Patterns Of Psychological Distress Research Articles

Examination of Behavioural Patterns of Psychological Distress and Evaluation of Related Factors: A latent class regression.

This study aimed to identify the behavioural pattern of psychological distress (PD) in the population of 18 to 65 years old people in Mashhad, Iran, using latent class regression and evaluate the related factors. PD is a unique emotional state with suffering in response to a stressor or specific need that leads to temporary or permanent impacts. Due to its negative effects on several features of life like the quality of life, health, performance and productivity of individuals, PD and its consequences are considered a public health priority. A cross-sectional study was performed on 425,286 individuals aged 18 to 65, who were referred to health centres in Mashhad, northeastern Iran in the first half of 2018. The information required for this study, including a checklist of demographic information and the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6), was obtained from the Sina System. Latent class regression identified three latent patterns of PD in answering the questions of the K-6 questionnaire, including severe PD (14%), low PD distress (40%) and no PD (46%). Statistical variables of this study due to the results are considered as the following: women, illiterate people, unemployed and divorced people, individuals aged between 50 and 59 years and people with low weight were more likely to be in the severe PD class than in the no PD class. Although a small percentage of people were classified as severely disturbed, the findings showed a high rate of symptoms of distress and sadness even in the no PD class.

Evaluating the Agreement between k-median and Latent Class Analysis for Clustering of Psychological Distress Prevalence

Introduction: Psychological distress (PD) is one of the most common mental disorders in the general population. Psychological distress is considered a public health priority due to its adverse effects on quality of life, health, performance, and productivity. It can also predict several serious mental illnesses, such as depressive disorder and anxiety. In this study, we intend to identify the behavioral pattern of PD in the population of 18 to 65 years old in Mashhad using two methods, K-median and Latent Class Analysis (LCA), and evaluate the agreement between the two methods.
 Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 38058 individuals referred to community health care centers in Mashhad of Iran in 2019. The information used in this study was extracted from Sina Electronic Health Record System (SinaEHR) database. A demographic information checklist and a 6-item Kessler psychological distress scale (K-6) were used for data collection. K-median and LCA were used for data analysis.
 Results: Out of 38058 participants, 49.3% were women, 86.1% were married, and 63.6% had a diploma and under diploma education. The LCA identified three patterns of PD in answering the items of the K-6 questionnaire, including severe PD (19.7%), low PD (36.7%), and no PD (43.5%). Three clusters were identified by the K-Median method: 1) severe PD (22.0%), 2) low PD (31.1%), and 3) and no PD (46.9%). The agreement between K-Median and LCA was kappa = 0.862.
 Conclusion: About 20% of people were classified as having severe PD. Both LCA and k-median methods can reasonably identify the latent pattern of PD with significant entropy, and there was almost complete agreement between the two methods in data clustering. Considering the advantages of the LCA, this method is recommended to identify the latent pattern of PD based on the k-6 questionnaire.

Sex and Sexual Identity Differences in Poly-tobacco Use and Psychological Distress in U.S. Adults: Results From the National Health Interview Survey.

Poly-tobacco use (PTU), or the concomitant use of two or more nicotine and tobacco products, are a growing public health concern. Adults reporting increased psychological distress (PD) experience profound nicotine and tobacco health-related disparities. Sexual minority (SM) adults report more PTU and higher levels of PD than heterosexuals, yet little is known about patterns of nicotine and tobacco use and its relationship to PD in SM populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate sexual identity differences in PD and PTU. Data were drawn from the 2016-2018 National Health Interview Survey (N = 83 017), an annual cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. PD was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). We fit sex-stratified, weighted, adjusted logistic models to compare PTU and PD by sexual identity. PTU was more prevalent in adults with higher K6 scores. Female adults and SM adults had significantly higher K6 scores and were significantly more likely to experience serious PD when compared to their male and heterosexual counterparts. The current study provides a snapshot of trends in PTU in relation to PD, gender, and sexual identity. Findings suggest higher rates of both PD and PTU in SM adults. Further research examining the mechanisms underlying this disparity is critical to the development of effective intervention and prevention strategies. Little is known about sex and sexual identity differences in the relations between patterns of tobacco product use and PD. This study is the first to examine the effect of gender and sexual identity on both PD and PTU. SMs reported higher rates of PD and were more likely to be poly-tobacco users. As new ways of engaging nicotine/tobacco continue to proliferate, health risks will endure especially for marginalized populations. An increased understanding of the psychological and social correlates of PTU in SMs is warranted.

Does Experiential Avoidance Mediate the Relationship Between Gender Role Conflict and Psychological Distress?

Psychological inflexibility or experiential avoidance (EA) is an important construct in the understanding of psychological distress. Both EA and many forms of masculinity can be characterized by inflexibility in men’s responses to negative intrapersonal experiences. The current cross-sectional, community-based study investigated whether experiential avoidance mediated the relationship between gender role conflict (GRC) and psychological distress (PD). A total of 120 men (M = 35.63, SD = 12.22) completed an online questionnaire measuring key study variables. Results indicated that experiential avoidance significantly mediated the relationship between each of the four recognized patterns of GRC and PD. These findings suggest that EA may be a potential mechanism through which GRC is associated with PD.

Gender and Psychological Distress: A Geographical Perspective

ABSTRACTThere are gender differences in the prevalence of psychological distress (PD). Women are consistently reported to be more distressed than men. This is partly accounted for by the society's assignment of privileges and responsibilities toward each sex, but little is known about the geographical manifestations of these disparities. This article therefore seeks to determine the spatial pattern of PD by gender, and to identify critical factors affecting the observed patterns. A questionnaire survey of 180 persons was carried out in the Ibadan North local government area of Nigeria. The ten diagnostic questions on PD from the Kessler-10 instrument were included. Mean PD scores for both sexes were computed and mapped. A stepwise multiple regression identified the significant risk factors affecting PD. Results indicated that males, contrary to expectations, were more distressed. PD for both sexes and males was generally high in all the wards. In contrast, sharp differences in the spatial pattern of PD among females were seen. Age had a significant effect on the spatial pattern of PD for both sexes and for males. It was recommended that interventions should not only reduce PD prevalence, but also be based on an understanding of its spatial patterns and determinants.