Family history of mental illness and frequent mental distress in community clinic patients

The impact of family history of mental illness on mental health help seeking in university students

BACKGROUND

University students with a family history of mental illness may have an increased risk of developing mental health problems.

AIMS

The aim of the study was to assess differences in mental health help seeking among students with a family history of mental illness compared to those without a family history.

METHODS

A total of 1127 university students, aged 18 to 30 years, completed an online survey with questions about mental illness, family history of mental illness, help seeking, and psychological symptoms.

RESULTS

Students with a family history of mental illness were more likely to report clinically significant symptoms and more likely to use social media and online support programs. They reported similar rates of in-person help seeking. Those with more than one family member with a mental illness reported greater symptom severity, more use of online programs, and increased likelihood of prescription drug use than those with only one family member.

CONCLUSIONS

More research is needed to understand how to increase access to mental health care and to address barriers to help-seeking considering family history of mental illness. University students may not be accessing appropriate treatment and care as required, with the rates of in-person help-seeking being low overall.

Prevalence of mental distress and associated factors among university students in Ethiopia: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Mental distress is an important public health problem and is becoming common health problems among university students.

AIMS

This study aimed to provide a pooled prevalence of mental distress and associated factors among university students in Ethiopia.

METHOD

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases. A further search was performed at Google Scholar search engine for additional studies. All observational studies reporting the prevalence of mental distress and/or associated factors among university students in Ethiopia were included. Pooled prevalence with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using random effects and quality effects models. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Heterogeneity between studies and evidence of publication bias were assessed.

RESULTS

The pooled prevalence of mental distress was 35% (95% CI; 28%-43%). Being female, participating in religious programmes, having close friends, experiencing financial distress, alcohol use, khat use, conflict with friends, lack of interest in their field of study and a family history of mental illness were factors associated with mental distress among students. We found significant heterogeneity, but no evidence of publication bias.

CONCLUSIONS

More than one third of university students in Ethiopia have suffered with mental distress. The finding provides evidence that university students are at risk population for mental health problems and suggests the need for early intervention to prevent severe mental illness.

Psychological distress among people living with chronic medical illness and the general population, Northwest Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Psychological distress is often linked to and negatively affects the outcomes of chronic medical conditions; however, data on psychological distress and its predictors among individuals with chronic medical illnesses are scarce in developing countries like Ethiopia. The main objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and predictors of psychological distress among people living with chronic medical illness and the general population.

METHODS

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Mecha demographic research center, Northwest Ethiopia. The participants were selected from the general population and outpatient departments. Kessler-10 (K-10) was used to assess psychological distress.

RESULT

The magnitude of psychological distress among people living with chronic medical illness and those from the general population was 62.0% and 35.1%, respectively. The odds of psychological distress in people living with chronic medical illness was three times more than the one in the general population. Divorced marital status, family history of chronic medical illness, and low social support were statistically significantly associated with psychological distress in both groups.

CONCLUSION

The magnitude of psychological distress was significantly higher among people living with chronic medical illness. Routine screening of such cases for psychological distress during their visits for their medical illness helps take appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Common mental disorders and associated factors among high school students in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia: an institutional-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Common mental disorders include anxiety, depression and somatic symptoms. These pose significant public health problems because of their serious effects on personal well-being, social and occupational functions. They also can affect the health and quality of life of people in adolescence, because this age group has been vulnerable to different factors. According to the American Psychiatry Association, more than 60% of adolescents fulfil the criteria for at least one common mental disorder. Despite the high burden of the disorders, there are limited studies in Ethiopia; therefore, this study provided the prevalence of common mental disorders among students in Ethiopia.

METHODS

From 5 May to 30 May 2021, an institutional-based cross-sectional study was undertaken. Simple random sampling was used to select study participants from each class level across all high schools. A self-administered survey was used that included Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20, Oslo Social Support Scale-3 and other semistructured instruments for the screening of common mental disorders. Data were checked, coded and entered into Epi-Data V.4.6.0, then exported to SPSS V.20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with common mental disorders. Adjusted ORs with 95% CIs were calculated and variables with a p value of <0.05 were considered as significantly associated with common mental disorders.

RESULTS

A total of 600 high school students were recruited with a response rate of 93.2%. The overall prevalence of common mental disorders among the participants was 181 (32.4%). Being female (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.93; 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.99), a family history of mental illness (AOR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.15 to 4.35), poor social support (AOR=3.14; 95% CI: 1.51 to 6.54), a history of non-physical sexual abuse (AOR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.62) and a history of physical sexual abuse (AOR=2.43; 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.59) were significantly associated with common mental disorders.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The prevalence of common mental disorders was 32.4% among students; therefore, it is recommended facilitating institutional-based intervention services in the school to decrease the contributing factors for the common mental disorders.

Frequent mental distress, chronic conditions, and adverse health behaviors in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, Jordan, 2007

Introduction

Recent evidence indicates that chronic diseases and mental illness are associated. In the Middle Eastern country of Jordan, chronic diseases and frequent mental distress (FMD) are increasing; however, the capacity for mental health care is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the association between FMD, chronic conditions, and adverse health behaviors in Jordan.

Methods

The third cycle of the Jordan Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (2007) served as the data source for this study. The sample consisted of 3,612 noninstitutionalized Jordanian adults aged 18 years or older. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios for the association between chronic conditions, health behaviors, and FMD adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education, income, and employment.

Results

In the adjusted models, people with hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6–2.7), high cholesterol (AOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.6–3.2), diabetes (AOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1–2.4), and asthma (AOR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5–3.1) and smokers (AOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.0) were more likely to have FMD than people without each of these conditions. Adults who reported vigorous physical activity were less likely to have FMD (AOR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4–0.9) than their less active counterparts.

Conclusions

In Jordan, FMD was associated with several chronic conditions. As a result, we suggest additional research to examine the complex relationship between FMD and chronic conditions. More doctors in the primary health care system should be trained in mental health.

Immigration, Drinking, and Frequent Mental Distress

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of immigration as a risk factor for self-reported frequent mental distress (FMD) among black respondents to an Internet survey. Method: Snowball sampling was used to obtain Internet survey responses from immigrant and non-immigrant black adults in the United States. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to control for the effects of personal characteristics ( N = 301). Results: In this sample of black adults, 13.3% had FMD. Being an immigrant was not associated with FMD in this sample (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.75, P = .53). However, more drinking days was an independent risk factor (OR = 1.07, P < .01). Conclusions: Being an immigrant was not an independent risk factor for FMD in this sample of black adults. However, drinking more days per month was a significant risk factor. Primary care providers should be alert for FMD and alcohol consumption in this population. Directing health education about hazardous drinking toward high-risk individuals should be considered.