scholarly journals Psychological distress, resettlement stress, and lower school engagement among Arabic-speaking refugee parents in Sydney, Australia: A cross-sectional cohort study

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. e1003512
Author(s):  
Jess R. Baker ◽  
Derrick Silove ◽  
Deserae Horswood ◽  
Afaf Al-Shammari ◽  
Mohammed Mohsin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
School Engagement ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Parent Characteristics ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
Resettlement Stress ◽  
Sydney Australia

Background Schools play a key role in supporting the well-being and resettlement of refugee children, and parental engagement with the school may be a critical factor in the process. Many resettlement countries have policies in place to support refugee parents’ engagement with their children’s school. However, the impact of these programs lacks systematic evaluation. This study first aimed to validate self-report measures of parental school engagement developed specifically for the refugee context, and second, to identify parent characteristics associated with school engagement, so as to help tailor support to families most in need. Methods and findings The report utilises 2016 baseline data of a cohort study of 233 Arabic-speaking parents (77% response rate) of 10- to 12-year-old schoolchildren from refugee backgrounds across 5 schools in Sydney, Australia. Most participants were born in Iraq (81%) or Syria (11%), and only 25% spoke English well to very well. Participants’ mean age was 40 years old, and 83% were female. Confirmatory factor analyses were run on provisional item sets identified from a literature review and separate qualitative study. The findings informed the development of 4 self-report tools assessing parent engagement with the school and school community, school belonging, and quality of the relationship with the schools’ bilingual cultural broker. Cronbach alpha and Pearson correlations with an established Teacher–Home Communication subscale demonstrated adequate reliability (α = 0.67 to 0.80) and construct and convergent validity of the measures (p < 0.01), respectively. Parent characteristics were entered into respective least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses. The degree of parents’ psychological distress (as measured by the Kessler10 self-report instrument) and postmigration living difficulties (PLMDs) were each associated with lower school engagement and belonging, whereas less time lived in Australia, lower education levels, and an unemployed status were associated with higher ratings in relationship quality with the schools’ cultural broker. Study limitations include the cross-sectional design and the modest amount of variance (8% to 22%) accounted for by the regression models. Conclusions The study offers preliminary refugee-specific measures of parental school engagement. It is expected they will provide a resource for evaluating efforts to support the integration of refugee families into schools. The findings support the need for initiatives that identify and support parents with school-attending children from refugee backgrounds who are experiencing psychological distress or resettlement stressors. At the school level, the findings suggest that cultural brokers may be effective in targeting newly arrived families.

Association of depression and anxiety with adherence in primary care patients with heart failure—cross-sectional results of the observational RECODE-HF cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Eisele ◽  
Malte Harder ◽  
Anja Rakebrandt ◽  
Sigrid Boczor ◽  
Gabriella Marx ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medication Adherence ◽  
Failure Diagnosis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure ◽  
Heart Failure Diagnosis

Abstract Background Psychological distress has a negative impact on the prognosis and quality of life for patients with heart failure. We investigated the association between psychological distress and the patients’ adherence to medical treatment (medication adherence) and self-care advice (lifestyle adherence) in heart failure. We further examined whether there are different factors associated with low medication compared to low lifestyle adherence. Method This secondary analysis of the RECODE-HF cohort study analyzed baseline data of 3099 primary care heart failure patients aged 74 ± 10 years, 44.5 % female. Using multivariable regression, factors relating to medication and lifestyle adherence were investigated in order to estimate the extent to which these factors confound the association between psychological distress and adherence. Results Psychological distress was significantly associated with poorer medication adherence but not with lifestyle adherence after controlling for confounders. We identified different factors associated with medication compared to lifestyle adherence. A higher body mass index, a less developed social network, living alone, fewer chronic co-morbidities and unawareness of the heart failure diagnosis were only related to lower lifestyle adherence. Higher education was associated with poorer medication adherence. Male sex, younger age, lower self-efficacy and less familiar relation with the general practitioner were common factors associated with both lower medication and lifestyle adherence. Conclusion Promising factors for increasing medication adherence (reduction of psychological distress) and lifestyle adherence (explaining the patient his/her heart failure diagnosis more than once and increase in the patients’ self-efficacy), which were found in this cross-sectional study, must be further investigated in longitudinal studies.

scholarly journals The health and well-being of Australia’s future medical doctors: protocol for a 5-year observational cohort study of medical trainees

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e016837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Cvejic ◽  
Gordon Parker ◽  
Samuel B Harvey ◽  
Zachery Steel ◽  
Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionClinical training in the undergraduate medical course places multiple stressors on trainees, which have been held to lead to heightened distress, depression, suicide, substance misuse/abuse and poor mental health outcomes. To date, evidence for morbidity in trainees is largely derived from cross-sectional survey-based research. This limits the accuracy of estimates and the extent to which predispositional vulnerabilities (biological and/or psychological), contextual triggers and longer-term consequences can be validly identified. Longitudinal clinical assessments embedded within a biopsychosocial framework are needed before effective preventative and treatment strategies can be put in place.Methods and analysisThis study is an observational longitudinal cohort study of 330 students enrolled in the undergraduate medicine course at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia. Students will be recruited in their fourth year of study and undergo annual assessments for 4 consecutive years as they progress through increasingly demanding clinical training, including internship. Assessments will include clinical interviews for psychiatric morbidity, and self-report questionnaires to obtain health, psychosocial, performance and functioning information. Objective measures of cognitive performance, sleep/activity patterns as well as autonomic and immune function (via peripheral blood samples) will be obtained. These data will be used to determine the prevalence, incidence and severity of mental disorder, elucidate contextual and biological triggers and mechanisms underpinning psychopathology and examine the impact of psychopathology on performance and professional functioning.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been granted by the UNSW human research ethics committee (reference HC16340). The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and distributed to key stakeholders within the medical education sector. The outcomes will also inform targeted preventative and treatment strategies to enhance stress resilience in trainee doctors.

How Do Perceptions of Local Neighborhood Relate to Adolescents' Walking and Cycling?

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Carver ◽  
Jo Salmon ◽  
Karen Campbell ◽  
Louise Baur ◽  
Sarah Garnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Local Neighborhood ◽  
Local Roads ◽  
Walking To School ◽  
Linear Regressions ◽  
Sydney Australia

Purpose. To examine how perceptions of the local neighborhood relate to adolescents' walking and cycling. Design. Exploratory cross-sectional study. Setting. Birth cohort from the Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Subjects. Three hundred forty-seven adolescents (79.1% response rate; 49.6% boys; mean age = 13.0 ± 0.2 years) and their parents. Measures. Self-report and parental-report questionnaires. Results. Multiple linear regressions, adjusted for level of maternal education, revealed that boys who reported having many peers to hang out with locally, cycled for recreation (β = 0.242, p = .006) or for transport (β = 0.141, p = .046) more often, and walked for transport for longer (β = 0.129, p = .024) on weekdays. For girls this variable was related to cycling for recreation on weekends (β = 0.164, p = .006) and walking to school (β = 0.118, p = .002). Adolescents who waved/talked to neighbors walked for transport more often (boys, β = 0.149, p = .037; girls, β = 0.119, p = .012). Girls who perceived local roads to be safe spent more time walking for transport on weekdays (β = 0.183, p = .007) and for exercise on weekends (β = 0.184, p = .034). Parents' perception of heavy traffic was negatively associated with boys' walking for transport (β = −0.138, p = .037) and many aspects of girls' walking and cycling. Conclusion. Social interaction and road safety may be important predictors of adolescents' walking and cycling in their neighborhood. Limitations are the use of self-report and cross-sectional data. Longitudinal studies may clarify these relations.

Psychological distress among Norwegian adolescents: Changes between 2001 and 2009 and associations with leisure time physical activity and screen-based sedentary behaviour

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Løvheim Kleppang ◽  
Miranda Thurston ◽  
Ingeborg Hartz ◽  
Curt Hagquist
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hopkins Symptom Checklist

Aims: The aim of this work was to examine psychological distress among Norwegian adolescents in relation to changes over time and the associations with leisure time physical activity and screen-based sedentary behaviour. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on data retrieved from the Norwegian Youth Health Surveys in 2001 and 2009 in Hedmark County. Adolescents aged 15–16 years old completed a questionnaire regarding physical activity, sedentary behaviour, psychological distress and other health and lifestyle variables. The self-report Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 was used to assess psychological distress. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between psychological distress, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Results: Self-reported psychological distress increased significantly from 2001 to 2009 (from 19.4 to 28.2%), with the proportion of girls reporting psychological distress being twice as large as the proportion of boys. The proportion of adolescents who were physically active for ⩾11 hours per week increased significantly over the same period (from 6.0 to 10.4%). Sedentary behaviour ⩾6 hours per school day increased significantly among both sexes between 2001 and 2009. Physical activity (⩾11 hours) and sedentary behaviour (⩾6 hours) were both significantly associated with psychological distress. Conclusions: The association between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and psychological distress was weak; only high amounts of physical activity and high amounts of screen-based sedentary behaviour were associated with psychological distress. Longitudinal studies are needed to provide further insights into these associations and to understand the extent to which these variables might be causally related.

The Influence of Age on Emotion Regulation Strategies and Psychological Distress

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 668-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Brummer ◽  
Lusia Stopa ◽  
Romola Bucks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Regulation Strategies

Background: To date there is promising, yet limited, evidence to suggest that differences exist between older and younger adults’ emotion regulation styles. Aims: The study aimed to explore emotion regulation style across the adult lifespan by assessing whether self-reported reappraisal, or suppression, differs across age groups, and how these emotion regulation strategies may impact upon psychological distress. Method: Three hundred and seventeen younger, 175 middle-aged and 85 older adults’ emotion regulation styles and levels of psychological distress were measured using self-report questionnaires and examined using a cross-sectional design. Results: The findings suggest that, compared to younger adults, older adults make greater use of suppression, the emotion regulation strategy. This greater use of suppression by older adults was not related to increased levels of psychological distress. By contrast, younger adults who reported high levels of suppression reported higher levels of psychological distress. In addition, older adults reported less anxiety and stress than younger adults, with no age differences in depression. Conclusions: Findings suggest a possible decoupling of the use of emotional suppression and psychological distress with age. Suppression may be a useful form of emotion regulation for the stressors experienced in later life and, arguably, therefore may not be associated with the negative outcomes observed in younger adults.

scholarly journals Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 related social distancing on loneliness, psychological needs and symptomatology

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Faustino ◽  
António Branco Vasco ◽  
João Delgado ◽  
António Farinha-Fernandes ◽  
José Carlos Guerreiro
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Loneliness may be a consequence of social distancing, a measure imposed by several governments to try to reduce the contagion of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite being necessary, this measure may have thus caused a rise in mental health issues, leading to higher psychological distress and symptomatology. Thus, it is also important to explore how loneliness relates to the regulation of psychological needs. This study aims to explore the relationships between loneliness, symptomatology, and the regulation of psychological needs. 142 individuals (M age=32.7, SD=10.9), answered self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional design. Results show that loneliness is positively correlated with symptomatology and difficulties in the regulation of psychological needs, with these relationships being mediated by psychological distress and psychological well-being. We discuss our results with a focus on loneliness and related psychopathological symptomatology, as they seem to be core factors in the regulation of psychological needs.

scholarly journals Compare the severity of psychological distress among four groups of Iranian society in COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Vahedian-Azimi ◽  
Malihe Sadat Moayed ◽  
Farshid Rahimibashar ◽  
Sajad Shojaei ◽  
Sara Ashtari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Iranian Population ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Community Population ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused serious psychological problems, such as panic attack, anxiety, stress and depression. The main objective of this study was to measure the prevalence and compare the severity of this psychological distress among four groups of Iranian population.Method: In cross-sectional survey, the mental health status of four groups of Iranian society such as community population, patients with COVID-19, medical staff and medical students were investigated by self-report questionnaire Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). DASS-21 questionnaire and the demographic data sheet were filled in by all participants. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS version 21.0. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: Of the 886 participants in this survey, 554 (62.5%) were male and 332 (37.5%) were female, and the mean ± standard division (SD) age of subjects was 40.91±10.7 years. Among these participants, 241 (27.2%) were selected from community population, 221 (24.9%) were patients with COVID-19, 217 (24.5%) were medical staff and 207 (23.4%) were medical students. The mean score of stress, anxiety and depression in medical students and patients with COVID-19 was significantly higher than medical staff and community population (P<0.05). In overall, the score of anxiety level in male was higher than that in female (27.4±4.6 vs. 26.48±4.8, P=0.006), and the score of depression in unmarried participants was significantly higher than that in married group (27.5±4.8 vs. 26.7±4.6, P=0.023). In addition, the score of depression in female medical staff (27.08±4.6 vs. 25.33±4.3, P=0.011) and community population (26.6±4.3 vs. 25.3±4.3, P=0.02) was higher than that in male.Conclusion: In COVID-19 pandemic, the severity of anxiety, stress and depression was high among Iranian population. Patients with COVID-19 and medical students who spent time with patients with COVID-19, with low experience than professional medical staff and community population were at high risk for mental illness. Continuous surveillance and monitoring of psychological distress for outbreaks should become routine as part of preparedness efforts worldwide.

scholarly journals Psychophysiological insomnia and respiratory tract infections: results of an infection-diary-based cohort study

SLEEP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Nieters ◽  
Nadja Blagitko-Dorfs ◽  
Hans-Hartmut Peter ◽  
Susanne Weber
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Airway Infections ◽  
Psychophysiological Insomnia ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Study Objectives The immune theory of sleep suggests an important role of sleep for a functioning immune system. Insomnia has been associated with heightened risk for infections. The aim of the study was to test whether psychophysiological insomnia (PI) is associated with subsequent respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in the context of an infection-diary-based cohort study. Methods We recruited 674 adults from a cross-sectional survey on airway infections into the airway infection susceptibility (AWIS) cohort and invited them to self-report in diaries incident RTIs experienced during 7097 months (mean of 11.9 months of completed infection diaries per individual). The Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS) was assessed at baseline to measure PI. As outcome, we considered an infection diary score summing up prospectively reported RTIs. Results The RIS score correlated significantly with the infection diary score summarizing reported RTIs (correlation coefficient = 0.265, p < 0.001). Adjustments by putative confounders did only marginally affect this relationship. No significant differences in the relationship between RIS score and diary score were found for subgroups including those by gender, body mass index, perceived stress, and comorbidity. People affected by a combination of high PI and obesity were eight times more likely to belong to the group reporting the highest 10% of RTIs compared to the nonobese group with low RIS score (p < 0.001). A high RIS score in men was associated with a higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, an indicator of inflammation. Conclusions Our data support the relevance of adequate sleep for an immune system ready to fight pathogens and prevent airway infections.

scholarly journals Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress amongst healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olamiji A. Badru ◽  
Kehinde O. Oloko ◽  
Abdulwasiu O. Hassan ◽  
Oyindamola B. Yusuf ◽  
Umar A. Abdur-Razaq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Poor Knowledge ◽  
Reduced Risk

Background: Understanding the mental health needs of healthcare workers during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with a view of mitigating its impact on occupational functioning is vital.Aim: To determine the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress amongst healthcare workers.Setting: The study was carried out in Nigeria during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study using a convenience sample was conducted amongst healthcare workers. The survey comprised of two Google formatted self-report questionnaires, a 12-item General Health Questionnaire and a questionnaire containing socio-demographic, work related and knowledge of COVID-19 variables. Questionnaires were distributed via closed professional WhatsApp platforms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression.Results: There were 313 respondents and prevalence of psychological distress was 47.0%. Females were almost twice as likely to have psychological distress as males (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.21–3.04, p = 0.006). Healthcare workers who had no contact with COVID-19 positive patients had an 87% reduced risk of psychological distress (OR = 0.13, 95%CI: 0.23–0.25, p = 0.018) compared with those who had contact with COVID-19 positive patients. Healthcare workers with poor knowledge of COVID-19 had a 44% reduced risk of psychological distress compared with those with good knowledge (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34–0.93, p = 0.025).Conclusion: Findings revealed that healthcare workers in Nigeria reported psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic. Greater risk was amongst females and those who had contact with COVID-19 positive patients whilst poor knowledge was protective.

scholarly journals Psychological Distress in Intracranial Neoplasia: A Comparison of Patients With Benign and Malignant Brain Tumours

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Karl Fehrenbach ◽  
Hannah Brock ◽  
Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf ◽  
Jürgen Meixensberger
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Brain Tumours ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Malignant Brain Tumours

Objective: We aimed to assess psychological distress in patients with intracranial neoplasia, a group of patients who suffer from severe functional, neurocognitive and neuropsychological side effects, resulting in high emotional distress.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, including inpatients with brain tumours. Eligible patients completed validated self-report questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, distress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear of progression and health-related quality of life. The questionnaire set was completed after brain surgery and receiving diagnosis and before discharge from hospital.Results: A total of n = 31 patients participated in this survey. Fourteen of them suffered from malignant (n = 3 metastatic neoplasia) and 17 from benign brain tumours. Mean values of the total sample regarding depression (M = 9.28, SD = 6.08) and anxiety (M = 6.00, SD = 4.98) remained below the cut-off ≥ 10. Mean psychosocial distress (M = 16.30, SD = 11.23, cut-off ≥ 14) and posttraumatic stress (M = 35.10, SD = 13.29, cut-off ≥ 32) exceeded the clinically relevant cut-off value in all the patients with intracranial tumours. Significantly, more patients with malignant (79%) than benign (29%) brain tumours reported PTSD symptoms (p = 0.006).Conclusion: Distress and clinically relevant PTSD symptoms in patients with intracranial neoplasia should be routinely screened and treated in psycho-oncological interventions immediately after diagnosis. Especially, neuro-oncological patients with malignant brain tumours or metastases need targeted support to reduce their emotional burden.

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