Childhood abuse is still a prevalent problem in modern societies. Adolescents with a history of harm become increasingly susceptible to being bullied. One of the overlooked physical and mental damage seems centered around altered perception of one’s body such as muscle dysmorphia. This study assesses the correlation between abuse, bullying victimization and dysmorphia, taking into consideration the co-moderating role of mindfulness and social support among Lebanese adolescents. A convenient sample of 403 participants aged 15 to 18 was included in the study. Adolescents filled demographic questions as well as standardized questionnaires for childhood abuse (Child Abuse Self-Report Scale), bullying victimization (The Illinois Bully scale), muscle dysmorphia (Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) and mindfulness (The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory). Our results show a significant correlation between history of abuse and bullying in adolescents and pathological concerns over their body. We further illustrate that factors such as mindfulness and a network of support, although negatively correlating with the psychopathological concerns, do not mediate the relationship between abuse, bullying and dysmorphia. Inasmuch as participants with higher levels of mindfulness and social support report less victimization and dysmorphia, taken alone, they are not enough to curb the burden of childhood-induced distress in teens. Addressing this remains a major challenge to avoid long term worsening of physical and mental health during the sensitive developmental stages at school.
Introduction Hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis is classically associated with neurological and cognitive symptoms. However, psychiatric manifestations, including psychotic episodes, remain underrecognized and poorly documented. Objectives We report the case of a patient with aqueductal stenosis whose psychiatric presentations revealed and recurred during the course of the disease. Methods We describe a 40-year-old male, with no family history of psychiatric or organic disorders, who initially presented in 2006 with a brief psychotic episode leading to the diagnosis of obstructive hydrocephalus by aqueductal stenosis. He underwent ventriculostomy with favorable outcome and significant improvement of psychiatric symptoms under olanzapine and valproate, discontinued after several months. The patient remained asymptomatic with good psychosocial functioning for almost two decades. In September 2025, he was admitted under involuntary hospitalization for acute psychomotor agitation and incoherent speech. Psychiatric evaluation revealed a well-systematized delusional syndrome with grandiose and persecutory themes, interpretative and intuitive mechanisms. Neurological examination showed no focal deficit, except for a sluggish left pupillary light reflex. Brain MRI confirmed stable obstructive supratentorial hydrocephalus with patent ventriculostomy. Results This case highlights the potential for recurrent psychotic manifestations in patients with long-standing hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis, even in the absence of acute neurological deterioration. It underscores the need for systematic psychiatric monitoring in patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, particularly when initial presentation involves psychosis. The interplay between structural brain alterations and psychiatric vulnerability warrants further investigation. Conclusions Hydrocephalus by aqueductal stenosis can manifest with isolated or recurrent psychotic symptoms, sometimes preceding or persisting despite neurosurgical treatment. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion and adopt an integrated neuropsychiatric approach in the long-term follow-up of these patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
BACKGROUND:Making a measure of orofacial pain available for use among Arabic-speakers might contribute to the development of prevention and therapeutic programs that consider psychosocial and behavioral determinants of the Lebanese population. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the Orofacial Awakening Symptoms Questionnaire (OFASQ) among Lebanese adults. METHODS:A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted during August-September 2025 and included 427 participants (mean age = 27.5 ± 10.6 years; 56% women). The OFASQ was translated to Arabic using the forward-backward translation protocol. RESULTS:Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported a single-factor structure with good fit indices (χ2/df = 2.67, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.970, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.941, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.144 (90% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.086-0.207), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.033). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α = 0.85). Measurement invariance across gender was established, with females scoring higher than males on the OFASQ. For criterion validity, higher OFASQ scores were significantly associated with worse sleep quality, more insomnia severity, and higher migraine. CONCLUSIONS:The Arabic OFASQ displayed reliability, validity, and cultural appropriateness for evaluating orofacial awakening indicators of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders in Arabic-speaking populations, validating its use in both clinical and research settings.
Our study explored the mediating effect of sleep hygiene between morningness-eveningness preferences and psychological distress among a sample of Lebanese adults. A total of 948 Lebanese participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study (mean age 26.93 ± 10.23 years). A self-administered survey was dispersed using the snowball sampling technique. The survey consisted of socio-demographic characteristics along with the following Arabic validated instruments: The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Patient-Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.27 with mediation analysis via PROCESS MACRO v.42 Model 4. Sleep hygiene fully mediated the relationship between morningness-eveningness preferences and psychological distress. Greater morningness preferences were significantly associated with better sleep hygiene (i.e. lower sleep hygiene scores). In turn, poor sleep hygiene (i.e. higher sleep hygiene scores) was significantly associated with higher psychological distress. The direct association between morningness and psychological distress was not statistically significant. Our study offered insight on important connections between sleep hygiene, morningness-eveningness preferences, and psychological distress within the Lebanese context. These results highlight the necessity of promoting healthy sleep behaviors and chronobiological awareness to improve mental health in this population.
BACKGROUND:Decision-making styles reflect stable individual tendencies in approaching choices and have been found to relate to health behaviors, clinical decisions, and psychosocial outcomes. The General Decision-Making Style (GDMS) questionnaire is a widely used instrument that assesses five distinct decision-making styles. This scale has been translated into many languages but not in Arabic, and has demonstrated robust psychometric properties across multiple cultural contexts. To address the absence of a validated tool for assessing general decision-making styles in Arabic-speaking populations, this study aimed to evaluate the validity, reliability and factor structure of the 20-item version of the GDMS questionnaire. METHODS:This cross-sectional study conducted between the months of November and December 2024 included 536 Lebanese Arabic speaking participants. RESULTS:Confirmatory factor analysis results supported the original five factor structure. Internal reliability was satisfactory as evidenced by both McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha: Systematic (ω = 0.76/α = 0.76), Intuitive (ω = 0.58/α = 0.58), Dependent (ω = 0.72/α = 0.72), Avoidant (ω = 0.71/α = 0.70) and Spontaneous (ω = 0.67/α = 0.66). Measurement invariance across sex was confirmed, with significant higher mean dependent decision making found in females compared to males whereas higher mean spontaneous decision-making style was found in males compared to females. No significant difference was found between males and females in terms of systematic, intuitive and avoidant decision-making styles. Higher systematic, dependent and intuitive styles were significantly associated with better work engagement and wellbeing. CONCLUSION:This study provides a reliable and valid Arabic version of the 20-item GDMS for assessing different general decision-making styles in Arabic-speaking populations. The scale has potential applications in several targeted applications in healthcare and research.
