The Health of First Generation Caribbeans Across the Diaspora: Findings from 2000-2005 Population Data Surveys from Guyana, Jamaica, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The Link Between Homeless Women's Mental Health and Service System Use

Mitigating the Impact of Coronavirus Disease-2019 on Child and Family Behavioral Health: Suggested Policy Approaches

ABSTRACTIntroductionOver the last decade, the number of older people in custody with common mental and physical health problems has increased. Little is known about the effectiveness of interventions targeting this age group.ObjectiveTo codevelop a practical guidance toolkit(s) to support the delivery of interventions to benefit the common mental and physical health of older people in custody.MethodsTwelve 3‐h workshops between March and April 2023 were conducted with 26 participants at two prison sites in the North of England. The six workshops in each site consisted of research‐based activities and interlinked taster sessions. The research data were collected by the research team to identify the causal links between common mental and physical health problems; activity preferences; the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of delivering the activities and engagement barriers, which formed a bespoke questionnaire. The taster sessions (drugs and alcohol for males, chair yoga for females, books and crafting, and a historical session for both males and females) were delivered by the research team and prison staff. Feedback from the workshop participants was documented using an adapted questionnaire to record the experiences of those taking part. A micro‐costing framework was used to estimate the cost.ResultsSimilar common mental and physical health factors were listed by males and females. Symptoms of common mental health problems were improved by engaging with others of the same age, conducting activities outside and a consistent prison regime. Activity preferences (e.g., creative activities) were underpinned by a sense of purpose, learning new things, gaining and sharing skills. Engagement was supported by building good relationships and offering guidance through peer support, with activities led by staff of a similar age. Activities were more likely to be deemed feasible, acceptable and sustainable when aligned with the prison strategy and in conjunction with the regime. The average cost per participant for the intervention delivery was higher for males than females (£157 vs. £89).ConclusionOlder people in custody report high levels of mental and physical health problems. Engagement with people in custody helps to support the development of interventions maximising possible health benefits. Further research is required to develop an evidence‐base for this group of people in custody.Patient or Public ContributionPeople in custody were involved in the design and implementation of the workshops. The Project Advisory Group advised us on our research methodology and evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of the activities using a questionnaire; they also provided practical advice about the project delivery.

Correlates of Perceived Need for Mental Health Care Among Active Military Personnel

In today’s globalized world, migration has changed the social, cultural, political, and economic landscape of many countries. The influx of immigrants increases the cultural and ethnic diversity of host countries as well as the needs of social services in these countries (Gesthuizen, van der Meer, & Scheepers, 2009; Jenkins, 1988; Padilla, 1997). Ethnic associations, including mutual aid organizations, hometown associations, and various other types of ethnic and immigrant organizations, emerged to respond to the particular needs of specific immigrant communities (Smith et al., 1994, 1999). For countries with a tradition of civic participation, integrating immigrants into civic life becomes an important issue. Since immigrants, particularly newcomers, tend to involve themselves more in ethnic/immigrant organizations than in mainstream organizations in a host country (and they also engage more in informal volunteering and mutual help than their native-born counterparts), it is important to study ethnic/immigrant organizations and immigrants’ voluntary participation, including informal volunteering, which could help us better understand immigrants’ integration into the civic life of a host country.This article reviews the literature on ethnic/immigrant associations and minorities’/immigrants’ voluntary participation in major developed countries in North America, Europe, and Oceania, including countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, which have experienced a significant increase of immigrants or a surge of foreign-born population since World War II , and particularly after the 1990s.In terms of ethnic/immigrant associations, the author reviews the historical background of research in this area, the size and scope of ethnic/immigrant associations, the formation and development of ethnic/immigrant associations, the memberships, the financial well-being of these associations, the roles they play in helping immigrants adapt and acculturate into the host countries, and the classification of ethnic associations. Particular attention is given to immigrants’ mutual aid organizations, ethnic cultural organizations, ethnic-oriented religious organizations, and hometown associations. The characteristics of ethnic/immigrant associations vary by culture or ethnic groups and by the context of their host countries. The author reviews the English literature on ethnic/immigrant associations formed by people from various backgrounds, such as European, African, Latin American, and Asian immigrants/ethnic groups in the United States, as well as similar immigrant/ethnic groups in Western developed countries that have a large number of immigrants.Research on immigrant voluntary participation tends to show that immigrants participate in or volunteer less for mainstream nonprofit organizations than native-borns (Sundeen, Garcia, & Wang, 2007). Some studies further examine the barriers for immigrants to participate in formal volunteering, such as language, cultural perception of volunteering, time constraints, lack of information or connection to organizations, and lack of transportation (i.e. Baer, 2008; Campbell & McLean, 2002; Scott et al., 2005). Others have also examined immigrants’ motivation to participate in formal volunteering, such as developing social networks, resume building, and so on (Handy & Greenspan, 2009). Several studies, however, find that after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, there is little or no difference between immigrants’ and non-immigrants’ likelihood of voluntary participation (Andersen & Milligan, 2011; Baer, 2008). In addition, studies show that ethnic minorities and immigrants may involve more in ethnic/immigrant associations or ethnic-oriented religious groups and engage in informal volunteering or mutual help (Smith et al., 1994, 1999). This study reviews the literature on both formal and informal volunteering of minorities and immigrants.Ethnic-oriented religious associations play an important role in helping immigrants adapt to the new environment and providing a venue for voluntary participation (Handy & Greenspan, 2009; Wang & Handy, 2014). Studies of different religious organizations (such as Catholic vs. Protestant or Buddhist) show that the influences of religion on immigrant volunteering vary by the religious beliefs. The author reviews studies that examine the scope of religious organizations in a host country, the formation of ethnic-oriented religious organizations, their structures, and the roles of these religious organizations in helping immigrants integrate into the host country and encouraging ethnic groups’ and immigrants’ voluntary participation.Immigrant youth have different patterns of voluntary participation from adult immigrants and their native counterparts. Those who moved to the host country at a younger age are more likely to adopt the civic culture of the host country and thus volunteer more (Kawashima-Ginsberg & Kirby, 2009). School is a main venue where immigrant youth are exposed to the civic culture (Ishizawa, 2015; Oesterle, Johnson, & Mortimer, 2004). This study reviews the literature on immigrant youths’ voluntary participation, including the factors that influence immigrant youths’ participation and the consequences of their participation.

Risks, roles and responsibilities: Evaluating falls in inpatient mental healthcare settings for older people

This study assessed the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder among New York City adults. As part of the first community-specific Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States, depression and anxiety were assessed in a representative sample of 1,817 noninstitutionalized adults in 2004. A total of 8% had major depressive disorder and 4% had generalized anxiety disorder. Respondents with depression were more likely to be formerly married, publicly insured, younger, and U.S. born. Only 55% of adults with depression were diagnosed, and 38% of those with depression or anxiety were in treatment; individuals with a diagnosis of depression were more likely to receive treatment than those without a diagnosis (61% versus 7%; p<.001). Immigrants with depression were 60% less likely to be diagnosed than their U.S.-born counterparts; immigrants arriving in this country ten or more years ago had slightly more anxiety than immigrants arriving less than ten years ago (3% versus 2%, not significant). Among respondents with anxiety, 23% reported disability compared with 15% of those with depression. Compared with adults with neither diagnosis, adults with depression or anxiety were twice as likely to smoke tobacco (p<.05), adults with depression were twice as likely to have diabetes (p<.01), and those with anxiety were twice as likely to have asthma (p<.01). Mental disorders are often disabling and inadequately diagnosed and treated. Foreign-born adults experience barriers to diagnosis and treatment despite having less depression; anxiety may increase with time since immigration. Increased awareness of and linkage to mental health services are needed, especially in larger, more diverse urban communities.

Management of Mental Health Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Suicide in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: Clinical Practice Guideline for Healthcare Providers.

In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Board of Directors formed the Task Force on Mental Health and charged it with developing strategies to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health* services in primary care. The task force acknowledged early in its deliberations that enhancing the mental health care that pediatricians and other primary care clinicians† provide to children and adolescents will require systemic interventions at the national, state, and community levels to improve the financing of mental health care and access to mental health specialty resources. Systemic strategies toward achieving these improvements are the subject of other publications of the task force: “ Strategies for System Change in Children's Mental Health: A Chapter Action Kit ” (chapter action kit),1 “Improving Mental Health Services in Primary Care: Reducing Administrative and Financial Barriers to Access and Collaboration,”2 and “Enhancing Pediatric Mental Health Care: Strategies for Preparing a Community.”3 The task force also recognized that enhanced mental health practice will require competencies not currently achieved by many primary care clinicians; in the policy statement “The Future of Pediatrics: Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Primary Care,”4 the task force collaborated with the AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health to outline these competencies and propose strategies for achieving them. This report offers strategies for preparing the primary care practice itself for provision of enhanced mental health care services. The task force proposes incrementally applying chronic care principles to the care of children with mental health and substance abuse problems as primary care clinicians apply them to the care of children with chronic medical conditions such as asthma. Most primary care clinicians will find that significant gaps exist between their current practice and the proposed ideal. The task force offers guidance in … Address correspondence to Jane Meschan Foy, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. E-mail: jmfoy{at}wfubmc.edu

Treatment Seeking for Depression in Canada and the United States

While it is known that some UK Armed Forces (UK AF) personnel and veterans experience physical and mental health problems, the possible future healthcare needs of military veterans are unknown. To estimate the number of military personnel who may experience physical and/or psychological health problems associated with their military service. Data were obtained via Freedom of Information requests to several sources, including Defence Statistics. Raw data from research studies were also used where available. Data were analysed using meta-analytic methods to determine the rate of physical, mental or comorbid health problems in AF personnel. Musculoskeletal problems were the predominant reason for medical discharge from service. In terms of mental health, meta-analyses estimated that veteran reservists (part-time military members) previously deployed to operational areas had the highest proportion of general health problems (35%), previously deployed veteran regulars (those in full time military employment) and veteran reservists had the highest proportion of post-traumatic stress disorder (9%), and regular personnel with a deployment history had the highest proportion of alcohol problems (14%). Overall, our findings suggest that at least 67515 veterans are likely to suffer from mental and/or physical health problems at some point as a result of their service between 2001 and 2014. The results of this study highlight that the difficulties personnel may face are largely musculoskeletal or mental health-related. These findings may help with planning the provision of future physical and mental health care and support for those who serve in the UK AF.

AimsThis study examines the prevalence and associations between recent violence experience, mental health and physical health impairment among Female Sex Workers (FSWs) in north Karnataka, India.BackgroundMulti-morbidity, in particular the overlap between physical and mental health problems, is an important global health challenge to address. FSWs experience high levels of gender-based violence, which increases the risk of poor mental health, however there is limited information on the prevalence of physical health impairments and how this interacts with mental health and violence.MethodWe conducted secondary analysis of cross-sectional quantitative survey data collected in 2016 as part of a cluster-RCT with FSWs called Samvedana Plus. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between physical impairment, recent (past 6 months) physical or sexual violence from any perpetrator, and mental health problems measured by PHQ-2 (depression), GAD-2 (anxiety), any common mental health problem (depression or anxiety), self-harm ever and suicidal ideation ever.Result511 FSWs participated. One fifth had symptoms of depression (21.5%) or anxiety (22.1%), one third (34.1%) reported symptoms of either, 4.5% had ever self-harmed and 5.5% reported suicidal ideation ever. Over half (58.1%) reported recent violence. A quarter (27.6%) reported one or more chronic physical impairments. Mental health problems such as depression were higher among those who reported recent violence (29%) compared to those who reported no recent violence (11%). There was a step-wise increase in the proportion of women with mental health problems as the number of physical impairments increased (e.g. depression 18.1% no impairment; 30.2% one impairment; 31.4% ≥ two impairments). In adjusted analyses, mental health problems were significantly more likely among women who reported recent violence (e.g. depression and violence AOR 2.42 (1.24–4.72) with rates highest among women reporting recent violence and one or more physical impairments (AOR 5.23 (2.49–10.97).ConclusionOur study suggests multi-morbidity of mental and physical health problems is a concern amongst FSWs and is associated with recent violence experience. Programmes working with FSWs need to be mindful of these intersecting vulnerabilities, inclusive of women with physical health impairments and include treatment for mental health problems as part of core-programming.Samvedana Plus was funded by UKaid through Department for International Development as part of STRIVE (structural drivers of HIV) led by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme led by South African Medical Research Council

The central place of psychiatry in health care worldwide.

OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the rates of sexual victimization among prison inmates with and without a mental disorder. METHODS: The study sampled inmates aged 18 or older in 13 prisons within a single mid-Atlantic state prison system (12 facilities for men and one for women). A total of 7,528 inmates completed the survey instrument, which was administered by audio-computer-assisted technology. Of the 6,964 male respondents, 58.5% were African American, 16.2% were non-Hispanic white, 19.8% were Hispanic, and 5.5% were of another race or ethnicity. Of the 564 female respondents, 48.4% were African American, 30.9% were non-Hispanic white, 14.4% were Hispanic, and 7.3% were of another race or ethnicity. Mental disorder was based on self-reported previous mental health treatment for particular mental disorders. Sexual victimization was measured by using questions adapted from the National Violence Against Women and Men surveys. RESULTS: Approximately one in 12 male inmates with a mental disorder reported at least one incident of sexual victimization by another inmate over a six-month period, compared with one in 33 male inmates without a mental disorder. Among those with a mental disorder, sexual victimization was three times as high among female inmates (23.4%) as among male inmates (8.3%). African-American and Hispanic inmates with a mental disorder, independent of gender, reported higher rates of sexual victimization than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Prisons are hazardous places. Steps must be taken to protect inmates from predators inside prison, to screen them for posttraumatic stress disorder, to provide trauma-related treatment, and to keep them safe.

To compare children with mental and physical health problems regarding (1) perceived disease severity; (2) the impact of their condition on their families; (3) their utilization of health care services (including satisfaction with care); and (4) parents' health literacy about their child's condition and its treatment. Furthermore, we examined whether parents' health literacy differs between types of mental health condition. Parental reports about their 9- to 14-year-old children with mental (n=785) or physical health problems (n=475) were analyzed from the population-based National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs in Switzerland. Mental health problems were perceived as being more severe (p<0.001) and exerting a larger impact upon the family (e.g., financial impact) than physical health problems. Furthermore, fewer parents of children with a mental health problem mentioned having a particular person or place to contact if they needed information or advice regarding the child's condition (p=0.004) and were satisfied with the health care services their child received (p<0.001). The odds of low health literacy was higher among parents with children suffering from mental health problems vs. parents of children with physical health problems (OR in the adjusted model=1.92; 95% CI 1.47-2.50; p<0.001); this finding held generally for mental health problem (although only a trend was observable for internalizing problems). The large impact of children's mental health conditions on themselves and their families might be reduced by adapting the provision of health care and by increasing parents' health literacy.