Depression is a debilitating disease that leaves individuals persistently feeling sad or hopeless for more than two weeks affecting more than 300 million people globally. We applied several machine learning models with model explainability to a publicly available depression dataset. Several experiments were performed to assess the use of feature selection methods and technique to address dataset imbalance on diagnostic accuracy. The top performing model was obtained by logistic regression with excellent performance metrics (91% accuracy, 93% sensitivity, 85% specificity, 93% precision, 93% F1-score and 0.78 Matthews correlation coefficient). Feature importance was also generated for the best model. Explainable artificial intelligence method using LIME was applied to help understand the reasoning behind the model’s classification of depression leading to better understanding of physicians, thus demonstrating its use in clinical practice.
Social media is emerging as a popular platform for health communication and has gained an even stronger impetus since the COVID-19 pandemic. With conversations about mental health slowly building momentum in recent times even in developing countries like India, this study sought to understand the current status of mental health communication on social media in the country. The factors predicting these communication behaviours were explored as well. The data comprised 421 participants (Mean age = 28.26 years) hailing from metros, urban and semi-urban areas. Almost 64% of participants reported having used social media for mental health communication. The extent of mental health knowledge and empathy emerged as the most consistent predictors of indulging in mental health communication behaviours on social media. Almost 92% of participants reported that they observed an increase in these communication behaviours among people, as a result of the pandemic.
Fear of stigmatization has been a barrier for Thai undergraduate students to actively reach out to health practitioners for support when they experience a mental health problem. Commercially available mental health systems struggle to find a balance between effective clinical diagnostic capability and engaging user experience. In natural ambience, it is proven that users could better articulate their thoughts, which results in a higher efficacy of prescreening results in mental health assessment. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques are promising to enable this by developing a human-like digital assistant for mental health. The usability and user interface design of such mental health assessment tool should support the frictionless interaction while being compatible with the Thai context (e.g., language). To fill these gaps, in this study, we developed an NLP-based digital healthcare assistant as a pre-screening tool that can be used to detect undergraduate students’ anxiety levels and identify their needs for psychological support. We conducted a pilot usability evaluation of the system focusing on the system’s usability effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability. The findings can be concluded that creating a natural and user-friendly experience for users, with flexibility that allowed for individual preferences through a chat-based NLP system, results in an engaging user experience and less friction towards the adoption of the tool. These findings can be used to support the future development of an effective and user-friendly pre-screening tool for this particular user group.
This article reviews health beliefs, and attitudes of asylum seekers and refugees, using an adapted framework of the Health Belief Model. The systematic review included 15 peer-reviewed records retrieved from CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, and PsycArticles. Findings of this review show culture, tradition, fate or destiny, psychological factors, family, friends, and community were crucial influential factors in shaping asylum seekers, and refugees’ perceived barriers, fear, severity, and susceptibility in their health-seeking activities. In addition, knowledge and awareness related to the benefits of using modern healthcare services were motivators for different ethnic groups to take care of their personal health. Healthcare providers, educational programs, and support from family, friends, and community had noteworthy influence on triggering the health-related decision-making process among asylum seekers and refugees. This study offers practical implications for healthcare providers and public health community to devise culturally relevant strategies that will effectively target asylum seekers and refugees with diverse cultural, traditional and attitudinal beliefs about healthcare and health seeking activities. This is one of the descriptive review studies on asylum seekers and refugees’ health beliefs and their health-seeking behavior based on ethnicity grounds.
Stress and coping have attracted examination from viewpoints of students and faculty, but often separately. We aim to combine these perspectives by considering the interplay of stress and coping, and how these emerge among students and teachers at a business school where study structures have changed. Our findings indicate a strong connection between the stress experienced by students and by faculty. We subsequently categorise the various stressors as (1) those for which effective coping mechanisms exist, (2) those that exhibit tensions and require active management, and (3) those that are difficult to overcome because the coping mechanism for one group increases the stress of the other. Our findings contribute to the existing knowledge on stress and coping in higher education by combining the viewpoints of students and teachers. The study also extends understanding of business education and the role of study structures in the well-being of business students and faculty.
With the advancement of artificial intelligence, robots have entered the healthcare field and provided various intelligent services. Compared to the growing number of use cases for healthcare robots, conceptual, and theoretical research on healthcare robots is still in its infancy. There is a need to explore how healthcare robots play different roles in society with the improvement of AI technology. To fill in this research gap, we provide a conceptualization of healthcare robots and a summary of main categories of healthcare robots in previous research. This study provides a classification of healthcare robots according to their service roles and discusses their differences in different dimensions, including appearance, presence, AI and automation ability, and social ability. Finally, we propose future research directions based on the discussion to provide insights into the conceptualization of healthcare robots. This study contributes to IS literature by providing a comprehensive knowledge base for further theory-building processes of AI-based healthcare robots and providing design guidance to robotic designers in specific healthcare fields.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic is considered theworst global health crisis in the 21st century that caused unprecedented disruption to many sectors around the world (e.g. education, business, and tourism). Misinformation on social media is one of the major issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, which must be carefully considered. To address this issue, people's health information-seeking behaviours play an important role to access accurate and reliable information on social media. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire-based study in Myanmar, which is one of the developing countries according to the United Nations to understand university students' health information-seeking behaviours on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that social media plays a vital role to spread reliable and accurate information during the pandemic. The role of governments and authorities is also important to effectively use social media platforms (e.g. Facebook) to reach out to the public so that they can spread timely and accurate information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, users need to assess and verify the credibility of information related to pandemics on social media when they seek health-related information. This study suggests opportunities for further research in health information seeking on social media.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted globally on many industries worldwide (e.g., business and tourism). It has also caused unprecedented disruption to Thailand's educational system. For instance, regular face-to-face classrooms had been temporarily stopped and moved to full-time online learning in which educators and students have used commercially available e-learning platforms (e.g., Moodle) and conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom). Although e-learning platforms and conferencing tools have shown benefits for both educators and learners, social interaction is limited on such platforms. Alternative solutions such as Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have shown promise to solve these challenges; however, research is limited in using such VR technologies in higher education in Thailand. To fill these gaps, we conducted a comparative usability study of three different learning platforms (three-dimensional VR – Spatial.io, two-dimensional VR – Gather.town, and Zoom application) to understand differences in usability and user experiences in terms of students' engagement, enjoyment, and their sociability in learning. Findings suggest that due to its game-like environment and user-friendly features and user interface, Gather.town is the most promising alternative for online learning in higher education in Thailand. This study suggests opportunities for using game-like virtual classrooms for students to improve their engagement in learning.
The use of social media platforms can be related to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating habits. In online communities, users share common interests and discuss it. One trend has emerged around the hashtag Thinspiration, which refers to content that shall inspire consumers to be or become thin. One derivate is the K-pop Thinspiration. The research aim in information science is to explore how K-pop Thinspiration is different from the regular Thinspiration content on Tumblr. Therefore, images and texts of the posts are automatically analyzed by means of the calculation of colorfulness and emotional measures of the images, as well as a sentiment analysis and readability score calculation of the texts. In addition, a qualitative content analysis of 153 K-pop related Thinspiration posts is performed. Results show that the K-pop Thinspiration posts are closer to the ones of the control data set, than to regular Thinspiration posts.
Hong Kong has been regarded as one of the strong examination-driven systems worldwide. Under the current education system, local secondary school students have to sit for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) at the end of Grade 12. Although the continuing assessment reform since 2000 tried to reduce the number of high-stakes examinations for secondary school students (from two to one at the end of the six-year secondary education), it remained a high-stakes public examination because the examination results usually have a significant influence on learners' future pathways, including further education and employment. In respect of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, many international public examinations have been tried to be called off, but the Hong Kong government did persist in moving ahead with HKDSE. This aroused criticisms about whether the government has taken students' well-being as a top priority because the annual survey on DSE students' stress recorded the highest levels in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In this paper, the positioning and myth of HKDSE and its tie to Confucian philosophy will be examined. Students' well-being is also discussed regarding rescheduling the examination and the impacts on the mental health of all DSE students, notwithstanding the challenges that can bring to any successful outcomes. It is hoped to urge mental health education and promotion could be carried out systematically to improve its effectiveness.
Co-creation is a commonly used method in health technology development. At the core of the approach is the development of solutions in collaboration with potential end-users or other experts that represent end-users' views. In Finland, co-creation is commonly carried through in testbeds: real-world environments or environments that closely simulate real-world conditions. Most testbed services are provided by hospitals, universities, or cities – public sector organizations that have mandated core operations (such as research or patient care) outside the testbed services. It follows from this that the quality of the services may vary. In our ongoing research, we will focus on understanding the quality of testbed services through maturity, the state of repeatability and readiness to serve the customers.
The fast-paced business environment and newwork arrangements have elevated mental health risks, especially occupational stress and burnouts. Mental health becomes a critical aspect for occupational safety and health in office settings. Therefore, employers aim to improve employees' well-being and safety at the workplace through dedicated health initiatives. Internet-of-things (IoT) technology is increasingly being used for such purposes. However, its implementation in the workplace is accompanied by privacy concerns. In this study, we aim to provide a meta-synthesis of existing IoT solutions for supporting employees' mental health in office settings. We classify existing studies into use cases with possible implementation options. We discuss main challenges emerging from privacy concerns along the IoT data lifecycle. We contribute to the design of the future workplace through emphasizing the opportunity for the connected workplace in improving occupational health.
The use of technology to access information and other services is increasingly seen as an integral element to enhance participation in society. Recent years have seen an increase in research focusing on information and communication technologies for marginalised groups such as those experiencing homelessness. With reports of increasing levels of homelessness in Europe and beyond, an understanding of the current literature exploring how information and communication technologies are used to address homelessness and how this may impact the well-being of the homeless is of relevance to policymakers and social service organisations. This research aims to address this by investigating the use of digital solutions to serve those experiencing homelessness. The study explored and synthesised peer-reviewed literature to understand the use of technology to address homelessness. Preliminary findings highlight perceptions and use of various technologies among homeless people and the communication patterns of the homeless. Overall, the research shows how technology enables the homeless to access information and services and why it is important for vulnerable groups to be socially and digitally connected.
Importance of data - especially personal data - is increasing as a business asset. The role of data economy ecosystems is also growing. However, the individuals whose data are used in these systems are not respected as active members but are often seen as mere data sources. In this paper, we address the question about how the individuals could be respected through the creation of value congruence. We elaborate on the discussion about the personal values of Europeans to practices of the data economy ecosystems. Our brief analysis shows that the individuals should be respected as active members of data economy ecosystems by providing tools and information though transparent, honest and secure practices. In this, transparency seems to be the prime enabler of value congruence and thus, the basis of respecting the individuals.
This study investigated how international students were reflecting the learning environment and in particular, the physical and psychological dimensions of it. During the practical training in their homeland in Southern Africa area the student teachers used multiple learner-centered strategies, such as self-reporting, discussions in groups, learning cafés and teamwork. Based on the data, the trainees were managing these well. In addition, if their teaching methods were not working, they used meta-reflection strategies and critical thinking to find solutions for providing pupils better learning experiences. Regarding the physical learning environment, in their homeland schools, the trainees were reporting about the scarcity of materials, such as textbooks and furniture, but especially the technical devices, such as laptops, projectors or tablets. Some of the trainees reported finding replacement for this type of learning by using other than digital learning material, for instance crayons, posters or stones outside the classroom.
The number of people with memory issues—and especially with dementia—is a growing challenge that raises both economic and psychological issues worldwide, and most healthcare systems currently emphasise pharmaceutical solutions to managing the everyday lives of dementia patients and their families. This study sought to determine the real issues experienced by people with dementia and their caretakers and the solutions they use. The study was carried out in Finland, and data was collected by online interviews due to the pandemic. The results showed that most elderly enjoyed music, stories and especially from interaction with other people. Many also suffered from too little physical activity, and some from sleeping disorders, leading to problematic behaviour. As the social meetings designed for the patients and their caretakers were arranged in different locations, there were also issues with getting there. The results were to be applied when building the non-pharmaceutical solution.
We study the terms respect, employee empowerment, participative leadership and management, and technostress by exploring the literature and previous research. We categorize the current tools of a Finnish higher education institution used for participative leadership in the IAP2 framework of public participation. Based on the categorization we analyze the current situation and create a future vision for the leaders of the organization. We create three recommendations to enable better digital participation: 1) more focus on collaboration and empowerment instead of just informing and consulting, 2) discovering the possibilities and fixing the roles of the chosen digital tools, and 3) leaders could learn from the educators. We also suggest concrete actions for how to achieve the goals.
Trust has been a vital research topic in entrepreneurship research. Many researchers argue that trust gives the entrepreneurs legitimacy within the market, and it is considered as a factor for information behaviours. Meanwhile, respect is also mentioned as a fundamental for trust and a necessity for building entrepreneurial networks. Despite their significance and relevance, there is still a limited study focusing on the role of trust and respect in entrepreneurs’ information-seeking behaviour research. This paper, therefore, draws attention to this gap and strives to investigate how these two concepts impact entrepreneurs’ information-seeking behaviour. The results show that trust and respect are two fundamental aspects that influence entrepreneurs’ preference for information source selection. Furthermore, the findings show that both trust and respect act as a predominant factor for entrepreneurs to build and advance their relationships. Theoretical and practical implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed.
New opportunities for learning and teaching are introduced as the aftermath of the emergence of new digital technologies. Concurrently, change is taking place within the concept of literacy, as different dimensions of literacy have emerged. Information- and digital literacy are prominent examples of this, as their significance in the 21st century has received an array of scholarly attention. However, dimensions of literacy and technology acceptance within the educational context have been extensively bound to the discussion of digital natives and digital immigrants based on their age factor. A generalisation of this nature disregards diversity within the suggested groups, as differences can appear in other influencing factors. Hence, this study aims to look beyond age as a divider of digital nativeness, and instead takes a focus on other possible boundaries of characterisation. The results show that both information and digital literacy are important factors, and that literacy is a competence that depends on the access, frequency of use and the ability to use digital technologies. As such, the interactions of individuals with digital technologies should be used to classify individuals as digital native and digital immigrants.
The paper examines the adoption of new health information and communications technologies (ICT) among different groups of Icelanders, as well as how they perceive their abilities to use new ICT and their possibilities to receive help at it. Data was collected by a survey. Differences across age, sex, and education were examined. The results revealed that new ICT had only been adopted to a limited extent. In addition, the possibilities to do so were not regarded to be good, as the participants found it difficult both to start using new ICT and to get help at using technology when they needed it. The study concludes that for people to be ready to accept new health ICT and take it into use they need support through training as well as technical support.
