Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a major complication of poorly managed diabetes mellitus. Home care of individuals with chronic wounds is often supported by family members. The study aims to determine the burden of caregivers of DFU patients and the factors influencing this burden.

A descriptive-correlational research.

The study sample consisted of caregivers of patients who applied to the Diabetic Foot Council between December 2022 and November 2023.

The study included 101 caregivers who were primarily responsible for the care of the DFU patient, had been caring for the patient for at least 2 months, provided unpaid care and agreed to participate in the study.

Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale.

The mean age of the caregivers was 45.34±12.62, and the mean age of the patients was 59.57±9.18. The care burden of caregivers was 46.47±11.39. The highest levels of care burden were observed in the economic and dependency subscales. When the relationship between the independent variables of the model and the dependent variable was examined, it was found that providing support to move the patient [β=0.97; p=0.001] and the need for training in patient care [β=0.51; p=0.012] were independent factors that increased the burden of the caregiver, while the patient’s ability to follow his/her own medication [β=–0.46; p=0.039] was the independent factor that decreased the burden of the caregiver.

Based on these findings, further research is required to assess the effectiveness of professional healthcare services, self-care interventions and support strategies aimed at alleviating caregiver burden and enhancing care quality.

This study aimed to explore the experience of online sexual abuse among school-going Bangladeshi youth.

A convergent parallel mixed-method study. The quantitative strand employed a self-administered questionnaire survey conducted in classroom settings, while the qualitative strand used in-depth interviews guided by semistructured protocols. Data from both strands were analysed separately and then merged.

Grade 9–10 students from four randomly selected schools in both an urban and a rural area of Bangladesh participated in the study. A total of 456 students participated in the quantitative survey, and 16 were subsequently interviewed for qualitative data.

The frequency of online sexual abuse along with its contributing factors and patterns, including victim’s characteristics, perpetrator’s identity, potential avenue of abuse, knowledge and psychosocial consequences.

About 88% of the participants reported using the Internet, and nearly 53% reported being victims of online sexual abuse at some point in their lives. The occurrence of common sexual abuses included online grooming (53%), cyberflashing (38%), sexting (35%), sexual solicitation (18%) and sextortion (12%) among Internet users. The odds of being sexually abused online were higher among urban children (OR=2.04, 95% CI 1.21–3.45), who spent more hours daily on the Internet (OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.01–1.18), who visited more social media (OR=1.42, 95% CI 1.27–1.59) and who used more Internet devices (OR=1.93, 95% CI 1.25–2.98). Many participants were aware of these incidents but did not know how to respond to online sexual abuse. Social media, chat groups and video games were described as primary avenues for abuse, while unemployed male young adults and partners in love affairs were identified as the possible perpetrators. Psychosocial consequences such as anxiety, depression, helplessness, stress, distrust, lack of concentration, social isolation, self-hate and suicidal attempts were reported by the victims. Encountering online sexual abuse also manifested in academic underperformance.

Urgent multisectoral measures are needed to address online sexual abuse to safeguard children’s right to be protected on online platforms.