scholarly journals Mental Health During Naval Deployment: The Protective Role of Family Support

2019 ◽  
Vol 185 (5-6) ◽  
pp. e703-e710
Author(s):  
Morten Nordmo ◽  
Sigurd William Hystad ◽  
Sverre Sanden ◽  
Bjørn Helge Johnsen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Introduction Minor mental health problems among service members deployed in combat areas are relatively common, but social support is a protective factor. With the advent of digital communication, as well as more frequent family separations, a stable family support system may be more important than before. In this exploratory study, we aimed to test the relationship between perceived family support and the development of minor psychiatric symptoms during a 4-month naval counter piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden. Materials and Methods We measured minor mental health problems with the general health questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and family support at three intervals, 3 weeks before deployment, 2 months into the mission, and at the end of deployment. We used mixed multilevel regression analysis to analyze the main effects of family support and time, as well as their interaction. All analyses were controlled for military rank. Results We found that minor psychiatric symptoms increased at both midway (B = 0.51, P < 0.05) and toward the end of the mission (B = 0.72, P < 0.01). The results also showed that receiving more family support is associated with fewer psychiatric symptoms (B = −0.87, P < 0.01). Family support also moderated the development of symptoms toward the end of the mission (B = −0.73, P < 0.01). The buffering effect was such that service members with a high degree of family support experienced no increase in minor psychiatric symptoms during the deployment. Conclusions The results indicate that naval deployment is associated with a small increase in minor mental health problems and that having a high degree of family support buffers this effect. Efforts to increase support among military families may positively influence the wellbeing of naval sailors during combat missions.

Met and unmet needs among adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability with and without mental health problems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Schützwohl
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Behaviour Problem ◽  
Prevalence Rates

Background: People with an intellectual disability (ID) show a great number and complex constellation of support needs. With respect to the planning of services, it is important to assess needs at the population level. ID services need to know to what extent support needs of clients with mental health problems differ from support needs of clients without any mental health problem.Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence rates of needs in relevant study groups. Methods: Data was generated from the MEMENTA-Study (“Mental health care for adults with intellectual disability and a mental disorder”). The Camberwell Assessment of Need for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (CANDID) was used to assess met und unmet support needs. Data was available for n=248 adults with mild to moderate ID.Results: Mean total number of needs and unmet needs was associated with mental health status. However, in most particular areas under study, individuals without significant psychiatric symptoms or any behaviour problem needed as much as often help as individuals with such mental health problems. A higher rate of need for care among study participants with significant psychiatric symptoms or any behaviour problem was mainly found with regard to these specific areas (“minor mental health problems”, “major mental health problems”, “inappropriate behaviour”) or with regard to closely related areas (“safety of others”).Conclusions: Differences in prevalence rates mainly occurred in such areas of need that rather fall under the responsibility of mental health services than under the responsibility of ID services. This has implications for service planning.

scholarly journals Childhood Adversity, Resilience, and Mental Health: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study of Chinese Young Adults

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987603
Author(s):  
G. W. K. Ho ◽  
A. C. Y. Chan ◽  
M. Shevlin ◽  
T. Karatzias ◽  
P. S. Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Chinese Young Adults

Resilience is a key health protective factor for those with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), but little research has explored how it manifests in early adulthood or across cultures. The purpose of this study was to generate a fuller understanding of resilience and its contribution to the relationships between mental health problems and ACEs among Chinese young adults in Hong Kong. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, 433 Chinese young adults aged 18 to 24 years were surveyed online to examine the relationships between ACEs, resilience, and mental health problems (depression, anxiety, maladjustment, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Among them, 34 participants with ACEs were purposively selected and interviewed to explore cultural factors that influenced their resilience. Quantitative data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression analyses; qualitative data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Higher cumulative ACE exposure was associated with higher severity of adjustment disorder and odds for screening positive for posttraumatic stress disorders, but not for symptoms of depression or anxiety. Resilience significantly contributed to explaining variances across all mental health outcomes over and beyond ACEs and in a protective fashion. Four themes emerged from qualitative interviews: (a) Privacy, emotional restraint, and “saving face”; (b) Conforming to preserve harmony; (c) A will to excel; and (d) Viewing adversity as a matter of luck. These findings suggest Chinese young adults’ resilience was influenced by cultural norms of restraint, conformity, competition, and superstition. The present study provides a model for future studies using a mixed-methods design to deeply examine resilience among younger people exposed to early adversities within sociocultural, historical, or geographical contexts.

scholarly journals Retrospective cohort study of compliance with post-deployment screening in the Canadian Armed Forces

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e029355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J H Beliveau ◽  
David Boulos ◽  
Dylan Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Canadian Armed Forces ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Probabilistic Sample

ObjectiveCanadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel who return from certain international deployments are required to complete post-deployment screening (PDS) 90 to 180 days post-deployment; the primary goal of PDS is early detection of mental health problems that aims for reduced delays to care provision. We investigated service members’ compliance with the PDS completion requirement and the factors associated with this compliance; a secondary objective was to investigate completion timing.DesignThe study used a retrospective cohort of CAF personnel (n=28 460) who had deployments over 01 January 2009 to 31 December 2014; inferences were based on a probabilistic sample (n=3004).Primary outcomeThe primary outcome was PDS completion. We assessed the timing of PDS completion, comparing non-compliant (early, late or no completion) with compliant completions (90 to 180 days post-deployment) among deployments that required screening. Kaplan-Meier plots summarised time-to-completion and logistic regression assessed the covariate associations with compliant completion. Covariate-adjusted marginal compliance prevalence differences (MPD) were computed.Results67.3% (95% CI65.0 to 69.6) of deployments that required PDS had one completed; 43.3% (95%CI 40.6 to 46.0) were completed within the compliant period. Compliant completion was higher with lower ranks (MPD=10.6%, relative to officers), combat arms occupations (MPD=8.4%), Afghanistan deployments (MPD=19.2%), longer deployments (MPD=10.1%) and among those without a past mental health problem (MPD=9.7%).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that some selective processes may be occurring where those perceived to be at higher risk for post-deployment mental health problems are more compliant with PDS completion. However, PDS completion and compliant completion were lower than expected and this suggests a need to reinforce instruction on the guidelines and objectives of PDS among service members in the CAF.

Psychological Problems in Christian and Moslem Primary Care Patients in Greece

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Androutsopoulou ◽  
M. Livaditis ◽  
K. I. Xenitidis ◽  
G. Trypsianis ◽  
M. Samakouri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff

Objective: Psychiatric problems are often expressed through, or coexist with, somatic symptoms. Cultural factors may influence this association. This study aims to 1) estimate the prevalence of mental health problems in a sample of primary care attendees in a rural area of Greece, and 2) investigate the differences in psychiatric symptomatology among patients from different religious/cultural backgrounds. Method: Over a three-month period, 300 consecutive adult patients (Christians and Moslems) at the rural Primary Care Health Centre of Iasmos in Thrace, Greece, were assessed with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. Results: The probable prevalence of mental health problems was estimated at 32 percent. Only for a small minority of the patients (3.3 percent) psychological problems were the presenting complaint. Moslems scored significantly higher than Christians in the somatic complaints subscale ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mental health problems are common in primary care although they rarely constitute a reason for consultation. Sociocultural background may affect the presentation of psychological distress. Primary health care staff have a significant role in identifying hidden psychiatric morbidity.

Empowering Families: Policy, Training, and Research Issues in Promoting Family Mental Health in Australia

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R Sanders ◽  
Sarah B Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Scientific Advisory Committee ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Training And Research ◽  
Family Mental Health

Many of Australia's most serious and distressing mental health problems are related to the breakdown of traditional family support structures. Regardless of age, people who live in families with high levels of interpersonal conflict, violence, poor communication and inadequate care are at increased risk for a variety of mental health problems. This paper summarises the main recommendations of a scientific advisory committee on families and mental health, which prepared the Healthy Families, Healthy Nation: Strategies for Promoting Family Mental Health in Australia (Sanders, 1995). The paper argues for the importance of better utilisation of existing knowledge concerning family support and intervention programs and for the importance of a preventive focus in the provision of family oriented mental health services. We also highlight some of the unresolved issues that should become a focus of future research.

scholarly journals Help-seeking behaviour in men and women with common mental health problems: cross-sectional study

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Oliver ◽  
Nicky Pearson ◽  
Nicola Coe ◽  
David Gunnell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour

BackgroundMany people with mental health problems do not seek professional help but their use of other sources of help is unclear.AimsTo investigate patterns of lay and professional help-seeking in men and women aged 16–64 years in relation to severity of symptoms and sociodemographic variables.MethodPostal questionnaire survey, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ–12), sent to a stratified random sample (n=15222) of the population of Somerset.ResultsThe response rate was 76%. Only 28% of people with extremely high GHQ–12 scores (⩾8) had sought help from their general practitioner but most (78%) had sought some form of help. Males, young people and people living in affluent areas were the least likely to seek help.ConclusionsHealth promotion interventions to encourage appropriate help-seeking behaviour in young people, particularly in men, may lead to improvements in the mental health of this group of the population.

Ageing and the prevalence and treatment of mental health problems

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 2037-2045 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jokela ◽  
G. D. Batty ◽  
M. Kivimäki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Cohort Effects ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Period

BackgroundAgeing is an important factor in the development of mental health problems and their treatment. We assessed age trajectories of common mental disorders (CMDs) and psychotherapy utilization from adolescence to old age, and examined whether these trajectories were modified by time period or birth cohort effects.MethodBritish Household Panel Survey (BHPS) with an 18-year follow-up between 1991 and 2009 (n = 30 224 participants, aged 15–100 years, with an average 7.3 person-observations per person). CMDs were assessed with the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Psychotherapy treatment utilization during the past year was self-reported by the participants. The modifying influences of time period and cohort effects were assessed in a cohort-sequential longitudinal setting.ResultsFollowing a moderate decrease after age 50, the prevalence of GHQ caseness increased steeply from age 75. This increase was more marked in the 2000s (GHQ prevalence increasing from 24% to 43%) than in the 1990s (from 22% to 34%). Psychotherapy utilization decreased after age 55, with no time period or cohort effects modifying the age trajectory. These ageing patterns were replicated in within-individual longitudinal analysis.ConclusionsOld age is associated with higher risk of CMDs, and this association has become more marked during the past two decades. Ageing is also associated with an increasing discrepancy between prevalence of mental disorders and provision of treatment, as indicated by lower use of psychotherapy in older individuals.

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