Psychiatric consequences of a father’s leave policy by nativity: a quasi-experimental study in Sweden

BackgroundParental leave use has been found to promote maternal and child health, with limited evidence of mental health impacts on fathers. How these effects vary for minority populations with poorer mental health and lower leave uptake, such as migrants, remains under-investigated. This study assessed the effects of a Swedish policy to encourage fathers’ leave, the 1995 Father’s quota, on Swedish-born and migrant fathers’ psychiatric hospitalisations.MethodsWe conducted an interrupted time series analysis using Swedish total population register data for first-time fathers of children born before (1992–1994) and after (1995–1997) the reform (n=198 589). Swedish-born and migrant fathers’ 3-year psychiatric hospitalisation rates were modelled using segmented negative binomial regression, adjusting for seasonality and autocorrelation, with stratified analyses by region of origin, duration of residence, and partners’ nativity.ResultsFrom immediately pre-reform to post-reform, the proportion of fathers using parental leave increased from 63.6% to 86.4% of native-born and 37.1% to 51.2% of migrants. Swedish-born fathers exhibited no changes in psychiatric hospitalisation rates post-reform, whereas migrants showed 36% decreased rates (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.86). Migrants from regions not predominantly consisting of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries (IRR 0.50, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.33), and those with migrant partners (IRR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.38), experienced the greatest decreases in psychiatric hospitalisation rates.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that policies oriented towards promoting father’s use of parental leave may help to reduce native–migrant health inequalities, with broader benefits for family well-being and child development.

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Association between the COVID-19 pandemic and pertussis in France using multiple nationwide data sources

10.1101/2021.07.16.21260367 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Soraya Matczak ◽

Corinne Levy ◽

Camille Fortas ◽

Jeremie F. Cohen ◽

Stephane Bechet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Data Sources ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

National Network ◽

Vaccination Recommendations ◽

Quasi Experimental

Background: Interventions to mitigate coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic may impact other respiratory diseases such as pertussis. We aimed to study the course of pertussis in France over an 8-year period and its association with COVID-19 mitigation strategies, using multiple nationwide data sources. Methods: We analyzed the number of French pertussis cases between 2013 and 2020, using the PCR test results from nationwide outpatient laboratories (Source 1) and the pediatric network of 41 hospitals (Source 2), and using the reports of an office-based pediatric national network (Source 3). We conducted a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series analysis, relying on negative binomial regression models. The models accounted for seasonality, longterm cycles, and secular trend, and included a binary variable for the first national lockdown (ordered on March 16, 2021). Results: We identified 19,039 cases of pertussis from the three data sources during the study period. There was a significant decrease of pertussis cases following the implementation of mitigation measures, with adjusted incidence rate ratios of 0.102 (95% CI 0.040-0.256) and 0.216 (95% CI 0.071-0.656) for Source 1 and Source 2, respectively. The association was confirmed in Source 3 (median of 1 [IQR 0-2] vs. 0 [IQR 0-0] pertussis cases per month before and after lockdown, respectively, p=0.0048). Conclusion: The drastic reduction of outpatient and hospitalized cases of pertussis strongly suggests an impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures and their consequences on pertussis epidemiology. Pertussis vaccination recommendations should be carefully followed, and disease monitoring should be continued to detect any resurgence after relaxation of mitigation measures.

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Perceived Neighborhood Disorder, Social Cohesion, and Depressive Symptoms among Spousal Caregivers

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3714 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1049-1049

Author(s):

Yeon Jin Choi ◽

Jennifer Ailshire

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Well Being ◽

Spousal Caregivers ◽

Neighborhood Disorder ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Neighborhood Social Cohesion

Abstract Most prior research on caregivers’ mental health focused on individual or household factors, we know much less about the influence of neighborhood factors on mental health of spousal caregivers. The current study fills the gap in our knowledge by examining the association of neighborhood characteristics (i.e., perceived neighborhood disorder and neighborhood social cohesion) and depressive symptoms among spousal caregivers. We used data from 2006 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, which includes 2,362 spousal caregivers. Negative binomial regression models were estimated to examine the association of perceived neighborhood disorder and neighborhood social cohesion with depressive symptoms. A greater perceived neighborhood disorder was associated with higher CES-D scores, which indicates more depressive symptoms. On the other hand, a higher level of neighborhood social cohesion was associated with lower CES-D scores. When they were included in the same model, the association between neighborhood disorder and depression disappeared, while respondents who reported higher levels of neighborhood social cohesion continue to exhibit lower CES-D scores than those lived in less cohesive neighborhoods. This study highlights the importance of neighborhood contexts in understanding caregivers’ well-being. Findings of this study suggest that neighborhood social cohesion may attenuate the negative effects of neighborhood disorder. Therefore, enhancing positive characteristics of the neighborhood may promote well-being of spousal caregivers.

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Population-level impact of infant 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination on adult pneumonia hospitalisations in Finland

Thorax ◽

10.1136/thoraxjnl-2017-210440 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 262-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Omar Okasha ◽

Hanna Rinta-Kokko ◽

Arto A Palmu ◽

Esa Ruokokoski ◽

Jukka Jokinen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Population Level ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

The Elderly ◽

Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Entire Study ◽

Before And After ◽

International Statistical Classification

IntroductionLimited data are available on population-level herd effects of infant 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) programmes on pneumonia. We assessed national trends in pneumococcal and all-cause pneumonia hospitalisations in adults aged ≥18 years, before and after infant PCV10 introduction in 2010.MethodsMonthly hospitalisation rates of International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10)-coded primary discharge diagnoses compatible with pneumonia from 2004–2005 to 2014–2015 were calculated with population denominators from the population register. Trends in pneumonia before and after PCV10 introduction were assessed with interrupted time-series analysis. Rates during the PCV10 period were estimated from adjusted negative binomial regression model and compared with those projected as continuation of the pre-PCV10 trend. All-cause hospitalisations were assessed for control purposes.ResultsBefore PCV10, the all-cause pneumonia rate in adults aged ≥18 years increased annually by 2.4%, followed by a 4.7% annual decline during the PCV10 period. In 2014–2015, the overall all-cause pneumonia hospitalisation rate was 109.3/100 000 (95% CI 96.5 to 121.9) or 15.4% lower than the expected rate. A significant 6.7% decline was seen in persons aged ≥65 years (131.5/100 000), which translates to 1456 fewer pneumonia hospitalisations annually. In comparison, hospitalisations other than pneumonia decreased by 3.5% annually throughout the entire study period.ConclusionThese national data suggest that herd protection from infant PCV10 programme has reversed the increasing trend and substantially decreased all-cause pneumonia hospitalisations in adults, particularly the elderly.

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An Analysis of State-Level Policies and Opioid Overdose Deaths

Western Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/0193945919897538 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 535-542

Author(s):

Nicole Adams ◽

Ellen Gundlach ◽

Ching-Wei Cheng

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

State Level ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Opioid Overdose ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Community Members ◽

Minimal Impact ◽

Regulatory Changes ◽

Overdose Deaths

Many legislative and regulatory changes have occurred at the state level in response to the opioid crisis in an attempt to decrease overdose deaths. We conducted a negative binomial, regression-based, interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the effects of policies on opioid overdose death counts for 2008–2017 in five Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. Except for the Good Samaritan laws in Illinois, no single policy change was statistically significant in decreasing overdose deaths. Governmental involvement as a whole was significantly associated with an increase in overdose deaths in Indiana. Policies created to address opioid overdose mortality have had minimal impact in these five Midwestern states. Most of the legislation and regulation that have been created lack educational components for prescribers and community members, which may explain why these policies have not had the intended effect.

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Fire Incidents in a Mental Health Setting: Effects of Implementing Smokefree Polices and Permitting the Use of Different Types of E-Cigarettes

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17238951 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (23) ◽

pp. 8951

Author(s):

Debbie Robson ◽

Gilda Spaducci ◽

Ann McNeill ◽

Mary Yates ◽

Melissa Wood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

False Alarm ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Smoke Detector ◽

False Alarms ◽

Health Care Settings ◽

Smokefree Policy

Comprehensive smokefree policies in health care settings can have a positive impact on patients’ smoking behaviour, but implementation is impeded by concern that surreptitious smoking may increase fire incidents. We investigated the incidence of routinely reported fire and false alarm incidents in a large mental health organisation in England over an 81-month period when different elements of a smokefree policy were implemented. We used negative binomial regression models to test associations between rates of fire and false alarm incidents and three hospital smokefree policy periods with mutual adjustment for occupied bed days: (1) an indoor policy which allowed disposable e-cigarettes; (2) a comprehensive policy which allowed disposable e-cigarettes; and (3) a comprehensive policy with all e-cigarette types allowed. We identified 90 fires and 200 false alarms. Fires decreased (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 0.35, 95% CI: 0.17–0.72, p = 0.004) and false alarms increased (IRR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.02–2.76, p = 0.043), each by approximately two-thirds, when all e-cigarette types were allowed, after adjusting for bed occupancy and the comprehensive smokefree policy. Implementation of smokefree policies in mental health care settings that support use of all types of e-cigarettes may reduce fire risks, though measures to minimise effects of e-cigarette vapour on smoke detector systems may be needed to reduce false alarm incidents.

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Racial Variation in Mental Health Court Experiences and the Associations of These Experiences With Recidivism

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854820921886 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (7) ◽

pp. 808-828

Author(s):

Woojae Han ◽

Jason Matejkowski ◽

Sungkyu Lee

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Mental Health Court ◽

Life Change Events ◽

Life Change ◽

Life Changes ◽

Racial Variation ◽

Program Satisfaction ◽

Binomial Regression

Little is known about how mental health court (MHC) experiences (including satisfaction and sanctioning, incentivizing, and life change events) differ by race and how this variation affects recidivism among MHC participants. This study examined how MHC experiences and recidivism differ between White ( n = 170) and Black ( n = 132) participants from four different MHCs in the United Sates. Negative binomial regression models, conducted separately for the two groups, indicated that life changes were associated with decreased arrests and that court sanctions were associated with increased number of arrests for both White and Black participants. Higher program satisfaction was positively associated with recidivism among Black participants only. To provide equitable services for people convicted of a crime with mental illness, professionals should acknowledge racial variation in the experiences of MHC participants (both within the MHC and the communities in which they are situated) and how these experiences relate to recidivism.

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Effect of Median Design on Rural Freeway Safety

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.3141/2060-04 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2060 (1) ◽

pp. 29-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Andrew P. Tarko ◽

Natalie M. Villwock ◽

Nicolas Blond

Keyword(s):

Opposite Direction ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Well Being ◽

Crash Severity ◽

Before And After ◽

Single Vehicle ◽

Median Width ◽

The Impact

Although median barriers are an absolute means of preventing drivers from crossing road medians and colliding with vehicles moving in the opposite direction, they may cause additional crashes. This perhaps complex safety effect of median barriers has not been investigated well. Being able to predict the safety impact of most types of median barriers on rural freeways is becoming more desirable because some state departments of transportation plan to expand many of their four-lane rural freeways to six lanes to accommodate increases in traffic volume. Realistic crash prediction models sensitive to the median design would provide the needed guidance useful in designing adequate median treatments on widened freeways. The impact of median designs on crash frequency was investigated in this study through negative binomial regression and before-and-after studies based on data collected in eight participating states. The impact on crash severity was investigated with a logit model. The separate effects of changes in median geometry were quantified for single-vehicle, multiple-vehicle same direction, and multiple-vehicle opposite direction crashes. The results were significantly different and indicated that reducing the median width without adding barriers (the remaining median width is still reasonably wide) increases the severity of crashes, particularly opposite direction crashes. Further, reducing the median and installing concrete barriers eliminates opposite direction crashes but doubles the frequency of single-vehicle crashes and tends to lessen the frequency of same direction crashes. The crash severity also tends to increase.

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The association between alcohol restriction policies and vehicle-related mortality in Cali, Colombia, 1998-2008

The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research ◽

10.7895/ijadr.v3i2.157 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 149-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jorge Mena ◽

Álvaro I. Sánchez ◽

María Isabel Gutiérrez ◽

Juan-Carlos Puyana ◽

Brian Suffoleto

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Drug Research ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Control Policies ◽

Alcohol Availability ◽

Alcohol Control ◽

Traffic Mortality ◽

Related Mortality

Mena, J., Sánchez, Á., Gutiérrez, M., Puyana, J., & Suffoleto, B. (2014). The association between alcohol restriction policies and vehicle-related mortality in Cali, Colombia, 1998-2008. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3(2), 149-158. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v3i2.157Aims: To determine whether the implementation of alcohol control policies was associated with changes in the incidence of road traffic deaths.Design: Ecologic study conducted using an interrupted time series analysis. Full restrictive polices banned alcohol between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Most restrictive polices prohibited alcohol between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. Restrictive policies prohibited alcohol between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. Moderately restrictive policies banned alcohol between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m. Lax policies prohibited alcohol between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.Setting: We used data of road traffic mortality in the population of Cali, Colombia from 1998 to 2008.Participants: The population of Cali in 2008 was 2,184,753 inhabitants; 47% were male.Measures: Aggregated daily counts of road traffic deaths. Restrictive policies were compared with lax policies to estimate the effect of reducing hours of alcohol availability using multiple negative binomial regressions.Findings: There was a decreased risk of road traffic mortality in periods when moderately restrictive policies were in effect (IRR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.72–0.97, p = 0.019). There was an even lower risk of road traffic deaths in periods when most restrictive policies were in effect (IRR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.58–0.85, p < 0.001). In motorcyclists, most restrictive (IRR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38–0.81, p = 0.002) and full restrictive policies (IRR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29–0.94, p = 0.032) were associated with decreased risk of mortality.Conclusions: Our findings support more restrictive alcohol control policies to reduce road traffic mortality. Specifically, reducing the time of alcohol availability was associated with a decrease in road traffic death rates.

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the General Mental Health in Sweden: No Observed Changes in the Dispensed Amount of Common Psychotropic Medications in the Region of Scania

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.731297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mirjam Wolfschlag ◽

Cécile Grudet ◽

Anders Håkansson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Psychotropic Medications ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Swedish Population ◽

General Mental Health ◽

Before And After ◽

The One

Some first investigations have focused on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the general mental health after its outbreak in 2020. According to multiple self-reporting surveys, symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression have risen worldwide. Even some studies based on health care records start to be published, providing more objective and statistically reliable results. Additionally, concerns have been raised, to what extend the access to mental health care has been compromised by the COVID-19 outbreak. The aim of this study was to detect changes in prescription trends of common psychotropic medications in the Swedish region of Scania. The monthly dispensed amounts of selected pharmaceuticals were compared from January 2018 until January 2021, regarding the prescription trends before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Using an interrupted time series analysis for each medication, no general trend changes were observed. On the one hand, a possible deterioration of the general mental health could not be confirmed by these results. On the other hand, the access to mental health care did not seem to be impaired by the pandemic. When interpreting findings related to the COVID-19 pandemic, regional differences and country-specific approaches for coping with the pandemic should be considered. The Swedish population, for instance, never experienced a full “lock-down” and within Sweden the time point of the outbreak waves differed regionally. In general, the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health are still unclear and need to be investigated further in an international comparison.

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The Association between Age and Depressive Symptoms among Older Men and Women in Europe. Findings from SHARE

Comparative Population Studies ◽

10.12765/cpos-2011-02 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Isabella Buber ◽

Henriette Engelhardt

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Binomial Regression ◽

Older Men And Women

Empirical evidence of the effects of age on depressive symptoms is mixed, ranging from positive to zero to negative effects, depending on the modelling of the age-depression profile. This paper uses internationally comparative data to analyse the association between age and the prevalence of symptoms of depression, controlling for well-known determinants of mental health. Based on the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), depressive symptoms of 28,538 persons aged 50 to 89 from eleven European countries and Israel are analysed using a negative binomial regression model. The results indicate that the number of depressive symptoms measured by EURO-D scores increase with age and are higher among women than among men. When including socio-demographic characteristics, health conditions and economic strains, the association between depressive symptoms and age vanishes for men, and even reverses for women. Thus, the association between age and mental health is mediated by the health and living conditions of older persons; age by itself has no explanatory power.

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