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Bhugra D, Liebrenz M, Ventriglio A, Ng R, Javed A, Kar A, Chumakov E, Moura H, Tolentino E, Gupta S, Ruiz R, Okasha T, Chisolm MS, Castaldelli-Maia J, Torales J, Smith A. World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission on Public Mental Health. Asian J Psychiatr 2024; 98:104105. [PMID: 38861790 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Although there is considerable evidence showing that the prevention of mental illnesses and adverse outcomes and mental health promotion can help people lead better and more functional lives, public mental health remains overlooked in the broader contexts of psychiatry and public health. Likewise, in undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula, prevention and mental health promotion have often been ignored. However, there has been a recent increase in interest in public mental health, including an emphasis on the prevention of psychiatric disorders and improving individual and community wellbeing to support life trajectories, from childhood through to adulthood and into older age. These lifespan approaches have significant potential to reduce the onset of mental illnesses and the related burdens for the individual and communities, as well as mitigating social, economic, and political costs. Informed by principles of social justice and respect for human rights, this may be especially important for addressing salient problems in communities with distinct vulnerabilities, where prominent disadvantages and barriers for care delivery exist. Therefore, this Commission aims to address these topics, providing a narrative overview of relevant literature and suggesting ways forward. Additionally, proposals for improving mental health and preventing mental illnesses and adverse outcomes are presented, particularly amongst at-risk populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Bhugra
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, Kings College, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom.
| | - Michael Liebrenz
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Roger Ng
- World Psychiatric Association, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Anindya Kar
- Advanced Neuropsychiatry Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Egor Chumakov
- Department of Psychiatry & Addiction, St Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia
| | | | | | - Susham Gupta
- East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Roxanna Ruiz
- University of Francisco Moaroquin, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | | | | | | | | | - Alexander Smith
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Hanach N, Radwan H, Bani Issa W, Saqan R, de Vries N. The perceived mental health experiences and needs of postpartum mothers living in the United Arab Emirates : A focus group study. Midwifery 2024; 132:103977. [PMID: 38518436 DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.103977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND After childbirth, mothers are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems including anxiety and depression, which often remain undetected and untreated. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), recent figures revealed a substantial prevalence of postpartum depression. However, postpartum mental health remains largely understudied in the country's clinical and research settings. Therefore, given the paucity of literature in the UAE and building upon previous epidemiological findings, this study aimed to explore the perceived mental health experiences and needs of mothers during the postpartum period to guide the development of targeted interventions that address mothers' unique mental health challenges. METHODOLOGY Four focus groups were conducted, involving a total of 27 Emirati and multicultural expatriate mothers aged 32.47 ± 4.56 years old, living in the UAE and within their first year postpartum. Descriptive interpretive thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. ANALYSIS Six themes were generated that capture the mothers postpartum experiences and mental health needs: (1) distinct postpartum experiences of primiparous and multiparous mothers, (2) experiences of emotional distress in the initial postpartum stage, (3) multifaceted challenges in breastfeeding, (4) multifactorial influences on postpartum mental health, (5) postpartum social support resources and providers, and (6) the need for formal and informal resources. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the importance of considering the unique cultural and societal factors that impact maternal mental health in the UAE, given its diverse population. A collaborative multidisciplinary approach, integrating culture sensitivity, is vital to address the mental health needs of postpartum mothers and to guide the development of tailored evidence-based interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nivine Hanach
- Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Care and Publica Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Hadia Radwan
- Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Dept., College of Health Sciences, Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Wegdan Bani Issa
- Nursing Dept., College of Health Sciences, Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Roba Saqan
- Health Promotion Group, Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nanne de Vries
- Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Care and Publica Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Hanai A, Ishikawa T, Sugao S, Fujii M, Hirai K, Watanabe H, Matsuzaki M, Nakamoto G, Takeda T, Kitabatake Y, Itoh Y, Endo M, Kimura T, Kawakami E. Explainable Machine Learning Classification to Identify Vulnerable Groups Among Parenting Mothers: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e47372. [PMID: 38324356 PMCID: PMC10882468 DOI: 10.2196/47372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One life event that requires extensive resilience and adaptation is parenting. However, resilience and perceived support in child-rearing vary, making the real-world situation unclear, even with postpartum checkups. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the psychosocial status of mothers during the child-rearing period from newborn to toddler, with a classifier based on data on the resilience and adaptation characteristics of mothers with newborns. METHODS A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted. Mothers with newborns aged approximately 1 month (newborn cohort) were analyzed to construct an explainable machine learning classifier to stratify parenting-related resilience and adaptation characteristics and identify vulnerable populations. Explainable k-means clustering was used because of its high explanatory power and applicability. The classifier was applied to mothers with infants aged 2 months to 1 year (infant cohort) and mothers with toddlers aged >1 year to 2 years (toddler cohort). Psychosocial status, including depressed mood assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), bonding assessed by the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), and sleep quality assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) between the classified groups, was compared. RESULTS A total of 1559 participants completed the survey. They were split into 3 cohorts, comprising populations of various characteristics, including parenting difficulties and psychosocial measures. The classifier, which stratified participants into 5 groups, was generated from the self-reported scores of resilience and adaptation in the newborn cohort (n=310). The classifier identified that the group with the greatest difficulties in resilience and adaptation to a child's temperament and perceived support had higher incidences of problems with depressed mood (relative prevalence [RP] 5.87, 95% CI 2.77-12.45), bonding (RP 5.38, 95% CI 2.53-11.45), and sleep quality (RP 1.70, 95% CI 1.20-2.40) compared to the group with no difficulties in perceived support. In the infant cohort (n=619) and toddler cohort (n=461), the stratified group with the greatest difficulties had higher incidences of problems with depressed mood (RP 9.05, 95% CI 4.36-18.80 and RP 4.63, 95% CI 2.38-9.02, respectively), bonding (RP 1.63, 95% CI 1.29-2.06 and RP 3.19, 95% CI 2.03-5.01, respectively), and sleep quality (RP 8.09, 95% CI 4.62-16.37 and RP 1.72, 95% CI 1.23-2.42, respectively) compared to the group with no difficulties. CONCLUSIONS The classifier, based on a combination of resilience and adaptation to the child's temperament and perceived support, was able identify psychosocial vulnerable groups in the newborn cohort, the start-up stage of childcare. Psychosocially vulnerable groups were also identified in qualitatively different infant and toddler cohorts, depending on their classifier. The vulnerable group identified in the infant cohort showed particularly high RP for depressed mood and poor sleep quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Hanai
- Medical Data Mathematical Reasoning Team, Advanced Data Science Project, RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
- Artificial Intelligence Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
- Institute for Datability Science, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ishikawa
- Medical Data Mathematical Reasoning Team, Advanced Data Science Project, RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
- Artificial Intelligence Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
- Institute for Datability Science, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- Department of Extended Intelligence for Medicine, The Ishii-Ishibashi Laboratory, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoko Sugao
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Makoto Fujii
- Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Kei Hirai
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Hiroko Watanabe
- Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Masayo Matsuzaki
- Department of Reproductive Health Nursing, Graduate School of Health Care Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Goji Nakamoto
- Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Takeda
- Department of Medical Informatics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Yasuji Kitabatake
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Yuichi Itoh
- Department of Integrated Information Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Japan
| | - Masayuki Endo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Tadashi Kimura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Eiryo Kawakami
- Medical Data Mathematical Reasoning Team, Advanced Data Science Project, RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
- Artificial Intelligence Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
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Simpson AN, Baxter NN, Sorvari A, Boury H, Shore EM, Bogler T, Campbell D, Gagliardi AR. Strategies to support maternal and early childhood wellness: insight from parent and provider qualitative interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e079479. [PMID: 38272559 PMCID: PMC10824034 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in rapid changes to the delivery of maternal and newborn care. Our aim was to gain an understanding from parents and healthcare professionals (HCPs) of how the pandemic and associated public health restrictions impacted the peripartum and postpartum experience, as well as longer-term health and well-being of families. DESIGN Qualitative study through focus groups. SETTING Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS HCPs and parents who had a child born during the COVID-19 pandemic. INTERVENTIONS Semistructured interview guide, with questions focused on how the pandemic impacted their care/their ability to provide care, and strategies to improve care and support now or in future situations with similar healthcare restrictions. OUTCOME MEASURES Thematic analysis was used to describe participant experiences and recommendations. RESULTS We included 11 HCPs and 15 parents in 6 focus groups. Participants described their experiences as 'traumatic', with difficulties in accessing prenatal and postpartum services, and feelings of distress and isolation. They also noted delays in speech and development in children born during the pandemic. Key recommendations included the provision of partner accompaniment throughout the course of care, expansion of available services for young families (particularly postpartum), and special considerations for marginalised groups, including access to technology for virtual care or the option of in-person visits. CONCLUSIONS Our findings may inform the development of healthcare system and organisational policies to ensure the provision of maternal and newborn care in the event of future public health emergencies. Of primary importance to the participants was the accommodation of antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum partner accompaniment, and the provision of postpartum services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea N Simpson
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nancy N Baxter
- The University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anne Sorvari
- St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Himani Boury
- Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eliane M Shore
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tali Bogler
- St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Douglas Campbell
- St. Michael's Hospital/Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Kuroda Y, Goto A, Koriyama C, Suzuki K. Association of health literacy with anxiety about COVID-19 under an infectious disease pandemic in Japan. Health Promot Int 2023; 38:7079825. [PMID: 36930233 DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daac200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We quantitatively analysed the relationship of health literacy with both anxiety about the COVID-19 outbreak and free-text qualitative data. A questionnaire was mailed to 5450 citizens aged 16-89 years in four prefectures between late April and May 2020. It gauged the level of anxiety about COVID-19, assessed health literacy (HL) on both critical and communicative HL subscales, and invited free-text responses. We compared anxiety levels in three groups of both HL subscales. Text-mining analyses were also conducted among the three HL groups. Two-thirds of respondents reported anxiety about COVID-19, and 42% of them also reported fear. The level of communicative HL was negatively associated with no or low anxiety (p < 0.01), and the same association was observed for critical HL (p < 0.01). Free-text analysis identified 11 categories related to concerns about COVID-19: response of the national government, appreciation of health care practitioners, early convergence, vaccine development, fear of infection, invisible, a school for children, everyday life, information-related issue, novel coronavirus and self-quarantine. Words that were characteristic of the high-HL group were 'information', 'going out', 'vaccines' and 'government'. This survey reveals high public anxiety under COVID-19, and while anxiety is associated with HL levels, people with higher HL may make more prudent and healthier decisions. In situations of uncertainty, different approaches to alleviate anxiety depending on HL are warranted, providing new insights and contributing to public health measures during the outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujiro Kuroda
- Department of Prevention and Care Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
| | - Aya Goto
- Center for Integrated Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Chihaya Koriyama
- Department of Health and Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1195, Japan
| | - Kohta Suzuki
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
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Moon H, Woo K. An integrative review on mothers' experiences of online breastfeeding peer support: Motivations, attributes and effects. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2021; 17:e13200. [PMID: 33960665 PMCID: PMC8189189 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Information on the experiences surrounding online breastfeeding peer support among breastfeeding mothers and its effects on breastfeeding outcomes is growing yet to be synthesized. The aim of this review was to synthesize the evidence of mothers' experiences of online breastfeeding peer support. An integrative review was conducted. Five electronic databases were searched. Two reviewers independently screened the articles for inclusion. The inclusion criteria were (1) involved original data focusing on mothers' experiences of online breastfeeding peer support, (2) participants who were mothers who were breastfeeding or had experiences of breastfeeding and (3) studies focusing on interaction and communication among mothers through online communities. In total, 14 publications met the inclusion criteria. Breastfeeding mothers turned to online groups when they felt isolated, lacked professional support or preferred online support over face-to-face support. Online breastfeeding peer support was characterized as a virtual community, with easy access, availability and a wealth of resources from actual experiences of mothers. It empowered breastfeeding mothers and resulted in changes in breastfeeding outcomes and perceptions. The positive aspects of online breastfeeding peer support have recently garnered more attention. This review provided baseline data and evidence to supplement and improve the current breastfeeding support system for breastfeeding mothers. The evidence on the effectiveness of online breastfeeding peer support for influencing breastfeeding outcomes remains inconclusive. Further empirical studies with rigorous study designs are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyojeong Moon
- College of NursingSeoul National UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
| | - Kyungmi Woo
- The Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of NursingSeoul National UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
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