Effect Of Mental Distress Research Articles

Estimating the direct effects of the genetic liabilities to bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and behavioral traits on suicide attempt using a multivariable Mendelian randomization approach.

Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are associated with higher odds of suicide attempt (SA). In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of BD and SZ genetic liabilities on SA, also considering the contribution of behavioral traits, socioeconomic factors, and substance use disorders. Leveraging large-scale genome-wide association data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and the UK Biobank (UKB), we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the putative causal effect of BD (41,917 cases, 371,549 controls) and SZ (53,386 cases, 77,258 controls) on SA (26,590 cases, 492,022 controls). Then, we assessed the putative causal effect of BD and SZ on behavioral traits, socioeconomic factors, and substance use disorders. Considering the associations identified, we evaluated the direct causal effect of behavioral traits, socioeconomic factors, and substance use disorders on SA using a multivariable MR approach. The genetic liabilities to BD and SZ were associated with higher odds of SA (BD odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, p = 3.88 × 10-12; SZ OR = 1.09, p = 2.44 × 10-20). However, while the effect of mental distress (OR = 1.17, p = 1.02 × 10-4) and risk-taking (OR = 1.52, p = 0.028) on SA was independent of SZ genetic liability, the BD-SA relationship appeared to account for the effect of these risk factors. Similarly, the association with loneliness on SA was null after accounting for the effect of SZ genetic liability. These findings highlight the complex interplay between genetic risk of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits in the context of SA, suggesting the need for a comprehensive mental health assessment for high-risk individuals.

Do refugees with better mental health better integrate? Evidence from the Building a New Life in Australia longitudinal survey.

Hardly any evidence exists on the effects of mental distress on refugee labor outcomes. We offer the first study on this topic in the context of Australia, one of the host countries with the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. Analyzing the Building a New Life in Australia longitudinal survey, we exploit the variations in traumatic experiences of refugees interacted with post-resettlement time periods to causally identify the impacts of refugee mental health. We find that worse mental health, as measured by a one-standard-deviation increase in the Kessler mental health score, reduces the probability of employment by 11.9% and labor income by 22.8%. These effects appear more pronounced for refugees that newly arrive or are without social networks, but they may be ameliorated with government support. These findings have significant implications for the development of health and labor policies, particularly regarding the integration of refugees within host countries.

The role of self-rated mental health in seeking professional mental health services among older Korean immigrants

Objectives The gap between mental health needs and service use in racial/ethnic minorities continues to be a major public health concern. Focusing on older Korean immigrants, the present study examined linkages among mental distress, self-rated mental health (SRMH), and the use of professional mental health services. We hypothesized that SRMH would play a mediating role in the relationship between mental distress and the use of professional mental health services. Method Using data from the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA; N = 2,150, Mean age = 73.4), the direct and indirect effect models were tested. Results Nearly 30% of the sample fell within the category of experiencing mental distress, but only a small proportion (5.7%) had used professional mental health services. Supporting our hypothesis, the pathway from mental distress to the use of professional mental health services was influenced by an individual’s subjective perception of mental health status: the indirect effect of mental distress on service use through SRMH (.04 [.01]) was significant (bias-corrected 95% confidence interval for the indirect effect = .02, .06). Conclusion The findings of this study not only contribute to our understanding of help-seeking processes in a group at high mental health risk but also suggest avenues to promote their use of mental health services.

Longitudinal associations between fathers' mental health and the quality of their coparenting relationships

BackgroundAlthough the body of research on fathers' mental health is growing, very few studies have explored the relationship between paternal mental health and coparenting. Coparenting is a construct that links different family subsystems, and refers to the ways in which parental figures relate to one another in their roles as parents.MethodsThis study used data from 4,933 families to explore the relationship between co‐resident fathers' mental health and the quality of their coparenting relationships, based on a limited set of coparenting items but utilising both fathers' and mothers' reports from three waves of the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.ResultsResults indicated an association between fathers' mental health and the quality of their coparenting relationships, after controlling for variables such as parental relationship happiness, father involvement, and maternal mental health. Fathers who reported mild or serious psychological distress were more likely to report lower quality coparenting relationships. Furthermore, fathers' and mothers' reports of the coparental relationship were broadly comparable, indicating that the association between fathers' mental health and coparenting quality could not be attributed entirely to the negative effect of mental distress on fathers' appraisals of their own coparenting.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that it may be advantageous to develop clinical interventions that focus specifically on engendering coparenting skills in families where the father has mental health concerns.

P.4.031 Effects of mental distress on cognitive functioning in patients admitted for cardiac rehabilitation after acute coronary events

In univariate regression analysis almost all mental distress, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with different cognitive functions. After adjusting for gender, age, education, New York Heart Association functional class, MMSE scores remained associated with DS-14 (β=-.144, p<0.01); Digit Span Test Backward recall of digits, with STAI-S (β=-.120, p<.01). Digit symbol test raw scores were associated with BDI-II (β=-.115, p<.01), as well as with STAI-S (β=-.084, p=.03). Similarly, time which individuals took to complete the Digit Symbol Test was associated with BDI-II (β=.145, p<.01), and STAI-S (β=.110, p<.01). Significant associations remained between Trail Making Test A scores and STAI-S scores (β=.113, p<.01) as well as between Trail Making Test B scores and STAI-S scores (β=.103, p=.04), while Trail Making Test B-A scores remained associated with STAI-T scores (β=-.119, p<.03). Results

The Effect of Mental Distress on Women's Preventive Health Behaviors

To examine the relationship between mental distress and preventive health behaviors (i.e., mammograms, pap tests, physical exams) among women. A cross-sectional design was employed. The sample consisted of 426 women from the Appalachian region in the United States who completed a comprehensive health survey. Mental distress was assessed by the 5-item Mental Health Index (MHI). Logistic regression was used to specify the models allowing for the control of covariates (i.e., marital status, education, recipient of Medicaid). Women who reported high mental distress were more likely to not get timely pap tests [OR = 1.64; 95% CI (1.10, 2.45); p < .05] or physical exams [OR = 1.68; 95% CI (1.07, 2.65); p < .05] than women who did not report being mentally distressed. A similar but less robust relationship was found between mental distress and timely mammograms. These findings suggest that mental distress affects the likelihood of engagement in preventive health behaviors.

Mental health and marital stability

Mental illness has a variety of medical, social, and economic sequelae. For example, economists have estimated the direct and indirect social costs stemming from mental disorders to be on the order of $43 billion in 1980. Others have linked mental illness to homelessness (Fisher & Breakey, 1986) and reduced earnings (Frank & Gertler, 1991). In this research we are concerned with the impact of diagnosable mental illness on marriage and divorce patterns. We focus on marriage because marital instability has been linked to the “feminization of poverty” (Garfinkel & McLanahan, 1985), to mental health problems in children, and to the economic welfare of families (Frank & Gertler, 1989). Moreover, divorce itself is a major economic burden on the legal system directly and indirectly through litigation for continuation of support payments. Our analysis is presented in the spirit of an exploratory examination of a complex and methodologically difficult issue to understand. The point of departure for the analysis is the economic theory of marriage which has been most closely associated with Becker (1974, 1981). The model weighs the expected benefits and costs of marriage, and if the benefits outweigh the costs a marriage occurs. Similarly, if the marriage partners view the costs of continuing a marriage greater than the benefits a divorce occurs. Many of the costs and benefits are determined by the legal structure that governs personal relationships. An obvious example is the tax disadvantage in marriage in that married couples are in higher tax brackets than are two single individuals. States that have common property laws raise the cost of divorce to the higher income earner and raise the benefits to the lower income earner. States that strictly enforce child and spousal support after divorce raise the cost of divorce. A particularly large form of support after divorce can be the cost of caring for a mentally ill former spouse. Our empirical focus is on effect of mental distress on divorce. The analysis uses a unique set of data drawn from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) sponsored Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) study. The data provide detailed information on the social, economic, and mental health characteristics of a probability sample of the population in the eastern part of Baltimore City (Eaton et al., 1986). The analysis presented below offers an