Mental health status of clients from three HIV/AIDS palliative care projects

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL KARUS ◽  
VICTORIA H. RAVEIS ◽  
KATHERINE MARCONI ◽  
PETER SELWYN ◽  
CARLA ALEXANDER ◽  
...  

Objective:To describe mental health status and its correlates among clients of three palliative care programs targeting underserved populations.Methods:Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) scores of clients from programs in Alabama (n= 39), Baltimore (n= 57), and New York City (n= 84) were compared.Results:Mean MHI-5 scores did not differ among sites and were indicative of poor mental health. Significant differences were noted among sites with regard to client sociodemographics, physical functioning, and perceptions of interpersonal relations. Results of multivariate regression models estimated for each site suggest variation in the relative importance of potential predictors among sites. Whereas poorer mental health was primarily associated with history of drug dependence at Baltimore and more physical symptomatology at New York, better mental health was most strongly correlated with more positive perceptions of interpersonal relationships at Baltimore and increasing age and more positive perceptions of meaning and purpose in life at New York.Significance of results:The data presented suggest the importance of assessing clients' history of and current need for mental health services. Evidence of a relationship between positive perceptions of meaning and purpose and better psychological function underscores the importance of existential issues for the overall well-being of those who are seriously ill.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Muir ◽  
Michael R. Cope ◽  
Leslie R. Angeningsih ◽  
Jorden Jackson ◽  
Ralph B. Brown

Migration is a standard survival strategy in the context of disasters. While prior studies have examined factors associated with return migration following disasters, an area that remains relatively under explored is whether moving home to one's original community results in improved health and well-being compared to other options such as deciding to move on. In the present study, we seek to address this gap in the literature through examining whether return migration, compared to other migration options, results in superior improvements to mental health. We draw upon data from a pilot study conducted 16 months after a series of volcanic eruptions in Merapi, Indonesia. Using ordinal logistic regression, we find that compared to respondents who were still displaced, respondents who had ``moved home'' were less likely to report poor mental health status (OR = 0.50 [95\% CI = 0.26, 0.95]). Likewise, respondents who had ``moved on'' were less likely to report poor mental health status (OR = 0.38 [95\% CI = 0.13, 1.04]). The results suggest that while moving home was an improvement from being displaced, it may have been better to move on, as this yielded superior associations with self-reported mental health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Mani ◽  
Ali Reza Estedlal ◽  
Mahsa Kamali ◽  
Seyede Zahra Ghaemi ◽  
Leila Zarei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The current corona virus pandemic is acting as a stressor or trauma, which not only threats physical health status, but also threats mental health status and well-being of people. Currently, COVID-19 pandemic is a life-threatening unpredictable condition accompanied with a large number of uncertainties. The present study has mainly aimed to assess mental health and the relevant social factors during this pandemic in Fars province. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 922 participants in Fars province, Iran, using internet-based data collection technique. All the included participants filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Moreover, demographic variables and some social factors were evaluated by asking some questions. All the participants were ensured of the confidentiality of the collected data, and willingly completed the questionnaire. Results Among the participants, there were 629 women (68.2%) and 293 men (31.2%). The mean age of the participants was 36.98 ± 11.08 years old. Four hundred twenty-five subjects (46.1%) obtained GHQ-28 scores above the cut-off point, and accordingly, they were suspected of having poor mental health statuses. Women, in comparison to men (OR = 2.034, 95%:1.62–3.28), and individuals aged < 50 years old, in comparison to those aged > 50 years old (OR: 4.01 95%:2.15–7.50), have poorer mental health statuses. Trusting on media, health authorities, and cooperation with policy makers, as well as having uncertainty on information about Coronavirus pandemic were also shown to be associated with poor mental health condition (P < 0.05). Conclusion The present study revealed that the number of those people with suspected poor mental health in Fars province significantly increased compared to a previous study using the same questionnaire. Furthermore, the participants who had less trust in media and policymakers were more prone to mental health problems. Therefore, it can be concluded that supporting people in these life-threatening pandemic crises is of great importance, so the policy makers and media must present reliable and valid information to people as soon as possible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Namrata Puntambekar ◽  
Maruti B Desai ◽  
Ashwini Kanade ◽  
Mangesh S Pednekar

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) has become a pandemic affecting health and wellbeing worldwide. In addition to the physical health, economic, and social implications, the psychological impacts of this pandemic are increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. Individuals with certain pre-existing comorbidities have been identified as a high-risk group for fatalities of COVID-19 infection. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the association of COVID-19 symptoms and the presence of comorbidities with the mental health of the population during this pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional web-based online study was conducted from 13thJune to 31stJuly 2020 and link was circulated using social media platforms. Participants were of age ≥18 and residents of India were included. HERO’s scale was used to assess the mental health status. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine associations. Results: Out of 1021 eligible individuals (460-females, 561-males), 15.2% females and 11.2% males reported poor mental health status. The COVID-19 symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, fever, and sore throat were associated with poor mental health among males, while only nausea, vomiting was associated among females. Also, the presence of any one or more comorbidities was associated with poor mental health across gender. Conclusion: Poor mental health was reported by both genders across the study population. Comorbidities and COVID-19 symptoms were significantly associated with poor mental health among males than females. These findings strongly support the need for an infrastructure to comprehend the gender-specific mental well-being as a core component of health across all the sections of Indian society. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumie Horiuchi ◽  
Kentaro Kawabe ◽  
Yasunori Oka ◽  
Kiwamu Nakachi ◽  
Rie Hosokawa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sleep is essential for mental health at all ages, but few studies have investigated the importance of sleep for mental health in early childhood. Therefore, this study examined the association between mental health and sleep habits/problems in children aged 3–4 years. Methods Children aged 3 to 4 years who were living in the community (n = 415; 211/204 boys/girls) were recruited for this study. Their mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and their sleep habits/problems were evaluated using the Child and Adolescent Sleep Checklist. Results Based on the total difficulties score of the SDQ, the children were divided into two groups: a poor mental health group (n = 76) and a control group (n = 339). In terms of sleep habits, which included total sleep time, bedtime, wake time, and nap conditions, there were no differences between the two groups. Regarding sleep-related problems, however, anxiety before going to sleep (p = 0.026), circadian rhythm abnormalities (p = 0.014), and sleepiness during classes outside of naptimes (p = 0.031) were significantly higher in the poor mental health group than in the control group. Multiple regression analysis showed that poor mental health status was significantly associated with sleepiness and snoring (p = 0.017 and p = 0.018, respectively). Conclusions The mental health status of 3–4-year-old children was associated with sleep-related problems, namely sleepiness and snoring. Healthcare providers should pay attention to children’s irregular sleep-wake patterns; moreover, interventions for appropriate sleep hygiene will reduce the psychological burden on both children and their families.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tasdik Hasan

Background: Depression is a major morbidity and the most common mental disorder among the medical students in medical schools globally. Undergraduate students suffer stress more due to their academic curriculum than the students of other faculties. In low resource settings like Bangladesh, there is a dearth in research on mental health of undergraduate medical students. This pilot study was conducted to add to the existing limited evidence by reporting the prevalence of depression, describing sleeping pattern &amp; suicidal tendencies among medical students. Relevantly, we have investigated to the overall mental health status among the medical students in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two medical colleges of Dhaka in between July 2013 to December 2013, among 221 Bangladeshi medical students from first to fifth year. By convenient sampling technique, data were collected by a pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaire and analysis was done by SPSS 18.0 version. Depression were assessed by validated PHQ-9 tool among the respondents. Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used for assessing overall mental health status. Results: Depression was found in 38.9% of participants with 3.6%, 14.5%, 20.8% of being either severe, moderate and mild depression respectively. 17.6% medical students had suicidal tendency or attempted suicide at least for once after attending medical school. The sleeping hours were inadequate and altered after starting this stressful academic course. 33.5% medical students had poor mental health status. There was a statistically significant association between poor mental health status with age group of less than 22 years and initial academic study year (1st to 3rd of MBBS).Conclusion: The findings are suggestive of a higher prevalence of depression among early year medical students and marginal predominance in males. Suicidal tendency is also higher. These calls for further investigation with situation analysis, qualitative explorations and surveys to explore the burden of such disorders in Bangladesh.


Author(s):  
Hari Krishnan R. ◽  
Hanitha Rajasekar ◽  
Suganthi S.

Background: The whole world became still, when a major pandemic COVID-19 started its toll across all developed and developing countries. It has caused both physical and emotional disturbances among all age groups. This study was done to evaluate the parental mental health in COVID-19 as this group is not given much importance. The major mental health problems associated with COVID-19 among parents are due to online classes which has caused depression, anxiety and stress.Methods: A cross-sectional study done among all parents, especially those of whose children are attending online class were included in the study. Convenient sampling was used to select 204 participants, GHQ 12 questionnaire was used for data collection on mental health status among parents.Results: Overall prevalence of parents with better mental health <19 was 108 (52.9%) and prevalence of parents with poor mental health >19 was 96 (47.1%).Conclusions: This study concluded that parental age of 31 to 40 years who are employed and have children studying in primary school to have a poor mental health status. The most important contributing factors for poor parental health were online classes for children and work place stress.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S55-S63
Author(s):  
Zan Li ◽  
Junming Dai ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Junling Gao ◽  
Hua Fu

Abstract Background Migrant workers worldwide commonly are susceptible to mental disorders. Since the 1980s, there has been a large-scale increase in the number of migrant workers in China; this development parallels the acceleration of socio-economic transformation. Studies addressing this population rarely focus on workers’ mental health or psychological well-being, yet it is imperative to understand the mental health status of rural-to-urban migrant workers and study the relationship between migration and mental health. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 3286 participants (response rate 85.4%) was conducted among different work units in Shanghai. All of the variables of this survey were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire, with depression measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and poor mental health (PMH) measured by the World Health Organization 5-Item Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scale. Pearson’s χ2 test and logistic regression were used to compare migrants with urbanites, and to identify factors related to mental health outcomes. Results Migrant workers (15.3%) had a slightly higher prevalence of depression than non-migrant (12.0%) workers, with notable PMH (26.9%) among participants >45 y of age. In the logistic regression models, those who reported low job satisfaction, unhealthy organizations, poor physical health (self-rated) and long working hours were 2.86 (95% CI 2.14 to 3.84), 1.42 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.91), 1.89 (95% CI 1.41 to 2.55) and 1.48 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.03) times more likely to have depression, respectively. Similarly, workers >45 y of age were 2.92 (95% CI 1.65 to 5.16) and 1.80 (95% CI 1.01 to 3.21) times more likely to have PMH for low job satisfaction and unhealthy organizations, respectively. Conclusions There are numerous potential causes affecting the mental health of Chinese internal migrant workers. Strengthening the construction of healthy organizations and enhancing workers’ job satisfaction may improve the mental health status or psychological well-being of this group.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jafar Hassanzadeh ◽  
Mohsen Asadi-Lari ◽  
Haleh Ghaem ◽  
Aziz Kassani ◽  
Mohsen Niazi ◽  
...  

Mental ill-health has increased among Iranian men in the recent years. Mental health is complexly determined by sociocultural, psychological, demographic characteristics, and some health-risk behaviors such as smoking. This study aimed to explore the association(s) between demographic factors, smoking status, social capital, and poor mental health status in a sample of Iranian men. The data were derived from a survey titled “Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool–2” in Tehran, Iran ( n = 11,064). A multistage sampling method was applied in the study. The General Health Questionnaire–28 was used to assess poor mental health status (range = 0-84, scores higher than 23 indicated poor mental health status). The data were analyzed using t test, chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression. The means of age and family size were 47.14 ± 17.26 years (range = 20-91) and 3.54 ± 1.32 individuals (range = 1-15), respectively. The majority of the participants were employed (57%, n = 6,361). The prevalence of poor mental health was 36.36%, 95% confidence interval (CI) [35.46, 37.26]. The components of social capital were positively associated with poor mental health status. Family size (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.93; 95% CI [0.90, 0.96]), job status (unemployed vs. employed, AOR = 1.34; 95% CI [1.16, 1.55]), marital status (widowed and divorced vs. single, AOR = 1.09; 95% CI [1.02, 1.17]), education level (illiterate vs. academic, AOR = 1.18; 95% CI [1.09, 1.29]), and smoking status (smokers vs. nonsmokers, AOR = 1.46; 95% CI [1.31, 1.62]) were directly associated with poor mental health status in the logistic regression model. These results suggest that social capital could be an important approach for men to attain suitable mental health and reduce mental disorders. The high prevalence of poor mental health in men merits more attention in mental health policy and program planning.


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