A gender comparison of psychological distress among medical students in Nigeria during the Coronavirus pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

Background

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as a large scale stressor could have negative effects on the mental health of medical students. Since gender differences in mental health may exist, it is important to see if a large scale stressor like the pandemic may be associated with variances in the psychological distress between both genders.

Objectives

To assess and compare the psychological distress of male and female medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1010 medical students from three universities in southwestern Nigeria within the first six months of the first reported case of the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents were purposively selected. Data was obtained online on participants' demographic and psychological distress using the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 21, student t and chi-square tests were used to assess gender differences, and multivariate regression to assess the predictors of psychological distress among both genders. p values less than 0.05were considered statistically significant.

Results

Overall, female participants (OR=1.455, 95% CI= 1.095–1.936) were twice more likely to have experienced psychological distress than males during the COVID-19 pandemic. Age (OR=0.922, 95% CI= 0.867–0.979), being in pre-clinical years (OR= 1.394, 95% CI= 1.004–1.938), having a family income less than 100,000 naira (OR= 1.379, 95% CI=1.442–6.723) a previous history of mental illness (OR=3.077, 95% CI= 1.430–6.615) and having a relative/acquaintance diagnosed with COVID 19(OR=1.646, 95% CI= 1.062–2.551) were independently associated with psychological distress among the respondents. When comparing both genders, among females, age (OR=0.886, 95% CI= 0.803–0.978), family income less than 100,000 naira (OR=1.898, 95% CI= 1.306–2.759) and a previous history of mental illness (OR=5.266, 95% CI= 1.894–14.635) were associated with psychological distress, while, being in pre-clinical years (OR= 1.713, 95% CI= 1.052–2.790) was associated with psychological distress among males.

Conclusion

Females had more psychological distress compared to male students. It is recommended that gender-specific interventions addressing psychological distress among medical students are instituted.

Support the frontliners – good initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare workers across the world: is this what we really need?

Healthcare workers have faced an unprecedented workload in overstretched health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we describe various initiatives to support them. Psychological, financial and peer support, accommodation and meal services, proper personal protective equipment, applause and gratitude in the community, spiritual and religious life, child care and volunteering were identified. The potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – permanent stress, burnout and other mental health problems among healthcare professionals – can be expected to grow. Continued monitoring is essential to bolster resilience among healthcare workers and prevent the possible consequences for their mental health.

Perspectives of university health care students on mental health stigma in Nigeria: Qualitative analysis

Mental illness is a significant public health burden in low- and middle-income countries. A wide treatment gap in mental health care exists within the Nigerian health care system and this gap is worsened by the presence of stigma associated with mental illness, which leads to delay in treatment or acts as a barrier to any care. In this study, our aim was to understand the factors that underlie mental illness stigma in order to inform the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among health care students in Nigeria. We conducted four focus groups among university health care students in March 2019 in Nigeria. The students included nursing, pharmacy, and medical trainees from a university teaching hospital. We used an inductive-driven thematic analysis to identify codes and themes related to mental health stigma and conceptualization of mental health within the study group. Among the 40 participants, we identified how specific interpretations of religious and spiritual beliefs may be associated with stigmatizing behaviors such as social distancing and discrimination. Conceptualization of mental illness as a communicable disease and the attribution of mental illness to a moral failing contributed to stigma mechanisms. Overall, eight themes associated with mental health stigma and mental health-related concepts were found: spirituality, discrimination and devaluation, conceptualization of mental health, attribution theories, methods to reduce stigma, shortage of resources, violence and dangerousness, and maltreatment. We found that the co-existence of spiritual beliefs and biomedical and psychological models of mental health is a key factor to consider in the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among university health students in Nigeria.

How to overcome barriers to publication in low- and middle-income countries: Recommendations from early career psychiatrists and researchers from around the world

There is an increasing movement toward international collaboration and global discussion in mental health. If provided with the right opportunities, early career psychiatrists (ECPs) and researchers in mental health can contribute meaningfully to this discussion. However, they often experience multiple barriers when attempting to add their voices via academic publications. We represent a diverse group of ECPs and researchers from all six World Health Organization regions. In this piece, we discuss these barriers, grounded in our first-hand experiences, and put forth a series of recommendations. The most potentially beneficial and immediate way forward is ensuring a much-needed mentorship and support, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. In this regard, international organizations, especially those with a particular focus on education, such as the Section on Education in Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association, can play a pivotal role.

Management of psychiatric conditions and delirium during the COVID-19 pandemic across continents: lessons learned and recommendations

Background

With the uncertainties of COVID-19, people infected with coronavirus present with diverse psychiatric presentations. Some institutions have had to manage their patients with existing protocols, others have had to create them. In this article we aimed to report the challenges and good practices in the management of psychiatric conditions and delirium coexisting with COVID-19 across continents.

Methods

Early Career Psychiatrists (ECPs) from across five continents were approached to share their experiences on the management of psychiatric conditions in patients with COVID-19 during the current pandemic.

Results

We collected information about the experiences from sixteen countries. Commonalities were similar psychiatric presentations and poor preparedness across countries. Differences were varying adjustments made in the management of psychiatric conditions coexisting with COVID-19 and different innovations. Good practices which can be adopted by other countries are novel approaches such as telepsychiatry, proactive consultation-liaison units and enhanced community services targeted at circumventing challenges faced when providing mental health services.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the need for global preparedness in the mental health sector during outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the need for concerted efforts targeted at global and locally sensitive adaptation of existing protocols and the development of new guidelines for the management of psychiatric conditions for the present pandemic and subsequent occurrences.

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ECPs provided their perspective on the management of psychiatric conditions in patients with COVID-19.

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We found commonalities and differences in the management of psychiatric conditions coexisting with COVID-19.

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There are shared similarities and differences, likewise modifications in pre-existing protocols for management of delirium.

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A common factor is the need to adapt guidelines and protocols for the management of psychiatric conditions.

Mental health services in Nigerian prisons: Lessons from a four-year review and the literature

Forensic and correctional mental health services may constitute an important "safety net" for the mentally ill and can ensure a degree of public protection. The increasing prison populations and shift towards humane care of the mentally ill that encompasses promotion of human rights, community re-integration, utilitarian safety and operation of internationally comparable mental health legislations underscore the need to appraise correctional psychiatry services, especially in resource-restricted settings. We present findings from a review of the literature and from mental health services provided to 179 inmates in two Nigerian urban prisons. The mental health services spanned four years and allowed a focus on important issues deserving urgent attention. The mean age of participants was 33.10 years (SD = 9.91) and majority (86.6%) were males. The common clinical diagnoses among participants were schizophrenia (49.3%) and mood disorders (29.6%), while approximately half (46.5%) used psychoactive substances. About one-fifth was evaluated as having high risk for violence-dangerousness based solely on clinical evaluation. The majority (88.4%) presented with a first episode of mental illness, and 14% had a prior correctional history. Gender, marital status and hallucinatory experiences were associated with a high risk of dangerousness (p < 0.05), while gender, use of psychoactive substances, previous history of mental disorders and depot medication indexed participants more likely to have a previous forensic history (p < 0.05). Considering the current findings, we advocate for inclusion of validated tools in risk assessments, multipronged intervention strategy to address the unmet needs of prisoners and improved attention to forensic and correctional mental health in relevant policy-law, service-planning, research and training.

Late-life depression: Burden, severity and relationship with social support dimensions in a West African community

OBJECTIVES

The occurrence of depression in old age is often linked with grave consequences. The purpose of this study is to investigate the burden of depression and its relationship with perceived social support among the elderly in a West African community setting.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, participants made up of 350 elders aged 60 years and above were selected through multi-stage random sampling technique. All participants were interviewed with designed questionnaire, multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to elicit socio-demographic profile, social support and depressive psychopathology respectively.

RESULTS

The participants were largely females (52.9%) and their mean age was 68.8±7.3 years. A little above one-quarter (26.4%) had depressive episode, and mild severity was preponderant. Low level of social support was associated with depression (χ(2)=8.418, p=0.004); especially low social supports from significant others (χ(2)=3.989, p=0.046) and family members (χ(2)=4.434, p=0.035). Similarly, severity of depression in the elderly correlated negatively with availability of social support from significant others (χ(2)=5.495, p=0.019) and family members (χ(2)=5.149, p=0.023).

CONCLUSION

Considering the burden of depression in this elderly population and the influential roles of social support especially from family and significant others on depression; strengthening of informal social support and formal social support for the elders is advocated. In addition, design of community based geriatric mental health with social services and articulation of public policy to address old age needs are implied.