Neuropsychiatric Hospital Research Articles

Factors Influencing Substance Abuse among Patients Admitted to the two Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospitals in the South-West of Nigeria

Substance abuse has greatly altered the moral and ethical standard as well as increase insecurity of our society. Hence, this research assessed knowledge and other factors influencing substance abuse among patients admitted to the two Neuropsychiatric Hospitals in South – West, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The purposive sampling method was utilized to collect data from 121 respondents from the two hospitals. Self- designed questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. The findings revealed chi – square value obtained for peer pressure is (X2 = 8.686, P = 0.034), personality trait (X2 = 11.222, P = 0.011), marital status (X2 = 31.455, P = 0.002) and occupation (X2 = 25.266, P = 0.046) at the significant levels less than 0.05 for the four variables respectively. Since these p – values were less than 0.05 value, it could be said that peer pressure, personality traits, marital status, and occupation have a significant relationship with substance abuse among patients in neuropsychiatric hospitals. The study concluded that Peer pressure, personality traits occupation, and marital status have influenced patients to substance abuse in the two neuropsychiatric hospitals but knowledge of substance abuse had no influence on substance abuse. Therefore, identifying specific factors that influence clients/patients to substance abuse during the assessment/interaction section may be helpful to give prompt/appropriate intervention that will be more effective.

Prevalence and risk factors for the metabolic syndrome among patients with epilepsy attending a neuropsychiatric hospital in Kigali, Rwanda

Background: Cardiovascular mortality and morbidity are more frequent in people with epilepsy than in the general population. The explanation for this may be the change in biochemical components due to the use of anti-epileptic drugs. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence and risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among Rwandan adults with epilepsy emphasizing the respective anti-epileptic drugs that the patients were receiving. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from December 2018 to December 2019 at Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. Consenting adult Rwandan patients with epilepsy, who had been on anti-epileptic drugs for at least two years, were recruited into the study. Participants had their anthropometric measurements taken and their fasting blood glucose plus lipids assayed. Using a data collection form, patients had their demographic and clinical characteristics recorded. Results: There were 1076 participants (male-to-female ratio, 1.4; age range, 42). Using the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, there were 329 individuals with MetS giving an overall prevalence rate of 30.6%. Significant risk factors for MetS included use of valproic acid (p=0.007), a sedentary lifestyle (p=0.025), waist circumference >102cm (p=0.001), high triglycerides (p=0.001), high blood pressure (p=0.001), and fasting blood glucose >6.1mmol (p=0.001). Conclusion: MetS is highly prevalent among Rwandan patients with epilepsy. Therefore, local physicians are advised to carefully select the type of anti-epileptic medication administered and to regularly request anthropometric as well as laboratory checkups for such patients to predict a diagnosis of MetS and the complications thereof.

Psychometric evaluation of personal evaluation of transitions in treatment amongst patients with schizophrenia.

BackgroundMonitoring the antipsychotic medication adherence of outpatients with schizophrenia has focused majorly on the medication construct of adherence, whilst neglecting its psychosocial construct.AimThe aim of this study was to provide the psychometric properties of personal evaluation of transitions in treatment (PETiT).SettingThis study was conducted at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.MethodsThis is a study of diagnostic accuracy of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Calculation of the sample size and oversampling was calculated as proposed by Cochrane.ResultsThe Cronbach’s α in this study at baseline was 0.82. Intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.81 (p ≤ 0.001). Medication construct was loaded into two factors or components whilst the psychosocial construct was loaded into four factors.ConclusionThe data depicted here indicated a successful validation and presentation of psychometric properties of PETiT which is self-administered, user friendly, psychometrically sound and sensitive to changes associated with treatment over time.

Active Surveillance of Asymptomatic, Presymptomatic, and Oligosymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-Infected Individuals in Communities Inhabiting Closed or Semi-closed Institutions.

Background: The high COVID-19 dissemination rate demands active surveillance to identify asymptomatic, presymptomatic, and oligosymptomatic (APO) SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. This is of special importance in communities inhabiting closed or semi-closed institutions such as residential care homes, prisons, neuropsychiatric hospitals, etc., where risk people are in close contact. Thus, a pooling approach—where samples are mixed and tested as single pools—is an attractive strategy to rapidly detect APO-infected in these epidemiological scenarios.Materials and Methods: This study was done at different pandemic periods between May 28 and August 31 2020 in 153 closed or semi-closed institutions in the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). We setup pooling strategy in two stages: first a pool-testing followed by selective individual-testing according to pool results. Samples included in negative pools were presumed as negative, while samples from positive pools were re-tested individually for positives identification.Results: Sensitivity in 5-sample or 10-sample pools was adequate since only 2 Ct values were increased with regard to single tests on average. Concordance between 5-sample or 10-sample pools and individual-testing was 100% in the Ct ≤ 36. We tested 4,936 APO clinical samples in 822 pools, requiring 86–50% fewer tests in low-to-moderate prevalence settings compared to individual testing.Conclusions: By this strategy we detected three COVID-19 outbreaks at early stages in these institutions, helping to their containment and increasing the likelihood of saving lives in such places where risk groups are concentrated.

Relationship between quality of life and social integration among patients with schizophrenia attending a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Despite decades of de-institutionalization and the best efforts of community mental health services, individuals with schizophrenia living outside the hospital may be described as in the community but not of the community, and remain in a very real sense socially excluded. To determine the relationship between social integration and quality of life among patients with schizophrenia attending the outpatient clinic of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Abeokuta in Nigeria. One hundred and fifty-one patients were recruited. Sociodemographic questionnaire, MINI-PLUS, WHOQOL-BREF, Social Integration Scale and PANSS were administered. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of quality of life and the relationship with social integration. The mean (± SD) age of the respondents was 40.00 (± 10.23), 56.3% were males, 37.1% were single. Independent predictors of lower quality of life were: (1) more severe psychopathology for the domains of general health (p = 0.003), social relationship (p = 0.019) and environment (p = 0.008); (2) longer duration of illness for the social relationship (p = 0.028) and environment (p = 0.015) domains; and (3) negative symptoms (p = 0.034) for the physical domain. There is a need to pay closer attention to social outcome measures such as quality of life and level of social integration among patients with schizophrenia who come in contact with psychiatry services, and not just on symptom remission only.

Burden of care among caregivers of patients with bipolar affective disorder at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Calabar

Background: The advent of community-based care and de-institutionalization of persons with mental disorders have led to a progressive shift of care from formal health-care systems to informal care providers such as the family. This shift of care, from hospitals to the families, has led to a significant level of the burden on the family caregiver. This study aimed to identify factors which are associated with burden of care among caregivers of patients with bipolar affective disorder (BAD) seen at the Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar. Materials and Methods: A simple random sampling technique of “yes or no” balloting was utilized to select 105 caregivers of bipolar patients seen at the outpatient clinic of the hospital. The selected caregivers (those who picked “yes”) were recruited along with their respective patients after obtaining their consent. They were assessed using a set of five questionnaires, of which three (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9], Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [BPRS]) were administered by the researchers on the patients whereas the remaining two (sociodemographic questionnaire and Family Burden Interview Schedule) were self-completed by the caregivers. Results: One hundred out of the 105 caregivers who were recruited completed the study procedure and returned properly filled questionnaires. The rates of objective and subjective burden on the caregivers were 79% and 74%, respectively. While the objective burden was associated with the patient's educational attainment and his/her scores on the YMRS and BPRS, the subjective burden was associated with the caregiver's monthly income and marital status, the patient's gender, number of suicide attempts, and scores on PHQ-9, YMRS, and BPRS. Of all the variables, the patients' scores on YMRS (P = 0.025) and PHQ-9 (P = 0.011) were the significant predictors of objective and subjective burden, respectively. Conclusion: This study identified the extent and factors associated with burden of care on caregivers of patients with BAD. Awareness of those factors might guide clinicians in instituting treatment strategies toward reducing the burden on caregivers.

Perspective of patients referred to Yoga center in a tertiary neuropsychiatric hospital: A cross-sectional retrospective study.

Background:Yoga has been extensively used as an alternative or complementary therapy in psychiatric disorders depending on the type and severity of the disorders. However, data related to perspective on yoga services and the benefits and adverse effects attributed to yoga by patients with major psychiatric disorders is lacking.Aim:The aim of the study was to assess feedback of the patients who attended yoga sessions at a Yoga center in a tertiary neuropsychiatric hospital.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional retrospective study using a specific questionnaire to get feedback from patients referred to the NIMHANS Integrated Center for Yoga, at the end of their yoga training.Results:Two hundred and one patients’ data were included in this retrospective study. Most of the patients were referred by the doctors. The yoga module for schizophrenia was most commonly utilized, followed by depression. On an average, patients attended 13 sessions. Most of them practiced yoga for 1–2 weeks and had missed less than 2 sessions. The great majority of the patients reported that practicing yoga helped them. Spearman correlation analysis revealed positive associations between improvement attributed to yoga and variables affecting quality of yoga services at the center, including the quality of yoga sessions attended. Overall health and sleep improvement also positively correlated with improvement attributed to yoga. A minority of patients reported adverse effects, although these did not lead to discontinuation.Conclusion:In this retrospective study of patients referred to a Yoga center in a tertiary psychiatric facility, the majority of patients with major mental disorders were able to practice yoga under supervision and reported significant improvement in symptoms with minimal adverse effects.

Suicidality in Major Depressive Disorder in a Nigerian Psychiatric Hospital—Is There Any Relationship?

Background: There is increasing resurgence of suicide globally, especially in developing countries, probably owing to socio-economic instability. Majority of suicidal phenomenon is attributed to depressive disorders, which significantly contribute to the global burden of diseases. Aim: This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of suicidality (suicidal ideation and attempts) among adult outpatients with major depression at Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital (FNPH), Benin City, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional study conducted between March and June 2018 utilizing systematic random sampling of eligible participants, aged between 18 and 64 years. One hundred and thirty-two patients with major depression, with their diagnosis confirmed with the Depression module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) were recruited. A Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Suicidality Module of MINI were administered to consented participants. Results: The past month prevalence of suicidality and suicidal ideation were 47.7% (n = 63) and 36.4% (n = 48) respectively. While, the lifetime prevalence of suicidal attempts was 18.2% (n = 24), the current suicidal ‘moderate-high risk’ was 12.1% (n = 16). Participants were 35% more likely to report suicidality for every unit increase in symptom severity (BPRS score) (aOR 1.35; 95% CI 1.20 - 1.52, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Suicidality is common among outpatients with major depression at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City. Severity of psychopathology was an independent risk factor for suicidality in depressive disorder.

Patients’ satisfaction with psychiatric nursing care in Benin, Nigeria

In many low-middle income countries including Nigeria, shortage of psychiatric nurses and adverse working conditions, potentially impairs quality of nursing care provided. Quality of care may influence uptake of available mental health care services. This study was aimed at assessing level of psychiatric patients’ satisfaction with nursing care in one of two public mental health hospitals in South-South Nigeria. Study design was cross-sectional descriptive, with use of simple random sampling technique to recruit patients from Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21, with chi-square as inferential statistic, and p-value set at 0.05. One hundred and eighty-five (185) respondents were surveyed, with mean age of 36.3 ± 10.1 years. Common psychiatric diagnoses were schizophrenia (40.0%) and depression (34.1%). Mean satisfaction was 3.53 ± 0.69 ranging from 1.6 to 5.0. There was 52.4% prevalence of satisfaction and 47.6% prevalence of dissatisfaction with nursing care provided. Common areas of dissatisfaction were privacy nurses gave (61.1%), nurses’ willingness to respond to subjects’ needs (55.7%), and nurses’ awareness of subject’s needs (55.1%). Common areas of satisfaction were nurses putting relatives’ mind to rest (61.6%), nurses’ capability at their job (60.5%). Dissatisfaction was significantly commoner among males and those diagnosed with depression and bipolar affective disorder (p < 0.05). This study identified key areas of dissatisfaction and satisfaction with mental health nursing services in a low-middle-income country setting. Psychiatric nurses need to be aware of these areas, towards optimization of mental healthcare provision peculiar to their settings.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Caregivers’ of People with Schizophrenia towards the Illness: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Regional Psychiatric Hospital in Nigeria

Aim: To ascertain the attitudes of caregivers of patients with schizophrenia comprising their knowledge of the illness and social distance towards people with the illness.&#x0D; Study Design: A cross sectional study design.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria, between April and July 2015.&#x0D; Methodology: A systematic random sample of caregiver/patient dyads (n=281) were recruited. Caregivers were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire and, a brief interview on their knowledge of the aetiological factors, treatment for schizophrenia and level of social distance towards people with schizophrenia. Patients were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire and the PANSS.&#x0D; Results: Three hundred and forty-one caregivers were approached but 281 gave consent and participated in the study (response rate was 82%, level of significance value was set at p&lt;0.05 and 95% confidence interval was used). Among the 281 caregivers surveyed, 22.7% mostly ascribed psychosocial cause for schizophrenia, their level of knowledge of schizophrenia was generally average (49.5%). More than two-thirds of the caregivers reported high social distancing. Better attitudes to schizophrenia among caregivers was significantly associated with caregivers who were unemployed (p&lt;0.03) and caregivers whose patients’ had at least 12 years of formal education (p&lt;0.01).&#x0D; Conclusion: Average knowledge of disease aetiology among caregivers was associated with high social distancing. Qualitative studies are required to explore the interactions of these identified factors.

Double burden of malnutrition amongst patients with first-episode schizophrenia in a psychiatric hospital: A 1-year follow-up study.

BackgroundDespite the burgeoning data on the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) in sub-Saharan Africa, longitudinal studies to examine malnutrition amongst first-episode schizophrenia are uncommon in the modern literature.AimTo determine the extent of nutritional variations amongst persons with schizophrenia at intervals of 1-year treatment follow-up.SettingThis study was conducted at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.MethodsConsecutive incident cases that fulfilled the criteria for schizophrenia were recruited into the study. After a baseline assessment, 206 incident cases of schizophrenia were followed up at 4th, 8th, 12th weeks, 6 months and 1 year for indicators of nutritional outcome. The body mass index (BMI) was used to measure the nutritional status amongst the study participants. Changes in the BMI across intervals of follow-up were examined using repeated measures analysis of variance, whereas the socio-demographic and clinical variables were evaluated as predictors of outcome using multiple regression analysis.ResultsAfter 1 year of treatment with antipsychotics, the prevalence of underweight decreased from 19.9% (95% CI, 19.8% – 20.0%) at baseline to 16.0% (95% CI, 15.9% – 16.1%) at 1 year, but the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 29.1% (95% CI, 29.0% – 29.2%) at baseline to 43.2% (95% CI, 43.0% – 43.3%) at 1 year of follow-up. The predictors of BMI at 1 year were antipsychotic medication (32.7% variance), duration of vagrancy (24.0%) and age at onset (20.0%).ConclusionThe finding of coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition across the intervals of treatment follow-up underscores the need for comprehensive interventions to address both extremes of malnutrition amongst patients with schizophrenia.

Prevalence of HCV, HBV and HIV in Institutionalized Mental Illness Patients at Aswan Governorate

Background: HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are serious infections, but can be treated. The prognosis is much improved by earlier detection and treatment. Prevalence studies have shown that serious mental illness is a risk factor for blood-borne virus infection. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of blood-borne viral infection in people with psychological disorders attending Aswan Governate. Patients and methods: This across sectional study included 180 patients (150 male, 30 female) with moderate to severe mental illness from the attendants of the Outpatient Clinic of Psychiatric Department, Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aswan Governorate. The study was conducted in the period from May 2019 to November 2019. The etiological diagnosis of the studied group were schizophrenia (males=64, females=9), depression (males=30, females=9) and general anxiety disorder (males=16, females=6). Results: As regard HCV Abs, 157 patients (87.2%) were negative and 23 patients (12.8%) were positive in the studied patients. As regards HBs Ag, there were 162 negative patients (90%) and 18 positive patients (10%) in the studied patients. As regards HIV Abs, there were 170 negative patients (94.4%) and 10 positive patients (5.6%) in the studied patients. There was no statistical significant relation between sex and virology markers in all studied patients (p-value > 0.05). Conclusion: People with serious mental illness are at risk of blood-borne viral infections. Serious mental illness is unlikely to be a sole risk factor and risk of blood-borne viral infection is probably multifactorial and is associated with low socioeconomic status, drug and alcohol misuse, ethnic origin, and sex.

Quality of life among patients with epilepsy in Nigeria: predictors and barriers to routine clinical use of QOLIE-31.

To determine the factors predicting poorer quality of life (QOL) among patients with epilepsy attending an out-patient clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital, and reflect on the barriers to successful adoption of a structured QOL instrument into routine clinical practice. Two-hundred and seventy patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy attending the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria were recruited. Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected using a proforma. QOLIE-31 was administered to measure QOL. The mean (SD) QOLIE-31 scores were 77.98 (13.32), with 15.2%, 74.1%, and 10.7% of the respondents classified as low, moderate, and high QOL, respectively. Factors associated with poorer QOL include seizure frequency, depression, and family history of epilepsy. Quality of life is an important outcome measure for people with epilepsy and it focuses on the individual's subjective assessment of their well-being. Although useful for clinical management of patients with epilepsy, the uniqueness of the practice settings and the limitations of clinical practice in a developing country pose challenges to successful adoption of structured QOL instrument into routine clinical practice.

Sensitivity of electroencephalogram in the diagnosis of epilepsy among patients attending a neuropsychiatric hospital in Northern Nigeria

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an essential adjunct in management of epilepsy. While some studies reported that EEG has a high sensitivity in detecting epileptic seizures, others disagree. Therefore, it is important to know sensitivity of this important procedure in our setting. This was a cross-sectional study carried out from 2015 to 2018. Participants were patients attending the outpatient clinic of a psychiatric hospital to achieve care for epileptic seizures. Ethical clearance was obtained prior to the conduct of this study. In addition, informed consent was obtained from each patient or their caregivers. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The study involved 177 participants aged 2-70 years (median = 17 years). The male to female ratio was 2:1. The mean duration of illness was 7.8±5.8 (range = 1-35 years). Sensitivity of EEG was 70.6%. There was no difference between either age, gender or duration of illness and probability of having an abnormal EEG. EEG is sensitive in the diagnosis of epilepsy in our setting. Future studies should focus on factors influencing sensitivity of EEG in diagnosis of epilepsy.

Socio-demographic and clinical pattern of patients attending a neuropsychiatric hospital in Nigeria: A five-year retrospective study

Psychiatric disorders contribute significantly to disability worldwide. The various risk factors associated with their prevalence and outcomes are also influenced by the region individuals live in. This study was carried out to assess the sociodemographic and clinical pattern of patients attending a neuropsychiatric hospital. It was a retrospective descriptive study of patients managed for psychiatric disorders at the hospital. Medical case notes of 246 patients were selected by simple random sampling. A sociodemographic and clinical variables questionnaire was designed to collate the data. The mean age of patients was 29.1 years and consisted mostly of young adults. There was approximately an equal number of patients of both genders. Approximately 66.3% of the patients were married, and 98.4% had no formal education. More than half were unemployed and a great number (37.4%) was being managed for epilepsy. The report of a family history of mental illness was relatively low compared to other studies. The sociodemographic and clinical pattern of mental disorders are embedded in the regional and cultural settings patients find themselves and this may lead to unique or differing risk factors across study settings.

Comparative Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasmosis among Four Subgroups in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Aims: This study was carried out to investigate the comparative seroprevalence and associated risk factors of toxoplasmosis among four subgroups in Port Harcourt viz: immunocompromised persons (HIV), pregnant women (PTW) and schizophrenics (SZN), using immunocompetent persons (IP) as controls.&#x0D; Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was adopted.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) and Neuro Psychiatric Hospital (NPH) between March 2016 and February 2017.&#x0D; Methodology: A total of 800 (200 from each of the group) samples were collected from subjects from the three hospitals. Study participants of ≥20 years were used in this study. The detection of T. gondii antibodies in examined sera was carried out using ELISA –IgG and IgM assay using standard procedures. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on social demographic risk factors associated with toxoplasmosis.&#x0D; Results: Out of the 800 (200 per group) examined, SZN recorded the highest seroprevalence of IgG 50%(100)(P.= .05) and IgM 4%(8) followed closely by HIV subjects with seroprevalence of IgG 32%(72) (P=.05) and IgM 2%(3). However, the seroprevalence were not significantly different from that of the immunocompetent control group which had the least seroprevalence. Schizophrenia subjects in age group 20-24 years recorded the highest seroprevalence with (P=.05) The unemployed recorded the highest seroprevalence for SZN with rates of 43% for IgG. More males were infected with the disease than females. Male Schizophrenics recorded a seroprevalence of 20.9%. There was no significant relationship between seroprevalence and demographic factors among subjects.&#x0D; Conclusion: Our findings indicated that toxoplasmosis was relatively prevalent (P=.05) among the studied population, with schizophrenics having the highest seroprevalence. Therefore, incorporating detection of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in routine testing in our health care centers is recommended for monitoring and control of the disease.

Socio-Demographic Attributes, Religious Practice and Treatment Adherence among the Mentally–Ill Attending Out- Patient Clinicofa Neuropsychiatric Hospital, South West, Nigeria

Treatment Adherence is as important as the air a mentally-ill person breathes, and it’s a long term issue while religious practices is a factor that may influence either positively or negatively. To determine the influences of religious practices on treatment adherence among the mentally-ill attending the out-patient clinic of a Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta. Both quantitative (cross sectional survey) and qualitative (focus group discussion) designs was utilized for the study. The target populations for the study were the patients attending the out-patient clinic of Neuropsychiatric hospital, Abeokuta. The sample included 167 participants that answered the questionnaires and four focus group discussions consisting of 40 participants. Simple random sampling was used to select the participants.  Results: The overall treatment adherent level reveals that majority of the respondents where adherent (63.7%), 6.6% were non adherent while 28.7% were neutral. 86.8% agreed that their religious practices do not affect their treatment adherence but 13.2 said religious practices influence their treatment adherence. Despite the fact that 59.3% of the participants were unemployed, the rate of treatment adherence was still high among the respondents and 55.7% said side effect of the drug do not affect their drug compliance. The study concluded that the respondents were adherent and that religious practice do not influence their treatment adherence.

Attitudes of Health Professionals and Primary School Staff towards the Separation of Children from Families and Foster Care

In Croatia, the process of deinstitutionalization of childcare is underway, and it should increase the placement of children in non-institutional forms of care such as foster care. The aim of the study was to examine attitudes towards foster care and child separation among school and adult mental health professionals. The sample consisted of 159 respondents (employees of elementary schools in Kutina, Popovača and Velika Ludina and employees of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot” in Popovača). The survey covered all relevant sociodemographic variables, and the Scale of Attitudes Towards Separation of Children from Family and the Attitudes Towards Foster Care Scale were used to examine attitudes [Kamenov, Sladovic Franz &amp;amp; Ajdukovic, 2005]. In the sample examined, attitudes to foster care and separation are slightly positive, indicating that there is plenty of room for activities aimed at empowering these views. If further attitudes are to be strengthened, therefore the population of potential future foster parents is also expected to expand. It is important to highlight the role of healthcare professionals involved in the mental health care of foster children and to consider their role in modifying general attitudes towards foster care for children and their role in building an optimal foster care system.

Psychosocial Determinants of Quality of Life and Mental Health Status of Caregivers of Children with Psychopathologies in Lagos Nigeria

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between Quality of Life (QoL) and psychosocial health status of caregivers of children living with diagnosed psychological disorder. A total of 309 caregivers of children with psychological disorders using a Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Nigeria (mean age = 41.2 years) were purposively selected during clinic appointment days and responded to Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Multidimensional Scale of Social Support (MSPSS), The World Health Organization Quality of Life - Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that burden of care and social support were significant joint predictors of the Quality Of Life of the participants (R2= .040, p = .003), age of caregiver, duration of marriage of caregiver, child age and duration of care failed to jointly significantly predict the quality of life of caregiver (R2= .013, p = .424), but significantly predicted the psychological health of the caregivers (R2= .084, p = .000).Social support had strong beta contribution on QoL while age of caregiver had significant beta contribution on psychological health of the caregivers.

Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio of Psychiatric Patients in a Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio of Psychiatric Patients in a Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.