scholarly journals Mental health, anthropometry and blood pressure among adolescents living in slums of Nashik, India

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushama A. Khopkar ◽  
Suvi M. Virtanen ◽  
Sangita Kulathinal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Health Management ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Related

 Background: Both hypertension and depression are common disorders and obesity is on the rise in low and middle-income countries. Because early life changes may prove to be precursors to the development of diseases in adult, assessing the mental and physical health of younger population is crucial. This study aimed to determine the association between blood pressure, mental health and anthropometric status of adolescents from urban slums in Nashik, India.  Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among eligible adolescents during November 2010 and April 2011 in two randomly selected slums of Nashik, Maharashtra, India. A total of 545 adolescents were selected from 276 households. Data on socio-demographic indicators, anthropometry, blood pressure, mental wellbeing, and addictions were collected using pretested structured questionnaires by house visits. Mental wellbeing was examined using the General Health Questionnaire with 12 items (GHQ-12). A higher score indicates more-optimal mental wellbeing. Linear mixed effects models were used to analyse the data. Results: Girls had better mental wellbeing scores than boys. Adolescents with low mental wellbeing score had higher percentage of stunting (22%) compared to high scores. The factors associated significantly with systolic blood pressure (SBP) were age, mid mental wellbeing score, stunting, and thinness. For diastolic blood pressure (DBP), sex, high mental wellbeing score, and father's education were, in addition, also significant. When moving from the low to mid mental wellbeing score, SBP and DBP decreased and the same was observed for high score. The prevalence of prehypertension was 20%.  Conclusion: The findings showed that the adolescents do run a higher risk of substance abuse, health-related problems and higher SBP and DBP if there is an evidence of distress. It brings into focus the importance of mental health management in adolescents. 

scholarly journals Low self-esteem is related to depression and anxiety during recovery from an ectopic pregnancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Hasani ◽  
Eindra Aung ◽  
Mojgan Mirghafourvand
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Ectopic Pregnancy ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Subscale Score ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Score Range

Abstract Background Considering the increasing incidence of ectopic pregnancy and the negative effects of pregnancy loss on mental health, this study aimed to determine the status of mental health in women with ectopic pregnancy and examine its relationship with their self-esteem. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 150 women (with a 100% response rate) hospitalized for ectopic pregnancy et al.-Zahra hospital in Tabriz, Iran, during 2018–2019, and recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire-28, which has four subscales (overall score range: 0 to 84; subscale score range: 0 to 21 with a lower score indicating a better mental state), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (score range: − 10 to + 10 with a higher score indicating higher self-esteem). To determine the association between self-esteem and mental health, independent t-tests, and multivariable logistic regression were used. Results The response rate was 100%. The mean score (SD) of participants’ mental health was 31.4 (8.5), and that of self-esteem was 4.5 (3.80). The percentage of participants who were considered as having mental distress (i.e., overall GHQ-28 score ≥ 24) was 76%. Among the subscales of mental health, social dysfunction was the most prevalent (observed in 100% of the participants), followed by somatic symptoms (79.3%). Lower self-esteem was significantly associated with overall mental distress (odds ratio (OR): 0.74; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.64–0.87; P < 0.001), depression (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.60–0.80; P < 0.001) and anxiety/insomnia (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.66–0.87; P < 0.001). Discussion Mental distress was common among women with ectopic pregnancy. This study is the first to examine the relationship between self-esteem and mental health among women with ectopic pregnancy and highlights the important role of self-esteem in mental wellbeing among those women.

scholarly journals Comparison of Perceived Covid-19 Related Mental Health Stress in SMI and Non-SMI Psychiatric Populations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Walker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in perceived COVID-19 associated mental health-related stress in individuals with psychiatric diagnoses at opposite ends of the DSM diagnostic severity spectrum. The opposite poles of the spectrum were represented by Adjustment Disorder (AjD) at one end and disorders categorized as Serious Mental Illness (SMI) at the other. The study hypothesized that persons with SMI disorders are more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-19 stress compared to individuals with non-SMI disorders. An observational, cross-sectional model was used to collect data from client intake forms completed between April 2020 and December 2020. Participants were 25 male and 23 female U.S. citizens (mean age = 32.9) diagnosed with either SMI or Adjustment Disorder. COVID-related mental health stress was measured by answering 'yes' or 'no' to the following question: "Do you feel that your mental health is being negatively impacted (for the worse) by the life-changes, hardships, and stress being caused by the current coronavirus outbreak?" A Pearson chi-square analysis was used to compare the two groups. Results indicated that individuals diagnosed with SMI disorders were significantly more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-related stress compared to individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder (SMI 74% vs. AdJ 19%, p&lt;.001). In this study, individuals with a pre-existing SMI disorder are almost four times (Risk Ratio: 3.89) more likely to be adversely affected by perceived stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic than individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder. No significant differences were found between the two diagnostic groups on sociodemographic characteristics (gender/age/ethnicity). These findings suggest that the mental health of individuals diagnosed with SMI may be considerably more negatively impacted by current COVID-19 related stress and therefore require greater clinical attention compared to those diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder and other non-SMI diagnoses.

scholarly journals Comparison of Perceived Covid-19 Related Mental Health Stress in SMI and Non-SMI Psychiatric Populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Walker Jr. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in perceived COVID-19 associated mental health-related stress in individuals with psychiatric diagnoses at opposite ends of the DSM diagnostic severity spectrum. The opposite poles of the spectrum were represented by Adjustment Disorder (AjD) at one end and disorders categorized as Serious Mental Illness (SMI) at the other. The study hypothesized that persons with SMI disorders are more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-19 stress compared to individuals with non-SMI disorders. An observational, cross-sectional model was used to collect data from client intake forms completed between April 2020 and December 2020. Participants were 25 male and 23 female U.S. citizens (mean age = 32.9) diagnosed with either SMI or Adjustment Disorder. COVID-related mental health stress was measured by answering 'yes' or 'no' to the following question: "Do you feel that your mental health is being negatively impacted (for the worse) by the life-changes, hardships, and stress being caused by the current coronavirus outbreak?" A Pearson chi-square analysis was used to compare the two groups. Results indicated that individuals diagnosed with SMI disorders were significantly more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-related stress compared to individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder (SMI 74% vs. AdJ 19%, p<.001). In this study, individuals with a pre-existing SMI disorder are almost four times (Risk Ratio: 3.89) more likely to be adversely affected by perceived stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic than individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder. No significant differences were found between the two diagnostic groups on sociodemographic characteristics (gender/age/ethnicity). These findings suggest that the mental health of individuals diagnosed with SMI may be considerably more negatively impacted by current COVID-19 related stress and therefore require greater clinical attention compared to those diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder and other non-SMI diagnoses.

scholarly journals A Survey On The Health of Vietnamese Individuals Living in Japan Under a Declared State of Emergency Due to COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoo Ito
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Students ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Policy Direction ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Abstract BackgroundWith the outbreak of COVID-19, Japan declared a state of emergency on April 7, 2020, and certain social measures were taken, including requests for store closures. In recent years, before the outbreak, Japan has been implementing policies to expand the acceptance of foreign students and technical interns from overseas, mainly from middle-income countries to meet the challenges of a declining birthrate, an aging society, and a declining population. Because of said policies, the number of Vietnamese nationalities living in Japan has surged to more than 400,000. However, some reports mentioned the hardships experienced by these individuals in Japanese society. It is not clear what their health-related situation and living conditions are actually like under the COVID-19 epidemic. MethodThe application Facebook, which is frequently used by Vietnamese people, was used to solicit research participants and obtain their responses on a structured questionnaire asking about their present health-related situations changes in the living environment in COVID-19 via Google Form.Result196 Vietnamese residents in Japan responded to the survey. The 25.4% of respondents have some kind of health problem, of which 14.2% have a mental problem and 5.6% have Symptoms of suspected COVID-19 infection were present. The 50% of these respondents chose a counseling center to deal with the symptoms of suspected COVID-19, which follows the Japanese policy direction. In fact, more than 80% of respondents said that they feel difficulty in visiting a medical institution in Japan, with problems being anxiously of medical cost and the language barrier given that most of the individuals are students and apprentices with short tenures in Japan. Furthermore, 65.8% is dissatisfied with Japanese measures against COVID-19. A total of 53.5% experienced income reduction and 27.0% experienced housing environment deterioration after COVID-19 epidemic. ConclusionIt is necessary to grasp the current situation of Vietnamese people living in Japan, since they are considered to be a vulnerable group in an emergency environment, and to take appropriate measures to aid in their predicament as soon as possible.

scholarly journals Systematic evidence and gap map of research linking food security and nutrition to mental health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thalia Sparling ◽  
Megan Deeney ◽  
Bryan Cheng ◽  
Xuerui Han ◽  
Chiara Lier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Child Feeding ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Young Child Feeding ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Analytical Studies ◽  
Infant And Young Child ◽  
Food Security And Nutrition

Abstract Connections between food security and nutrition (FSN) and mental health have been analytically investigated, but conclusions are difficult to draw given the breadth of literature. Furthermore, there is little guidance for continued research. We searched three databases for analytical studies linking FSN to mental health. Out of 30,896 records, we characterized and mapped 1945 studies onto an interactive Evidence and Gap Map (EGM). Anthropometry (especially BMI) and diets were most linked to mental health (predominantly depression). There were fewer studies on infant and young child feeding, birth outcomes and nutrient biomarkers related to anxiety, stress and mental wellbeing. Two-thirds of studies hypothesized FSN measures as the ‘exposure’ influencing mental health outcomes. Studies were overwhelmingly observational, followed by systematic reviews. One-third of studies were from low- and middle-income countries. This map visualizes the extent and nature of analytical studies relating FSN to mental health, guides further research, and solidifies strategic planning.

scholarly journals Associations of serious physical injuries with posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional survey among university students in 26 countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
University Students ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Physical Injury ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Physical Injuries

Abstract Background Evidence of the relationship between serious physical injury and poor mental health among university students from low- and middle-income countries is limited. The aim of the study is to assess the association between serious physical injury and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms in university students from low- and middle-income countries. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, 18,382 university students from 26 countries responded to a short screening scale for DSM-IV PTSD, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale as well as questions on injury and sociodemographics. Results The overall prevalence of past 12-month serious physical injury was 24.7%. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, compared to having no past 12-month serious physical injury, having a past 12-month serious injury was associated with 1.35 (95% CI 1.18, 1.56) times higher odds for PTSD symptoms and 1.49 (95% CI 1.32, 1.67) times higher odds for depressive symptoms in university students. Conclusion Compared to students who had not sustained a serious physical injury in the past 12 months, students with an injury had significantly higher PTSD and depressive symptoms. Mental health support of students who sustained physical injuries may prevent PTSD and depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals Reducing mental health-related stigma among medical and nursing students in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Heim ◽  
C. Henderson ◽  
B. A. Kohrt ◽  
M. Koschorke ◽  
M. Milenova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Aims This systematic review compiled evidence on interventions to reduce mental health-related stigma among medical and nursing students in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Primary outcomes were stigmatising attitudes and discriminatory behaviours. Methods Data collection included two strategies. First, previous systematic reviews were searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria of the current review. Second, a new search was done, covering the time since the previous reviews, i.e. January 2013 to May 2017. Five search concepts were combined in order to capture relevant literature: stigma, mental health, intervention, professional students in medicine and nursing, and LMICs. A qualitative analysis of all included full texts was done with the software MAXQDA. Full texts were analysed with regard to the content of interventions, didactic methods, mental disorders, cultural adaptation, type of outcome measure and primary outcomes. Furthermore, a methodological quality assessment was undertaken. Results A total of nine studies from six countries (Brazil, China, Malaysia, Nigeria, Somaliland and Turkey) were included. All studies reported significant results in at least one outcome measure. However, from the available literature, it is difficult to draw conclusions on the most effective interventions. No meta-analysis could be calculated due to the large heterogeneity of intervention content, evaluation design and outcome measures. Studies with contact interventions (either face-to-face or video) demonstrated attitudinal change. There was a clear lack of studies focusing on discriminatory behaviours. Accordingly, training of specific communication and clinical skills was lacking in most studies, with the exception of one study that showed a positive effect of training interview skills on attitudes. Methods for cultural adaptation of interventions were rarely documented. The methodological quality of most studies was relatively low, with the exception of two studies. Conclusions There is an increase in studies on anti-stigma interventions among professional students in LMICs. Some of these studies used contact interventions and showed positive effects. A stronger focus on clinical and communication skills and behaviour-related outcomes is needed in future studies.

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