scholarly journals Mental health and burden in mothers of children with congenital Zika syndrome during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (suppl 2) ◽  
pp. 481-490
Author(s):  
Gabriela Lopes Gama ◽  
Bruna Milena da Silva ◽  
Mariana Balbino da Silva ◽  
Rayssa Vieira Brandão Ferreira ◽  
Jousilene de Sales Tavares ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: to evaluate burden, frequency of anxiety and signs and symptoms of depression in mothers of children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation period. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study conducted with mothers who care for their children with CZS. The data were collected by an online form with questions regarding mother's socioeconomic conditions and questions related with Zarit burden scale and Beck's inventories on depression and anxiety. Spearman’s correlation tests and multiple regression analyzes were performed to assess factors related to mothers' burden and mental health. Results: 41 mothers were evaluated, 51.2% had mild burden, 39% had minimal anxiety and 73.2% did not have signs and symptoms of depression. Negative correlations were observed between levels of burden and maternal schooling (p=0.01), presence of signs and symptoms of anxiety and receiving financial aid (p<0.04) as well as the presence of signs and symptoms of anxiety and having children with seizures history (p=0.03). Conclusion: despite the risk of their children again being victims of an epidemic virus, mothers who care for their children with CZS did not present serious mental health impairments.

Author(s):  
Jose Jom Thomas ◽  
B. Prakash ◽  
Praveen Kulkarni ◽  
M. R. Narayana Murthy

Background: The world is witnessing significant change in its climate leading to an increase in natural disasters. Kerala state of India recently witnessed its worst Monsoon rainfall in the century. Floods have significant effects on mental health. Screening of psychological problems is necessary in the background of recent floods in Kerala. So this study was done with the objectives to assess the prevalence of depression in the flood affected people of Kerala and to assess the severity of depression among people residing in flood affected areas of Kerala.Methods: Cross sectional study was done four weeks after flood. Individuals aged ≥15 years residing in flood affected areas were included and people not willing to participate were excluded. Purposive sampling was done and 306 participants were studied. Participants were assessed by interview technique using PHQ9 questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS-22. Descriptive statistics like percentage were applied. Inferential statistical tests like chi-square test were applied for association.Results: Among the participants 48% showed symptoms of depression. 28.10 % were mildly depressed, 12.74% were moderately depressed, 5.56% had moderately severe and 1.63% had severe depression. Maximum prevalence of depression was observed in geriatric age group.Conclusions: A significant amount of people residing in flood affected areas showed signs and symptoms of depression. An urgent intervention is therefore required to improve mental health status of the flood affected individuals. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 3026-3029
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hassan ◽  
Obaid Bajwa ◽  
Amina Tariq ◽  
Roshaney Aslam ◽  
Aqsa Arif ◽  
...  

Aim: To identify the presence of Medical Student Syndrome in dental students of Lahore compared to non-dental students Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore (Aug 2019 to Nov 2020). A structured questionnaire was adopted, modified and distributed amongst university going dental and non-dental students of various universities in Lahore. The sample selection was done using the cluster and consecutive sampling technique. Results: When asked about worrying too much about being seriously ill, 158(56.8%) of the respondents agreed with the statement. Similarly, when asked about being aware of the sensations occurring in the body, 211(75.8%) participants stated that they were aware of the sensations and critically analyzed them. Amongst the students, 149(53.6%) agreed with the statement that they frequently checked their bodies for signs and symptoms of disease only 62(22.3%) disagreed with the statement and the rest were neutral. Conclusion: To conclude, the Medical Student Syndrome as a separate entity amongst dental students cannot be established as a mental health issue based on the results of this study. However, the presence of hypochondriac behavior amongst the students’ needs to be further evaluated in Lahore. Keywords: Non-dental students, Dental Students, Medical Student Syndrome, Mental Health


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Hanae Zafra-Tanaka ◽  
Kevin Pacheco-Barrios ◽  
Fiorella Inga-Berrospi ◽  
Alvaro Taype-Rondan

Abstract Aim To assess the self-perceived competencies in diagnosing and treating patients with mental health disorders, among recently graduated general practitioners (GPs) from Lima, Peru. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in April 2017 at a General Practitioner’s meeting held for those who were going to perform the social service, by the Peruvian College of Physicians in Lima. Attendees were invited to answer a questionnaire that evaluated their self-perception of competence in diagnosing and treating four different mental health disorders; major depression, anxiety disorder, alcohol dependence, and schizophrenia. Results Out of 434 evaluated GPs, the following percentages were self-perceived as competent in their adequate diagnosis of depression (70.5%), anxiety (73.3%), alcohol dependence (67.6%), and schizophrenia (62.0%). Concerning pharmacological treatment, these percentages were 46.6, 47.5, 39.0 and 37.6%, respectively. Referring to all the studied mental disorders, 41.6% of participants self-perceived competence in providing an adequate diagnosis, 36.1% in providing non-pharmacological treatment, and 20.1% in providing pharmacological treatment. Conclusion The rate of adequate self-perceived competences was higher for diagnosis than for treatment of patients with mental health disorders. These results highlight the importance of designing and implementing interventions to improve medical education so as to develop the skills necessary to confront mental health disorders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (09) ◽  
pp. 1049-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manije Darooghegi Mofrad ◽  
Fereydoun Siassi ◽  
Bijan Guilani ◽  
Nick Bellissimo ◽  
Leila Azadbakht

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that unhealthy dietary patterns are among the most important modifiable risk factors in the development of mental health disorders. We examined the association of dietary phytochemical index (DPI) with symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in Iranian women. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 488 women aged 20–50 years old attending health centres in the south of Tehran in 2018 were included. A validated and reliable FFQ was used for dietary assessment. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress were assessed using a validated depression, anxiety, stress scales questionnaires with twenty-one-items. DPI was estimated using the following formula: (daily energy derived from phytochemical-rich foods (kJ)/total daily energy intake (kJ))×100. The mean age of the study participants was 31·9 (sd7·7) years. The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety and psychological distress among study participants was 34·6, 40·6 and 42·4 %, respectively. After controlling for potential confounders, women in the highest tertile of DPI had a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms (OR 0·22; 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38) and anxiety (OR 0·33; 95 % CI 0·20, 0·55), as well as psychological distress (OR 0·30; 95 % CI 0·18, 0·49) compared with those in the lowest tertile. In conclusion, we found a significant association between DPI and mental health in women. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahya M. Al-Farsi ◽  
Mohammed A. Al Shafaee ◽  
Kauthar S. Al-Lawati ◽  
Marwan M. Al-Sharbati ◽  
Mohammed F. Al-Tamimi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Many developing countries such as Oman are marred with the rising tide of children with autism and the lack of specialized services for these children. Within existing compartmentalized and centralized health care organizations, the general practitioners (GPs) are likely to serve as the first level of contact relevant for diagnosis and referral for remedial services. This study aims to explore the awareness of autism among GPs in Oman on issue pertinent to etiology, signs and symptoms, perceived correlates, as well as the consequence of having autism. Related to this is to examine whether years of medical practice would invariably influence GPs’ awareness. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among GPs (n=113) working at primary healthcare centers (PHC) during September 2013 to February 2014 in Muscat, the capital of Oman.RESULTS: The GPs appear to have suboptimal awareness of etiological factors relevant for the development of autism, its common signs and symptoms, perceived correlates, as well as the social dimension. Number of years in practice has little bearing on awareness.CONCLUSION: Empirical evidence has unequivocally indicated that although there is no known ‘cure’ for autism, early identification and early intervention tend to better the quality of life for children with autism. This means GPs in Oman should be fitted with adequate awareness of such population.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e044617
Author(s):  
Constanza Jacques-Aviñó ◽  
Tomàs López-Jiménez ◽  
Laura Medina-Perucha ◽  
Jeroen de Bont ◽  
Alessandra Queiroga Gonçalves ◽  
...  

ObjectiveLockdown has impacts on people’s living conditions and mental health. The study aims to assess the relations between social impact and mental health among adults living in Spain during COVID-19 lockdown measures, taking a gender-based approach into account.Design, setting and participantsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among adults living in Spain during the lockdown of COVID-19 with an online survey from 8 April to 28 May 2020. The main variable was mental health measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale for anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression. Sex-stratified multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between social impact variables, anxiety and depression.ResultsA total of 7053 people completed this survey. A total of 31.2% of women and 17.7% of men reported anxiety. Depression levels were reported in 28.5% of women and 16.7% of men. A higher proportion of anxiety and depression levels was found in the younger population (18–35 years), especially in women. Poorer mental health was mainly related to fear of COVID-19 infection, with higher anxiety levels especially in women (adjusted ordinal OR (aOR): 4.23, 95% CI 3.68 to 4.87) and worsened economy with higher levels of depression in women (aOR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.84), and perceived inadequate housing to cope with lockdown was especially associated with anxiety in men (aOR: 2.53, 95% CI 1.93 to 3.44).ConclusionThe social impact of the lockdown is related to gender, age and socioeconomic conditions. Women and young people had worse mental health outcomes during lockdown. It is urgent to establish strategies for public health emergencies that include mental health and its determinants, taking a gender-based approach into account, in order to reduce health inequities.


Author(s):  
Eduardo Sánchez-Sánchez ◽  
J. Ángel García-Álvarez ◽  
Esperanza García-Marín ◽  
María Gutierrez-Serrano ◽  
Maria José M. Alférez ◽  
...  

Pandemics impose an immense psychological burden on healthcare workers due to a combination of workplace stressors and personal fears. Nurses and auxiliary nursing care technicians (ANCTs) are on the front line of this pandemic and form the largest group in healthcare practice. The aim of this study is to determine the symptoms of depression and/or anxiety among nurses and ANCTs during the periods known as the first wave (March–June) and second wave (September–November) of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Spain. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire among nurses and ANCTs practising in Spain. During the first period, 68.3% and 49.6% of the subjects presented anxiety and depression, respectively, decreasing in the second period (49.5% for anxiety and 35.1% for depression). There were statistically significant differences between the different categories and periods (p < 0.001). The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced mental health in nurses and ANCTs. Mental health should be monitored and coping strategies promoted to improve the health, productivity and efficiency of these professionals.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Liuyue Huang ◽  
Kaixin Liang ◽  
Weiwei Jiang ◽  
Qiaomin Huang ◽  
Na Gong ◽  
...  

This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of mental health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and insomnia, in adolescents with frequent peer victimization experiences (FPVEs). In this cross-sectional study, 490 adolescents reported having FPVEs (prevalence, 4.2%; mean age, 13.40 ± 1.38 years old; 52.2% male) completed a series of surveys to evaluate their demographic factors and mental health status. The results showed that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia were 50.3%, 33.8%, and 40.2%, respectively. Older age, being female, being left behind, and more adverse childhood experiences were correlated with more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among adolescents with FPVEs. At the same time, social support and self-compassion were good for ameliorating these mental health problems. Implications for intervention programs designed to improve the mental health of adolescents with FPVEs were also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-122
Author(s):  
Prachi Kothari ◽  
Ashok K Srivastava ◽  
Neha Sharma

Background: Mental health disorder is a major cause of impairment in youth aged between 9 to 17 years as one in every fifth youth has a mental disorder. In India, the prevalence of mental problems among adolescents is 14.3%. Objective: To find out the proportion of social and behavioural problems among adolescents and their association with the sociodemographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 150 school going adolescents (11-17years). All the study participants were recruited through non-probability sampling technique. Data was collected through Google Forms. For assessing the social and behavioural problems, Strength and Difficulty questionnaire (SDQ) was used. Result:  There were 76 (50.7%) males and 74 (49.3%) females in this study. 16% of school going children were categorized as “abnormal”, 12% as borderline and 72.% as normal for social and behavioural problems based on scores of SDQ. The findings have implications that gender do play a role in affecting mental health status.Conclusions: Mental health problems are one of the most common and highly prevalent disorders among adolescents in India. For addressing psycho-social problems among adolescents there is a dire need of counsellors. Training of parents as well as teachers should be conducted for timely intervention.


Author(s):  
Lara Guedes de Pinho ◽  
Francisco Sampaio ◽  
Carlos Sequeira ◽  
Laetitia Teixeira ◽  
César Fonseca ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to mental health problems worldwide. Nurses are particularly prone to stress because they directly care for individuals with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. The aims of this study were (a) to explore the association between the mental health promotion strategies used by nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak and their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; (b) to compare the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress of mental health nurses to those of non-mental health nurses; and (c) to compare the frequency of use of mental health strategies of mental health nurses to those of non-mental health nurses. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 821 nurses. Univariate and multivariate regression models were developed to identify potential protective factors of depression, anxiety, and stress. The chi-square test was also used to compare the use of strategies among mental health and non-mental health nurses. Portuguese nurses demonstrated high symptoms of depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety. Healthy eating, physical activity, rest between shifts, maintaining social contacts, verbalizing feelings/emotions, and spending less time searching for information about COVID-19 were associated with better mental health. Mental health nurses had less depression, anxiety, and stress, and used more strategies to promote mental health than other nurses. We consider it important to promote nurses’ mental health literacy by encouraging them to develop skills and strategies aimed at improving their resilience and ability to deal with difficult situations while caring for the population.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document