Regional Variation and Socio-Economic Determinants of Suicide Mortality in Greece before and during Economic Crisis

Background. Suicide mortality increased in Greece after the 2008 financial crisis. This study aimed to explore the regional variation of suicide mortality before and after the economic crisis, and its correlation with socio-economic and mental health-related variables factors. Methods. This is a quasi-experimental ecological study. Data from the national mortality statistics were analyzed, and standardized death rates and age-specific mortality rates were calculated. The effect of economic crisis was explored by comparing mortality rates before and after crisis onset. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression were used to assess the impact of socioeconomic and mental health-related factors on suicide mortality. Results. Trends of suicide mortality showed a rise during 2011–2014, followed by a decline during 2015–2016. Significant differences were observed between regions, ranging from 27.6% lower to 54% higher than the national average. Unemployment, income, and change of gross domestic product were significantly correlated with regional variation. No association was found with mental disorder mortality rates and psychotropic drug consumption. Conclusions. Socio-economic factors explained only a part of the suicide mortality variation. Mental health-related factors were not significantly correlated with suicide mortality. More research is needed to investigate other possible determinants of suicides.

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The impact of the economic crisis on the mental health of Portuguese primary-school children

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz186.583 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

D Costa ◽

M Cunha ◽

C Ferreira ◽

A Gama ◽

A M N Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Financial Crisis ◽

Primary School ◽

Economic Crisis ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Public Health Programs ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective To measure the impact of the economic crisis on the mental health correlates of Portuguese children attending primary school during 2016. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of primary school-aged children and their parents (n = 1157), conducted in public and private schools of three Portuguese districts. Parent reports of children mental health symptoms (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire - SDQ) and children self-reports of health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27) and depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, Children version - DASS-C), were compared according to a set of yes/no questions on how the economic crisis changed the normal aspects of routine life (e.g. During the financial crisis did you had to use savings? Started buying cheaper food?). Linear regression models were fitted for the SDQ, the KIDSCREEN-27 and the DASS-C as dependent variables adjusted for children sex, socioeconomic status and district of residence. Results Affirmative answers to the crisis impact questions were associated with more frequent psychosocial functioning problems in children, with poorer self-reported health-related quality of life and with more frequent symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusions Portuguese children mental health correlates show significant worse scores for those whose parents declared having to change daily routine habits as a result of the recent macroeconomic financial crisis, compared to those who did not change habits. Public Health programs should be developed to mitigate the potential negative impact of the financial crisis to the mental health of children. Key messages A negative impact on children mental health was observed as a result of the economic crisis. Public health programs designed to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis should include primary-school aged children.

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Regional Variation of Suicide Mortality in South Korea

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17155433 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (15) ◽

pp. 5433

Author(s):

Minjae Choi ◽

Yo Han Lee

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Regional Variation ◽

Suicide Mortality ◽

Administrative District ◽

Related Factors ◽

Representative Data ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Community Health Survey ◽

Health Related

South Korea’s suicide rate is the highest among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This study seeks to verify regional variation in suicide rates in South Korea and to identify correlating factors. We used age-adjusted suicide rates for 252 administrative districts, and a Community Health Survey, national representative data, and other national representative data such as censuses were used to obtain information on socioeconomic, health related and social integration variables according to each administrative district. Regional variation in suicide rates was analyzed by using Extremal Quotient (EQ), and multiple linear regression analyses were used to investigate associations between variation in suicide rates and regional socioeconomic, public service factors and health related factors. The average suicide rate from 252 regions was 142.7 per 100,000 people. The highest region was Hongchun-gun (217.8) and the lowest was Gwachen-si (75.5). The EQ was 2.89, meaning that there is significant regional variation in suicide rates. Financial independence (β = −0.662, p < 0.001), social welfare budget (β = −0.754, p < 0.001) and divorce rates (β = 17.743, p < 0.001) were significant, along with other adjusted variables. This study suggests considering these factors in order to reduce suicide rates in South Korea.

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Social conditions and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown among people who do not identify with the man/woman binomial in Spain

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0256261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. e0256261

Author(s):

Constanza Jacques-Aviñó ◽

Tomàs López-Jiménez ◽

Laura Medina-Perucha ◽

Jeroen de Bont ◽

Anna Berenguera

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Health Anxiety ◽

Gender Diversity ◽

Logistic Models ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

Evidence suggests that non-binary people have poorer mental and physical health outcomes, compared with people who identify within the gender binomial (man/woman). Research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been conducted worldwide in the last few months. It has however overlooked gender diversity. The aim of our study was to explore social and health-related factors associated with mental health (anxiety and depression) among people who do not identify with the man/woman binomial during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. A cross-sectional study with online survey, aimed at the population residing in Spain during lockdown, was conducted. Data were collected between the 8th of April until the 28th of May 2020, the time period when lockdown was implemented in Spain. Mental health was measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale for anxiety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression. The survey included the question: Which sex do you identify with? The options “Man”, “Woman”, “Non-binary” and “I do not identify” were given. People who answered one of the last two options were selected for this study. Multivariate regression logistic models were constructed to evaluate the associations between sociodemographic, social and health-related factors, anxiety and depression. Out of the 7125 people who participated in the survey, 72 (1%) identified as non-binary or to not identify with another category. People who do not identify with the man/woman binomial (non-binary/I do not identify) presented high proportions of anxiety (41.7%) and depression (30.6%). Poorer mental health was associated with social-employment variables (e.g., not working before the pandemic) and health-related variables (e.g., poor or regular self-rated health). These findings suggest that social inequities, already experienced by non-binary communities before the pandemic, may deepen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The impact of economic crisis on mental and physical health in Italy

Die Psychiatrie ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1669560 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (02) ◽

pp. 103-110

Author(s):

S. Tomassi ◽

M. Ruggeri

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Economic Crisis ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Great Recession ◽

Economic Recession ◽

Behavioural Disorders ◽

Economic Activities ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Summary Background: The global crisis that began in 2007 has been the most prolonged economic recession since 1929. It has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health (1, 2). The so-called “Great Recession” has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable part of society of the whole Eurozone (3). Across Europe, an increase in suicides and deaths rates due to mental and behavioural disorders was reported among those who lost their jobs, houses and economic activities as a consequence of the crisis.

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117 The Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Mental Health-Related Emergency Departments Visits

Annals of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.07.143 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. S42

Author(s):

K.C. Frankel ◽

C.M. Allegra ◽

B. Eskin ◽

J.R. Allegra

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Hurricane Sandy ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

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The impact of a teacher-based positive education intervention on student wellbeing literacy

Journal of School and Educational Psychology ◽

10.47602/josep.v2i1.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 22-43

Author(s):

Lea Waters ◽

Matthew Charles Higgins

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Education Intervention ◽

Positive Education ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Emotional Management ◽

Strength Based ◽

Before And After ◽

Education Interventions ◽

Written Descriptions ◽

The Impact

Over the past decade, research has consistently found that positive education interventions have a beneficial effect on mental health outcomes for students, such as improvements in life satisfaction and reduction of anxiety. While it is encouraging to see these changes in student mental health, the research has not yet adequately explored whether positive education interventions change a student’s understanding of wellbeing itself. Wellbeing literacy is a new construct within the field of positive education and is defined as the ability to understand the concept and language of wellbeing. This study examines whether student language and understanding of wellbeing changes following an intervention that trains teachers in the core principles of positive education. Students across grades five, six and seven (ages 11–13; n = 231) from three Australian schools provided brief written descriptions of their understanding of wellbeing before and after their teachers undertook an eight-month positive education intervention. Thematic analysis was used as the methodological tool to analyze student language and understanding of wellbeing. Inferential frequency-based statistical analyses were used to compare the pre-intervention and post-intervention responses. The results revealed that student understanding of wellbeing evolved in four key ways to become more: (1) detailed; (2) strength based; (3) expanded/multidimensional; and (4) relational. Post-intervention understanding of wellbeing was significantly more likely to include aspects of emotional management, strengths, coping, mindfulness and self-kindness. Implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.

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Physical, cognitive and mental health impacts of COVID-19 following hospitalisation: a multi-centre prospective cohort study

10.1101/2021.03.22.21254057 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rachael Andrea Evans ◽

Hamish McAuley ◽

Ewen M Harrison ◽

Aarti Shikotra ◽

Amisha Singapuri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Acute Illness ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

White Ethnicity ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Active Approach ◽

Health Related ◽

Biochemical Testing ◽

The Impact

Background The impact of COVID-19 on physical and mental health, and employment following hospitalisation is poorly understood. Methods PHOSP-COVID is a multi-centre, UK, observational study of adults discharged from hospital with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 involving an assessment between two- and seven-months later including detailed symptom, physiological and biochemical testing. Multivariable logistic regression was performed for patient-perceived recovery with age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, and severity of acute illness as co-variates. Cluster analysis was performed using outcomes for breathlessness, fatigue, mental health, cognition and physical function. Findings We report findings of 1077 patients discharged in 2020, from the assessment undertaken a median 5 [IQR4 to 6] months later: 36% female, mean age 58 [SD 13] years, 69% white ethnicity, 27% mechanical ventilation, and 50% had at least two co-morbidities. At follow-up only 29% felt fully recovered, 20% had a new disability, and 19% experienced a health-related change in occupation. Factors associated with failure to recover were female, middle-age, white ethnicity, two or more co-morbidities, and more severe acute illness. The magnitude of the persistent health burden was substantial and weakly related to acute severity. Four clusters were identified with different severities of mental and physical health impairment: 1) Very severe (17%), 2) Severe (21%), 3) Moderate with cognitive impairment (17%), 4) Mild (46%), with 3%, 7%, 36% and 43% feeling fully recovered, respectively. Persistent systemic inflammation determined by C-reactive protein was related to cluster severity, but not acute illness severity. Interpretation We identified factors related to recovery from a hospital admission with COVID-19 and four different phenotypes relating to the severity of physical, mental, and cognitive health five months later. The implications for clinical care include the potential to stratify care and the need for a pro-active approach with wide-access to COVID-19 holistic clinical services. Funding: UKRI and NIHR

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Psychiatric admission for homeless people: the impact of a specialist community mental health team

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.21.5.260 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 260-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Martin Commander ◽

Sue Odell ◽

Sashi Sashidharan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Community Mental Health ◽

Homeless People ◽

Discharge Process ◽

Community Mental Health Team ◽

Psychiatric Admission ◽

Mental Health Team ◽

Health Team ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact

The difficulty in achieving good quality community mental health care for homeless people has received increasing attention during the last few years. Less consideration has been given to the provision of inpatient care. By comparing data collected before and after its inception, we examined the impact of a specialist community mental health team for homeless people on ‘no fixed abode’ admissions in Birmingham. Although the team was successfully involved in the admission and discharge process in a substantial proportion of cases, many admissions still took place out of hours and involved the police, while discharge was often against medical advice and occurred without follow-up. These findings and their implications for the provision of homeless services are discussed.

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Psychosocial Impacts of COVID-19 among University Students in Uruguay

10.31234/osf.io/w9rde ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tianna Loose ◽

Alejandro Vásquez-Echeverría

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

School Closures ◽

Related Factors ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

The novel coronavirus has taken a catastrophic toll worldwide on physical and mental health. We focused on the psychosocial impact among students in Uruguay, a country relatively protected from the pandemic. Our study had three main aims : 1) describe in detail the impact among university students, 2) identify relationships between different dimensions and 3) highlight the factors determinant of mental distress. We designed a multi-dimensional questionnaire to investigate the perceived impact on the lives of students. The questionnaire was administered to 144 undergraduates in Uruguay online while the university was closed. 38-66% of students indicated increases in signs of anxiety, depression or sleep disturbances. Independently of other related factors, increases in substance use, impairments in social relationships, negative impacts of school closures, and personal economic worries explained 41% of variance in psychological distress. Findings are discussed in terms of policies for public health and future directions for research on mental health.

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Epilepsy Benchmarks Area IV: Limit or Prevent Adverse Consequence of Seizures and Their Treatment Across the Life Span

Epilepsy Currents ◽

10.1177/1535759719895277 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1_suppl) ◽

pp. 31S-39S ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jana E. Jones ◽

Miya R. Asato ◽

Mesha-Gay Brown ◽

Julia L. Doss ◽

Elizabeth A. Felton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Complex Spectrum ◽

Common Symptom ◽

Unexpected Death ◽

Related Factors ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Broad Array ◽

Health Related ◽

Causes Of Mortality ◽

Nonepileptic Seizures ◽

The Impact

Epilepsy represents a complex spectrum disorder, with patients sharing seizures as a common symptom and manifesting a broad array of additional clinical phenotypes. To understand this disorder and treat individuals who live with epilepsy, it is important not only to identify pathogenic mechanisms underlying epilepsy but also to understand their relationships with other health-related factors. Benchmarks Area IV focuses on the impact of seizures and their treatment on quality of life, development, cognitive function, and other aspects and comorbidities that often affect individuals with epilepsy. Included in this review is a discussion on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and other causes of mortality, a major area of research focus with still many unanswered questions. We also draw attention to special populations, such as individuals with nonepileptic seizures and pregnant women and their offspring. In this study, we review the progress made in these areas since the 2016 review of the Benchmarks Area IV and discuss challenges and opportunities for future study.

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