Psychosocial Syndemic of Suicidal Ideation: A Cross-sectional Study among Sexually Transmitted Infection Patients in Shanghai, China

Background: We sought to verify whether psychosocial health problems among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were associated with these patients’ suicidal ideation and to examine the syndemic effect of multiple psychosocial problems on suicidal ideation. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 519 STI patients at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Demographic, psychosocial, and suicidal ideation information about the participants was collected by questionnaire. Logistic regressions were performed to detect the association between demographic variables and suicidal ideation, as well as each individual psychosocial variable and suicidal ideation, and to verify the syndemic effect of psychosocial factors. Results: Of the participants, 25.0% (130/519) reported having suicidal ideation. In univariable analysis, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, entrapment, defeat, and unsatisfied interpersonal needs were associated with suicidal ideation. Multivariable analysis found depression (odds ratio [OR]: 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3–7.2) and entrapment (OR: 2.1; 95%CI: 1.1–4.1) each had a more significant relation with suicidal ideation than the other psychosocial problems examined. STI patients who experienced two or more psychosocial health problems had approximately fourfold odds of suicide ideation (adjusted OR [AOR]: 4.2; 95%CI: 2.6–6.8) compared with those in the non-syndemic group, especially in the high-level (five or more psychosocial problems) group (AOR: 7.0; 95%CI: 3.9–12.5). Conclusions: The study found the participants had a high rate of suicidal ideation and suffered from severe psychosocial problems. These results show a syndemic effect of psychosocial problems on increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. Our findings suggest an urgent need for efforts to prevent suicidal ideation among STI patients toward improving the social and health conditions of this population.

Influence of School Conduciveness on learners’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Murang'a and Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya

The influence of school conduciveness on learners’ academic performance is not clearly known and documented in the world and especially in Kenya. However, the school conduciveness being a psychosocial variable significantly compliments the teaching and learning process. School conduciveness is believed to play an instrumental role on the acceptance, understanding and internalization of the learnt content by the learners. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the school conduciveness on learners’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Murang’a and Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya. The study was guided by two objectives which were to; assess how students’ attitudes towards schooling influences academic performance, and to examine how the psychosocial support systems influences academic performance in public secondary schools in Murang’a and Kirinyaga counties in Kenya. The study tested the null hypothesis Ho1: There was no significant difference between the attitudes of learners towards school psychosocial variables by gender, school category and county of origin of the institution from the two counties. The study adopted the correlational research design. The target population was 5879 consisting of all the form three students in national and extra-county public schools in Murang’a and Kirinyaga counties in Kenya. The national schools in the counties were purposively sampled, while a sample size of 7 extra-county schools was selected using the Gay’s sampling criteria of 10-30%, where the upper limit of 30% of the 22 extra-county schools was used. The Yamane’s formula was used to select a sample size of 412 students from the target population. The study selected respondents in three categories based on their academic performance forming three cadres; top cadre, middle cadre and bottom cadre. A questionnaire with 5-point Likert scale was used to collect data. Reliability of the instrument was ascertained using the Cronbach’s reliability test which yielded r=0.808 which was higher than the basic recommended threshold of 0.7 proposed by Kerlinger. The findings showed that the students in national and extra-county schools scored school conduciveness highly at x̄=71.24%. This school conduciveness correlates significantly with academic performance with Pearson’s correlation coefficient r=0.176, with a p-value=0.000 at α =.05level of significance. From the study findings, it is concluded that school conduciveness significantly influences learners’ academic performance. The study recommends that there is need to strengthen and modify school conduciveness by ensuring the psychosocial support systems are appropriately catered for during the teaching and learning processes.

Psychosocial Syndemic of Suicidal Ideation: A Cross-sectional Study among Sexually Transmitted Infection Patients in Shanghai, China

Background: We sought to verify whether psychosocial health problems among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were associated with these patients’ suicidal ideation and to examine the syndemic effect of multiple psychosocial problems on suicidal ideation. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 519 STI patients at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Demographic, psychosocial, and suicidal ideation information about the participants was collected by questionnaire. Logistic regressions were performed to detect the association between demographic variables and suicidal ideation, as well as each individual psychosocial variable and suicidal ideation, and to verify the syndemic effect of psychosocial factors. Results: Of the participants, 25.0% (130/519) reported having suicidal ideation. In univariable analysis, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, entrapment, defeat, and unsatisfied interpersonal needs were associated with suicidal ideation. Multivariable analysis found depression (odds ratio [OR]: 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3–7.2) and entrapment (OR: 2.1; 95%CI: 1.1–4.1) each had a more significant relation with suicidal ideation than the other psychosocial problems examined. STI patients who experienced two or more psychosocial health problems had approximately fourfold odds of suicide ideation (adjusted OR [AOR]: 4.2; 95%CI: 2.6–6.8) compared with those in the non-syndemic group, especially in the high-level (five or more psychosocial problems) group (AOR: 7.0; 95%CI: 3.9–12.5). Conclusions: The study found the participants had a high rate of suicidal ideation and suffered from severe psychosocial problems. These results show a syndemic effect of psychosocial problems on increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. Our findings suggest an urgent need for efforts to prevent suicidal ideation among STI patients toward improving the social and health conditions of this population.

Psychosocial Syndemic of Suicidal Ideation: A Cross-sectional Study Among Sexually Transmitted Infection Patients in Shanghai, China

Background: We sought to verify whether psychosocial health problems among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were associated with these patients’ suicidal ideation, and to examine the syndemic effect of multiple psychosocial problems on suicidal ideation. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 519 STI patients at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Demographic, psychosocial, and suicidal ideation information of the participants was collected by questionnaire. Logistic regressions were performed to detect the association between demographic variables and suicidal ideation, as well as each individual psychosocial variable and suicidal ideation, and to verify the syndemic effect of psychosocial factors. Results: Of the participants, 25.0% (130/519) reported having suicidal ideation. In univriable analysis, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, entrapment, defeat, and unsatisfied interpersonal needs were associated with suicidal ideation. Multivariable analysis found depression (odds ratio [OR] 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3–7.2) and entrapment (OR: 2.1; 95%CI: 1.1–4.1) each had a more significant relation with suicidal ideation than the other psychosocial problems examined. STI patients who experienced two or more psychosocial health problems had approximately fourfold odds of suicide ideation (adjusted OR [AOR]: 4.2; 95%CI: 2.6–6.8) compared with those in the non-syndemic group, especially in the high-level (five or more psychosocial problems) group (AOR: 7.0; 95%CI: 3.9–12.5). Conclusions: The study found the participants had a high rate of suicidal ideation and suffered from severe psychosocial problems. These results show a syndemic effect of psychosocial problems on increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. This suggests an urgent need for efforts to prevent suicidal ideation among STI patients to improve the social and health conditions of this population.

Belonging in general chemistry predicts first-year undergraduates’ performance and attrition

Feeling a sense of belonging in a learning environment can have positive effects on student success. The impact of this psychosocial variable on undergraduates’ achievement and retention has been demonstrated in STEM disciplines, especially for women within physical sciences where large disparities in gender representation persist. The current study explores the relationship between belonging and student success in undergraduate chemistry, where greater gender parity has recently emerged. In particular, this research investigates the belonging of first-year students enrolled in a two-semester General Chemistry course sequence. The study begins by examining whether students’ early sense of belonging in the course, indexed by two survey measures (perceived belonging, belonging uncertainty) varies depending on their demographics and academic preparation. The belonging measures are then used as predictors of performance in General Chemistry 1 and 2 and attrition from one semester to the next. Paralleling research in other STEM disciplines, the results show that female students, especially those from underrepresented minority groups, reported lower belonging and higher uncertainty than male students within the first weeks of the course. After accounting for demographics, preparation, and participation in a course supplemental program, the belonging measures predicted performance and attrition for all students. These findings suggest that course-level belonging in General Chemistry can have practical consequences for student success, and early disparities in belonging may have downstream effects on the retention of women and other groups underrepresented in STEM. Strategies for creating an inclusive and engaging environment that supports the success of all students are discussed.

Psychosocial Syndemic of Suicidal Ideation Among Sexually Transmitted infection Patients in Shanghai, China

Background We sought to verify whether psychosocial health problems among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were associated with these patients’ suicidal ideation, and to examine the magnifying effect of a syndemic of multiple psychosocial conditions on suicidal ideation. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 519 STI patients at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Sociodemographic, psychosocial, and suicidal ideation information on the participants was collected. Logistic regressions were performed to detect the association between sociodemographic variables and suicidal ideation, as well as each individual psychosocial variable and suicidal ideation, and to verify the syndemic effect of psychosocial factors. Results Of the participants, 25.0% reported having suicidal thoughts. In univariate analysis, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, entrapment, defeat, and unsatisfied interpersonal needs were associated with suicidal ideation. Multivariable analysis found depression (risk ratio [RR] 2.614; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.603–4.262) and entrapment (RR: 4.457; 95%CI: 2.649–7.496) remained significant. STI patients who experienced two or more psychosocial health problems had approximately five times the odds of suicide ideation (adjusted risk ratio [ARR]: 4.643; 95%CI: 2.882–7.481) compared with those in the non-syndemic group, especially in the high-level (five or more psychosocial problems) group (ARR: 6.072; 95%CI: 3.307–11.152). Conclusions The study confirmed that STI patients have a high rate of suicidal ideation and suffer from severe psychosocial problems. The results confirm a syndemic effect of psychosocial problems on increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. This suggests greater attention should be paid to STI patients’ psychosocial wellbeing in both nursing and interventions. Efforts to prevent suicidal ideation among STI patients are therefore urgently needed to ameliorate the social and health conditions of this population.

Psychosocial Syndemic Associated with Magnifying Effect of Suicidal Ideation Among Sexually Transmitted infection Patients in Shanghai, China

Background We sought to verify whether psychosocial health problems among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were associated with these patients’ suicidal ideation, and to examine the magnifying effect of a syndemic of multiple psychosocial conditions on suicidal ideation. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 519 STI patients at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Sociodemographic, psychosocial, and suicidal ideation information on the participants was collected. Logistic regressions were performed to detect the association between sociodemographic variables and suicidal ideation, as well as each individual psychosocial variable and suicidal ideation, and to verify the syndemic effect of psychosocial factors. Results Of the participants, 25.0% reported having suicidal thoughts. In univariate analysis, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression, entrapment, defeat, and unsatisfied interpersonal needs were associated with suicidal ideation. Multivariable analysis found depression (risk ratio [RR] 2.614; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.603–4.262) and entrapment (RR: 4.457; 95%CI: 2.649–7.496) remained significant. STI patients who experienced two or more psychosocial health problems had approximately five times the odds of suicide ideation (adjusted risk ratio [ARR]: 4.643; 95%CI: 2.882–7.481) compared with those in the non-syndemic group, especially in the high-level (five or more psychosocial problems) group (ARR: 6.072; 95%CI: 3.307–11.152). Conclusions The study confirmed that STI patients have a high rate of suicidal ideation and suffer from severe psychosocial problems. The results confirm a syndemic effect of psychosocial problems on increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. This suggests greater attention should be paid to STI patients’ psychosocial wellbeing in both nursing and interventions. Efforts to prevent suicidal ideation among STI patients are therefore urgently needed to ameliorate the social and health conditions of this population.

A INFLUÊNCIA DO SUPORTE SOCIAL NA VINCULAÇÃO PAI/BEBÉ

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON PARENT/BABY BONDINGBackground: The social support is an important factor in the establishment of bonding between parent and baby, because it involve the quality of social relations in the family. This factor has been pointed out a psychosocial variable involved in adaptation to parenthood.Objective: Investigate the influence between social support and bonding of father and baby.Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study, correlational descriptive, quantitative, attended by 349 parents, aged between 19 and 55, with an average age of 31,84 (sd=6,067). To providing a reliable sample characterization the social-demographic, obstetric and pregnancy variables, we applied questionnaires and also the Satisfaction Scale with the Social Support (Ribeiro, 1999) and Bonding Scale (Figueiredo et al., 2005).Results: This study reveals that positive bonding is influenced by age (p=0,010), qualifications (p=0,045), first child (p=0,027), communication with fetus (p=0,005) and be present during labor (p=0,045). Regarding to social support: - Positive bonding and “satisfaction with friends” (p=0,011); - Negative bonding and “intimacies” (p=0,011); - Total bonding and “family satisfaction” (p=0,001).Conclusion: The data undoubtedly show the importance of nurse specialists in maternal health who must involve the father since the beginning of pregnancy. Since social support is key to bonding, it is essential that health professionals support and integrate the father in the adjustement process to parenthood.Keywords: Father; Baby; Labor; Bonding; Social Support.Resumo.Enquadramento: O suporte social é um fator relevante no estabelecimento de laços afetivos entre pai e bebé, pois envolve a qualidade das relações sociais centradas na família. Este tem sido apontado como uma variável psicossocial envolvida na adaptação à parentalidade.Objetivo: Estabelecer a relação entre o suporte social e a vinculação (bonding) entre o pai e o bebé.Método: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, descritivo-correlacional, de natureza quantitativa, com uma amostra de 349 pais média de idade 31,84 anos, dp= 6,067). O instrumento de colheita de dados foi o questionário que permitiu caracterizar a amostra nas variáveis sociodemográficas, de gravidez e parto e foi ainda incluída a Escala de Satisfação com o Suporte Social (Ribeiro, 1999) e Escala de Bonding (Figueiredo et al., 2005).Resultados: Os resultados demonstram que o bonding positivo é influenciado pela idade (p=0,010), habilitações literárias (p=0,045), ser primeiro filho (p=0,027), comunicação com o feto (p=0,005), presença no trabalho de parto (p=0,045). Quanto ao suporte social foi encontrada relação entre o bonding positivo e “satisfação com os amigos” (p=0,011); bonding negativo e “intimidades” (p=0,011) e bonding total e “satisfação com a família” (p=0,001).Conclusão: O papel do enfermeiro especialista em saúde materna assume-se como primordial, devendo envolver o pai desde o início da gravidez. Dada a importância que o suporte social asume no estabelecimento do bonding, é imprescindível que os profissionais de saúde apoiem e integrem o pai no processo de adaptação à parentalidade.Palavras-chave: Pai; Bebé; Trabalho de Parto; Bonding; Suport.

A INFLUÊNCIA DO SUPORTE SOCIAL NA VINCULAÇÃO PAI/BEBÉ

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON PARENT/BABY BONDINGBackground: The social support is an important factor in the establishment of bonding between parent and baby, because it involve the quality of social relations in the family. This factor has been pointed out a psychosocial variable involved in adaptation to parenthood.Objective: Investigate the influence between social support and bonding of father and baby.Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study, correlational descriptive, quantitative, attended by 349 parents, aged between 19 and 55, with an average age of 31,84 (sd=6,067). To providing a reliable sample characterization the social-demographic, obstetric and pregnancy variables, we applied questionnaires and also the Satisfaction Scale with the Social Support (Ribeiro, 1999) and Bonding Scale (Figueiredo et al., 2005).Results: This study reveals that positive bonding is influenced by age (p=0,010), qualifications (p=0,045), first child (p=0,027), communication with fetus (p=0,005) and be present during labor (p=0,045). Regarding to social support: - Positive bonding and “satisfaction with friends” (p=0,011); - Negative bonding and “intimacies” (p=0,011); - Total bonding and “family satisfaction” (p=0,001).Conclusion: The data undoubtedly show the importance of nurse specialists in maternal health who must involve the father since the beginning of pregnancy. Since social support is key to bonding, it is essential that health professionals support and integrate the father in the adjustement process to parenthood.Keywords: Father; Baby; Labor; Bonding; Social Support.Resumo. Enquadramento: O suporte social é um fator relevante no estabelecimento de laços afetivos entre pai e bebé, pois envolve a qualidade das relações sociais centradas na família. Este tem sido apontado como uma variável psicossocial envolvida na adaptação à parentalidade.Objetivo: Estabelecer a relação entre o suporte social e a vinculação (bonding) entre o pai e o bebé.Método: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, descritivo-correlacional, de natureza quantitativa, com uma amostra de 349 pais média de idade 31,84 anos, dp= 6,067). O instrumento de colheita de dados foi o questionário que permitiu caracterizar a amostra nas variáveis sociodemográficas, de gravidez e parto e foi ainda incluída a Escala de Satisfação com o Suporte Social (Ribeiro, 1999) e Escala de Bonding (Figueiredo et al., 2005).Resultados: Os resultados demonstram que o bonding positivo é influenciado pela idade (p=0,010), habilitações literárias (p=0,045), ser primeiro filho (p=0,027), comunicação com o feto (p=0,005), presença no trabalho de parto (p=0,045). Quanto ao suporte social foi encontrada relação entre o bonding positivo e “satisfação com os amigos” (p=0,011); bonding negativo e “intimidades” (p=0,011) e bonding total e “satisfação com a família” (p=0,001).Conclusão: O papel do enfermeiro especialista em saúde materna assume-se como primordial, devendo envolver o pai desde o início da gravidez. Dada a importância que o suporte social asume no estabelecimento do bonding, é imprescindível que os profissionais de saúde apoiem e integrem o pai no processo de adaptação à parentalidade.Palavras-chave: Pai; Bebé; Trabalho de Parto; Bonding; Suport.

Measuring Networking as an Outcome Variable in Undergraduate Research Experiences

The aim of this paper is to propose, present, and validate a simple survey instrument to measure student conversational networking. The tool consists of five items that cover personal and professional social networks, and its basic principle is the self-reporting of degrees of conversation, with a range of specific discussion partners. The networking instrument was validated in three studies. The basic psychometric characteristics of the scales were established by conducting a factor analysis and evaluating internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. The second study used a known-groups comparison and involved comparing outcomes for networking scales between two different undergraduate laboratory courses (one involving a specific effort to enhance networking). The final study looked at potential relationships between specific networking items and the established psychosocial variable of project ownership through a series of binary logistic regressions. Overall, the data from the three studies indicate that the networking scales have high internal consistency (α = 0.88), consist of a unitary dimension, can significantly differentiate between research experiences with low and high networking designs, and are related to project ownership scales. The ramifications of the networking instrument for student retention, the enhancement of public scientific literacy, and the differentiation of laboratory courses are discussed.