Mental health of Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force

LAY SUMMARY The objective of this research was to explore the association between demographic and service characteristics and mental health in Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force. Reserve Class C model showed that marital status, age, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and type of release were associated with mental health. The Reserve Class A/B model showed that age, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and type of release were associated with mental health. These results showed that similar factors were associated with the mental health score, with different degrees of association by Reserve Class. These results will help to better describe Reserve Force Veterans that may require mental health assistance.

Mental Health Quantifier

The definition of mental disorders describes them as “health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior or a combination of these”. Contemporary societies of 2020 still fall short in recognizing some of the most common afflictions as actual problems in people. Some of those are depression, anxiety and stress disorders. This paper proposes a Machine Learning based approach wherein the analysis of the multiple-choice inputs along with a neatly curated questionnaire based on feature extraction will be done and then supervised classification algorithms will be used to generate a mental health score as well as a detailed report based on responses the user gives.

Mental health and its relationship with social support in Iranian students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background In addition to physical problems, the COVID-19 crisis continues to impose serious psychological adverse effects on people's mental health, which plays a major role in the efficiency of every community. Students, especially medical sciences students, suffer from more stress as a result of exposure to COVID-induced stressors. It is, therefore, essential to measure mental health and its relationship with social support in medical sciences students during the COVID pandemic. The present study was conducted to determine the mental health status of students and its correlation with social support. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using random sampling on 280 students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2020. Socio-demographic profile scale, Mental Health Test (GHQ-28), and the scale of Perceived Social Support (PRQ-85) were used to collect data. Participants completed the questionnaires online. Results Considering the potential confounding variables, a general linear model (GLM) was utilized to determine the relationship between mental health and perceived social support. Mean (± standard deviation) of total mental health score 26.5 (12.5) was in the acceptable range of 0–63., and 56% of students suffered from a mental disorder. Mean (± standard deviation) of social support score 128.2 (21.0) ranged from 25 to175. According to Pearson's correlation coefficient, there was a significant inverse correlation between social support score and total mental health score and all its subscales [p < 0.001; r = − 0.294 to − 0.536]. According to the GLM, mental health score decreased significantly with social support score [p = 0.0001; − 0.32 to − 0.20; CI 95%; B = 0.26]. Conclusions Given the inverse relationship between social support and mental health, it is suggested to increase the level of social support for students at all times, especially during the stressful COVID-19 pandemic to improve their mental health.

Nutritional status indicator and its correlation with mental health score among adolescents in Islamic boarding schools

Background: It has been estimated that about 10–20% of adolescents worldwide had experiences of mental health problems. Malnutrition, including overweight and obese, is one of the risk factors for mental health in adolescents. There is a knowledge gap regarding the nutritional status and its correlation with mental health among adolescents who live in boarding schools. This study aimed to determine nutritional status and its correlation with mental health among adolescents in Islamic boarding schools.Methods: A cross-sectional approach was used in this study in which two schools in South Tangerang City of Banten Province were purposively selected and 302 of students aged 15–18 years were completed this study. BMI-for-age Z-scores (BAZ) was used as the nutritional status indicator, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to determine mental health of the subjects. Spearman correlation was used to determine the correlation between nutritional status indicator and mental health score.Results: Nearly 30% of the subjects were overweight and obese, and almost 20% had result of mental health score in categories “borderline” and “abnormal”. There was a significant correlation between nutritional status indicator and mental health score among adolescents in Islamic boarding schools (r=0.157, P=0.006).Conclusion: Adolescents who had higher BAZ, had higher total difficulties scores. The schools and policy makers should give attention to nutritional status of the students since it is correlated with mental health.

Mental Health and its Relationship with Social Support in Iranian Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background In addition to physical problems, the COVID-19 crisis continues to impose serious psychological adverse effects on people's mental health, which plays a major role in the efficiency of every community. Students, especially medical students, suffer more stress as a result of exposure to COVID induced stressors. It is, therefore, essential to measure mental health and its correlation with social support in medical students during the COVID pandemic. The present study was conducted to determine mental health status of students and its correlation with social support. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 on 280 students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran using random sampling. Socio-demographic profile scale, Mental Health Test (GHQ-28) and the Scale of Perceived Social Support (PRQ-85) were used to collect data. Participants completed the questionnaires online. Results To determine the relationship between mental health and perceived social support, a general linear model was utilized considering the potential confounding variables.Mean (standard deviation) of total mental health score 26.5 (12.5) was in the acceptable range of 0 to 63. 56% students suffered from a mental disorder. Mean (standard deviation) of social support score 128.2(21.0) was within the range 25 to175. According to the Pearson's correlation coefficient, there was a significant inverse correlation between social support score and total mental health score and all its subscales [p<0.001; r=-0.294 to -0.536]. According to the general linear model, mental health score decreased significantly with social support score [p=0.0001;-0.32 to-0.20; CI 95%; B=0.26].ConclusionsGiven the inverse relationship between social support and mental health, it is suggested to increase the level of social support for students at all times, especially during the stressful COVID-19 pandemic to improve their mental health.

Does social support moderate the association between hunger and mental health in youth? A gender-specific investigation from the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

Background Youth who go hungry have poorer mental health than their counterparts – there are gender differences in this relationship. This study investigated the role of social support in the association between hunger and mental health among a nationally representative sample of youth in Canada in gender-specific analyses. Methods We used a probability-based sample of 21,750 youth in grades 6–10 who participated in the 2017–2018 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children. Self-report data were gathered on hunger, mental health (measured via the World Health Organization-5 well-being index) and five sources of support – peer, family and teacher support as well as the school climate and neighborhood support. We conducted adjusted, gender-specific, multilevel regression analyses assessing the association between mental health, social support and hunger. Results We found that youth who reported lower support were more likely to experience going to bed hungry (relative to never hungry) across all support factors. As for the social support factors, all the social support factors were associated with a higher mental health score, even after controlling for hunger. Despite these results our final set of models showed that our measures of social support did not alleviate the negative association between hunger and mental health. As for gender-specific findings, the negative association between hunger and a mental health was more pronounced among females relative to their male counterparts. We also found that certain social support factors (i.e., family, teacher and neighborhood support) were associated with a higher mental health score among females relative to males while controlling for hunger status. Conclusions We find that five social support factors are associated with a higher mental health score among ever hungry youth; however, social support did not overpower the negative association between hunger and mental health. Food insecurity is a challenge to address holistically; however, hungry youth who have high social support have higher odds of better mental health.

Role of the central autonomic nervous system intrinsic functional organisation and psychosocial factors in primary microvascular angina and Takotsubo syndrome

Introduction and objectiveDysfunctional central autonomic nervous system network (CAN) at rest may result in aberrant autonomic responses to psychosocial stressors. We hypothesised that patients with primary microvascular angina (MVA) or Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) would exhibit a peculiar functional organisation of the CAN, potentially associated with psychological patterns.MethodsPatients underwent a psychosocial evaluation: a clinical diagnostic interview, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The strength of intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) between various nodes of the CAN was investigated using cerebral resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI).ResultsWe evaluated 50 (46 women) stable patients: 16 patients with MVA, 17 patients with TTS and 17 patients with previous acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Compared with AMI, patients with MVA showed a lower (higher impairment) SF-36 Body-Pain score (p 0.046) and a higher SF-36 Mental-Health score (p 0.039). Patients with TTS showed the strongest FC between two nodes of the CAN (sympathetic midcingulate cortex and parasympathetic primary motor area) (F 6.25, p 0.005) using RS-fMRI.ConclusionsThe study implements an innovative collaborative research among cardiologists, neuroscientists and psychiatrists (‘Neuro-psycho-heart Team’). MVA showed a discrepancy between the highest level of self-reported body pain and the best mental health score, which might suggest a mechanism of somatisation. TTS exhibited an increased functional integration between two areas of the CAN involved in interoceptive pain awareness and negative emotional status. We implemented an innovative research collaboration among cardiologists, neuroscientists and psychiatrists. These data are hypothesis generating and suggest potential prospective investigations on pathophysiology and implementation of psychotherapy and stress-reducing techniques as therapeutic strategies.Trial registration numberNCT02759341.

The Relationship between Maternal Functioning and Mental Health after Childbirth in Iranian Women

The postpartum period is critical for new mothers, in terms of performing maternal functions, which can be affected by physical or psychological complications. The purpose of the present study is to determine the relationship between maternal functioning and mental health in the postpartum period. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 530 eligible women who referred to health centers in Tabriz, Iran in 2018. The participants were selected through randomized cluster sampling, and data were collected by using a socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, Mental Health Inventory (MHI), and the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF). These assessments were collected between 1 and 4 months postpartum. The relationship between maternal functioning and mental health was determined by conducting bivariate analysis via Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis and the general linear model (GLM) in a multivariate analysis. The mean (SD) mental health score in women was 79.1 (15.0) in the obtainable score range of 18 to 108, and the mean (SD) BIMF score in women was 97.4 (12.9) in the obtainable score range of 0 to 120. Based on Pearson or Spearman correlations, mental health and its sub-domains had positive, significant correlations with infant care, mother–child interaction, mental well-being, social support, management, adjustment, self-care, and maternal functioning (p < 0.001). Based on the GLM, increased maternal functioning was associated with higher total mental health score, having a moderate income, and receiving support for infant care (p < 0.05). High levels of postpartum mental health can have a positive impact on maternal functioning. Additionally, having support with infant care tasks can also improve functioning.