Physical and sexual violence, mental health indicators, and treatment seeking among street-based population groups in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Aims: There is a need to document the mental-health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated societal lockdowns. We initiated a large mixed-methods data collection, focusing on crisis-specific worries and mental-health indicators during the lockdown in Denmark. Methods: The study incorporated five data sources, including quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. The surveys included a time series of cross-sectional online questionnaires starting on 20 March 2020, in which 300 (3×100) Danish residents were drawn every three days from three population groups: the general population ( N=1046), families with children ( N=1032) and older people ( N=1059). These data were analysed by trend analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 people aged 24–83 throughout Denmark to provide context to the survey results and to gain insight into people’s experiences of the lockdown. Results: Absolute level of worries, quality of life and social isolation were relatively stable across all population groups during the lockdown, although there was a slight deterioration in older people’s overall mental health. Many respondents were worried about their loved ones’ health (74–76%) and the potential long-term economic consequences of the pandemic (61–66%). The qualitative interviews documented significant variation in people’s experiences, suggesting that the lockdown’s effect on everyday life had not been altogether negative. Conclusions: People in Denmark seem to have managed the lockdown without alarming changes in their mental health. However, it is important to continue investigating the effects of the pandemic and various public-health measures on mental health over time and across national contexts.

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Employee mental health treatment seeking: Perceptions of responsibility and resilience

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e577572014-419 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Skye K. Gillispie ◽

Thomas W. Britt ◽

Crystal M. Burnette ◽

Anna C. McFadden ◽

Chad R. Breeden

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Treatment Seeking ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Employee Mental Health

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Mental Health of Parents and Primary Caregivers by Sex and Associated Child Health Indicators

Adversity and Resilience Science ◽

10.1007/s42844-021-00037-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sara Beth Wolicki ◽

Rebecca H. Bitsko ◽

Robyn A. Cree ◽

Melissa L. Danielson ◽

Jean Y. Ko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Child Health ◽

Primary Caregivers ◽

Health Indicators

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Traumatized Syrian Refugees with Ambiguous Loss: Predictors of Mental Distress

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18083865 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 3865

Author(s):

Anna Renner ◽

David Jäckle ◽

Michaela Nagl ◽

Anna Plexnies ◽

Susanne Röhr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Ambiguous Loss ◽

Treatment Seeking ◽

Syrian Refugees ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Prolonged Grief ◽

Boundary Ambiguity ◽

Stress Symptoms ◽

Post Traumatic

Refugees from war zones often have missing significant others. A loss without confirmation is described as an ambiguous loss. This physical absence with simultaneous mental persistence can be accompanied by economic, social or legal problems, boundary ambiguity (i.e., uncertainty about who belongs to the family system), and can have a negative impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic and loss-related predictors for prolonged grief, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatization in treatment-seeking Syrian refugees with post-traumatic stress symptoms in Germany experiencing ambiguous loss. For the present study, data were based on the treatment-seeking baseline sample of the “Sanadak” randomized-controlled trial, analyzing a subsample of 47 Syrian refugees with post-traumatic stress symptoms in Germany experiencing ambiguous loss. Sociodemographic and loss-related questions were applied, along with standardized instruments for symptoms of prolonged grief (ICG), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), PTSD (PDS-5) and somatization (PHQ-15). Linear regression models were used to predict mental health outcomes. Having lost a close family member and higher boundary ambiguity showed a statistically significant association with higher severity in prolonged grief. The overall model for somatization reached statistical significance, while no predictor independently did. Boundary ambiguity showed a statistically significant positive association with depression, while the overall model showed no statistically significant associations. Boundary ambiguity and missing family members seemed to be important predictors for prolonged grief. These findings support the importance of reunification programs and suggest an inclusion of the topic into psychosocial support structures, e.g., including psychoeducational elements on boundary ambiguity in support groups for traumatized individuals and families experiencing ambiguous loss. Further research is needed for a more detailed understanding of the impact of ambiguous loss on refugee populations.

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Relationship Between Different Types of Violence and Mental Health in High School Students From Northern Mexico

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211021964 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110219

Author(s):

Oscar Armando Esparza-Del Villar ◽

Sarah Margarita Chavez-Valdez ◽

Priscila Montañez-Alvarado ◽

Marisela Gutiérrez-Vega ◽

Teresa Gutiérrez-Rosado

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Health Indicators ◽

School Students ◽

Social Violence ◽

Different Types ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Different types of violence have been present in Mexico but there have been few studies that have analyzed their relationship with mental health in adolescents, especially in cities with high rates of social violence. It is important to compare different violence types and their relationship with mental health since not all relationships are the same. It appears that social violence has a stronger relationship with mental health, and for this reason it receives more attention, but other types of violence have a stronger relationship and do not receive as much attention. Chihuahua has been one of the most violent states in Mexico, and Juarez has been the most violent city in the world in 2009 and 2010. The purpose of the study is to compare the relationship of different types of violence (social, cyberbullying, partner violence, and child abuse and neglect) with mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and paranoid thoughts). There were 526 high school students, from the cities of Juarez ( n = 282) and Chihuahua ( n = 244). The mean age was 16.5 ( SD = 1.4) years and 50.6% reported being males. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using Pearson’s correlations and multiple linear regressions. Both cities that have experienced social violence like carjacking, kidnapping, and sexual assault, but they have very small or no relationships with mental health indicators. Other types of violence have stronger correlations. Our findings suggest that interventions should not focus only in preventing and dealing with social violence, but that other types of violence must also be addressed in adolescents.

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Sexual Violence and Mental Health: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Self-Compassion Using a Feminist Lens

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/10778012211012097 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107780122110120

Author(s):

Paige McAllister ◽

Amber Vennum

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Cultural Narratives ◽

Self Blame ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Undergraduate Women ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Feminist Theories ◽

Anxiety Depression

Feminist theories describe how women who experience sexual violence often internalize cultural narratives which can lead to self-blame and disconnection. Self-compassion has the potential to provide a buffer against these negative outcomes. This study explored self-compassion as a mediator of the association between experiencing sexual violence and negative mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 368 undergraduate women. A path analysis revealed that experiencing sexual violence prior to the beginning of the semester was positively associated with self-criticism, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms at the end of the semester directly and indirectly through self-compassion mid-semester. Clinical and research implications are also discussed.

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The biobehavioral impacts of sexual violence: Findings from an acute repeat survivor of vaginal rape

Women s Health ◽

10.1177/17455065211031079 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 174550652110310

Author(s):

Katherine M Anderson ◽

Mimi Ghosh ◽

Maile Y Karris ◽

Eleanor Capozzi ◽

Douglas A Granger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Sexual Trauma ◽

Study Participant ◽

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis ◽

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal ◽

Violence Victimization ◽

Adrenal Axis ◽

Immune Biomarkers ◽

Pituitary Adrenal Axis

Background: Individuals who have experienced repeat sexual violence victimization face adverse mental and physical health outcomes, including immune and stress response functioning. We aim to further understand repeat sexual violence victimization to develop responsive and appropriate treatment for survivors of sexual violence. Methods: We present the immunological and contextual findings of a participant ( N = 1) who experienced repeat sexual violence victimization during her enrollment in The THRIVE Study, a prospective case–control study of women aged 14–45 years, who have experienced recent consensual vaginal penetration (“controls”) or forced vaginal penetration (“cases”). Participants complete a survey, HIV/sexually transmitted infection, and pregnancy testing, blood sampling for C-reactive protein and adrenocorticotrophic hormone, collection of cervicovaginal fluid for immunological biomarkers, and self-collection of saliva samples for cortisol measurements, across study visits (Baseline, 1, and 3 months). Results: The case study participant, aged 18 years upon enrollment, experienced sexual trauma before four of five study visits. Trends in the mental health indicators demonstrate reciprocal fluctuations in adverse mental health and resilience in accordance with revictimization and circumstantial changes. Suppressed immune biomarkers appear to correlate with increased adverse mental health, while mental health recovery trends with immunological recovery. The participant presents with dysregulated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis diurnal profile. Conclusions: This profile illustrates the intra-individual biobehavioral impact of experience with revictimization over the course of 6 months, capturing experiences that are rarely studied either longitudinally or with the depth of the current research. The findings underscore the value of monitoring cervicovaginal immune functioning and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation in coordination with changes in mental health over the course of repeated sexual trauma.

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