Demographic Profile Of Individuals Research Articles

Suicide ideation and subsequent self-harm: Variations in presentations, care and management during the Covid-19 pandemic

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated societal changes including access to emergency departments (ED) may have influenced suicide ideation (SI) incidence and the case fatality rates. This study quantifies the numbers of individuals presenting to ED with SI before and during the pandemic and examines risk of subsequent presentation to ED with self-harm and mortality.
 MethodsThe Northern Ireland Self-Harm (SH) Registry provided data on suicide ideation and self-harm presentations across 12 ED departments in NI between January 2016 and September 2021. Linkage to health and mortality records provided follow up to September 2021. Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to assess subsequent self-harm and mortality risk following initial presentation to ED with suicidal ideation.
 ResultsPreliminary findings indicate that during the study period there were 21,601 ED presentations with SI between made by 9184 individuals of whom 2,011 subsequently went on to self-harm. Presentations with SI increased in the four years prior to the pandemic with the highest occurring in 2019. The number of individuals presenting to ED then decreased substantially in March/April 2020 leading to a 37% and 47% reduction, corresponding to the first “lockdown”. Presentations remained lower until June 2020 when restrictions started to ease. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, individuals presenting with SI during the pandemic were approximately 60% less likely to ED with subsequent self-harm (ORadj = 0.41, 95% CI 0.29, 0.59) even after adjustment for variations in the demographic profile of individuals, and the care and management they received at the ED.
 ConclusionRates of ideation followed similar trends to previous years except in the early months of the pandemic. Those presenting with SI during the pandemic conferred a reduced likelihood of re-attending at ED with subsequent self-harm compared to the pre-pandemic period. The possible underlying mechanisms behind these findings will be discussed.

Contextual Influences on Nonresponse to Health Survey Questions About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

Purpose: We examined the relationship between state context and survey nonresponse to sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI) questions. Methods: We obtained data from the 2014-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys. Item nonresponse was defined as selecting "don't know/not sure" or "refused" for each of two questions about SO and GI. Nonresponse patterns included responding to both SO and GI questions; responding only to the SO question (nonresponse to GI); responding only to the GI question (nonresponse to SO); and responding to neither question. State-level contextual measures included legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or other sexual or gender minority (LGBT+) people, LGBT+ social movement strength, and public opinion regarding LGBT+ issues. Results: The analysis included 1,459,525 respondents from 44 states (190 state-years). On weighted analysis, 96.5% of adults answered both SO/GI questions, 2.4% responded only to GI, 0.4% responded only to SO, and 0.7% responded to neither. The demographic profile of individuals with GI-only nonresponse differed markedly from the profile of adults with SO-only nonresponse. An increasingly favorable legal climate for LGBT+ people was associated with greater rates of response to SO and GI questions. However, a more LGBT+ friendly state climate measured by social movement strength or public opinion was not consistently associated with reduced SO and GI question nonresponse. Conclusion: Contextual factors have mixed association with nonresponse to SO and GI question on BRFSS surveys. Our results warrant continued development of health survey questionnaires to elicit accurate information on respondents' SO and GI.

Demographic risk factors, healthcare utilization, and mortality during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in Austria, Germany, and Italy

At the population level, there is limited empirical evidence on the characteristics of individuals who were hospitalized because of Covid-19, the role of hospitalization in mortality risk, and how both evolved over time. Through the analysis of surveillance data for 7 million people in Austria, Germany, and Italy, we investigate: (1) the demographic characteristics and outcomes of individuals hospitalized because of Covid-19; and (2) the role of demographic risk factors and healthcare utilization (as measured by hospitalization) for the individual probability of dying because of Covid-19, in both cases comparing the period February to June 2020 with July 2020 to February 2021. We find that the demographic profile of individuals who were hospitalized or died because of Covid-19 is the same in both periods, except for a younger age profile for hospitalizations in the second period. Mortality differentials across countries result from the interaction of demographic risk factors and hospitalization at the individual level.

Mining Pre-Surgical Patterns Able to Discriminate Post-Surgical Outcomes in the Oncological Domain

Understanding the individualized risks of undertaking surgical procedures is essential to personalize preparatory, intervention and post-care protocols for minimizing post-surgical complications. This knowledge is key in oncology given the nature of interventions, the fragile profile of patients with comorbidities and cytotoxic drug exposure, and the possible cancer recurrence. Despite its relevance, the discovery of discriminative patterns of post-surgical risk is hampered by major challenges: i) the unique physiological and demographic profile of individuals, as well as their differentiated post-surgical care; ii) the high-dimensionality and heterogeneous nature of available biomedical data, combining non-identically distributed risk factors, clinical and molecular variables; iii) the need to generalize tumors have significant histopathological differences and individuals undertake unique surgical procedures; iv) the need to focus on non-trivial patterns of post-surgical risk, while guaranteeing their statistical significance and discriminative power; and v) the lack of interpretability and actionability of current approaches. Biclustering, the discovery of groups of individuals correlated on subsets of variables, has unique properties of interest, being positioned to satisfy the aforementioned challenges. In this context, this work proposes a structured view on why, when and how to apply biclustering to mine discriminative patterns of post-surgical risk with guarantees of usability, a subject remaining unexplored up to date. These patterns offer a comprehensive view on how the patient profile, cancer histopathology and entailed surgical procedures determine: i) post-surgical complications, ii) survival, and iii) hospitalization needs. The gathered results confirm the role of biclustering in comprehensively finding interpretable, actionable and statistically significant patterns of post-surgical risk. The found patterns are already assisting healthcare professionals at IPO-Porto to establish specialized pre-habilitation protocols and bedside care.

Death due to hanging: a retrospective descriptive study of the socioeconomic and demographic profiles of hanging victims in central South Africa

Hanging by the neck is the leading method of suicide globally. The epidemiological risk factors for suicidal hanging can contribute to construct a socioeconomic and demographic profile of hanging victims. These profiles can then be used to identify individuals at the highest risk for committing suicide by hanging for referral to a suicide prevention program. The aim of this study was to describe the socioeconomic and demographic profiles of hanging victims in Bloemfontein, South Africa. A retrospective descriptive study was performed using data from the Bloemfontein Forensic Mortuary, for the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2015. In total, 9085 autopsies were performed during the study period; 355 (3.9%) were hanging victims. The median age of the victims was 31.4 (range 11-78) years, with 138 (38.9%) cases being 21-30years of age. Three hundred and twenty-three (91.0%) of the victims were male, 227 (63.9%) were single, 201 (56.6%) were unemployed, and 129 (36.3%) completed their high school education. The most common location where the hanging occurred was at home. Single, unemployed males 21-40years of age were found to have the highest risk for committing suicide by hanging. The group at the lowest risk were married and employed individuals older than 60years, who had a tertiary education. We report the first socioeconomic and demographic profiles of individuals who commit suicide by hanging in central South Africa, emphasizing the need for a National Suicide Prevention Program via a multidisciplinary team approach.

La solitude dans les sources de la pratique. L’exemple de Montpellier à la fin du Moyen Âge

History of solitude is a field of research that has not received much attention in medieval studies. Most of the work focuses on religious history, while solitary lay people have been studied in a fragmented manner, without offering an overview of the solitaries’ experiences of solitude. Centred on the example of late medieval Montpellier, this article reflects on the different meanings of “solitude” (i.e. the fact of being alone, social isolation, the feeling and desire of loneliness), and on the ways in which they intersected and were connected to each other. The triptych alone/isolation/loneliness is significant as it enables the study of solitude as a demographic fact, a social situation and an emotional experience. The first section of the article, based on wills and fiscal sources, aims to evaluate the ratio of solitary persons in the city, its chronological variances, and the demographic profile of individuals. The second section looks at social isolation, social status and social interactions. The last section of the article, grounded in cases study, investigates solitude as an emotion and a feeling, and is based on case study.

In-hospital Outcome of Use of Low Molecular Weight Heparin in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

This prospective observational study was carried out in the Department of Cardiology of national institute of cardiovascular diseases (NICVD), Dhaka to assess the safety of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Safety of low molecular weight heparin in comparison to unfractionated heparin (UFH) was observed in this study. In total data from 100 patients undergoing elective PCI was evaluated. Among them 50 patients in group I received I mg/kg intra-arterial LMWH and rest in group II received UFH. Demographic profile of individuals in both groups was almost similar. There was no significant difference in major coronary risk factors between the two groups. Patients were monitored during their stay in hospital for any complications like bleeding, haematoma, myocardial infraction and death. No death was observed in any group. Minor bleeding in group I and II (6% vs 105), Major bleeding (2% vs4%) and haematoma (6% vs 10%). Myocardial infraction no incidence in group I and 4% in group II. So complications was more prevalent in group II who were treated with UFH, but those were not statistically significant. The intra-arterial administration of LMWH in patients undergoing PCI is safe. The risk of acute and sub-acute coronary events and bleeding complications are similar in both groups and in hospital outcome there is less complication with LMWH used during PCI.Bangladesh Heart Journal 2018; 33(1) : 22-27

EPA-1202 – The role of a telephone helpline in the prevention of suicide during economic crisis in italy

Introduction The Lifeline’Talk With Us’ was founded in 2008 by Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, to provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis. Objective In this study we evaluated the socio demographic profile of individuals who used the helpline during last year (2012–2013) and caller's intent to die at the end of the call. Aim To investigate suicide risk factors among the callers and the association with the socio-economic status. Method Using a standardized form, we assessed suicide risk in a sample of 228 callers (120 female) focusing on Suicidal Desire, Suicidal Capability, Suicidal Intent. Results The mean age of our sample was 41±14,8; most callers (52%) were female from north and central of Italy. Suicide risk factors in our sample were the following: feeling alone, loss of a significant relationship, economic problems, loss of a significant loved one by suicide. Suicide attempts were reported by 27% of participants whereas 16,8% of them referred suicidal ideation. Unemployment was found in 22% of the callers whereas 42% of them referred suicide attempts, and 25% suicidal ideation. Conclusion This study shows the importance to provide an accessible volunteer service for people who are in crisis, present suicidal ideation or reported prior suicide attempts. In particular, our service was very important for those who were in economic crisis, as demonstrated by our data. Improving the quality of the existing services, and promoting awareness that suicide prevention is possible are highly recommended.

The role of psychogenic and psychosocial factors in the development of functional voice disorders

The primary objective of this discussion paper is to review the available evidence for the role of psychogenic and psychosocial factors in the development of functional voice disorders (FVD). Current theoretical models linking these factors to the aetiology of FVD and to vocal hyperfunction are then considered. Since there is a paucity of solid empirical evidence to date, general patterns of evidence derived from single case reports and case series are examined first, followed by those empirical studies using more sophisticated methodologies. The discussion is structured around a framework that includes the following psychosocial areas of enquiry: demographic profiles of individuals with FVD; stressful incidents preceding onset; personality traits; coping styles and psychiatric disorder. Current evidence and associated theoretical models suggest that cognitive, affective, neurophysiological and behavioural aspects culminate in the development of these complex voice disorders. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to clinical practice and clinical training, with suggestions for future scientific research.

Do determinants of online shopping differ for personal shoppers and professional shoppers?

PurposeIndividuals use the web for shopping for both personal and professional objectives. The purpose of this paper is to show that the demographic profile of individuals who shop online for personal reasons is different from that of those who shop for professional reasons.Design/methodology/approachBased on marketing literature, hypotheses were generated regarding the relationships between proclivity to purchase online and demographics. The data were collected through online surveys, and the hypotheses tested with an ordinal regression model.FindingsThis research indicated that individuals with children, high incomes, and large internet experience are more likely to shop online for personal purposes and younger men with large internet experience are more likely to shop online for professional purposes.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations of this study is that it focuses on only the demographic determinants, and ignores others, such as reputation and size, service quality, overall ease of use and usefulness of the web site, etc.Originality/valueThis paper would be valuable to online retailers, as it will help them to identify their target customers.

Demographic profile of individuals with knowledge of the hospice concept. Who is more likely to use hospice services?

Demographic profile of individuals with knowledge of the hospice concept. Who is more likely to use hospice services?

Changing living arrangements: A hazard model of transitions among household types

Abstract This paper analyzes movements among household types. Persons in one household may join another type. Correspondingly, a household’s structure may change when someone joins it. Data are from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics, spanning 1968–1980. The individuals followed in the survey generated spells analyzed with a multivariate competing risk hazard model. We develop a map of the flow among household types and of the economic and demographic profiles of individuals making the transitions. We find wide variability in the stability of household types and marked racial differences in the relative stability and pattern of destination choices.