Determinants Of Mental Illness Research Articles

Trends and determinants of mental illness in humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia: Analysis of longitudinal data.

Given the frequent exposure of humanitarian migrants to traumatic or stressful circumstances, there exists a potential predisposition to mental illness. Our objective was to pinpoint the trends and determinants of mental illness among humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia. This study considered five waves of longitudinal data involving humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress were assessed using PTSD-8 and Kessler-6 screening tools. Through a Generalised Linear Mixed model (GLMM), variables displaying a 95% CI that excluded the value of 1.0 for the odds ratio were identified as associated factors for both PTSD and elevated psychological distress. The selection of multivariable covariates was guided by causal loop diagrams and least absolute shrinkage and selection operators methods. At baseline, there were 2399 humanitarian migrants with 1881 retained and at the fifth yearly wave; the response rate was 78.4%. PTSD prevalence decreased from 33.3% (95% CI: 31.4-35.3) at baseline to 28.3% (95% CI: 26.2-30.5) at year 5. Elevated psychological distress persisted across all waves: 17.1% (95% CI: 15.5-18.6) at baseline and 17.1% (95% CI: 15.3-18.9) at year 5. Across the five waves, 34.0% of humanitarian migrants met screening criteria for mental illness, either PTSD or elevated psychological distress. In the multivariate model, factors associated with PTSD were loneliness (AOR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.3-1.8), discrimination (AOR 1.6: 1.2-2.1), temporary housing contract (AOR 3.7: 2.1-6.7), financial hardship (AOR 2.2:1.4-3.6) and chronic health conditions (AOR 1.3: 1.1-1.5), whereas the associated factors for elevated psychological distress were loneliness (AOR 1.8: 1.5-2.2), discrimination (AOR 1.7: 1.3-2.2) and short-term lease housing (AOR 1.6: 1.0-1.7). The prevalence, persistence and consequential burden of mental illness within this demographic underscore the urgent need for targeted social and healthcare policies. These policies should aim to mitigate modifiable risk factors, thereby alleviating the significant impact of mental health challenges on this population.

Determinants of mental illness and care seeking behaviours in Northern Haiti: an assessment of demographic, social, and religio-cultural factors among patients at the first mental health clinic in the region

ABSTRACT Populations in countries such as Haiti demonstrate a high level of need for mental health care despite a lack of services and trained professionals. In addition to the dearth of biomedical services, local belief systems and explanatory models contribute to a majority of the population relying on traditional medicine as their first option for care. Using a mixed-methods approach, we aim to characterise mental illness at the first mental health clinic in the region – Sant Sante Mantal Mòn Pele (SSMMP) – by interviewing 96 patients with a demographic questionnaire as well as Anxiety, Depression, and Functionality Scales. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were conducted examining the impact of demographic variables on whether patients believed their illness was caused by sent spirits or previously visited a Vodou priest for treatment, as well as Depression, Anxiety, and Functionality Scale scores. Factors associated with mental illness in this sample included sex, number of traumatic events, physical health status, and number of sessions attended at SSMMP. Factors which impacted traditional beliefs or practices related to mental illness included sex, age, and income.

Caring for the mental health of humanitarian volunteers in traumatic contexts: the importance of organisational support

ABSTRACT Background: Humanitarian workers operate in traumatic contexts, putting them at an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. The quality of the support they receive from their organization, their supervisor, and team members are proposed as determinants of mental illness and well-being, via the stress-appraisal process. Objective: Grounded in organizational support theory, we sought to understand the relationship between organizational factors, including perceived organizational support, supervisor support, and team support, and indicators of both adverse mental health and mental well-being among humanitarian volunteers. This relationship is hypothesized to be mediated by the perceived psychological stress. Methods: A sample of 409 humanitarian volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society completed an online, anonymous, survey comprised of the Perceived Supervision, Perceived Organizational Support, Team Support, and Perceived Psychological Stress scales, as well as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Patient Health Questionnaire scales, (GAD-7 and PHQ- 8), and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Study objectives were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) procedures. Results: Perceived helplessness (PH) and perceived self-efficacy (PSE), as measures of psychological stress, were both found to fully mediate the relationship between perceived organizational support and mental health outcomes. Perceived organizational support was associated with PSE and inversely with PH. PH was associated with adverse mental health and inversely related to mental well-being. PSE was only associated with mental well-being. Perceived supervision was negatively associated with PSE. Conclusions: Perceived organizational support is a key determinant of the mental health of humanitarian volunteers, with greater perceived support associated with lower distress symptomology and greater mental well-being. Humanitarian agencies should take actions to improve their internal organization support systems to mitigate the stress associated with working in traumatic contexts. Specifically, more attention should be paid to the organizational support of the volunteers as front-line workers in humanitarian settings.

Determinants of Mental Illness Among Humanitarian Migrants: Longitudinal Analysis of Findings From the First Three Waves of a Large Cohort Study.

Background: As refugee numbers grow worldwide, understanding prevalence and determinants of mental illness in this population becomes increasingly important. Methods: We used longitudinal data to examine the initial years of resettlement in Australian refugees with a focus on ethnic-like social support. Three annual waves from a longitudinal, nationally representative cohort of 2,399 humanitarian migrants recently resettled in Australia were examined for two mental illness outcomes: post-traumatic stress disorder indicated by positive PTSD-8 screen and “high risk of severe mental illness” (HR-SMI) by Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) ≥19. Generalized linear mixed models examined demographic and resettlement factors. Findings: Contrary to predictions, high prevalence of positive screens for mental illness persisted over 3 years. At baseline, 30.3% (95% CI, 28.5–32.2) screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 15.4% (95% CI, 14.0–16.9) had HR-SMI. Over the 3 years, 52.2% met screening criteria for mental illness. PTSD was associated with older age, females, Middle Eastern birthplace, increasing traumatic events, more financial hardships, having a chronic health condition, and poor self-rated health. HR-SMI was associated with females, Middle Eastern birthplace, unstable housing, more financial hardships, having a chronic health condition, poor self-rated health, and discrimination. Also contrary to predictions, like-ethnic social support was positively associated with PTSD (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.10–2.09). Interpretation: There is high prevalence of positive screens for mental illness throughout initial years of resettlement for refugees migrating to Australia. Our unexpected finding regarding like-ethnic social support raises future avenues for research. Predictors of mental illness in the post-migration context represent tangible opportunities for intervention and are likely relevant to similar resettlement settings globally.

Psychosocial Work Conditions and Mental Health: Examining Differences Across Mental Illness and Well-Being Outcomes.

Psychosocial work conditions are determinants of mental illness among worker populations. However, while the focus on negative aspects of mental health has generated important contributions to the development of workplace interventions, there is less evidence on the factors that support the positive aspects of mental well-being. This study aimed to examine the association between psychosocial work conditions and mental health outcomes among a representative sample of Canadian workers; and to assess whether the relationships are consistent across measures of mental illness versus mental well-being. Population-based data were obtained from the cross-sectional 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey. Psychosocial work conditions were measured using an abbreviated version of the Job Content Questionnaire. For mental illness, we focused on major depressive episodes, generalized anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorders in the past 12 months, as measured using Composite International Diagnostic Interview criteria. Mental well-being was defined as having flourishing mental health, based on items from the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form. Regression models provided odds ratios (ORs) and fitted probabilities for the relationship between work conditions and mental health, adjusting for covariates. Higher levels of job control, social support, and job security were associated with being free of disorders (ORs ranging from 1.08 to 1.15) as well as having flourishing mental health (ORs ranging from 1.10 to 1.14). Lower physical effort was associated with decreased odds of having flourishing mental health (OR 0.89). Psychological demands were not associated with any of the mental health outcomes in the fully-adjusted models. The overall pattern of these relationships was consistent across the two outcome models, although there was evidence of heterogeneity on the absolute probability scale. Specifically, there was a relatively stronger relationship between job control/social support/physical demands and well-being outcomes, compared with disorder outcomes. Psychosocial work conditions were associated with both negative and positive measures of mental health. However, mental illness and mental well-being may represent complementary, yet distinct, aspects in relation to psychosocial work conditions. Interventions targeting the psychosocial work environment may serve to improve both of these dimensions, although the measurement and examination of specific dimensions may be required to obtain an integrated and comprehensive understanding of mental health in the workplace.

Mental illness, drinking, and the social division and structure of labor in the United States: 2003-2015.

We draw on a relational theoretical perspective to investigate how the social division and structure of labor are associated with serious and moderate mental illness and binge and heavy drinking. The Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Occupational Information Network were linked to explore how occupation, the productivity-to-pay gap, unemployment, the gendered division of domestic labor, and factor-analytic and theory-derived dimensions of work are related to mental illness and drinking outcomes. Occupations involving manual labor and customer interaction, entertainment, sales, or other service-oriented labor were associated with increased odds of mental illness and drinking outcomes. Looking for work, more hours of housework, and a higher productivity-to-pay gap were associated with increased odds of mental illness. Physical/risky work was associated with binge and heavy drinking and serious mental illness; technical/craft work and automation were associated with binge drinking. Work characterized by higher authority, autonomy, and expertise was associated with lower odds of mental illness and drinking outcomes. Situating work-related risk factors within their material context can help us better understand them as determinants of mental illness and identify appropriate targets for social change.

Determinants of Mental Illness Among Humanitarian Migrants; Longitudinal Analysis of Findings from the First Three Waves of a Large Cohort Study

Determinants of Mental Illness Among Humanitarian Migrants; Longitudinal Analysis of Findings from the First Three Waves of a Large Cohort Study

Dowry-related domestic violence and complex posttraumatic stress disorder: a case report.

This paper draws attention to the mental health impact of coercive practice of dowry demands, associated with domestic violence (DV) in an immigrant woman. This study was based on a case report and selective literature review. This case history illustrates the serious mental health impacts of repeated emotional and physical trauma inflicted by a husband who was dissatisfied with his wife's dowry. Bio-psycho-social / cultural aspects of mental health treatments needed to be augmented with attention to safety, advocacy, and access to support networks. Cultural factors are important determinants of mental illness. Psychiatrists need to be aware of DV and dowry when treating immigrant women.

Chance: A Major Factor in the Causation of Mental Illness

This paper questions the adequacy of traditional models of human behaviour, including models of functional mental illness. It is proposed that random (chance) variation is an invariable rule of nature which must apply to neurophysiological processes. Because of this, internal chance (random variation in neurophysiological processes) must be an important factor in determining the course and onset of mental illness. It is proposed that external chance - fortuitous changes in the complex pattern of interaction between physical and functional factors influencing behaviour - is also an important determinant of mental illness. It is proposed that many of the key characteristics of mental illness are explicable in terms of the properties of complex interactional systems.

Chance: A Major Factor in the Causation of Mental Illness

This paper questions the adequacy of traditional models of human behaviour, including models of functional mental illness. It is proposed that random (chance) variation is an invariable rule of nature which must apply to neurophysiological processes. Because of this, internal chance (random variation in neurophysiological processes) must be an important factor in determining the course and onset of mental illness. It is proposed that external chance--fortuitous changes in the complex pattern of interaction between physical and functional factors influencing behaviour--is also an important determinant of mental illness. It is proposed that many of the key characteristics of mental illness are explicable in terms of the properties of complex interactional systems.

Determinants of mental illness in a rural Ethiopian adult population

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2000 adult Ethiopians living in rural communities to determine firstly the prevalence of mental illness and secondly its association with stress and demographic variables. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire developed by WHO experts was used as the measure of mental illness. A modified version of the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Scale was the measure of stress. Respondents were interviewed in their homes. Those experiencing 11 or more of the 20 neurotic symptoms and 3 or more of the 4 psychotic symptoms were considered mentally ill. Despite the use of high cut-off points for edentifying potential cases, the prevalence of mental illness was 17.2%—neurotic 11.2% and psychotic 6.0%. This is higher than earlier reports for Ethiopia, but comparable to rates found in other African countries. Mental illness scores were most strongly associated with stress in that the odds of experiencing 6 or more stressful life events in the past year were 2.7 times greater for neurotics and 2.1 times greater for psychotics. In addition, neuroses and psychoses were significantly associated with a family history of mental illness and with being divorced, separated or widowed. Neurosis alone was also associated with chronic illness, females, those between the ages of 35 and 44, and illiteracy. These findings were discussed in terms of their relevance for identifying high stress groups and thus for preventing mental illness through community activities.

Behavioral determinants of mental illness concerns: A comparison of "gatekeeper" professions.

Behavioral determinants of mental illness concerns: A comparison of "gatekeeper" professions.