scholarly journals A simulation–optimization framework for post-disaster allocation of mental health resources

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3843-3862
Author(s):  
Stephen Cunningham ◽  
Steven Schuldt ◽  
Christopher Chini ◽  
Justin Delorit
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
Mental Health Provider ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Resource Assignment ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract. Extreme events, such as natural or human-caused disasters, cause mental health stress in affected communities. While the severity of these outcomes varies based on socioeconomic standing, age group, and degree of exposure, disaster planners can mitigate potential stress-induced mental health outcomes by assessing the capacity and scalability of early, intermediate, and long-term treatment interventions by social workers and psychologists. However, local and state authorities are typically underfunded, understaffed, and have ongoing health and social service obligations that constrain mitigation and response activities. In this research, a resource assignment framework is developed as a coupled-state transition and linear optimization model that assists planners in optimally allocating constrained resources and satisfying mental health recovery priorities post-disaster. The resource assignment framework integrates the impact of a simulated disaster on mental health, mental health provider capacities, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to identify vulnerable populations needing additional assistance post-disaster. In this study, we optimally distribute mental health clinicians to treat the affected population based upon rule sets that simulate decision-maker priorities, such as economic and social vulnerability criteria. Finally, the resource assignment framework maps the mental health recovery of the disaster-affected populations over time, providing agencies a means to prepare for and respond to future disasters given existing resource constraints. These capabilities hold the potential to support decision-makers in minimizing long-term mental health impacts of disasters on communities through improved preparation and response activities.

scholarly journals A simulation-optimization framework for post-disaster allocation of mental health resources

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Cunningham ◽  
Steven Schuldt ◽  
Christopher Chini ◽  
Justin Delorit
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
Mental Health Provider ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Resource Assignment ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract. Extreme events, such as natural or human-caused disasters, cause mental health stress in affected communities. While the severity of these outcomes varies based on socioeconomic standing, age group, and degree of exposure, disaster planners can mitigate potential stress-induced mental health outcomes by assessing the capacity and scalability of early, intermediate, and long-term treatment interventions by social workers and psychologists. However, local and state authorities are typically underfunded, understaffed, and have ongoing health and social service obligations that constrain mitigation and response activities. In this research, a resource assignment framework is developed as a coupled-state transition and linear optimization model that assists planners in optimally allocating constrained resources and satisfying mental health recovery priorities post-disaster. The resource assignment framework integrates the impact of a simulated disaster on mental health, mental health provider capacities, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to identify vulnerable populations needing additional assistance post-disaster. In this study, we optimally distribute mental health clinicians to treat the affected population based upon rulesets that simulate decision-maker priorities, such as economic and social vulnerability criteria. Finally, the resource assignment framework maps the mental health recovery of the disaster-affected populations over time, providing agencies a means to prepare for and respond to future disasters given existing resource constraints. These capabilities hold the potential to support decision-makers in minimizing long-term mental health impacts of disasters on communities through improved preparation and response activities.

scholarly journals Queensland Family Cohort: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e044463
Author(s):  
Danielle Borg ◽  
Kym Rae ◽  
Corrine Fiveash ◽  
Johanna Schagen ◽  
Janelle James-McAlpine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Biological Samples ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Future Health ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe perinatal–postnatal family environment is associated with childhood outcomes including impacts on physical and mental health and educational attainment. Family longitudinal cohort studies collect in-depth data that can capture the influence of an era on family lifestyle, mental health, chronic disease, education and financial stability to enable identification of gaps in society and provide the evidence for changes in government in policy and practice.Methods and analysisThe Queensland Family Cohort (QFC) is a prospective, observational, longitudinal study that will recruit 12 500 pregnant families across the state of Queensland (QLD), Australia and intends to follow-up families and children for three decades. To identify the immediate and future health requirements of the QLD population; pregnant participants and their partners will be enrolled by 24 weeks of gestation and followed up at 24, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, during delivery, on-ward, 6 weeks postpartum and then every 12 months where questionnaires, biological samples and physical measures will be collected from parents and children. To examine the impact of environmental exposures on families, data related to environmental pollution, household pollution and employment exposures will be linked to pregnancy and health outcomes. Where feasible, data linkage of state and federal government databases will be used to follow the participants long term. Biological samples will be stored long term for future discoveries of biomarkers of health and disease.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the Mater Research Ethics (HREC/16/MHS/113). Findings will be reported to (1) QFC participating families; (2) funding bodies, institutes and hospitals supporting the QFC; (3) federal, state and local governments to inform policy; (4) presented at local, national and international conferences and (5) disseminated by peer-review publications.

scholarly journals Health risk assessment and countermeasure analysis of the elderly population exposed to PM2.5 microenvironment

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yan Xu ◽  
Wantian Cui
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Exposure Concentration ◽  
Physical Diseases ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: China’s atmospheric PM2.5 pollution is serious, and PM2.5 exerts a negative impact on the human respiratory system, cardiovascular, and mental health, and even more serious health risk for the elderly with weak immunity. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to analyse the impacts of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure on the health of the elderly and provide corresponding countermeasures. METHODS: The survey subjects are 118 retired elderly people in the community. PM2.5 exposure concentrations are monitored in summer (June 10 ∼ July 10, 2019) and winter (November 25 ∼ December 25, 2019). RESULTS: The exposure concentration in winter is higher than that in summer, with statistical difference (P <  0.05). Under the impact of PM2.5 microenvironment exposure, smoking in the elderly can increase the concentration of PM2.5, and long-term exposure to PM2.5 in the elderly can cause mental health problems. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure of the elderly to the PM2.5 microenvironment leads to physical diseases and even psychological problems, which requires attention.

Five-year Psychosocial Impact of Living in Post-Disaster Prefabricated Temporary Housing

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Akaishi ◽  
Tomomi Suzuki ◽  
Harumi Nemoto ◽  
Yusuke Utsumi ◽  
Moe Seto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Temporary Housing ◽  
Psychiatric Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
Psychosocial Conditions ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract Objective: This study aims to evaluate the long-term impact of living in post-disaster prefabricated temporary housing on social interaction activities and mental health status. Methods: A total of 917 adult residents in a coastal town, whose residences were destroyed by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), were enrolled for the assessment held five years after the disaster. They answered questions about their experience and consequence of living in prefabricated temporary housing after the disaster. Their present scores on five types of self-reported measures regarding the psychosocial or psychiatric status and their present and recalled social interaction activities were cross-sectionally collected. Results: A total of 587 (64.0%) participants had a history of living in prefabricated temporary housing, while the other 330 (36.0%) had not. The prevalence of social interaction activities significantly decreased after the GEJE. However, the experience of living in prefabricated temporary housing did not adversely affect the subsequent social interaction activities or mental conditions of the participants five years after the disaster. Conclusions: Living in post-disaster prefabricated temporary housing may not negatively impact subsequent psychosocial conditions or social interaction activities five years later.

Parental alienation: the impact on men’s mental health

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Sher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Separation Anxiety ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Parental Alienation ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
High Conflict ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Parental alienation is defined as a mental state in which a child, usually one whose parents are engaged in a high-conflict separation or divorce, allies himself strongly with one parent (the preferred parent) and rejects a relationship with the other parent (the alienated parent) without legitimate justification. Parental alienation may affect men’s mental health: a) parental alienation negatively influences mental health of male children and adolescents who are victims of parental alienation. Alienated children/adolescents display guilt, sadness, and depressed mood; low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence; distress and frustration; lack of impulse control, substance abuse and delinquent behavior; separation anxiety, fears and phobias; hypochondria and increased tendency to develop psychosomatic illness; suicidal ideation and suicide attempt; sleep and eating disorders; educational problems; enuresis and encopresis; b) parental alienation negatively affects the mental health of adult men who were victims of parental alienation when they were children and/or adolescents. Long-term effects of parental alienation include low self-esteem, depression, drug/alcohol abuse, lack of trust, alienation from own children, divorce, problems with identity and not having a sense of belonging or roots, choosing not to have children to avoid being rejected by them, low achievement, anger and bitterness over the time lost with the alienated parent; c) parental alienation negatively influences mental health of men who are alienated from their children. Fathers who have lost some or all contact with their children for months or years following separation or divorce may be depressed and suicidal.

Sustained drug delivery optimizes long-term treatment of patients with schizophrenia

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre S. Chue ◽  
Peter D'Hoore ◽  
J. Michael Ramstack
Keyword(s):  
Antipsychotic Agents ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Sustained Drug Delivery ◽  
Partial Compliance ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Optimal Maintenance ◽  
Long Acting ◽  
The Impact

Chronic disorders such as schizophrenia require long-term treatment programs in order to maintain patients at the lowest level of symptomatology, reduce the likelihood of psychotic relapse, and support achievement of remission and recovery. Evidence suggests that treatment with long-acting injectable antipsychotics reduces the impact of partial compliance and provides predictable release of medication, assuring continuous therapeutic coverage. Until recently, only conventional antipsychotic agents were available in long-acting formulations, thereby foregoing the advantages of the atypical class. Atypical agents which are given orally have been shown to provide long-term efficacy and tolerability benefits compared with conventional agents, but are limited by the need for daily administration. The most recent pharmacological strategy to achieve optimal maintenance treatment has been to combine the benefits of an atypical antipsychotic with delivery in a water-based long-acting formulation. The first antipsychotic to achieve this combination – long-acting risperidone – may thus represent an important advance in the optimization of long-term treatment outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.

The Impact of Disability Compensation on Long-term Treatment Outcomes of Patients With Sciatica Due to a Lumbar Disc Herniation

Spine ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (26) ◽  
pp. 3061-3069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Atlas ◽  
Yuchiao Chang ◽  
Robert B. Keller ◽  
Daniel E. Singer ◽  
Yen A. Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Outcomes ◽  
Lumbar Disc Herniation ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Disability Compensation

scholarly journals Exploring experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young racially minoritised people in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Ann Burgess ◽  
Nancy Kanu ◽  
Tanya Matthews ◽  
Owen Mukotekwa ◽  
Amina Smith-Gul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
The Impact

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualize public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal trends in social vulnerability and COVID-19 incidence and death rates in the United States

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248702
Author(s):  
Brian Neelon ◽  
Fedelis Mutiso ◽  
Noel T. Mueller ◽  
John L. Pearce ◽  
Sara E. Benjamin-Neelon
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
Crossover Effect ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background Socially vulnerable communities may be at higher risk for COVID-19 outbreaks in the US. However, no prior studies examined temporal trends and differential effects of social vulnerability on COVID-19 incidence and death rates. Therefore, we examined temporal trends among counties with high and low social vulnerability to quantify disparities in trends over time. Methods We conducted a longitudinal analysis examining COVID-19 incidence and death rates from March 15 to December 31, 2020, for each US county using data from USAFacts. We classified counties using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), a percentile-based measure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with higher values indicating more vulnerability. Using a Bayesian hierarchical negative binomial model, we estimated daily risk ratios (RRs) comparing counties in the first (lower) and fourth (upper) SVI quartiles, adjusting for rurality, percentage in poor or fair health, percentage female, percentage of smokers, county average daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5), percentage of primary care physicians per 100,000 residents, daily temperature and precipitation, and proportion tested for COVID-19. Results At the outset of the pandemic, the most vulnerable counties had, on average, fewer cases per 100,000 than least vulnerable SVI quartile. However, on March 28, we observed a crossover effect in which the most vulnerable counties experienced higher COVID-19 incidence rates compared to the least vulnerable counties (RR = 1.05, 95% PI: 0.98, 1.12). Vulnerable counties had higher death rates starting on May 21 (RR = 1.08, 95% PI: 1.00,1.16). However, by October, this trend reversed and the most vulnerable counties had lower death rates compared to least vulnerable counties. Conclusions The impact of COVID-19 is not static but can migrate from less vulnerable counties to more vulnerable counties and back again over time.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL VULNERABILITY TO THE IMPACT OF FLOOD HAZARD: A CASE STUDY OF KOPILI RIVER BASIN, ASSAM, INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-5 ◽  
pp. 455-460
Author(s):  
S. V. Shiva Prasad Sharma ◽  
P. S. Roy ◽  
V. Chakravarthi
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Social Vulnerability Index ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vulnerability Indicators ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Vulnerable Zones

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In the present study, an attempt is made to understand the impact on Social Vulnerability of the Kopili basin due to various severities of flood hazard. The flood hazard is generated using multi-temporal historical satellite based analysis and integration of annual flood inundation layers. The census of India data of 2001 and 2011 is spatially joined with village database to study the impact at village level. Using 5 Census variables from both Census 2001 &amp;amp; 2011 as vulnerability indicators, the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is derived and classified into various vulnerable zones namely Low, Moderate and High Vulnerable zones. The findings of the study show that the number of villages falling in Low and High Vulnerable zones had decreased during Census 2011 when compared to 2001 and a rise of 6% in villages falling in moderate vulnerable zones during 2011 is observed. The spatial database generated is useful to understand the impact of floods on the Social Vulnerability status of the basin and can be a useful input to further study the Physical, Economic and Environmental Vulnerabilities of the basin.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document