scholarly journals Association between Breastfeeding Duration and Long-Term Midwifery-Led Support and Psychosocial Support: Outcomes from a Greek Non-Randomized Controlled Perinatal Health Intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1988
Author(s):  
Maria Dagla ◽  
Irina Mrvoljak-Theodoropoulou ◽  
Marilena Vogiatzoglou ◽  
Anastasia Giamalidou ◽  
Eleni Tsolaridou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Perinatal Health ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Background: This study investigates if a non-randomized controlled perinatal health intervention which offers (a) long-term midwife-led breastfeeding support and (b) psychosocial support of women, is associated with the initiation, exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding. Methods: A sample of 1080 women who attended a 12-month intervention before and after childbirth, during a five-year period (January 2014–January 2019) in a primary mental health care setting in Greece, was examined. Multiple analyses of variance and logistic regression analysis were conducted. Results: The vast majority of women (96.3%) initiated either exclusive breastfeeding (only breast milk) (70.7%) or any breastfeeding (with or without formula or other type of food/drink) (25.6%). At the end of the 6th month postpartum, almost half of the women (44.3%) breastfed exclusively. A greater (quantitatively) midwifery-led support to mothers seemed to correlate with increased chance of exclusive breastfeeding at the end of the 6th month postpartum (p = 0.034), and with longer any breastfeeding duration (p = 0.015). The absence of pathological mental health symptoms and of need for receiving long-term psychotherapy were associated with the longer duration of any breastfeeding (p = 0.029 and p = 0.013 respectively). Conclusions: Continuous long-term midwife-led education and support, and maternal mental well-being are associated with increased exclusive and any breastfeeding duration.

scholarly journals Women’s Mental Health as a Factor Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding Duration: Data from a Longitudinal Study in Greece

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Maria Dagla ◽  
Irina Mrvoljak-Theodoropoulou ◽  
Despoina Karagianni ◽  
Calliope Dagla ◽  
Dimitra Sotiropoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Patient Health

Background: This study investigated the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration, and maternal psychological well-being in the perinatal period. Methods: A longitudinal study involving a retrospective follow-up of a group of 1080 women from pregnancy to the 1st year postpartum, who gave birth during the 5-year period between January 2014 and January 2019 in Athens, Greece, was designed. Women’s history and two psychometric tools—the Edinburg Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) administered at 5-time points—were used for data collection. Logistic regression analysis and a series of multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests were performed. Results: The chance for exclusive breastfeeding (giving only breast milk) appeared to decrease (a) with an increase of the scores for psychometric tools antenatally (PHQ-9, p = 0.030) or at the 6th week postpartum (EPDS, p < 0.001 and PHQ-9, p < 0.001), (b) with an increase in the number of psychotherapeutic sessions needed antenatally (p = 0.030), and (c) when the initiation of psychotherapy was necessary postpartum (p = 0.002). Additionally, a shorter duration of any breastfeeding (with or without formula or other types of food/drink) seems to be associated with (a) the occurrence of pathological mental health symptoms (p = 0.029), (b) increased PHQ-9 scores antenatally (p = 0.018), (c) increased EPDS scores at the 6th week (p = 0.004) and the 12th month postpartum (p = 0.031), (d) the initiation of psychotherapy postpartum (p = 0.040), and e) the need for more than 13 psychotherapeutic sessions (p = 0.020). Conclusions: This study demonstrates a negative relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration, and poor maternal mental health in the perinatal period.

Coparenting Breastfeeding Support and Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2018 ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Jennifer Abbass-Dick ◽  
Susan B. Stern ◽  
LaRon E. Nelson ◽  
William Watson ◽  
Cindy-Lee Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Large Teaching Hospital

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a coparenting intervention on exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers and fathers. METHODS A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a large teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada. Couples were randomized to receive either usual care (n = 107) or a coparenting breastfeeding support intervention (n = 107). Follow-up of exclusive breastfeeding and diverse secondary outcomes was conducted at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. RESULTS Significantly more mothers in the intervention group than in the control group continued to breastfeed at 12 weeks postpartum (96.2% vs 87.6%, P = .02). Although proportionately more mothers in the intervention group were exclusively breastfeeding at 6 and 12 weeks, these differences were not significant. Fathers in the intervention group had a significantly greater increase in breastfeeding self-efficacy scores from baseline to 6 weeks postpartum compared with fathers in the control group (P = .03). In addition, significantly more mothers in the intervention group than in the control group reported that their partners provided them with breastfeeding help in the first 6 weeks (71% vs 52%, P = .02) and that they were satisfied with their partners’ involvement with breastfeeding (89% vs 78.1%, P = .04). Mothers in the intervention group were also more satisfied with the breastfeeding information they received (81% vs 62.5%, P &lt; .001). CONCLUSIONS The significant improvements in breastfeeding duration, paternal breastfeeding selfefficacy, and maternal perceptions of paternal involvement and assistance with breastfeeding suggest that a coparenting intervention involving fathers warrants additional investigation.

Comparing the social networks of service users with long term mental health needs living in community with those in a general adult in-patient unit

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110175
Author(s):  
Roberto Rusca ◽  
Ike-Foster Onwuchekwa ◽  
Catherine Kinane ◽  
Douglas MacInnes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Practical Support ◽  
The Social

Background: Relationships are vital to recovery however, there is uncertainty whether users have different types of social networks in different mental health settings and how these networks may impact on users’ wellbeing. Aims: To compare the social networks of people with long-term mental illness in the community with those of people in a general adult in-patient unit. Method: A sample of general adult in-patients with enduring mental health problems, aged between 18 and 65, was compared with a similar sample attending a general adult psychiatric clinic. A cross-sectional survey collected demographic data and information about participants’ social networks. Participants also completed the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale to examine well-being and the Significant Others Scale to explore their social network support. Results: The study recruited 53 participants (25 living in the community and 28 current in-patients) with 339 named as important members of their social networks. Both groups recorded low numbers in their social networks though the community sample had a significantly greater number of social contacts (7.4 vs. 5.4), more monthly contacts with members of their network and significantly higher levels of social media use. The in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Conclusions: People with serious and enduring mental health problems living in the community had a significantly greater number of people in their social network than those who were in-patients while the in-patient group reported greater levels of emotional and practical support from their network. Recommendations for future work have been made.

Aspiring to Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens? Quixotic Hope, Religiosity, and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 215686932110085
Author(s):  
Laura Upenieks
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Expectations ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
National Study ◽  
Health Consequences

Beliefs about the probability of educational success tend to be very optimistic in the United States. However, scholars are beginning to uncover mental health consequences associated with quixotic hope—the unrealistic outstripping of expectation by aspiration. Using longitudinal data from Waves 1 and 3 of the National Study of Youth and Religion, this study asks, (1) does religiosity promote or diminish the likelihood of quixotic hope? and (2) does religious attendance and closeness to God mitigate long-term mental health consequences of quixotic hope? Results show that weekly religious attendance had a modest negative relationship with the likelihood of experiencing quixotic hope, while increasing religious attendance over time attenuated the negative mental health consequences of quixotic hope on increases in depression. Closeness to God neither predicted quixotic hope nor played a moderating role for depression. As educational expectations rise, regular religious practice may help protect the emotional well-being of youth.

Marketing dispossession

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Sergius Koku ◽  
Hannah Emma Acquaye
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Real Property ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Hard Times

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mental state and the disposition of those who have fallen on hard times during the recent financial crisis and have had their homes foreclosed on or their automobiles repossessed. It also proposes an alternative process for dispossessing individuals that preserves the mental health of such individuals and the banks’ reputation. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the hermeneutics approach to analyze the predicament of those whose homes have been foreclosed on or whose properties have been repossessed by financial institutions to better understand their predicament. Findings Those whose homes have been foreclosed on or whose properties have been repossessed by financial institutions are traumatized. They feel victimized, bitter, helpless and hopeless and have poor mental state. The study draws on theories in counseling psychology to propose an alternative approach to making loans that take long time to be repaid (long-term loans), and for repossessing personal properties such as automobiles and for foreclosing on real property (homes). Research limitations/implications As a qualitative study based on a small sample, the findings of the study are limited to only those who have been studied. A further study that leads to a generalized result will be useful. Practical implications The study develops a practical framework that could be useful to financial institutions in making long-term loans and to foreclose on delinquent loans (i.e. to dispossess individuals). Social implications The proposed strategy, if implemented, could have a significant positive impact on the mental well-being of those who have fallen on financial hard times. Originality/value To the best of the knowledge, this is the first marketing paper that has explored the mental health of those who have defaulted on loans, and has proposed an alternative approach to making long-term loans that not only preserves the mental health of banks’ customers, but also protects the reputation and market share of banks.

scholarly journals Effects of self-conditioning techniques in promoting weight loss in patients with severe obesity: a randomized controlled trial protocol

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Bo ◽  
Farnaz Rahimi ◽  
Bice Properzi ◽  
Giuseppe Regaldo ◽  
Ilaria Goitre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Standard Care ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Rapid Induction ◽  
Conditioning Approach

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Obesity is a worldwide epidemic; most obese individuals who lose weight after lifestyle educative treatments, soon regain it. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of a training to teach self-conditioning technique (self-hypnosis) added to standard care in determining weight loss compared with standard care in patients with obesity</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This randomized controlled open trial will recruit 120 obese patients (BMI 35-50 Kg/m<sup>2</sup>), aged 20-70 years. The control group will receive a traditional approach: diet + exercise + behavioral recommendations. The experimental group will receive self-conditioning techniques + traditional approach.</p><p>Three individual sessions of hypnosis with rapid-induction techniques will be administered by trained personnel. All the participants of both groups will be assessed at three, six, nine and twelve months after randomization. The primary outcome is weight loss difference between groups at 12 months after randomization; secondary outcomes are changes in adherence to dietetic and exercise recommendations, appetite and satisfaction/well-being, waist circumference and body fat, blood pressure and blood metabolic and inflammatory variables.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this trial will assess whether a self-conditioning approach, based on self-hypnosis, is able to help participants to modulate unhealthy patterns of eating and sustain weight loss in the long term.<strong></strong></p>

scholarly journals Social media and mental health: Reviewing effects on eudaimonic well-being

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Meier ◽  
Leonard Reinecke
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Omission Bias ◽  
Health And Well Being

Do social media affect users’ mental health and well-being? By now, considerable research has addressed this highly contested question. Prior studies have investigated the effects of social media use on hedonic well-being (e.g., affect and life satisfaction), psychopathology (e.g., depressive or anxiety symptoms), or psychosocial risk/resilience factors (e.g., loneliness, stress, self-esteem). Yet, public concern over social media effects often centers on more long-term negative outcomes, which may be better captured by indicators of eudaimonic well-being. Indeed, neglecting the eudaimonic side of well-being may have introduced outcome omission bias, since eudaimonia is both conceptually and empirically distinct from other dimensions of mental health and may be uniquely affected by social media use. Specifically, psychology currently theorizes eudaimonic well-being to be best represented by the experiences of (a) meaningfulness, (b) authenticity, and (c) self-actualization. A research synthesis of how social media use relates to these core indicators of eudaimonia is currently missing, however. We thus present a first narrative review that synthesizes both theoretical and empirical links between three key social media uses (i.e., active, passive, and “screen time”) and eudaimonic well-being. The synthesis shows that while there are indeed several plausible theoretical links, the evidence is too scarce and inconsistent to allow definitive conclusions at this time. We instead give recommendations for how the field can close important gaps by investigating whether social media afford or constrain opportunities to find meaning, live authentically, and grow as a person.

scholarly journals A Guided Internet-Based Problem-Solving Intervention Delivered Through Smartphones for Secondary School Pupils During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/30339 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e30339
Author(s):  
Pattie P Gonsalves ◽  
Rhea Sharma ◽  
Eleanor Hodgson ◽  
Bhargav Bhat ◽  
Abhijeet Jambhale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Sample Size Calculation ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Intervention ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background “POD Adventures” is a gamified mental health intervention delivered via a smartphone app and supported by counsellors for a target population of secondary school students in India. This paper describes the protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial of a remotely delivered version of the intervention in the context of COVID-19 restrictions. Objective Our objectives are to assess the feasibility of research procedures and intervention delivery and to generate preliminary estimates of the effectiveness of the intervention to inform the sample size calculation of a full-scale trial. Methods We will conduct a parallel, 2-arm, individually randomized pilot controlled trial in 11 secondary schools in Goa, India. This pilot trial aims to recruit 70 participants with a felt need for psychological support. Participants will receive either the POD Adventures intervention delivered over 4 weeks or usual care comprising information about local mental health services and national helplines. Outcomes will be assessed at two timepoints: baseline and 6 weeks post randomization. Results The first participant was enrolled on January 28, 2021, and 6-week assessment completed on April 4, 2021. Owing to a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, schools in Goa were closed on April 22, 2021. Trial participants are currently receiving the intervention or completing follow-up assessments. Conclusions This pilot trial will help understand the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a remotely delivered digital mental health intervention in a low-resource setting. Our findings will be used to design future trials that can address difficulties of accessing psychosocial support in-person and support wider efforts to scale up evidence-based mental health interventions for young people. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04672486; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04672486 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/30339

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