scholarly journals Barriers and facilitators to recognize and discuss depression and anxiety experienced by adults with vision impairment or blindness: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edine P. J. van Munster ◽  
Hilde P. A. van der Aa ◽  
Peter Verstraten ◽  
Ruth M. A. van Nispen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Structured Interviews

Abstract Background Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent, but often unrecognized in adults with vision impairment (VI) or blindness. The purpose of this study was to explore visually impaired and blind adults’ views on facilitators and barriers in recognizing and discussing mental health problems. Methods Semi-structured interviews, based on the Integrated Model for Change, were conducted with 16 visually impaired or blind adults receiving support from three Dutch low vision service organizations. Interview data was analyzed using the framework approach. Results Participants perceived their focus on practical support with regard to their VI, lack of mental health literacy, and misattribution of symptoms of depression or anxiety as barriers for recognizing mental health problems. With regard to discussing mental health problems, they perceived difficulties in acknowledging their VI and mental health problems due to feelings of vulnerability and inequality. Participants mentioned that their social support system and healthcare providers (could) facilitate them in recognizing and discussing mental health problems. However, participants thought that healthcare providers currently often lacked the knowledge, skills and attitude to recognize and discuss this topic with their clients. Conclusion Our findings suggest that visually impaired and blind adults may experience several barriers to recognize, acknowledge and discuss mental health. Healthcare providers and social support systems seem essential for them in reducing these barriers. However, there might be a mismatch between the needs of visually impaired and blind adults and healthcare providers’ knowledge, skills and attitude. Training healthcare providers may improve detection of depression and anxiety in adults with VI or blindness, and enhance clinician-patient communication on mental health.

scholarly journals Barriers and Facilitators to Identify and Discuss Depression and Anxiety in Visually Impaired Adults: A Qualitative Study on the Service User’s Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edine P.J. van Munster ◽  
Hilde P.A. van der Aa ◽  
Peter Verstraten ◽  
Ruth M.A. van Nispen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Framework Approach ◽  
Social Support Systems

Abstract Background. Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent, but often unrecognized in adults with visual impairment (VI). The purpose of this study was to explore service users’ views on facilitators and barriers in identifying and discussing mental health problems in adults with VI. Methods. Semi-structured interviews, based on the Integrated Model for Change, were conducted with 16 service users from three Dutch low vision service organizations. Interview data was analyzed using the framework approach. Results. Prominent themes in service users’ cognitions and skills were their focus on VI, lack of health literacy, misattribution of symptoms and difficulties in acknowledging their VI and mental health problems. Informal and formal support were seen as facilitators. However, participants mentioned the need of improving healthcare providers’ knowledge, skills and attitude to increase the likelihood of detection and communication about depression and anxiety. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that, compared to barriers experienced in general population, adults with VI face additional barriers in identifying and discussing mental health problems, partly caused by their impairment and increased vulnerability. Healthcare providers and social support systems seem essential for them in reducing these barriers. However, there might be a mismatch between service users’ needs and healthcare providers’ knowledge, skills and attitude. Training healthcare providers may improve detection of depression and anxiety in adults with VI.

Safe but isolated – an interview study with Iraqi refugees in Sweden about social networks, social support, and mental health

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402095425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Sundvall ◽  
David Titelman ◽  
Valerie DeMarinis ◽  
Liubov Borisova ◽  
Önver Çetrez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Iraqi Refugees ◽  
Structured Interviews

Background: Problems with social networks and social support are known to be associated with mental ill-health in refugees. Social support after migration promotes resilience. Aim: To study how Iraqi refugees who arrived in Sweden after the year 2000 perceived their social networks and social support, and to relate the observed network characteristics and changes to the refugees’ mental health and well-being. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 31 refugees, including questions on background and migration experiences, a biographical network map, and three health assessment scales. The findings were analysed with descriptive statistics and content thematic analysis. Results: The respondents’ networks were diminished. Social support was continued to be provided mainly by family members and supplemented by support from authorities. The main themes of the refugee experience of post-migration challenges were weakened social networks, barriers to integration and challenges to cultural and religious belonging. Failed reunion and worrying about relatives was described as particularly painful. Negative contacts with authority persons were often seen as humiliating or discriminating. Acquiring a new cultural belonging was described as challenging. At the same time, changing family and gender roles made it more difficult to preserve and develop the culture of origin. Traumatic experiences and mental health problems were common in this group. Family issues were more often than integration difficulties associated with mental health problems. Conclusion: In order to strengthen post-migration well-being and adaptation, authorities should support the refugees’ social networks. Clinicians need to address post-migration problems and challenges, including the meaning and function of social networks.

scholarly journals Understanding University Students’ Experiences, Perceptions, and Attitudes Toward Peers Displaying Mental Health-related Problems on Social Network Sites (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taewan Kim ◽  
Hwajung Hong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
College Students ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Design Guideline ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Health Related

BACKGROUND College students are at a vulnerable age; among those with serious mental health problems, this period is frequently when the first episodes appear. As a result, college students are increasingly disclosing their vulnerable, stigmatized experiences on social networking sites (SNSs). Understanding students’ perceptions and attitudes toward their peers who are dealing with mental health problems is vital to the efforts to eliminate peer exclusion and foster social support. OBJECTIVE This work aims to provide a better understanding of how college perceive and react to their fellow students’ mental health related activities on SNSs. We investigate how students recognize, perceive, and react to peers who display mental health related challenges on SNSs. METHODS Survey with 226 students, and semi structured interviews with 20 students were conducted at six universities in South Korea. RESULTS We revealed that a considerable number of college students did not proactively provide support even when they identified at-risk peers because of stigmatized content, unusual online activities, or a gap between online and offline identities. We found that the students’ lack of knowledge, confidence, and expectations as well as their desire to maintain distance from at-risk peers hindered social support. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of this study’s finding, we discuss SNS design guideline that would help these platforms facilitate support exchanges among peers while minimizing potential risks.

scholarly journals Impact of Longitudinal Social Support and Loneliness Trajectories on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in France

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12677
Author(s):  
Sandy Laham ◽  
Leticia Bertuzzi ◽  
Séverine Deguen ◽  
Irwin Hecker ◽  
Maria Melchior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Common Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Study

(1) Background: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social support and loneliness over time and how this may predict subsequent mental health problems. This study aims to determine longitudinal trajectories of social support and loneliness in the French general population during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and study whether variations in these trajectories are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety; (2) Methods: Analyses were based on data from 681 French participants in the international COVID-19 Mental Health Study (COMET) study, collected at four periods of time between May 2020 and April 2021. Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) was used to determine social support and loneliness trajectories. Associations between the identified trajectories and symptoms of depression and anxiety, measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), were tested through multivariate linear regression models; (3) Results: Social support trajectories revealed four stable groups: ‘poor’ (17.0%), ‘moderate’ (42.4%), ‘strong’ (35.4%) and ‘very strong’ (5.1%). Loneliness trajectories also identified four groups: ‘low stable’ (17.8%), ‘low rising’ (40.2%), ‘moderate stable’ (37.6%) and ‘high rising’ (5.0%). Elevated symptoms of depression were associated with poor social support as well as all identified loneliness trajectories, while high levels of anxiety were associated with moderate stable and high rising loneliness trajectories; (4) Conclusions: High and increasing levels of loneliness are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Interventions to address loneliness are essential to prevent common mental health problems during the pandemic and afterwards.

Social support, depression, anxiety, and quality of life among persons living with type 2 diabetes: a path analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632098428
Author(s):  
Henry Obo ◽  
Nuworza Kugbey ◽  
Ethel Atefoe
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Depression And Anxiety

Co-morbid mental health problems among persons living with type 2 diabetes have a significant influence on diabetic persons’ self-care and, ultimately, quality of life. However, the mechanisms linking the co-morbid mental health problems of type 2 diabetes patients to the decreased quality of life are not fully understood. This study examined the direct and indirect influences of co-morbid depression and anxiety on the quality of life of 115 persons living with type 2 diabetes, using a cross-sectional survey design. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data, and the Pearson correlation was used to determine the bivariate association between the study variables. PROCESS Macro in SPSS was used for mediation analyses. The findings show that depression and anxiety had significant negative correlations with the quality of life of persons living with type 2 diabetes. However, only depression had a significant negative correlation with social support. On the contrary, social support significantly and positively correlated with quality of life. The mediation analysis shows that social support partially mediated the relationship between depression and quality of life after adjusting for the sex of the participants. However, social support did not have a significant mediation effect on the link between anxiety and quality of life after adjusting for the sex of the participants. The availability of social support, especially peer support, could buffer the negative emotional experiences associated with living with type 2 diabetes and improve the quality of life for persons living with this health condition.

scholarly journals Trajectory of Food Insecurity and Its Association with Longitudinal Mental Health and Sleep Outcomes in Adolescents from Economically Disadvantaged Families

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1696
Author(s):  
Ting-Hsuan Lee ◽  
Jen-Hao Kuo ◽  
Chia-Yi Liu ◽  
Yi-Fang Yu ◽  
Carol Strong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Disadvantaged Families

Background: Adolescence is a critical transition period in the course of human development. Although food insecurity (FI) has been shown to be associated with adverse mental health and sleep outcomes in US adolescents, there is a paucity of research examining the relationships between FI, mental health, and sleep outcomes in Taiwanese adolescents. Furthermore, it is unknown how the change of FI over time (i.e., the trajectory of FI) is related to health outcomes. Methods: The data come from the Taiwan Database of Children and Youth in Poverty, which is a national longitudinal project measuring FI in five survey waves (2009–2017). We employed group-based trajectory modeling to classify various FI trends over the five waves using STATA. Furthermore, a generalized estimating equation analysis was conducted with FI trajectories as the independent variable to see how FI trajectory is related to mental health and sleep outcomes. Results: In total, 1921 participants aged 12–18 years in the first wave were deemed valid for the analysis. We classified the participants into four FI trajectory groups: persistently low FI (24.8%), persistently moderate FI (64.7%), declining from high to low FI (4.1%), and food-secure groups (6.4%). As compared to food-secure adolescents, the persistently moderate FI group was more likely to have mental problems (β = 0.30, [95% confidence interval 0.21–0.38]), while the other FI groups were only marginally associated with mental health problems. Moreover, adolescents in the persistently low FI group (β = 0.13, [0.02–0.23]) and persistently moderate FI group (β = 0.39, [0.29–0.48]) were found to have more sleep problems than those in the food-secure group. Conclusions: Our study describes the FI profile of adolescents from economically disadvantaged families and the difficulties they might encounter. With this information, healthcare providers can aid adolescents in the early stages of mental health problems and provide guidance when appropriate.

scholarly journals Trauma, Sleep and Mental Health Problems in Low-Income Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1145
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Fusco ◽  
Yan Yuan ◽  
Hyunji Lee ◽  
Christina E. Newhill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
The Relationship

Low-income young adults are more likely to have exposure to trauma, which increases risk for mental health problems. Although adequate sleep promotes good health, people with histories of trauma are more likely to have sleep problems. The current study explored whether poor sleep mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and mental health. A sample of 143 low-income 18–24-year-old young adults completed depression, anxiety, and trauma exposure measures and wore sleep monitors for four nights. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine both direct and indirect effects of variables. Results showed that higher trauma exposure was associated with depression and anxiety. Mean sleep hours per night was fewer than six, far below recommended guidelines for optimal health and functioning. Fewer sleep hours partially mediated the relationship between both trauma exposure and depression and anxiety, and the direct effect from trauma remained significant after adjusting for the partial mediation from sleep.

scholarly journals Investigating differential effects of socio-emotional and mindfulness-based online interventions on mental health, resilience and social capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic: The study protocol

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0256323
Author(s):  
Malvika Godara ◽  
Sarita Silveira ◽  
Hannah Matthäus ◽  
Christine Heim ◽  
Manuel Voelkle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Online Interventions ◽  
Epigenetic Markers ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Link Type

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to a mental health crisis on a global scale. Epidemiological studies have reported a drastic increase in mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, increased loneliness and feelings of disconnectedness from others, while resilience levels have been negatively affected, indicating an urgent need for intervention. The current study is embedded within the larger CovSocial project which sought to evaluate longitudinal changes in vulnerability, resilience and social cohesion during the pandemic. The current second phase will investigate the efficacy of brief online mental training interventions in reducing mental health problems, and enhancing psychological resilience and social capacities. It further provides a unique opportunity for the prediction of intervention effects by individual biopsychosocial characteristics and preceding longitudinal change patterns during the pandemic in 2020/21. Methods We will examine the differential effects of a socio-emotional (including ‘Affect Dyad’) and a mindfulness-based (including ‘Breathing Meditation’) intervention, delivered through a web- and cellphone application. Participants will undergo 10 weeks of intervention, and will be compared to a retest control group. The effectiveness of the interventions will be evaluated in a community sample (N = 300), which is recruited from the original longitudinal CovSocial sample. The pre- to post-intervention changes, potential underlying mechanisms, and prediction thereof, will be assessed on a wide range of outcomes: levels of stress, loneliness, depression and anxiety, resilience, prosocial behavior, empathy, compassion, and the impact on neuroendocrine, immunological and epigenetic markers. The multi-method nature of the study will incorporate self-report questionnaires, behavioral tasks, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches, and biological, hormonal and epigenetic markers assessed in saliva. Discussion Results will reveal the differential effectiveness of two brief online interventions in improving mental health outcomes, as well as enhancing social capacities and resilience. The present study will serve as a first step for future application of scalable, low-cost interventions at a broader level to reduce stress and loneliness, improve mental health and build resilience and social capacities in the face of global stressors. Trial registration This trial has been registered on May 17, 2020 with the ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04889508 registration number (clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04889508).

scholarly journals Factors in Mental Health Problems among Japanese Dialysis Patients Living in Heavily Damaged Prefectures Two Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidehiro Sugisawa ◽  
Hiroaki Sugisaki ◽  
Seiji Ohira ◽  
Toshio Shinoda ◽  
Yumiko Shimizu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Disaster Planning ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Great East Japan Earthquake ◽  
Specific Factor ◽  
Dialysis Patients ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Mitigating Factors

This study examined the prevalence of mental health problems and related factors among dialysis patients living in prefectures that were heavily damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Research was conducted two years following the disaster, and data of 1500 residents of the prefectures were analyzed. This study examined disaster related stressors, gender, socioeconomic status, health problems prior the earthquake, and social support, all of which have been identified as aggravating/mitigating factors in previous research on disaster survivors. We also examined advanced awareness of emergency planning as a dialysis specific factor. Mental health problems after the disaster were categorized into three types: PTSD and depression comorbidity, PTSD only, and depression only. Results indicated that people with comorbidity, PTSD, and depression comprised 7.5%, 25.0%, and 2.9% of the sample, respectively. Not only disaster related stressors but also health problems prior to the disaster had an aggravating direct effect on comorbidity and PTSD. In addition, social support and advanced awareness of disaster planning had a mitigating effect on comorbidity. These results suggest that advanced awareness of disaster planning is a dialysis specific factor that could decrease the occurrence of comorbidity among dialysis patients following a disaster.

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