{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T10:25:17Z","timestamp":1792491917737,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,9]],"date-time":"2025-06-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749427200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The importance of executive cognition should not be overlooked in the private and academic lives of university students. It includes important constituents of the human mind, including but not limited to, organizing, directing, solving problems, and controlling oneself and these processes are central to surviving the rigors of higher education. Good executive function enables the students to perform complex tasks, such as fighting deadlines, understanding the course structure, and participating in many other activities. Further, it assists in arriving at resolutions and managing tensions as one transitions into adulthood, both of which are critical. In other words, executive cognitive deficits are correlated with problems in academic progression, time management, and overall adjustment to the possible social and emotional stressors of university experience. This cross-sectional study, involving 1,204 students, used the validated Arabic version of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) to measure executive cognitive function, along with demographic and lifestyle data. The results showed significant associations between executive cognition dysfunction and certain lifestyle factors common among generation Z, such as hours spent on smartphones or electronic devices (p &lt; 0.0001), social media platform use (p = 0.0484), weekly fast food consumption (p &lt; 0.0001), and daily hours on social media (p &lt; 0.0001). Additional factors included weak family relationships (p = 0.0018), gender (p = 0.029), family income (p = 0.0164), urban residence (p = 0.0176), prior mental health consultations (p &lt; 0.0001), and parental separation (p &lt; 0.0375). Conversely, regular sports participation and exercise were linked to lower dysfunction scores (p = 0.0327), suggesting a protective effect. These findings underscore the impact of lifestyle and personal circumstances on cognitive functioning, highlighting the need for balanced technology use, healthy diets, strong family and social networks, and physical activity. Early psychological support for at-risk students may further enhance cognitive resilience and overall well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0323783","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,9]],"date-time":"2025-06-09T17:27:01Z","timestamp":1749490021000},"page":"e0323783","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Prevalence and contributing factors of executive cognitive dysfunction symptoms in university students"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6352-5275","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohammad","family":"Fraiwan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fidaa","family":"Almomani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanan","family":"Hammouri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0323783.ref001","volume-title":"Stress & mental health of college students","author":"MV Landow","year":"2006"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0323783.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1007\/s40596-014-0205-9","article-title":"College students: mental health problems and treatment considerations","volume":"39","author":"P Pedrelli","year":"2015","journal-title":"Acad Psychiatry"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0323783.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1641","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-8624.2010.01499.x","article-title":"A developmental perspective on executive function","volume":"81","author":"JR Best","year":"2010","journal-title":"Child Dev"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0323783.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"446","DOI":"10.1037\/edu0000296","article-title":"Executive function and academic achievement: longitudinal relations from early childhood to adolescence.","volume":"111","author":"SF Ahmed","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Educ Psychol"},{"key":"pone.0323783.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-113011-143750","article-title":"Executive functions","volume":"64","author":"A Diamond","year":"2013","journal-title":"Annu Rev Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0323783.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-020-02542-y","article-title":"Empirical examination of executive functioning, ADHD associated behaviors, and functional impairments in adults with persistent ADHD, remittent ADHD, and without ADHD","volume":"20","author":"B Rosell\u00f3","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"pone.0323783.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dr.2015.07.001","article-title":"Executive function: reflection, iterative reprocessing, complexity, and the developing brain","volume":"38","author":"PD Zelazo","year":"2015","journal-title":"Dev Rev"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0323783.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1017\/S1355617798466037","article-title":"The ecological validity of tests of executive function","volume":"4","author":"PW Burgess","year":"1998","journal-title":"J Int Neuropsychol Soc"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0323783.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/09602011.2010.531216","article-title":"Dimensions of the dysexecutive questionnaire (DEX) examined using Rasch analysis","volume":"21","author":"SK Simblett","year":"2011","journal-title":"Neuropsychol Rehabil"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0323783.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1097\/NMD.0b013e31815faa2b","article-title":"The dysexecutive questionnaire advanced: item and test score characteristics, 4-factor solution, and severity classification","volume":"196","author":"S Bodenburg","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Nerv Ment Dis"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0323783.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1016\/j.acn.2005.12.002","article-title":"Improving the ecological validity of executive functioning assessment","volume":"21","author":"N Chaytor","year":"2006","journal-title":"Arch Clin Neuropsychol"},{"key":"pone.0323783.ref012","volume-title":"Behavioural assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome","author":"B Wilson","year":"1996"},{"key":"pone.0323783.ref013","first-page":"292","article-title":"New approaches to prefrontal lobe testing.","volume-title":"The human frontal lobes: functions and disorders","author":"DT. 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