scholarly journals Mental health, compliance with measures and health prospects during the COVID-19 epidemic: the role of health literacy

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lize Hermans ◽  
Stephan Van den Broucke ◽  
Lydia Gisle ◽  
Stefaan Demarest ◽  
Rana Charafeddine
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Prevalence Ratio ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Normal Life ◽  
Low Health Literacy

Abstract Background The importance of health literacy in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic has been emphasized but scarcely addressed empirically. In this study, the association of health literacy with mental health, compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures and health prospects was assessed in a Belgian context. Methods Data were extracted from the third of a series of cross-sectional online COVID-related surveys (n = 32,794). Data collection took place for 1 week starting the 28th of May 2020. People residing in Belgium and aged 18 years or older could participate. Data were collected on sociodemographic background, health literacy, multimorbidity, mental health (depression, anxiety, sleeping disorder, vitality), knowledge about COVID-19, compliance with COVID-19 measures (hygiene, physical distance, covering mouth and nose on public transport and in places where physical distance cannot be respected), and health prospects (risk for health when returning to normal life and possibility of infection). Prevalence Ratio (PR) of poor mental health, non-compliance with the measures and health prospects in relation to health literacy were calculated using Poisson regressions. Results People showing sufficient health literacy were less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders (PR = 0.47, 95% CI = [0.42–0.53]), depression (PR = 0.46, 95% CI = [0.40–0.52]) and sleeping disorders (PR = 0.85, 95% CI = [0.82–0.87]), and more likely to have optimal vitality (PR = 2.41, 95% CI = [2.05–2.84]) than people with low health literacy. They were less at risk of not complying with the COVID-19 measures (PR between 0.60 and 0.83) except one (covering mouth and nose in places where physical distance cannot be respected). Finally, they were less likely to perceive returning to normal life as threatening (PR = 0.70, 95% CI = [0.65–0.77]) and to consider themselves at risk of an infection with COVID-19 (PR = 0.75, 95% CI = [0.67–0.84]). The associations remained significant after controlling for COVID-19 knowledge and multimorbidity. Conclusions These results suggest that health literacy is a crucial factor in managing the COVID-19 epidemic and offer a perspective for future studies that target health literacy in the context of virus outbreaks.

Mental Health Literacy in Iranian Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1551-1556
Author(s):  
Arezoo . ◽  
Behbood . ◽  
Alireza . ◽  
Salehi . ◽  
Hossein . ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Illiteracy

Background: Mental health literacy (MHL) is a relatively ignored determinant of community mental health in Iran, in which its level and determinants should be addressed. Aim: To investigate MHL and its components among Iranian adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. After multistage cluster random sampling, 500 high school students were enrolled. Previously validated Persian version of theMHL Scale (MHLS) was used for data collection. In addition, data on socio-demographic variables were also collected. Adolescents with an MHL score of less than 60% of the achievable score were considered as at-risk of mental health illiteracy. Relevant statistical analyses were used to determine the MHL level and its association with sociodemographic variables. Results: Overall prevalence of being at-risk of mental health illiteracy was estimated at 71.5 % (95% CI: 67.1, 75.6). Prevalence of being at-risk of stigmatization, inadequate self-help knowledge, and information seeking was 91.2 (95% CI: 88.3, 93.7), 60.3 (95% CI: 59.8, 60.8), and 36.6 (95% CI: 36.1, 37.1), respectively. Having religious beliefs was associated with the stigmatization component (adjusted OR= 2.66, 95% CI: 1.27-5.59). Conclusions: Prevalence of being at-risk of mental health illiteracy is high among Iranian adolescents. Mental disorders are highly stigmatized in Iran. Keywords: Mental Health Literacy, Health Literacy, Adolescent, Iran, Mental Disorder

scholarly journals Association between Childhood Suicidal Ideation and Geriatric Depression in Japan: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2257
Author(s):  
Ayako Morita ◽  
Takeo Fujiwara
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Prevalence Ratio ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Geriatric Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are assumed to increase the risk of depression in late life via development of poor mental health conditions; however, the association between mental distress in childhood and geriatric depression has not been directly examined. This study examined the association between childhood suicidal ideation and geriatric depression, using population-based, cross-sectional survey data from 1140 community-dwelling, functionally independent older adults in Wakuya City, Japan. We assessed childhood suicidal ideation by asking the participants whether they had seriously considered attempting suicide before the age of 18, together with geriatric depression, using the Japanese version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Poisson regression was applied to adjust for potential confounders and mediators. In total, 6.1% of the participants reported childhood suicidal ideation. After adjustment for sex, age, personality attributes and ACEs, childhood suicidal ideation was positively associated with geriatric depression prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.40, 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI): 1.04–1.88). The increased PR of geriatric depression remained significant, even after further adjustment for adulthood socio-economic status, recent life stressors and current health status (PR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.02–1.88). Further prospective studies are warranted, but efforts to deliver mental health services to children with suicidal ideation potentially diminish the highly prevalent geriatric depression.

scholarly journals Low health literacy is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tajdar ◽  
Dagmar Lühmann ◽  
Regina Fertmann ◽  
Tim Steinberg ◽  
Hendrik van den Bussche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Diabetes Risk ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Background Low health literacy is believed to be associated with behaviours that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. But there is limited knowledge on the relation between health literacy (HL) and diabetes risk, and whether improving HL could be a potential prevention strategy. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine the link between HL and diabetes risk among non-diabetic adults. Methods We used data from the Hamburg Diabetes Prevention Survey, a population-based cross-sectional study in Germany. One thousand, two hundred and fifty-five non-diabetic subjects aged 18–60 years were eligible. The German Diabetes Risk Score (GDRS, ranging 0 to 123 points) was used to determine the individual risk of type 2 diabetes. The short version of the European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16, ranging 0 to 16 points) was applied to assess the individual self-reported HL. Subjects were asked to self-estimate their diabetes risk, which was then compared with the calculated GDRS. Descriptive statistics were calculated to investigate group differences in the GDRS and self-estimated diabetes risk. Linear as well as logistic regression models were performed to analyse potential influencing variables of the GDRS as well as incorrect self-estimated diabetes risk. In three nested statistical models for each outcome, these analyses were adjusted for age, gender, educational level and the presence of chronic conditions. Results According to the criteria of the GDRS, 996 (79.4%) subjects showed “low risk”, 176 (14.0%) “still low risk”, 53 (4.2%) “elevated risk”, and 30 (2.4%) “high to very high risk” to develop type 2 diabetes within the next 5 years. In the statistical models including all control variables, subjects with “inadequate HL” scored 2.38 points higher on the GDRS (95% CI 0.378 to 4.336; P = 0.020) and had a 2.04 greater chance to estimate their diabetes risk incorrectly (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.33 to 3.14; P = 0.001) compared to those with “sufficient HL”. Conclusion The risk of type 2 diabetes is increased in people with inadequate self-reported HL. People with high diabetes risk and inadequate HL might be provided with educational programs to improve diabetes knowledge and reduce behavioural risk factors.

Precarious employment, psychosocial risk factors and poor mental health: A cross-sectional mediation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 105439
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Méndez Rivero ◽  
Eva Padrosa ◽  
Mireia Utzet ◽  
Joan Benach ◽  
Mireia Julià
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Psychosocial Risk Factors ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Precarious Employment

Health literacy and mental health of school principals. Results from a German cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Dadaczynski ◽  
Claudia Kotarski ◽  
Katharina Rathmann ◽  
Orkan Okan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

PurposeSchool principals are generally seen as key facilitators for the delivery and long-term implementation of activities on school health promotion, including health literacy. However, there is little evidence on the health literacy and health status of this occupational group. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health literacy of school principals and its association with mental health indicators.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional online survey with German school principals and members of the management board (vice principals) was conducted (n = 680, 68.3% female). Demographic (gender, age) and work characteristics (type of school, professional role) as well as health literacy served as independent variables. Mental health as a dependent variable included well-being, emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Next to uni- and bivariate analysis, a series of binary logistic regression models was performed.FindingsOf the respondents, 29.2% showed a limited health literacy with significant differences to the disadvantage of male principals. With regard to mental health, respondents aged over 60 years and those from schools for children with special educational needs were less often affected by low well-being as well as frequent emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Taking into account demographic and work characteristics, regression models revealed significant associations between a low level of health literacy and poor mental health across all indicators.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional nature of this study does not allow to draw conclusions about the causal pathways between health literacy and mental health. Although the sample has been weighted, the results cannot be generalized to the whole population of school principals. There is a need for evidence-based interventions aiming at promoting health literacy and mental health tailored to the needs of school principals.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate health literacy and its association with health indicators among school principals.

A nationwide cross-sectional study of difficulty waking up for school among adolescents

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Kinoshita ◽  
Osamu Itani ◽  
Yuichiro Otsuka ◽  
Yuuki Matsumoto ◽  
Sachi Nakagome ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Underlying Disease ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Waking Up

Abstract Study Objectives To determine the prevalence of and risk-factors for difficulty waking up for school among adolescents. Methods We used a self-administered questionnaire (140 junior high schools [JHSs]; 124 senior high schools [SHSs]) selected randomly in 2012 from throughout Japan. Results Total response rate: 60.7%. Data from 38,494 JHS and 61,556 SHS students were analyzed. The prevalence of at least one instance of school tardiness/absence due to difficulty waking up over a 30-day period was 10.9(95% confidence-interval:10.5-11.3)%/2.9(2.7-3.1)% for JHS-boys and 7.7(7.3-8.1)%/2.0(1.8-2.2)% for JHS-girls. The prevalence was 15.5(15.1-15.9)%/5.6(5.3-5.9)% for SHS-boys and 14.4(14.0-14.8)%/5.9(5.6-6.2)% for SHS-girls. We used ordinal regression to identify the risk factors associated with the experience of school tardiness/absence. Factors significantly associated with school tardiness in all four groups (JHS boys/girls, SHS boys/girls) were “no-participation-in-club-activities,” “early-morning-awakening,” “feeling bad throughout a morning,” “drinking,” and “smoking.” Among associated factors, the highest odds ratio was found for monthly smoking-days (none vs. at least one-day or more) for JHS-girls at 5.30(3.57-7.85). Factors significantly associated with school absence in all four groups were “no wishing to go to university,” “no participation in club activities,” “disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep,” “long internet use,” “drinking,” “smoking,” “poor-mental-health” and “feeling bad throughout a morning.” Among associated factors, the highest odds ratio was found for monthly smoking-days (none vs. at least one-day or more) for JHS-girls at 4.60(3.45-6.15). Conclusions These results suggest that the risk factors for difficulty waking up among adolescents are sleep status, lifestyle, and mental health, which can indicate the presence of an underlying disease.

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Students, interns and residents in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2333-2336
Author(s):  
Anum Arif ◽  
Minahil Iram ◽  
Sabih Nofal ◽  
Aima Sohail ◽  
Bismah Riaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Military Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Interns And Residents ◽  
The Mean

Aim: To assess prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress in medical students, interns, and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Doctors studying and practicing in the private sector have a higher DASS21 score (p = < 0.006) Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,

scholarly journals Stillbirth and infant death: mental health among low-income mothers in Mumbai

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Roberts ◽  
Solomon J. Renati ◽  
Shreeletha Solomon ◽  
Susanne Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Postnatal Depression ◽  
Perinatal Loss ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
History Of ◽  
Perinatal Grief

Abstract Background India has the highest number of stillbirths and the highest neonatal death rate in the world. In the context of its pronatalist society, women who experience perinatal loss often encounter significant social repercussions on top of grief. Furthermore, even when pregnancy outcomes were favorable, adverse life circumstances put some women at risk for postnatal depression. Therefore, perinatal loss and postnatal depression take a heavy toll on women’s mental health. The purpose of this study is to assess mental health among a sample of Mumbai slum-dwelling women with a history of recent childbirth, stillbirth, or infant death, who are at risk for perinatal grief, postnatal depression, or mental health sequelae. Methods We conducted a mixed method, cross-sectional study. A focus group discussion informed the development of a comprehensive survey using mainly internationally validated scales. After rigorous forward and back-translation, surveys were administered as face-to-face structured interviews due to low literacy and research naiveté among our respondents. Interviews were conducted by culturally, linguistically, gender-matched, trained research assistants. Results Of our reproductive age (N = 260) participants, 105 had experienced stillbirth, 69 had a history of infant death, and 25 had experienced both types of loss. Nearly half of the sample met criteria for postnatal depression, and 20% of these women also met criteria for perinatal grief. Anxiety and depression varied by subgroup, and was highest among women desiring an intervention. Conclusions Understanding factors contributing to women’s suffering related to reproductive challenges in this pronatalist context is critically important for women’s wellbeing.

scholarly journals Depression, sleeping pattern & suicidal ideation among medical students in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional pilot study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tasdik Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Suicidal Tendency ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Poor Mental Health Status

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.

scholarly journals Prevalence of psychosocial distress in school going adolescents in rural Pakistan: findings from a cross-sectional epidemiological survey

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S56-S57
Author(s):  
Syed Usman Hamdani ◽  
Zill-e- Huma ◽  
Hashim Javed ◽  
Azza Warraitch ◽  
Atif Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Psychosocial Distress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural Pakistan ◽  
At Risk Adolescents

AimsEarly interventions are recommended in adolescents to prevent long-term psychiatric morbidity. However, in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), where there are no child and adolescent mental health services, early identification of adolescents at-risk of mental health problems remains a challenge. Pediatric Symptoms Checklist (PSC) is used in preventive child healthcare services in a number of high income countries for early identification of children and adolescents in need of mental health services. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of self-rated, Urdu version of PSC to identify at-risk adolescents studying in the public schools of rural Rawalpindi in Pakistan.MethodWe did a cross-sectional epidemiological survey with all adolescents aged 13–15 years, studying in 41 public schools of Kallar Syedan sub-district in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. An adapted Urdu version of self-reported PSC was used to assess the psychosocial distress in adolescents in-terms of externalizing, internalizing and attention problems. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used as a gold standard measure. Youth version of PSC and SDQ were administered in classroom settings by trained research teams.ResultThe data were collected from 5856 adolescents (response rate 97%) between April-May, 2019. The mean age of the participants was 14.37 years (±1.06); 51% participants were female. The internal consistency reliability of Urdu version of PSC was good (Cronbach alpha 0.85). At the standard cut-off score of PSC ≥28, the prevalence rate of psychosocial distress in adolescents was 25.5% (27.4% in boys & 23.6% in girls). Using the SDQ total difficulties score ≥16 as a standard criterion; the area under the ROC curve was 0.85 (95% CI 0.82–0.88), with a sensitivity of 57.64% and specificity of 89.10% of PSC. If the sensitivity and specificity of PSC is optimized to 76% at the cut-off score of PSC ≥ 24, the prevalence rates of psychosocial distress in adolescents is increased to 41%.ConclusionIn our study, 1 in 4 adolescents in public schools of rural Rawalpindi in Pakistan have been identified at-risk of poor socio-emotional development. Urdu version of PSC is a reliable and valid tool to identify adolescents in need of psychosocial interventions in public schools of rural Pakistan. While the standard cut-off score yields a better specificity; PSC with relatively lower cutoff score can be used a screening tool to identify at-risk adolescents in public schools of rural Pakistan.

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