Current Mental Health Problems Research Articles

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Childhood Maltreatment and Mental Health in Substance Use Disorders: A 6-Year Retrospective Analysis

Objective This longitudinal cohort study aims to investigate the relationship between self-reported childhood maltreatment (CM) and the retrospective trajectory of substance use, mental health, and satisfaction with life in individuals with substance use disorders. Methods One hundred eleven treatment-seeking individuals with substance use disorder were recruited from clinical settings and monitored prospectively for 6 years. The participants’ substance use, mental health, and satisfaction with life were assessed using standardized measures. Cluster analysis divided the cohort into two groups—low CM and high CM—based on their scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form at year 6. Mixed-effects linear models were fitted to assess the association between longitudinal scores on drug use, mental health, and satisfaction with life and CM group. Results Most participants (92%) reported at least 1 CM. Out of all participants, 36% were categorized into the high-CM group, while 59% were categorized into the low-CM group. CM group was not associated with the amount of substance or alcohol use. CM group was significantly associated with the longitudinal course of mental health and life satisfaction. Conclusions This study underscores the association between self-reported CM and mental health and life satisfaction in patients with substance use disorder. Our results may imply an increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients with high levels of CM, while bearing in mind that both current and retrospective mental health and substance use problems can influence the accuracy of recalling CM.

Impact of a private sector residential early parenting program on clinically significant postnatal depressive symptoms experienced by women: Audit of routinely collected data.

Early parenting services in Australia offer brief structured residential programs to address moderate to severe non-psychotic mental health problems among women and unsettled infant/toddler behaviours. The aims were to (1) estimate the immediate and medium-term impact of a five-night psychoeducational residential early parenting program on postpartum depressive symptoms and (2) identify the factors associated with improvement or worsening of postpartum depressive symptoms after completing the program and six weeks post-discharge. Audit of routinely collected medical record data from pre-admission, pre-discharge and post-discharge assessments of a consecutive cohort of women admitted, with their infants/toddlers in a 15-month period to Masada Private Hospital Early Parenting Centre. Data included structured questions assessing: demographic characteristics, access to family and social support, past and current mental health problems, reproductive and obstetric health, chronic health conditions, breastfeeding problems, coincidental major life events, health risk behaviours and infant/toddler feeding, sleeping and crying behaviours. Standardised instruments included the Partner Interaction after Birth Scale (PIBS), the MacLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD), Modified Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) and selected items from the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale. The primary outcomes were Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores at pre-discharge and follow up assessments. Data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression models in which individual and psychosocial characteristics at pre-admission were included as predictors of the likelihood of the changes of the outcomes from pre-admission to pre-discharge and follow up. Complete data from 1220 of 1290 (95%) eligible women were available to assess pre-admission to pre-discharge and from 559 (45.8%) to assess pre-discharge to six-week follow-up changes. The mean pre-admission EPDS score was 11.7 (95% CI: 11.5; 12.0), pre-discharge it was 7.1 (95% CI: 6.9; 7.4) and at six-week follow up it was 5.7 (95% CI: 5.3; 6.1). We found that almost all women experienced a clinically meaningful and rapid improvement in depressive symptoms of at least this magnitude (reduction in mean EPDS scores of 4.6 points from pre-admission to pre-discharge (five nights) and a further reduction of 1.2 points pre-discharge to follow up) (six weeks) and we identified an interpretable set of risk factors for symptoms that did not improve or worsened. The adverse outcomes were associated with having symptoms of borderline personality disorder, a partner experienced as lacking kindness and care, coincidental adverse events and having a child younger than six months. Residential early parenting programs, which take a psycho-educational approach to strengthening caregiving skills, maximising agency, and reducing helplessness, have a rapid beneficial effect on women's postpartum depressive symptoms. These programs provide a valuable and effective component of comprehensive mental health services. Long-term dialectical behaviour therapy is indicated for women with borderline personality disorder traits for whom early parenting programs alone are insufficient to improve depressive symptoms.

Psychometric Properties and Factorial Invariance of the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression (CECAD) in Basque Population.

Anxiety and depression are the most common current mental health problems. Due to their comorbidity, there is a need for instruments that measure them simultaneously. Moreover, given that their prevalence varies by gender and age, it is important to examine the factorial invariance of such instruments. The present study aimed to analyze the dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Basque version of the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression (CECAD) as a function of gender and age, and to gather additional evidence of its validity. The sample comprised 2131 participants (54.2% female) between 7 and 24 years old ( M = 13.2; SD = 3.52). The CECAD was found to have a two-dimensional structure invariant to gender and age, with higher latent means for girls in both dimensions, and for those aged 14 and over in depression, but with small effect sizes. Both reliability and convergent validity values were good. The Basque version of the CECAD has good evidence of validity and reliability for assessing anxiety and depression in Basque-speaking children and adolescents.

Mental health disturbance in preclinical medical students and its association with screen time, sleep quality, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundAffected by various hurdles during COVID-19, preclinical medical students are at an elevated risk for mental health disturbances. However, the effects of modern mental health problems on preclinical medical students have not been adequately researched. Thus, this study was aimed to identify the proportions and implications of current mental health problems for depression, sleep quality and screen time among Indonesian medical preclinical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted using crowdsourcing between October 2020 and June 2021. During the study period, 1,335 subjects were recruited, and 1,023 datasets were identified as valid. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used to measure current mental health disturbances (categorized as without current mental health disturbances, psychological distress, social dysfunction, or both). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was employed to assess sleep quality, and a questionnaire devised for this study was used to assess screen time length per day. Multivariate data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 24 for Mac.ResultsAccording to the findings, 49.1% of the 1,023 participants had current mental health disturbances: 12.8% had psychological distress, 15.9% had social dysfunction, and the rest (20.4%) had both psychological distress and social dysfunction. The statistical analysis provided strong evidence of a difference (p < 0.001) between the medians of depression and sleep quality with at least one pair of current mental health disturbance groups, but the difference for screen time was not significant (p = 0.151). Dunn’s post-hoc analysis showed that groups without current mental health problems had significantly lower mean ranks of depression and sleep quality compared to groups that had current mental health problems (p < 0.001).ConclusionCurrent mental health disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly associated with preclinical medical students’ depression and sleep quality in preclinical medical students. Thus, mental health programs for this specific population should be tailored to integrate mindfulness therapy, support groups, stress management, and skills training to promote mental wellbeing.

Social Determinants of Health and Perceived Cognitive Difficulties in High School Students in the United States.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted the Adolescent Behavior and Experiences Survey (ABES) to examine disruption and adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the association between social determinants of health (SDoH) and cognitive problems attributed to physical or mental health problems among high school students. The ABES was an online survey. Perceived cognitive problems were assessed with the question: "Because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, do you have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?" A SDoH index was created by summing endorsements to 12 variables. Participants were 6,992 students, age 14-18, with 3,294 boys (47%) and 3,698 girls (53%). Many adolescents reported experiencing cognitive problems (i.e., 45%), with girls (56%) more likely to report cognitive difficulties than boys (33%) [χ2(1) = 392.55, p < 0.001]. Having poor mental health was strongly associated with cognitive problems in both girls [81%, χ2(1, 3680) = 650.20, p < 0.001] and boys [67%, χ2(1, 3267) = 418.69, p < 0.001]. There was a positive, linear association between the number of SDoH experienced and reporting cognitive problems. Binary logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of cognitive difficulty for both boys and girls (e.g., being bullied electronically, experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic, being treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity, and being in a physical fight). A strikingly high proportion of adolescents reported experiencing problems with their cognitive functioning. After adjusting for current mental health problems, several SDoH remained associated with adolescents' reported cognitive difficulties, including experiencing racism, bullying, parental job loss, and food insecurity.

Intimate partner violence and suicide mortality: a cross-sectional study using machine learning and natural language processing of suicide data from 43 states

IntroductionIntimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with suicidal ideation, yet it remains unclear how often IPV precipitates suicide mortality. To overcome limitations with national data, we applied novel methods to:...

The development of online and offline integration teaching of mental health education for college students based on sequential quadratic programming algorithm

Abstract This paper firstly focuses on the automatic detection of mental health in colleges and universities and the sequential quadratic programming algorithm, proposes a psychological abnormality detection model for college students based on the sequential quadratic programming algorithm, and in the feature vectorization process, uses constraint functions and coefficient matrices to process various types of features into vector sequences of length k weeks to help quantify the trajectory of students’ school activities, and trains and establishes a student psychological abnormality detection model. Then, on the technical basis of the psychological abnormality detection model, the mental health education system is constructed, the online and offline integration teaching development is realized through the teaching system, and the performance of the education system is verified. The results show that the average score of the traditional psychological teaching model 1-10 week test is 76.52, compared to the average score of 78.51 in the mental health education system teaching 1-10 test, with an error value of 1.89. This study uses the mental health teaching system to retrieve information on students with current mental health problems at any time, and there this is to realize dynamic online and offline coeducation.

Is teacher violence a form of betrayal trauma? Relationship with mental health problems among young adults

BackgroundChildhood trauma is one of the most preventable risk factors for mental health problems. Considering the substantial amount of time that young people spend in school during their early years, it is important to understand the potential impacts of teachers' behaviors on students' mental health. ObjectivesThis study examined the relationship between exposure to teacher violence and mental health problems. Participants and settingAn international sample of young adults aged 18 to 24 (N = 283). MethodsParticipants completed self-report measures of childhood trauma, exposure to teacher violence, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol misuse. ResultsExposure to teacher violence could be reliably and validly measured using the Teacher Violence Scale (TVS). Current mental health problems – including depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol misuse – were associated with exposure to teacher violence during high school years, but not with childhood non-betrayal trauma. ConclusionsOur findings expand the application of the betrayal trauma theory to school settings and point to the importance of preventing and managing teacher violence. It is important to provide more support and training to teachers and enhance monitoring measures in schools. More research on the prevalence and correlates of exposure to teacher violence is needed. We also provided first evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the English version of the TVS to facilitate future research.

Traumatic Life Events and Association With Depression, Anxiety, and Somatization Symptoms in Female Refugees

Different types of traumatic life events have varying impacts on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization. For women from areas of the world experiencing war and humanitarian crises, who have experienced cumulative trauma exposure during war and forced migration, it is not known whether cumulative trauma or particular events have the greatest impact on symptoms. To examine which traumatic life events are associated with depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms, compared with the cumulative amount, in a sample of female refugees. For this cross-sectional study, data were collected in 2016 as a part of The Study on Female Refugees. The current analysis was conducted in 2022 to 2023. This multicenter study covered 5 provinces in Germany. Participants were recruited at reception centers for refugees. Women volunteered to participate and to be interviewed after information seminars at the different centers. Traumatic life events experienced by refugees from areas of the world experiencing war and humanitarian crises. Demographic variables (age, country of origin, religion, education, relationship status, and children), traumatic and adverse life events, and self-reported depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms were measured. Random forest regressions simultaneously examined the importance of these variables on symptom scores. Follow-up exploratory mediation models tested potential associative pathways between the identified variables of importance. For the final sample of 620 refugee women (mean [SD] age, 32.34 [10.35] years), family violence was most associated with depression (mean [SD] variable of importance [VIM], 2.93 [0.09]), anxiety (mean [SD] VIM, 4.15 [0.11]), and somatization (mean [SD] VIM, 3.99 [0.15]), even though it was less common than other traumatic experiences, including war, accidents, hunger, or lack of housing. Other factors, such as childhood sexual abuse, injury, near-death experiences, and lack of access to health care, were also important. Follow-up analyses showed partial mediation effects between these factors in their association with symptoms, supporting the unique importance of family violence in understanding mental health. The findings of this cross-sectional study of refugee women who experienced multiple severe traumas related to war in their home countries and danger encountered during their migration suggest that family violence was key to their current mental health problems. Culturally sensitive assessment and treatment need to place special emphasis on these family dynamics.

Differences Between Online Trial Participants Who Have Used Statutory Mental Health Services and Those Who Have Not: Analysis of Baseline Data From 2 Pragmatic Trials of a Digital Health Intervention.

Digital health interventions (DHIs) are an established element of mental health service provision internationally. Regulators have positioned the best practice standard of evidence as an interventional study with a comparator reflective of standard care, often operationalized as a pragmatic trial. DHIs can extend health provision to those not currently using mental health services. Hence, for external validity, trials might openly recruit a mixture of people who have used mental health services and people who have not. Prior research has demonstrated phenomenological differences in mental health experience between these groups. Some differences between service users and nonservice users might influence the change created by DHIs; hence, research should systematically examine these differences to inform intervention development and evaluation work. This paper analyzes baseline data collected in the NEON (Narrative Experiences Online; ie, for people with experience of psychosis) and NEON-O (NEON for other [eg, nonpsychosis] mental health problems) trials. These were pragmatic trials of a DHI that openly recruited people who had used specialist mental health services and those who had not. All participants were experiencing mental health distress. NEON Trial participants had experienced psychosis in the previous 5 years. This study aims to identify differences in baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with specialist mental health service use for NEON Trial and NEON-O Trial participants. For both trials, hypothesis testing was used to compare baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of participants in the intention-to-treat sample who had used specialist mental health services and those who had not. Bonferroni correction was applied to significance thresholds to account for multiple testing. Significant differences in characteristics were identified in both trials. Compared with nonservice users (124/739, 16.8%), NEON Trial specialist service users (609/739, 82.4%) were more likely to be female (P<.001), older (P<.001), and White British (P<.001), with lower quality of life (P<.001) and lower health status (P=.002). There were differences in geographical distribution (P<.001), employment (P<.001; more unemployment), current mental health problems (P<.001; more psychosis and personality disorders), and recovery status (P<.001; more recovered). Current service users were more likely to be experiencing psychosis than prior service users. Compared with nonservice users (399/1023, 39%), NEON-O Trial specialist service users (614/1023, 60.02%) had differences in employment (P<.001; more unemployment) and current mental health problems (P<.001; more personality disorders), with lower quality of life (P<.001), more distress (P<.001), less hope (P<.001), less empowerment (P<.001), less meaning in life (P<.001), and lower health status (P<.001). Mental health service use history was associated with numerous differences in baseline characteristics. Investigators should account for service use in work to develop and evaluate interventions for populations with mixed service use histories. RR2-10.1186/s13063-020-04428-6.

Use of medicines to alleviate negative emotional states among adolescents attending Special Education Centres.

Substantial research evidence indicates that adolescents commonly use a variety of pharmaceuticals. Studies in this area carried out so far in Poland have focused on youth attending mainstream schools. However, there is a lack of research covering adolescents residing in special education centres (SEC). The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of medicine use for negative emotional states (nervousness, difficulties in falling asleep, and depressive mood), and to identify factors associated with the use of the aforementioned medications by SEC youth. The study was conducted in 2018 on a random nationwide sample of SEC adolescents aged 12-19 (N = 1730). The logistic regression analyses included sociodemographic variables, as well as factors related to the participant's individual characteristics and to their social environment. Medicine use for negative emotional states was confirmed by about 24%-30% of respondents. The prevalence of these medicine use among SEC youth was significantly higher than among adolescents from mainstream schools. The individual risk factors associated with medicine use were gender (female), current mental and somatic health problems, past suicide attempts and psychoactive substances use while self-control turned out to be protective factor. Among factors related to the respondents' social environment, positive relationships with peers were significant protective factor. Preventive measures aimed at SEC youth should be focused on improving positive relationships with peers and developing self-control. Educational programs for youth, their parents and SEC staff to develop knowledge and skills regarding safe medicines intake would also be useful.

Exploring Sociodemographic and Mental Health Differences Among Constructed Male Victim Severity Profiles.

Stigmas and taboos surrounding male sexual violence, stating that men cannot be sexually victimized and would not experience many adverse effects as a result, continue to shroud the issue of male sexual victimization (SV). Male victims, therefore, remain under-recognized in research, policy, and treatment provisions. Furthermore, knowledge regarding male SV is severely compromised by studying male victims in convenience samples with a focus on hands-on forms of sexual violence. Finally, severity of SV is often described using a one-dimensional approach based on presumed severity leading to an oversimplified image. This study addresses these various gaps in scientific research by constructing severity profiles of male SV based on self-reported consequences, prevalence, and co-occurrence of SV. A total of 1,078 male victims were selected from a Belgian nationally representative sample collected between October 2019 and January 2021. Profiles are constructed using latent class analysis. Sociodemographic differences across the profiles are examined through multinomial regression analysis. Finally, differences in current mental health problems across the profiles are assessed. Four distinct male victim profiles are identified: (a) low severity-low victimization (58.3%), (b) medium severity-hands-off victimization (21.4%), (c) medium severity-poly-victimization (13.3%), and (d) high severity-poly-victimization (7.0%). Group comparisons show how male victims in the high-severity class report significantly higher rates of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicide and/or self-harm. Significant differences in class membership were found for age, occupational status, relationship status, sexual orientation, and financial status. This study provides new insights in the patterns of male SV and highlights the presence of poly-victimization among male victims. Additionally, we point out how the so-called minor forms of SV (i.e., hands-off SV) can have a large effect on male victims. The study ends with suggestions for care and future research.

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Expanded Version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) in Children and Adolescents.

The expanded version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) is a self-report measure of 18 empirically derived internalizing symptom dimensions. The measure has shown good psychometric properties in adults but has never been evaluated in children and adolescents. A Swedish version of the IDAS-II was administered to 633 children and adolescents (Mage =16.6 [SD = 2.0]) and 203 adults (Mage = 35.4 [SD = 12.1]). The model/data fit of the 18-factor structure was excellent in both samples and measurement invariance across age groups was supported. All scales showed good to excellent internal consistency and psychometric properties replicated in the younger youth sample (< 16 years). Among youth, good convergent validity was established for all scales and divergent validity for most scales. The IDAS-II was better at identifying youth with current mental health problems than an internationally recommended scale of internalizing symptoms. In conclusion, the IDAS-II shows promise as a measure of internalizing symptoms in youth.

Evaluation of Current Mental Health Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Evaluation of Current Mental Health Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Breaching the family walls: Modelling the impact of prolonged visa insecurity on asylum-seeking children.

Children in asylum-seeking families are increasingly subject to deterrent host nation policies that undermine security in the post-migration context, however, little is known on the mental health consequences of such policy. This study examined the impact of prolonged visa insecurity on child mental health, by comparing two cohorts of refugee children entering Australia between 2010 and 2013, distinguished by visa security. The insecure visa sample comprised children from Tamil asylum-seeking families, while the secure visa sample was drawn from refugee families participating in the multi-ethnic 'Building a New Life in Australia' cohort study. Children in each sample were assessed for current mental health problems and trauma exposure. Mothers were assessed for trauma exposure, post-migration family stressors and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The effects of prolonged visa insecurity on child mental health via family-and child-level variables were modelled using multi-level path analysis. Data comprised 361 children, aged 10-18, and 242 mothers across three levels of visa insecurity: permanent protection (n = 293), temporary protection (n = 40) and bridging visa (n = 28). Modelling showed that (1) visa insecurity was associated with poorer child mental health, (2) the association was mediated sequentially by post-migration family stressors and maternal PTSD and (3) the association was moderated by maternal PTSD. Our findings suggest that when government policy persistently undermines post-migration security, the capacity of families to protect children from accrued stressors is lowered, leaving a significantly higher proportion of children developing along trajectories of risk rather than resilience.

Characteristics and precipitating circumstances of suicide among youth involved with the U.S. child welfare system

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10–21 years in the United States. Evidence suggests rates of suicide are particularly concerning among youth involved with the child welfare system. Approximately 618,000 children in the U.S. were involved with the child welfare system in 2020, however, little is known about factors associated with suicide in these vulnerable youth. This retrospective study uniquely examines characteristics and precipitating circumstances of suicide in youth involved with the child welfare system using integrated data from a state’s child welfare and violent death reporting systems from 2011 to 2017. Participants included 499 youth suicide decedents with (n = 191) and without (n = 308) child welfare system involvement. Most decedents were male (n = 370), White (n = 377), non-Hispanic (n = 477), aged 10–18 years (n = 274), and died by hanging/suffocation (n = 258). No significant differences were found between suicide decedents for precipitating circumstances associated with other relationship problems, interpersonal trauma, or life stressors. A current mental health problem was present in 55.5 % of all suicide decedents with child welfare system involvement, compared to 47.8 % of youth with no system involvement. The presence of alcohol, opioids, or marijuana at time of death was significantly higher for youth suicide decedents involved with the child welfare system. Youth decedents with a history of suicide attempts were also significantly more likely to be involved with the child welfare system. (AOR = 2.16, 95 % CI 1.32–3.55, p =.002). Findings underscore the need for more effective suicide risk detection and targeted prevention initiatives for youth involved with the child welfare system.

The Stigma and Self-Stigma Scales for attitudes to mental health problems: Psychometric properties and its relationship to mental health problems and absenteeism.

The Stigma and Self-Stigma scales (SASS) measure multiple aspects of stigmatic beliefs about mental health problems, including cognitive aspects of stigma towards others (Stigma to Others) and emotional stigma toward others (Social Distance), anticipated stigma by others, self-stigma, avoidant coping strategies, and help-seeking intentions, alongside an index of social desirability. The properties of the SASS were investigated by employees of a large UK government organization. With minor exceptions, each of the SASS scales had strong psychometric properties, good internal reliability, and test-retest reliability. Social Distance, Anticipated Stigma, Self-Stigma, and Avoidant Coping were all strongly associated with a lack of help-seeking for mental health problems. Similarly, Stigma to Others, Self-Stigma, and Avoidant Coping were all associated with current mental health problems. Finally, absenteeism from the workplace was found to be negatively related to Stigma to Others, and positively related to Avoidant Coping and Anticipated Stigma. In conclusion, the SASS was able to measure several different forms of stigma about mental health simultaneously in people both with and without a history of mental health problems. The SASS can be used to monitor changes in mental health attitudes outcomes following intervention programs to investigate stigmatic attitudes to mental health problems across different samples.

Exploring the impact of gender-specific challenges during and after military service on female UK Veterans

LAY SUMMARY Currently, research on the experiences and challenges of being female in the UK Armed Forces is lacking. The current study aimed to explore some of the challenges and obstacles women have experienced both during their military service and as Veterans. In total, 750 female Veterans from the army were surveyed on their experiences during their military service and as Veterans and on their current physical and mental health problems. The results indicate that women experience several gender-based challenges, such as sexism and discrimination, during military service and as Veterans, and these challenges are linked to current physical and mental health difficulties.

COVID-19 and the Trajectory of Participation, Inclusion, and Psychological Well-Being Among Adults With and Without Mental Disorders - A Follow-up Study from Germany

To assess the impact of the Corona pandemic on participation, feelings of inclusion, and mental well-being among adults with and without current or chronic mental health problems. Follow-up study with pretest prior to the onset of the Corona pandemic and two follow-up assessments during a first lockdown in April 2020 and a second lockdown in November 2020. We used the Measure of Participation and Social Inclusion for Use in People with a Chronic Mental Disorder (F-INK) and the Brief Symptom Inventory BSI-18, a short instrument for the assessment of psychological distress (n = 112). Across all groups, compared to the preceding surveys we found no detrimental effect on the mental health status four weeks after the beginning of the lockdown in November 2020. Against the background of heterogeneous findings on the impact of the pandemic, this study confirms studies that found, on average, a general resilience in well-being.

Emotional distress and its care in empowered indigenous women exposed to domestic violence and the demands of child rearing

Introduction. Indigenous girls and women in Mexico suffer emotional distress due to marital violence and adherence to gender roles. They are unlikely to denounce violence or treat their health in a timely manner. Women can cope with their distress by participating in empowerment processes. Objective. Describe in indigenous empowered women the emotional distress caused by domestic violence in their childhood and the current demands of raising their children and the actions they take to cope with them. Method. Qualitative and phenomenological qualitative research, in-depth interviews, and participant observation were conducted with nine migrant indigenous women to explore experiences during their upbringing, emotional reactions, and current mental health problems. Results. The software Atlas. ti V 7 was used to undertake a theoretical categorization of the data. Findings included exposure to violence, the influence of a good mother, and past and present emotional distress overcome through empowerment and professional care. Discussion and conclusion. Participating in urban empowerment activities enables participants to reflect on the violence experienced and the attendant distress, identify them as gender violence, and use them in their favor. They are strategic when coping with current distress due to the conflictive upbringing of their children, using psychological services and the urban upbringing prescriptions of children’s rights, and incorporating indigenous parenting practices, which encourage community commitment, responsibility, and early self-sufficiency in children. Empowerment is suggested as an effective means of improving the health of indigenous women in Mexico.