It’s Time to Consider LGBTQ-Affirmative Psychology in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
pp. 263183182110604
Author(s):  
Kyle K. H. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Victim Blaming ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Western Influence ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Misconceptions

International studies have revealed stark mental health inequities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. While there is increasing awareness of higher prevalence of mental health difficulties among LGBTQ people in Malaysia, this issue has often been viewed through a cisheterosexist (cisgenderism and heterosexism) lens that criminalizes, pathologizes, marginalizes, and/or delegitimizes noncisgender and nonheterosexual forms of identities. Informed by LGBTQ-affirmative psychology, this viewpoint aims to scrutinize the common misconceptions surrounding the living experiences of Malaysian LGBTQ people; these include poor mental health among LGBTQ people, victim-blaming narrative of sexual violence, LGBTQ is a mental illness, and LGBTQ is a Western influence. This viewpoint draws on empirical and theoretical research, as well as international guidelines, to debunk these misconceptions. Recommendations are also provided for psychology practitioners and researchers to embark on the journey to supporting Malaysian LGBTQ people in a culturally safe manner.

scholarly journals The mental health of military veterans in the UK

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Burdett ◽  
Neil Greenberg ◽  
Nicola T. Fear ◽  
Norman Jones
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Not At Risk

Risk factors for poor mental health among UK veterans include demonstrating symptoms while in service, being unmarried, holding lower rank, experiencing childhood adversity and having a combat role; however, deploy ment to a combat zone does not appear to be associated with mental health outcomes. While presentation of late-onset, post-service difficulties may explain some of the difference between veterans and those in service, delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be partly explained by prior subthreshold PTSD, as well as other mental health difficulties. In the longer term, veterans do not appear to suffer worse mental health than equivalent civilians. This overall lack of difference, despite increased mental health difficulties in those who have recently left, suggests that veterans are not at risk of worse mental health and/or that poor mental health is a cause, rather than a consequence, of leaving service.

scholarly journals Prospective examination of mental health in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru Jia ◽  
Holly Knight ◽  
Kieran Ayling ◽  
Carol Coupland ◽  
Jessia Corner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
The Impact

Background: The impact of changing social restrictions on the mental health of students during the COVID-19 pandemic warrants exploration. Aims: To prospectively examine changes to university students mental health during the pandemic. Methods: Students completed repeated online surveys at three time points (October 2020 (baseline), February 2021, March 2021) to explore relationships between demographic and psychological factors (loneliness and positive mood) and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress). Results: A total of 893 students participated. Depression and anxiety levels were higher at all timepoints than pre-pandemic normative data (p<.001). Scores on all mental health measures were highest in February, with depression and anxiety remaining significantly higher in March than baseline. Female students and those with previous mental health disorders were at greatest risk of poor mental health outcomes. Lower positive mood and greater loneliness at baseline were associated with greater depression and anxiety at follow-ups. Baseline positive mood predicted improvement of depression and anxiety at follow-ups. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety were significantly higher than pre-pandemic norms, with female students and those with previous mental health difficulties being at greatest risk. Given these elevated rates, universities should ensure adequate support is available to meet potentially increased demand for services.

scholarly journals 1461Neighbourhood disadvantage and early childhood mental health inequities across a population of children at school-entry

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Alderton ◽  
Meredith O'Connor ◽  
Karen Villanueva ◽  
Lucy Gunn ◽  
Gavin Turrell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods ◽  
Development Outcomes

Abstract Background Mental health inequities are shaped by the environments where children develop, including neighbourhoods. Children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods tend to have poorer development outcomes, yet little evidence has examined positive mental health outcomes, like competence, in young children. Methods We examined associations between neighbourhood disadvantage and young children’s competence, as well as mental health difficulties (internalising and externalising), holding constant demographic characteristics and maternal education using multilevel logistic regression (Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimation). Data were from the 2018 Australian Early Development Census, including over 250,000 children entering their first year of school (age approximately 5 years). Results Children living in Australia’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods had higher odds of externalising difficulties (AOR: 1.34; 95% credible interval 1.29 to 1.38), internalising difficulties (AOR: 1.29; 95% credible interval 1.24 to 1.33), and lower odds of competence (AOR: 0.72; 95% credible interval 0.69 to 0.74) than children in the least disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Conclusions Across both mental health difficulties and competence, neighbourhood-level inequities were evident. Future research should identify specific neighbourhood features that could address these inequities. Availability of population linked geospatial and child development data in Australia offers opportunities to address these gaps and is prioritised as the next step in this research program. Key messages Children in disadvantaged neighbourhoods face lower likelihood of positive mental health (competence) and higher likelihood of mental health difficulties. Identifying specific neighbourhood features that could address these inequities is a priority.

scholarly journals The Stree Arogya Shodh: investigating gynaecological morbidities and women's mental health in India

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 86-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Patel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Lower Abdominal Pain ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Neurotic Disorders ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Health Significance ◽  
The Common

Gynaecological complaints have long been associated with poor mental health, in particular depression and anxiety, in higher-income countries. Lower abdominal pain (both menstrual and non-menstrual) and pelvic pain are considered the hallmark gynaecological symptoms associated with somatoform, stress-related and neurotic disorders (the ‘common mental disorders', CMDs). Cultural and social factors heavily influence the expression of somatic symptoms and metaphors for emotional distress, but little is known about gynaecological psychosomatic clinical syndromes in non-Western cultures, despite the enormous global health significance of gynaecological symptoms. This paper considers the specific example of the syndrome of abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) in India.

A Longitudinal Study of Mental Health in Emerging Adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica S. Bachmann ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj ◽  
Katja Haemmerli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Consistency Model ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Health Model

Emerging adulthood is a time of instability. This longitudinal study investigated the relationship between mental health and need satisfaction among emerging adults over a period of five years and focused on gender-specific differences. Two possible causal models were examined: (1) the mental health model, which predicts that incongruence is due to the presence of impaired mental health at an earlier point in time; (2) the consistency model, which predicts that impaired mental health is due to a higher level of incongruence reported at an earlier point in time. Emerging adults (N = 1,017) aged 18–24 completed computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2003 (T1), 2005 (T2), and 2008 (T3). The results indicate that better mental health at T1 predicts a lower level of incongruence two years later (T2), when prior level of incongruence is controlled for. The same cross-lagged effect is shown for T3. However, the cross-lagged paths from incongruence to mental health are marginally associated when prior mental health is controlled for. No gender differences were found in the cross-lagged model. The results support the mental health model and show that incongruence does not have a long-lasting negative effect on mental health. The results highlight the importance of identifying emerging adults with poor mental health early to provide support regarding need satisfaction.

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