Search results for: Mental Health Awareness

Authors: Nikk Leavitt, Peter Kellett, Cheryl Currie, Richard Larouche

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Background: Masculinity has been associated with poor mental health outcomes in adult men and is colloquially referred to as toxic. Masculinity is traditionally measured using the Male Role Norms Inventory, which examines behaviors that may be common in men but that are themselves associated with poor mental health regardless of gender (e.g., aggressiveness). The purpose of this study was to examine if masculinity is associated with generalized anxiety among men using this inventory vs. a man’s personal definition of it. Method: An online survey collected data from 1,200 men aged 18-65 across Canada in July 2022. Masculinity was measured using: 1) the Male Role Norms Inventory Short Form and 2) by asking men to self-define what being masculine means. Men were then asked to rate the extent they perceived themselves to be masculine on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their definition of the construct. Generalized anxiety disorder was measured using the GAD-7. Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between each masculinity score and anxiety score, adjusting for confounders. Results: The masculinity score measured using the inventory was positively associated with increased anxiety scores among men (β = 0.02, p < 0.01). Masculinity subscales most strongly correlated with higher anxiety were restrictive emotionality (β = 0.29, p < 0.01) and dominance (β = 0.30, p < 0.01). When traditional masculinity was replaced by a man’s self-rated masculinity score in the model, the reverse association was found, with increasing masculinity resulting in a significantly reduced anxiety score (β = -0.13, p = 0.04). Discussion: These findings highlight the need to revisit the ways in which masculinity is defined and operationalized in research to better understand its impacts on men’s mental health. The findings also highlight the importance of allowing participants to self-define gender-based constructs, given they are fluid and socially constructed.

Keywords: masculinity, generalized anxiety disorder, race, intersectionality

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Authors: Layla Haidar, Shari Esquenazi-Karonika

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Introduction: Mental health includes one’s emotional, psychological, and interpersonal well-being; it ranges from “good” to “poor” on a continuum. At the individual-level, it affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Moreover, it determines how they cope with stress, relate to others, and interface with their surroundings. Research has yielded that mental health is directly related with short- and long-term physical health (including chronic disease), health risk behaviors, education-level, employment, and social relationships. As is the case with physical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, mitigating the behavioral and genetic risks of debilitating mental health conditions like anxiety and depression can nurture a healthier quality of mental health throughout one’s life. In order to maximize the benefits of prevention, it is important to identify modifiable risks and develop protective habits earlier in life. Methods: The Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) dataset was used for this study. The ABES survey was administered to high school students (9th-12th grade) during January 2021- June 2021 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data was analyzed to identify any associations between feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or increased suicidality among high school students with relation to their participation on one or more sports teams and their average daily consumed screen time. Data was analyzed using descriptive and multivariable analytic techniques. A multinomial logistic regression of each variable was conducted to examine if there was an association, while controlling for grade-level, sex, and race. Results: The findings from this study are insightful for administrators and policymakers who wish to address mounting concerns related to student mental health. The study revealed that compared to a student who participated on zero sports teams, students who participated in 1 or more sports teams showed a significantly increased risk of depression (p<0.05). Conversely, the rate of depression in students was significantly less in those who consumed 5 or more hours of screen time per day, compared to those who consumed less than 1 hour per day of screen time (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings are informative and highlight the importance of understanding the nuances of student participation on sports teams (e.g., physical exertion, social dynamics of team, and the level of competitiveness within the sport). Likewise, the context of an individual’s screen time (e.g., social media, engaging in team-based video games, or watching television) can inform parental or school-based policies about screen time activity. Although physical activity has been proven to be important for emotional and physical well-being of youth, playing on multiple teams could have negative consequences on the emotional state of high school students potentially due to fatigue, overtraining, and injuries. Existing literature has highlighted the negative effects of screen time; however, further research needs to consider the type of screen-based consumption to better understand its effects on mental health.

Keywords: behavioral science, mental health, adolescents, prevention

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Authors: Elizabeth O'Brien, Raegan Murphy

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Research suggests that high levels of empathy in individuals with partners with mental health difficulties can lead to improved outcomes for their partner while compromising their own mental health. Specifically, it is proposed that the affective dimension of empathy diminishes resilience to the distress of a partner, whereas cognitive empathy (CE) enhances it. The relationship between different empathy dimensions and psychological resilience measures has not been investigated in partners of people with depression. Psychological inflexibility (PI) is a construct that can be understood as distress intolerance and is suggested to be an important feature of psychological resilience. The current study, therefore, aimed to investigate the differential role of dispositional empathy dimensions in PI for people living with a partner with depression. A cross-sectional design was employed in which 148 participants living with a partner with depression and 45 participants for a comparison sample were recruited using online platforms. Participants completed online surveys with measures relating to demographics, empathy, and PI. Scores were compared between the study and comparison samples. The study sample scored significantly lower for CE and affective empathy (AE) and significantly higher for PI than the comparison sample. Exploratory and regression analyses were run to examine associations between variables within the study sample. Analyses revealed that CE predicted the resilience outcome whilst AE did not. These results suggest that interventions for partners of people with depression that bolster the CE dimension alone may improve mental health outcomes for both members of the couple relationship.

Keywords: affective empathy, cognitive empathy, depression, partners, psychological inflexibility

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Authors: Minhae Shim Roth

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The “Deinstitutionalization movement” refers to the spatial transition in the United States during the mid-20th century when the treatment of mental illness purportedly moved from long-term psychiatric institutions to community integrated care. Contrary to the accepted narrative of mental health care in the U.S., asylums did not close or empty. Some remained psychiatric hospitals, which came to be called forensic hospitals or state hospitals; others were converted into prisons or carceral institutions. During Deinstitutionalization, the asylum system became an appendage of the carceral system, with state hospitals becoming little more than holding centers for prisoners who were civilly committed, those incompetent to stand trial, offenders with mental health issues, and those found not guilty by reason of insanity. Psychiatric patients who became prisoners and prisoners who became patients became entangled in the phenomenon called transinstitutionalization. This paper investigates the relationship between psychiatric and criminal incarceration in 20th century California and focuses particularly on the case of Korean-American Chol Soo Lee, who fought detention in the psychiatric-prison system through the writ of habeas corpus. This study uses methodologies like critical theory, close reading, and archival research. This paper argues that during his psychiatric hospitalization at Napa State Hospital and incarceration in the California Department of Corrections, Lee underwent what sociologist Erving Goffman coined in his 1960 text Asylums as the process of “mortification.” After a burst of Asian American solidarity and legal aid that resulted in Lee’s triumphant release from Death Row in 1983 through a writ of habeas corpus, Lee struggled in the free world due to the long-lasting consequences of institutionalization, which led to alienation, recidivism, and an early death at the age of 62. This paper examines the trajectory of Lee’s trial and the legal activism behind it within the context of Goffman’s theory of total institutions and offer a nuanced reading of Lee’s case both during and after his incarceration.

Keywords: criminal justice, criminal law, law and mental capacity, habeas corpus, deinstitutionalization, mental health

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Authors: Nyla Anjum, Humaira Bano

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Disability, regardless of its type and nature limits one or two significant life activities. These limitations constitute risk factors for suicide. Rate and intensity of problem upsurges in critical age of adolescence. Researches in the field of mental health over look problem of suicide among persons with disability. Aim of the study was to investigate prevalence and risk factors for suicide among adolescents with disability. The study constitutes purposive sample of 106 elements of both gender with four major categories of disability: hearing impairment, physical impairment, visual impairment and intellectual disabilities. Face to face interview technique was opted for data collection. Other variable are: socio-economic status, social and family support, provision of services for persons with disability, education and employment opportunities. For data analysis independent sample t-test was applied to find out significant differences in gender and One Way Analysis of variance was run to find out differences among four types of disability. Major predictors of suicide were identified with multiple regression analysis. It is concluded that ideation, plans and attempts of suicide among adolescents with disability is a multifaceted and imperative concern in the area of mental health. Urgent research recommendations contains valid measurement of suicide rate and identification of more risk factors for suicide among persons with disability. Study will also guide towards prevention of this pressing problem and will bring message of happy and healthy life not only for persons with disability but also for their families. It will also help to reduce suicide rate in society.

Keywords: suicide, risk factors, adolescent, disability, mental health

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Authors: Hafsah Javed

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Environment protection is a major issue grabbing widespread attention of policymakers, both, locally and globally. Pakistan is among the countries most affected by global climate changes; media, besides governments, have a prime responsibility to create awareness among people about its hazards, and managing strategies. Advances in Information Communication Technologies have eased people's access to information and created an interactive space to discuss environment related issues and influence the policy decisions on the issue. This study, therefore, aims to examine, from the perspective of the audience, the contribution of Pakistani traditional and social media in creating awareness about Environment Protection and its implications. The objectives are achieved through quantitative survey method. Young university students are selected as ‘audience’ for the study. The findings show lack of awareness among people regarding environment protection. Neither traditional media outlets like radio, TV and newspapers prioritize the issue on their agenda, nor audience pull information about the issue from social media. A stark indifference and non-serious attitude is being exercised towards the issue from two quarters. People do not know much about local and international laws on environment; media are used more than a source of entertainment than awareness. The study implicates that there is an exigency to launch a nationwide awareness campaign on the issue, and for that media need to be on the driving seat.

Keywords: awareness, climate change, environment protection, new media, role of media, youngsters

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Authors: Tondani Mudau, Sherine B. Van Wyk, Zuhayr Kafaar, Janan Dietrich

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Female adolescents residing in a patriarchal society such as South Africa are more inclined to embrace feminine ideologies. Internalizing these ideologies may expose female adolescents to mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. This study explored whether the internalisation of adolescent femininity ideologies namely, objectified relationship with own body (ORB) and inauthentic self in relationships (ISR) predicted anxiety and depression in late female adolescents at Stellenbosch University. The sample of the study consisted of 1451 (18-24) female undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled at Stellenbosch University. The mean age of the participants was 20 (SD=1.46), and most participants (39.7%) were first-year students. The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative research design. Data was collected through an online self-completion survey, the survey consisted of three sections, the first section asked biographical questions regarding age, gender, race and family background. The second section measured the internalisation of feminine ideologies by using the adolescent femininity ideology scale which has two subscales namely inauthentic self in relationship with others (ISR) and objectified relationship with one’s own body (ORB). The ISR scale had the Cronbach Alpha of 0.76, and the ORB scale had the Cronbach Alpha of 0.83. The third section measured mental health (depression and anxiety) by using the Hopkins Symptoms 25-checklist which had the Cronbach Alpha of 0.93. Data were analysed through multiple linear regression from IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 24). The overall results of the multiple linear regression showed that The AFIS combination accounted for 14% for anxiety as measured by the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist R² = .142, F (2, 682) = 56.431, p < .001. The combination also accounted for 24% for depression as measured by the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist R² = .239, F (2, 682) = 106.971, p < .0. The findings in this study affirm the objectification and feminist theory contentions that internalising femininity ideologies (ISR and ORB) predict negative mental health in female adolescents.

Keywords: adolescents, anxiety, depression, feminine ideologies, inauthentic self, mental health, self-objectification, South Africa

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Authors: Lamia Bouzgarrou, Amira Omrane, Naima Bouatay, Chaima Harrathi, Samia Machroughl, Ahmed Mhalla

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Background and Aims: Professionals of health care sector are exposed to psychosocial constraints like stress, harassment, violence, which can lead to many mental health problems such as, depression, addictive behavior, and burn-out. Moreover, it’s well established that caregivers affected to intensive care units are more likely to experience such constraints and mental health problems. For these caregivers, the mental health state may affect care quality and patient’s safety. This study aims either to identify occupational psychosocial constraints and their mental health consequences among paramedical and medical caregivers affected to intensive units in Tunisian public hospital. Methods: An exhaustive three months cross-sectional study conducted among medical and paramedical staffs of intensive care units in three Tunisian university hospitals. After informed consent collection, we evaluated work-related stress, workplace harassment, depression, anxious troubles, addictive behavior, and self-esteems through an anonymous self-completed inquiry form. Five validated questionnaires and scales were included in this form: Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, Negative Acts Questionnaire, Rosenberg, Beck depression inventory and Hamilton Anxiety scale. Results: We included 129 intensive unit caregivers; with a mean age of 36.1 ± 1.1 years and a sex ratio of 0.58. Among these caregivers, 30% were specialist or under-specialization doctors. The average seniority in the intensive care was 6.1 ± 1.2 (extremes=1 to 40 years). Atypical working schedules were noted among 36.7% of the subjects with an imposed choice in 52.4% of cases. During the last 12 months preceding the survey, 51.7% of care workers were absent from work because of a health problem with stops exceeding 15 days in 11.7%. Job strain was objective among 15% of caregivers and 38.33% of them were victims of moral harassment. A low or very low self-esteem was noted among 40% of respondents. Moreover, active smoking was reported by 20% subjects, alcohol consumption by 13.3% and psychotropic substance use by 1.7% of them. According to Beck inventory and Hamilton Anxiety scale, we concluded that 61.7% of intensive care providers were depressed, with 'severe' depression in 13.3% of cases and 49.9% of them present anxious disorders. Multivariate analysis objective that, job strain was correlated with young age (p=0.005) and shorter work seniority (p=0.001). Workplace and moral harassment was more prevalent among females (p=0.009), under-specialization doctor (p=0.021), those affected to atypical schedules (p=0.008). Concerning depression, it was more prevalent among staff in job strain situation (p = 0.004), among smokers caregivers (p = 0.048), and those with no leisure activity (p < 0.001). Anxious disorders were positively correlated to chronic diseases history (p = 0.001) and work-bullying exposure (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Our findings reflected a high frequency of caregivers who are under stress at work and those who are victims of moral harassment. These health professionals were at increased risk for developing psychiatric illness such depressive and anxious disorders and addictive behavior. Our results suggest the necessity of preventive strategies of occupational psychosocial constraints in order to preserve professional’s mental health and maximize patient safety and quality of care.

Keywords: health care sector, intensive care units, mental health, psychosocial constraints

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Authors: Umaiza Bashir, Ushna Farukh

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The present study examined the perspective of school students regarding teacher’s behavioral pattern during a teaching in classroom and its influence on the students’ socialization particularly forming peer relationships with the development of emotional, behavioral problems in school children. To study these dimension of teacher-student classroom relationship, 210 school children (105 girls and 105 boys) within the age range of 14 to 18 years were taken from the government, private schools. The cross-sectional research design was used in which stratified random sampling was done. Teacher-student interaction scale was used to assess the teacher-student relationship in the classroom, which had two factors such as positive and negative interaction. Peer relationship scale was administered to investigate the socialization of students, and School Children Problem Scale was also given to the participants to explore their emotional, behavioral issues. The analysis of Pearson correlation showed that there is a significant positive relationship between negative teacher-student interaction and student’s emotional-behavioral as well as social problems. Another analysis of t-test revealed that boys perceived more positive interaction with teachers than girls (p < 0.01). Girls showed more emotional behavioral problems than boys (p < 0.001) Linear regression explained that age, gender, negative teacher’s interaction with students and victimization in social gathering predicts mental health problems in school children. This study suggests and highlights the need for the school counselors for the better mental health of students and teachers.

Keywords: teacher-student interaction, school psychology, student’s emotional behavioral problems

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Authors: Susanne Manes, Anni Glaeser, Katharina Wick, Bernhard Strauss, Uwe Berger

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Introduction: Over the last decades growing rates of mental health concerns among children and adolescents have been observed. At the same time, physical well-being of children and adolescents becomes increasingly impaired as well. Schools play an important role in preventing mental and physical disorders and in promoting well-being. Self-esteem, as well as social integration, are vital influence factors for mental and physical well-being. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the program 'VorteilJena' for secondary schools in Germany focusing on self-esteem and social integration to improve mental and physical well-being. Method: The school-based health promotion program was designed for students in 5th grade and higher. It consists of several short pedagogical exercises instructed by a teacher and were integrated into the regular class over the course of ten weeks. The exercises focused on fostering social integration using either tasks improving team spirit or exercises that increase tolerance and sense of belonging. Other exercises focused on strengthening the self-esteem of the students. Additionally, the program included a poster exhibition titled 'Belonging' which was put up in the school buildings. The exhibition comprised ten posters which addressed relevant risk factors and resources related to social integration and self-esteem. The study was a randomized controlled sequential study with a pre and post measurement conducted in ten German schools. A total of 1642 students (44% male) were recruited. Their age ranged from 9 to 21 years (M=12.93 years; SD= 2.11). The program was conducted in classes ranging from 5th to 12th grade. Results: The program improved wellbeing, self-esteem and social integration of the involved students compared to the control group. Differential effects depending on implementation rates or age of the students will be analyzed. Moreover, implications for future school-based health promotion programs targeting self-esteem and social integration will be discussed. Conclusion: Social integration considerably influences self-esteem and well-being of students and can be targeted by school-based programs including short and modest exercises. Since a sufficient implementation of health promotion programs is essential, the present program due to its practicability represents a good opportunity to install health promotion focusing on social integration in schools.

Keywords: social integration, well-being, health promotion in schools, self-esteem

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Authors: Valentine Seymour

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Environmental volunteering organisations use questionnaires to explore the relationship between environmental volunteers and their health. To the author’s best knowledge, no one has explored volunteers’ health perception, which could be considered when designing a health impact measurement tool used to increase effective communication. This paper examines environmental volunteers' perceptions of health, knowledge which can be used to design a health impact measurement tool. This study uses focus group interviews, content analysis, and a general inductive approach to explore the health perceptions of volunteers who engage in environmental volunteering activities from the perspective of UK charity The Conservation Volunteers. Findings showed that volunteer groups presented were relatively similar in how they defined the term health, with their overall conceptual model closely resembling that of the World Health Organization 1948 definition. This suggests that future health impact measurement tools in the environmental volunteering sector could base their design around the World Health Organization’s definition.

Keywords: health perception, impact measurement, mental models, tool development

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Authors: Mahmoud Mohamed Emam

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In Oman the number of students referred for reading disabilities is on the rise. Schools serve these students by placement in the so-called learning disabilities unit. Recently the author led a strategic project to train teachers on the use of curriculum based measurement to identify students with reading disabilities in Oman. Additional the project involved training teachers to use phonemic awareness based activities to improve reading skills of those students. Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in words. We know that a student's skill in phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. Using multiple baseline design across four participants the current studies investigated the effectiveness of using phonemic awareness based activities to improve decoding skills of third grade students referred for reading disabilities in Oman. During treatment students received phonemic awareness based activities that were designed to fulfill the idiosyncratic characteristics of Arabic language phonology as well as orthography. Results indicated that the phonemic awareness based activities were effective in substantially increasing the number of correctly decoded word for all four participants. Maintenance of strategy effects was evident for the weeks following the termination of intervention for the four students. In addition, the effects of intervention generalized to decoding novel words for all four participants.

Keywords: learning disabilities, phonemic awareness, third graders, Oman

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Authors: Estifanos H. Zeru

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Introduction: Epidemiological research is important to draw need-based rational public health policy. However, research on child and adolescent mental health in low and middle income countries, where socioeconomic, political, cultural, biological and other mental health hazards are in abundance, is almost nonexistent. To the author's knowledge, there is no published research in this field in Eritrea, whose child and adolescent population constitutes 53% of its total population. Study Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders and identify their socio-demographic correlates among children and adolescents in Mendefera, Eritrea. The study aims to provide local information to public health policymakers to guide policy in service development. Methodology: In a cross-sectional two stage procedure, both the Parent and Child versions of the SDQ were used to screen 314 children and adolescents aged 4-17 years, recruited by a multi-stage random sampling method. All parents/adult guardians also completed a socio-demographic questionnaire. All children and adolescents who screened positive for any of the SDQ abnormality sub-classes were selected for the second stage interview, which was conducted using the K-SADS-PL 2009 Working Draft version to generate specific DSM-IV diagnoses. All data gathered was entered into CSPro version 6.2 and was then transported in to and analyzed using SPSS version 20 for windows. Results: Prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders was found to be 13.1%. Adolescents 11-17 years old and males had higher prevalence than children 4-10 years old and females, respectively. Behavioral disorders were the commonest disorders (9.9%), followed by affective disorders (3.2%) and anxiety disorders (2.5). Chronic medical illness in the child, poor academic performance, difficulties with teachers in school, psychopathology in a family member and parental conflict were found to be independently associated with these disorders. Conclusion: Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in Eritrea is high. Promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation for child and adolescent mental health services need to be made widely available in the country. The socio-demographic correlates identified by this study can be targeted for intervention. The need for further research is emphasized.

Keywords: adolescents, children, correlates, DSM-IV psychiatric disorders, Eritrea, K-SAD-PL 2009, prevalence and correlates, SDQ

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Authors: Ghazala Yasmeen, Zahid Yousaf

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Frequent social media use has significantly changed people's life and communication styles during the last two decades. Social media use has multiple dimensions, and there are nuanced relationships between it and how it affects different societal subgroups. With the increased popularity and rapid growth of social networking sites, people are experiencing potential social media addiction, which causes severe mental health problems. How social media is dramatically influencing the lives and mental health of its users, and particularly of the students, creating psychological issues, e.g., isolation, depression, and anxiety, will be the primary objective of this study. This research will address the problems confronted by many students who are regular social media users and can undergo mental distress. This study aims to explore how social media use can lead to isolation, depression, and anxiety. This research will also investigate the effects of cyber-bullying on social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. For this purpose, the researcher will use the survey technique as a method of inquiry. Ryff's theory of Psychological wellbeing will be used as a theoretical framework to explore the association between social media addiction and psychological effects among users. For data collection, the researcher will use the quantitative research method through a survey questionnaire from three universities in Pakistan from the public and private sectors. This study will imply a two-stage random sampling technique. At first, the researcher will select 20% of students from universities. In the second stage, 20% of students using different social networking sites will be chosen, and draw a representative sample from these will be. The intended study will use questionnaires comprising two portions. The first section will consist of social media engagement by the students, following impacts on their mental health and reported attitude towards psychological wellbeing. This study will spotlight the considerations of parents, educationists, and policymakers to take measures against the devastating effects of cyber-crimes on young adults.

Keywords: anxiety, depression, isolation, social media, wellbeing

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Authors: Ozgu Hafizoglu

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An analogy is an essential tool of human cognition that enables connecting diffuse and diverse systems with physical, behavioral, principal relations that are essential to learning, discovery, and innovation. The Cognitive Model of Analogy (CMA) leads and creates patterns of pathways to transfer information within and between domains in science, just as happens in the brain. The connectome of the brain shows how the brain operates with mental leaps between domains and mental hops within domains and the way how analogical reasoning mechanism operates. This paper demonstrates the CMA as an evolutionary approach to science, technology, and life. The model puts forward the challenges of deep uncertainty about the future, emphasizing the need for flexibility of the system in order to enable reasoning methodology to adapt to changing conditions in the new era, especially post-pandemic. In this paper, we will reveal how to draw an analogy to scientific research to discover new systems that reveal the fractal schema of analogical reasoning within and between the systems like within and between the brain regions. Distinct phases of the problem-solving processes are divided thusly: stimulus, encoding, mapping, inference, and response. Based on the brain research so far, the system is revealed to be relevant to brain activation considering each of these phases with an emphasis on achieving a better visualization of the brain’s mechanism in macro context; brain and spinal cord, and micro context: glia and neurons, relative to matching conditions of analogical reasoning and relational information, encoding, mapping, inference and response processes, and verification of perceptual responses in four-term analogical reasoning. Finally, we will relate all these terminologies with these mental leaps, mental maps, mental hops, and mental loops to make the mental model of CMA clear.

Keywords: analogy, analogical reasoning, brain connectome, cognitive model, neurons and glia, mental leaps, mental hops, mental loops

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Authors: Marissa C. Esperal

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This university-based research project attempted to determine the relevance and effectiveness of the technology-based psychological services extended to selected adults experiencing symptoms of mild anxiety and depression. Ninety-seven participants who voluntarily availed the free online psychological services advertised through a Facebook page (Techno-Psych Serv) signed up for the Informed Consent and Psychological Services Contract Agreement form. These clients availed a maximum of 5 online sessions devoted to online assessment, online counseling and brief therapy sessions using the Google Meet App. Participants who, upon evaluation, were found to still be needing extended psychological and other services were referred to other mental health services institutions. Post-evaluations were conducted using Google Forms upon termination. Findings showed that with a mean of 4.87 (n=97), it was noted that the services provided through the online platform were effective. However, it was noted that the majority of those who availed the services were professionals and skilled workers, thus defeating the objective of extending free psychological services to the marginalized group. It was concluded that offering free technology-based psychological services, though proven effective, is found to be less relevant if the intention is to reach out to the less fortunate and marginalized group. It was further concluded that there is still a need for psychoeducation and mental health promotion among the marginalized sectors. It was recommended that if mental health services are extended to the community of marginalized group, providing physical services are still a better option.

Keywords: technology-based psychological services, adults, mild anxiety, depression

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Authors: P. B. Thumar

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Today’s athletes face acute and unique challenges as the competition standards are higher and tougher. There are certain moments during a competition that appear to carry great psychological significance when the momentum starts to shift in one direction or another. These situations require athletes to remain completely focused and calm in facing the difficult circumstances. The purpose of the study was to compare the Mental Toughness level among the players of the team and individual sports. Purposive sampling was done in which subjects for the present study were the male students of The M. S. University of Baroda, Vadodara studying various courses in the academic year 2014-15. Thus, a total number of 120 boys were identified and included in the study from which 60 boys had participated in individual sports and 60 in team sports. ‘The Mental Toughness Questionnaire’ prepared by Dr. Alan Goldberg was used to determine mental toughness level of the players of the team and individual sports. The scores arrived from 60 individual players and 60 team players were compared by applying the t-test. Significant difference was found on overall Mental Toughness and in subcomponents there was significant difference in ability to handle pressure, concentration and confidence whereas there was no significant difference in reboundability and motivation among team and individual sports players. This could be largely due the nature of both sports. Team players of MSU found to be having more overall mental toughness, and team players are able to handle pressure more than individual players, can concentrate more and are also more confident while playing in the team. Team preparation and training prior to competition could have increased the level of ability to handle pressure, concentration and confidence of team players.

Keywords: mental toughness, reboundability, confidence, team sports, individual sports

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Authors: Ágnes Győri, Éva Perpék, Zsófia Bauer, Zsuzsanna Elek

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The aim of the research (funded by Hungarian national grant, NFKI- FK 138315) is to examine the professional mobility, mental health and work environment of social workers with a complex approach. Previous international and Hungarian research has pointed out that those working in the helping professions are strongly exposed to the risk of emotional-mental-physical exhaustion due to stress. Mental and physical strain, as well as lack of coping (can) cause health problems, but its role in career change and high labor turnover has also been proven. Even though satisfaction with working conditions of those employed in the human service sector in the context of the stress burden has been researched extensively, there is a lack of large-sample international and Hungarian domestic studies exploring the effects of profession-specific conditions. Nor has it been examined how the specific features of the social profession and mental health affect the career mobility of the professionals concerned. In our research, these factors and their correlations are analyzed by means of mixed methodology, utilizing the benefits of netnographic big data analysis and a sector-specific quantitative survey. The netnographic analysis of open web content generated inside and outside the social profession offers a holistic overview of the influencing factors related to mental health and the work environment of social workers. On the one hand, the topics and topoi emerging in the external discourse concerning the sector are examined, and on the other hand, focus on mentions and streams of comments regarding the profession, burnout, stress, coping, as well as labor turnover and career changes among social professionals. The analysis focuses on new trends and changes in discourse that have emerged during and after the pandemic. In addition to the online conversation analysis, a survey of social professionals with a specific focus has been conducted. The questionnaire is based on input from the first two research phases. The applied approach underlines that the mobility paths of social professionals can only be understood if, apart from the general working conditions, the specific features of social work and the effects of certain aspects of mental health (emotional-mental-physical strain, resilience) are taken into account as well. In this paper, the preliminary results from this innovative methodological mix are presented, with the aim of highlighting new opportunities and dimensions in the research on social work. A gap in existing research is aimed to be filled both on a methodological and empirical level, and the Hungarian domestic findings can create a feasible and relevant framework for a further international investigation and cross-cultural comparative analysis. Said results can contribute to the foundation of organizational and policy-level interventions, targeted programs whereby the risk of burnout and the rate of career abandonment can be reduced. Exploring different aspects of resilience and mapping personality strengths can be a starting point for stress-management, motivation-building, and personality-development training for social professionals.

Keywords: burnout, mixed methods, netnography, professional mobility, social work

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Authors: Nguyen The Hoang Anh, Tran Huy Hoang, Vu Tat Thang, T. T. Quyen Bui

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Mental state classification is an important step for realizing a control system based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals which could benefit a lot of paralyzed people including the locked-in or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Considering that EEG signals are nonstationary and often contaminated by various types of artifacts, classifying thoughts into correct mental states is not a trivial problem. In this work, our contribution is that we present and realize a novel model which integrates different techniques: Independent component analysis (ICA), relative wavelet energy, and support vector machine (SVM) for the same task. We applied our model to classify thoughts in two types of experiment whether with two or three mental states. The experimental results show that the presented model outperforms other models using Artificial Neural Network, K-Nearest Neighbors, etc.

Keywords: EEG, ICA, SVM, wavelet

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Authors: Ramona Moldovan, Doina Cosman, Sebastian Moldovan, Radu Popp, Victor Pop

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MENTALICA is a project aimed at developing and evaluating a platform that can assist individuals diagnosed with severe mental disorders and their families in managing the consequences associated with severe mental disorders, recurrence risks, prevention strategies and treatment options. MENTALICA is a platform based on guidance issued by some of the most prominent scientific organizations in the world. In order to personalize the information provided, the program explores details about the personal and family history of mental disorders. MENTALICA summarizes the answers and gives respondents a personal assessment. This includes personalized information and support about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. MENTALICA includes several modules: Family history tools, Risk assessment tools and Risk factor sheets, Practical guides for patients, Practical guides for families, Guidelines for clinicians. Currently, there are no available guidelines for genetic counselling for mental disorders. Respondents can print out their reports and discuss them with family members or their doctors. We will briefly present the current status of MENTALICA and its implications for patients, professionals and the community.

Keywords: genetic counseling, mental disorders, platform

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Authors: John Toussaint

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Objective: Our society is suffering from an epidemic of body image dissatisfaction, and related disorders appear to be increasing globally for children. There is much to indicate that children's body image and eating attitudes are being affected negatively by socio-cultural factors such as parents, peers and media. Most studies and theories, however, have focused extensively on the daughter-mother relationship. Very few studies have investigated the role of attachment to the father as an important factor in the development of girls’ and women’s attitudes towards themselves and their bodies. Recently, data have shown that the father’s parenting style, as well as the quality of the relationship with him is crucial for the understanding of the development and persistence of body image disorders. This presentation is based on samples of participants with self-defined body image dissatisfaction, and the self-reported measures of their fathers’ parental behaviours, emotional warmth, support, or protection. Attachment theory does offer support in exploring these relationships and it is used in this presentation to assist in understanding the relationship between the father and his daughter in relation to body image and mental health. Clinical implications are also offered in respect to work with body image, eating disorders and relational therapy. Methods: As awareness of the increasing frequency of body image concerns in children grows, so too does the need for a simple, valid and reliable measure of body image. The Children's Body Image Scale (CBIS) designed in Australia, depicts seven male and females figures from which children are to choose their perceived body type and ideal body type. This was compared with a range of international body mass index (BMI) reference standards. These measures together with individual one-on-one interviews were completed by 158 children aged 7-12 years. Results: A high frequency of body image dissatisfaction was indicated in the children's responses. 55% of girls and 41% of boys said they would like to be thinner, and wished for an ideal BMI figure below the 10th percentile. This is an unhealthy and unattainable level of body fatness for the majority of children when considered in relation to the reported secular trend of their increasing average body size. Thin children were generally ranked as best and perceived as kind, happy, academically skilled, and socially successful. Fat children were perceived as unintelligent, lazy, greedy, unpopular, and unable to play physical games. Conclusions: Body image ideals and fat stereotypes are well entrenched among children. There is much to indicate that children's body image and eating attitudes are being affected negatively by sociocultural factors such as parents, peers and media. Teachers and health professionals could promote intervention programs for children involving knowledge and acceptance of genetic influences on body type; the dangerous effects of weight loss dieting; the importance of physical activity and eating healthy; and scepticism and critical analysis of mass media messages.

Keywords: body image, father attachment, mental health, eating disorders

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Authors: Oluwasegun A. Oke, Mayowa A. Abolaji, Oluwaseun A. Adefila

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Environmental problems have become a priority on the world political agenda for the last two decades and this is inevitably linked with the general degradation of our environment which calls for ultimate attention. Therefore, this study searched for better and more involving methods of imparting environmental knowledge to average learner with the view of creating awareness, increasing knowledge as well as changing their attitude positively towards conservation of the environment. The study also investigated the effectiveness of conservation club in creating awareness (among students) about environmental conservation. About 240 Students were randomly selected for data collection using validated instruments (questionnaires). T-test statistics, chi-square and simple percentage were the major statistical tools employed in data analysis. This study revealed that environmental conservation club plays a vital role in creating awareness as well as promoting students understanding of environmental issues to promote positive attitude towards natural environment.

Keywords: environmental conservation, biodiversity, awareness program, environmental disasters

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Authors: Anandita Mitro, Archana Srivastava, Bidisha Banerjee

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The present paper attempts to analyze the hierarchy and interconnection of factors responsible for the uptake of BCG vaccination in India. The study uses National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data which was conducted during 2019-21. The univariate logistic regression method is used to understand the univariate effects while the interconnection effects have been studied using the Categorical Inference Tree (CIT) which is a non-parametric Machine Learning (ML) model. The hierarchy of the factors is further established using Conditional Inference Forest which is an extension of the CIT approach. The results suggest that BCG vaccination coverage was influenced more by system-level factors and awareness than education or socio-economic status. Factors such as place of delivery, antenatal care, and postnatal care were crucial, with variations based on delivery location. Region-specific differences were also observed which could be explained by the factors. Awareness of the disease was less impactful along with the factor of wealth and urban or rural residence, although awareness did appear to substitute for inadequate ANC. Thus, from the policy point of view, it is revealed that certain subpopulations have less prevalence of vaccination which implies that there is a need for population-specific policy action to achieve a hundred percent coverage.

Keywords: vaccination, NFHS, machine learning, public health

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Authors: Zena Ebrahim, Susan Woodhouse

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Previous research shows that mothers’ experiences of trauma are linked to their child’s later socioemotional functioning. However, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. One potential mediator is maternal insensitive responses to child distress. This study examined the link between maternal trauma, mothers’ responses to toddler distress, and toddlers’ socioemotional outcomes among a socioeconomically diverse sample of 110 mothers and their 12- to 35-month-old toddlers. It was hypothesized that a mother’s difficulty in responding sensitively to her child’s distress would mediate the relations between maternal trauma and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Two mediational models were tested to examine non-supportive responses to distress as a potential mediator of the relation between maternal trauma and toddler mental health outcomes; one model focused on predicting child internalizing symptoms and the other focused on predicting child externalizing symptoms. Measures included assessment of maternal trauma (Life Stressor Checklist-Revised), mothers’ responses to child distress (Coping with Toddlers’ Negative Emotions Scale), and toddler socioemotional functioning (Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment). Results revealed that the relations between maternal trauma and toddler symptoms (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) were mediated by maternal non-supportive response to child distress for both internalizing and externalizing domains of child mental health. Findings suggest the importance of early intervention for trauma-exposed mothers and target areas for parenting interventions.

Keywords: trauma, parenting, child mental health, transgenerational effects of trauma

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Authors: Yuchien Lin

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This study attempted to investigate the changes in electroencephalography (EEG) and emotion regulation following eight-week inward-attention meditation training program. The subjects were 24 adults without meditation experiences divided into meditation and control groups. The quantitatively analyzed changes in psychophysiological parameters during inward-attention meditation, and evaluated the emotion scores assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and the Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS). The results were found: (1) During meditation, significant EEG increased for theta-band activity in the frontal and the bilateral temporal areas, for alpha-band activity in the left and central frontal areas, and for gamma-band activity in the left frontal and the left temporal areas. (2) The meditation group had significantly higher positive affect in posttest than in pretest. (3) There was no significant difference in the changes of EEG spectral characteristics and emotion scores in posttest and pretest for the control group. In the present study, a unique meditative concentration task with a constant level of moderate mental effort focusing on the center of brain was used, so as to enhance frontal midline theta, alpha, and gamma-band activity. These results suggest that this mental training allows individual reach a specific mental state of relaxed but focused awareness. The gamma-band activity, in particular, enhanced over left frontoparietal area may suggest that inward-attention meditation training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce short-term and long-term emotion regulation abilities.

Keywords: meditation, EEG, emotion regulation, gamma activity

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Authors: Zhao Luqian, Wang Yafei

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Participation in music activities is beneficial for enhancing wellbeing, especially for aged people (Creech, 2013). Looking at percussion group in particular, it can facilitate a sense of belonging, relaxation, energy, and productivity, learning, enhanced mood, humanising, seems of accomplishment, escape from trauma, and emotional expression (Newman, 2015). In health literatures, group drumming is effective in reducing stress and improving multiple domains of social-motional behaviors (Ho et al., 2011; Maschi et al., 2010) because it offers a creative and mutual learning space that allows patients to establish a positive peer interaction (Mungas et al., 2014; Perkins, 2016). However, very few studies have investigated the effect of group drumming from the aspect of patients’ needs. Therefore, this study focuses on the discussion of patients' specific needs within mental health and explores how group percussion may meet their needs. Seligman’s (2011) five core elements of mental health were applied as patients’ needs in this study: (1) Positive emotions; (2) Engagement; (3) Relationships; (4) Meaning and (5) Accomplishment. 12 participants aged 57- 80 years were interviewed individually. The researcher also had observation in four drumming groups simultaneously. The results reveal that group drumming could improve participants’ mental wellbeing. First, it created a therapeutic health care environment extending beyond the elimination of boredom, and patients could focus on positive emotions during the session of group drumming. Secondly, it was effective in satisfying patients’ level of engagement. Thirdly, this study found that joining a percussion group would require patients to work on skills such as turn-taking and sharing. This equal relationship is helpful for releasing patients’ negative mood and thus forming tighter relationships between and among them. Fourthly, group drumming was found to meet patients’ meaning needs through offering them a place of belonging and a place for sharing. Its leaner-oriented approach engaged patients by a sense of belonging, accepting, connecting, and ownership. Finally, group drumming could meet patients’ needs for accomplishment through the learning process. The inclusive learning process, which indicates there is no right or wrong throughout the process, allowed patients to make their own decisions. In conclusion, it is difficult for patients to achieve positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meanings, and accomplishments in a hospital setting. Drumming can be practiced for enhancement in terms of reducing patients’ negative emotions and improving their experiences in a hospital through enriched social interaction and sense of accomplishment. Also, it can help patients to enhance social skills in a controlled environment.

Keywords: group drumming, hospital, mental health, music psychology

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Authors: Jenny Fairthorne, Yuka Mori, Helen Leonard

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Background: Primary care-givers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID) have poorer health and quality of life (QoL) than primary care-givers (hereafter referred to as just care-givers) of typically developing children. We aimed to review original research which described factors impacting the health of care-givers of children with ASD or ID and to discuss how these factors might influence care-giver health. Methods: We searched Web of Knowledge, Medline, Scopus and Google Scholar using selections of words from each of three groups. The first comprised terms associated with ASD and ID and included autism, pervasive development disorder, intellectual disability, mental retardation, disability, disabled, Down and Asperger. The second included terms related to health such as depression, physical, mental, psychiatric, psychological and well-being. The third was terms related to care-givers such as mother, parent and care-giver. We included an original paper in our review if it was published between 1st January 1990 and 31st December, 2016, described original research in a peer-reviewed journal and was written in English. Additional criteria were that the research used a study population of 15 persons or more; described a risk or protective factor for the health of care-givers of a child with ASD, ID or a sub-type (such as ASD with ID or Down syndrome). Using previous research, we developed a simple and objective five-level tool to assess the strength of evidence provided by the reviewed papers. Results: We retained 33 papers. Factors impacting primary care-giver health included child behaviour, level of support, socio-economic status (SES) and diagnostic issues. Challenging child behaviour, the most commonly identified risk factor for poorer care-giver health and QoL was reported in ten of the studies. A higher level of support was associated with improved care-giver health and QoL. For example, substantial evidence indicated that family support reduced care-giver burden in families with a child with ASD and that family and neighbourhood support was associated with improved care-giver mental health. Higher socio-economic status (SES) was a protective factor for care-giver health and particularly maternal health. Diagnostic uncertainty and an unclear prognosis are factors which can cause the greatest concern to care-givers of children with ASD and those for whom a cause of their child’s ID has not been identified. We explain how each of these factors might impact caregiver health and how they might act differentially in care-givers of children with different types of ASD or ID (such as Down syndrome and ASD without ID). Conclusion: Care-givers of children with ASD may be more likely to experience many risk factors and less likely to experience the protective factors we identified for poorer mental health. Interventions to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors could pave the way for improved care-giver health. For example, workshops to train care-givers to better manage challenging child behaviours and earlier diagnosis of ASD (and particularly ASD without ID) would seem likely to improve care-giver well-being. Similarly, helping to expand support networks might reduce care-giver burden and stress leading to improved health.

Keywords: autism, caregivers, health, intellectual disability, mothers, review

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Authors: Venkateswar Pujari

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This study tries to investigate the complex interplay between control, awareness, and attention in human cognitive processes. The fundamental elements of cognitive functioning that play a significant role in influencing perception, decision-making, and behavior are attention, awareness, and control. Understanding how they interact can help us better understand how our minds work and may even increase our understanding of cognitive science and its therapeutic applications. The study uses an empirical methodology to examine the relationships between attention, awareness, and control by integrating different experimental paradigms and neuropsychological tests. To ensure the generalizability of findings, a wide sample of participants is chosen, including people with various cognitive profiles and ages. The study is structured into four primary parts, each of which focuses on one component of how attention, awareness, and control interact: 1. Evaluation of Attentional Capacity and Selectivity: In this stage, participants complete established attention tests, including the Stroop task and visual search tasks. 2. Evaluation of Awareness Degrees: In the second stage, participants' degrees of conscious and unconscious awareness are assessed using perceptual awareness tasks such as masked priming and binocular rivalry tasks. 3. Investigation of Cognitive Control Mechanisms: In the third phase, reaction inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory capacity are investigated using exercises like the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Go/No-Go paradigm. 4. Results Integration and Analysis: Data from all phases are integrated and analyzed in the final phase. To investigate potential links and prediction correlations between attention, awareness, and control, correlational and regression analyses are carried out. The study's conclusions shed light on the intricate relationships that exist between control, awareness, and attention throughout cognitive function. The findings may have consequences for cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and clinical psychology by providing new understandings of cognitive dysfunctions linked to deficiencies in attention, awareness, and control systems.

Keywords: attention, awareness, control, cognitive functioning, neuropsychological assessment

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Authors: Minnie Y. Teng, Kathy Xie, Jarus Tal

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Rationale: The traditional approach to community programs for children with mental and/or developmental challenges often involves segregation from typically-developing peers. However, studies show that inclusive education improves children’s quality of life, self-concept, and long term health outcomes. Investigating factors that influence inclusion can thus have important implications in the design and facilitation of community programs such that all children - across a spectrum of needs and abilities - may benefit. Objectives: This study explores barriers and facilitators to inclusive community programming for children aged 0 to 12 with developmental/mental challenges. Methods: Using a participatory-action research methodology, semi-structured focus groups and interviews will be used to explore perspectives of sighted students, instructors, and staff. Data will be transcribed and coded thematically. Practice Implications or Results: By having a deeper understanding of the barriers and facilitators to inclusive programming in the community, researchers can work with the broader community to facilitate inclusion in children’s community programs. Conclusions: Expanding inclusive practices may improve the health and wellbeing of the pediatric populations with disabilities, which consistently reports lower levels of participation. These findings may help to identify gaps in existing practices and ways to approach them.

Keywords: aquatic programs, children, disabilities, inclusion, community programs

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Authors: R. Morbidelli, C. Saltalippi, A. Flammini, J. Dari

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This work analyses what effect systematic awareness-raising of the population on domestic water consumption produces. In a period where the availability of water is continually decreasing due to reduced rainfall, it is of paramount importance to raise awareness among the population. We conducted an experiment on a large sample of homes in urban areas of Central Italy. In the first phase, lasting three weeks, normal per capita, water consumption was quantified. Subsequently, instructions were given on how to save water during various uses in the household (showers, cleaning hands, use of water in toilets, watering small green areas, use of water in the kitchen, ...), and small visual messages were posted at water dispensers to remind users to behave properly. Finally, household consumption was assessed again for a further three weeks. This experiment made it possible to quantify the effect of the awareness-raising action on the reduction of water consumption without the use of any structural action (replacement of dispensers, improvement of the water system, ...).

Keywords: water saving, urban areas, awareness-raising, climate change

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