively. Conclusion: FoMO can be reduced through socio-technical approaches, joining both social and technical skills, and literacy on how social media are designed and how social interactions should happen on them.
Journal Article