Mental Health Self-assessment Research Articles

The trajectories of online mental health information seeking: Modeling search behavior before and after completion of self-report screens

There is an appreciable mental health treatment gap in the United States. Efforts to bridge this gap and improve resource accessibility have led to the provision of online, clinically-validated tools for mental health self-assessment. In theory, these screens serve as an invaluable component of information-seeking, representing the preparative and action-oriented stages of this process while altering or reinforcing the search content and language of individuals as they engage with information online. Accordingly, this work investigated the association of screen completion with mental health-related search behaviors. Three-year internet search histories from N = 7572 Microsoft Bing users were paired with their respective depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or psychosis online screen completion and sociodemographic data available through Mental Health America. Data was transformed into network representations to model queries as discrete steps with probabilities and times-to-transition from one search type to another. Search data subsequent to screen completion was also modeled using Markov chains to simulate likelihood trajectories of different search types through time. Differences in querying dynamics relative to screen completion were observed, with searches involving treatment, diagnosis, suicidal ideation, and suicidal intent commonly emerging as the highest probability behavioral information seeking endpoints. Moreover, results pointed to the association of low risk states of psychopathology with transitions to extreme clinical outcomes (i.e., active suicidal intent). Future research is required to draw definitive conclusions regarding causal relationships between screens and search behavior.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS IN DENTAL PRACTICE: AN ANALYSIS OF HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING

Quality of life (QoL) is a composite measure that reflects the overall level of satisfaction and well-being that a person experiences in their daily life. Understanding QoL is key to providing care and rehabilitation to patients, and issues identified during a QoL self-assessment may indicate the need to modify and improve treatment. It is widely recognized that COVID-19 has a diverse symptomatic spectrum. For the above reasons, COVID-19 can lead to a deterioration in health-related quality of life in both the short and long terms. The direct impact of COVID-19 on quality of life indicators, as well as the impact of coronavirus disease on dental health in general, served as a prerequisite for writing this article.
 The purpose of our study is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life of patients in dental practice.
 Materials and methods: all patients were interviewed for self-assessment of quality of life using the 36item Short Form-36 questionnaire.
 Results and Discussion: the obtained results among patients in group 1 and group 2 indicated a significant deterioration in both physical and psychological health components. The physical functioning (PF) score indicated average physical activity. The results of the impact of physical condition on role functioning (RP) reflected limitations in performing daily activities, both at work and at home. The pain intensity score (BP) indicated moderate body discomfort. The result for general health (GH) indicated the possibility of problems with general health and self-esteem. The vitality score (VT) indicated an average level of energy. The result obtained for the social functioning (SF) score indicated severe limitations in the social and psychological aspects of life. The value of the impact of the emotional state on role functioning (RE) indicated a significant effect of emotional difficulties on the patients' ability to perform habitual activities. The indicator of selfassessment of mental health (MH) indicated emotional and mental difficulties.
 Conclusions: This research demonstrates the ability of COVID-19 to cause long-term problems that directly affect the quality of life of patients and, accordingly, the possibility of developing dental diseases and their favourable prognosis.

The influence of perceived stress of Chinese healthcare workers after the opening of COVID-19: the bidirectional mediation between mental health and job burnout.

To explore the current status and interaction of perceived stress, job burnout and mental health among healthcare workers after the opening of COVID-19 which occurred in December 2022. A cross-sectional study of 792 healthcare workers from three tertiary hospitals in Wuxi was conducted from January 2023 to February 2023. Sociodemographic questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Burnout Scale and Mental Health Self-Assessment Questionnaire were used for investigation. SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct data analysis. The significance of mediation was determined by the PROCESS macro using a bootstrap method. The results showed that (1) The average scores of the participants for perceived stress, mental health and job burnout were 22.65 (7.67), 3.85 (4.21) and 1.88 (1.03), respectively. (2) The perceived stress score, mental health score and job burnout score of healthcare workers were positively correlated (r = 0.543-0.699, p < 0.05). (3) Mental health partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and job burnout with a mediating effect of 17.17% of the total effect. Job burnout partially mediated the correlation between perceived stress and mental health with a mediating effect of 31.73% of the total effect. The results of this study suggested that perceived stress had an impact on job burnout and mental health, either directly or indirectly. Healthcare managers should intervene to reduce perceived stress to protect healthcare workers' mental health, thereby alleviating burnout under the opening COVID-19 pandemic environment.

PARAMETERS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN WITH HIP ARTHROPLASTY IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD (ABDOMINAL DELIVERY) AS A CRITERION FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM

Abstract. Purpose: to determine the parameters of the quality of life of women with an endoprosthetic hip joint in the postpartum period as a criterion for the effectiveness of the physical therapy program.&#x0D; Methods. In the course of the study, 9 women aged 28.5±1.6 years were examined 1 month after childbirth, which took place by caesarean section. The developed program of physical therapy lasted 1 month (from the end of the first month after childbirth). In her process, therapeutic exercises for the trunk, upper and lower limbs were used; functional training to improve movements related to child care, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation of lower limbs, back, trunk; massage of lower limbs, back. We took into account movement restrictions associated with an incompletely formed scar after cesarean section and with the presence of an endoprosthesis (excessive bending, rotation of the hip joint); accordingly, they created safe movement strategies related to child care (lifting, carrying) and transporting a baby carriage. Individual determination of short- and long-term goals of rehabilitation contributed to the improvement of psycho-emotional mood and increased compliance of women. The effectiveness of the tested program was evaluated using the standard SF-36 quality of life questionnaire («Medical outcomes study short form»).&#x0D; Results. During the initial examination, all women with hip arthroplasty in the postpartum period were found to have a deterioration in the quality of life according to the SF-36. Overloading of elements of the musculoskeletal system during pregnancy and changes in the biomechanics of a woman's body, which causes certain physical discomfort, is justified by hormonal and physical processes.During repeated testing, the effectiveness of the physical therapy program was confirmed by its positive impact on both scales - physical and mental functioning. The difference between the results of Physical health at the initial and repeated examination according to the Physical Functioning scale in the examined women was 41.9%, Role-Physical – 39.4%, Bodily Pain – 26.0%, General Health – 42.2%. Accordingly, for all subscales of Physical health, a statistically significant improvement in the condition of women was obtained compared to the initial parameters (р&lt;0.05). The improvement of Mental health in comparison with the primary result on the Vitality scale in the examined women was 26.9%, Social Functioning - 60.3%, Role-Emotional - 32.5%; Mental Health - 49.9%. Therefore, a statistically significant improvement in the condition of women compared to the initial parameters was obtained for all subscales of Mental health (р&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusions. In women with an endoprosthetic hip joint in the postpartum period (abdominal delivery), a significant decrease in the physical and mental components of quality of life, determined by the SF-36 questionnaire, was found. The use of physical therapy (therapeutic exercises, functional training, massage taking into account the limitations of the abdominal wall scar and the functionality of the endoprosthesis) caused a statistically significant (p&lt;0.05) improvement in the condition of the examined women in all subscales of SF-36 - physical and role functioning, pain intensity , general state of health, vitality, social functioning, influence of emotional state on role functioning; self-assessment of mental health.

Этно-культуральные факторы востребованности альтернативных практик в сфере физического и психического здоровья

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective. &lt;/strong&gt;Study aims to investigate the ethno-cultural factors of demand for alternative practices in the sphere of health and psychological well-being among Russian youth. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background. &lt;/strong&gt;The decision to seek help is critical to the health and psychological well-being of the individual and society. Turning to non-conventional practices (psychic, paranormal, etc.) to solve problems in the field of both physical and mental health and psychological well-being can be associated with potential risks. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Study design. &lt;/strong&gt;Quantitative cross-sectional study of adolescents and youth in several Russian regions: Saint-Petersburg and Leningradskaya region, Irkutsk, Murmansk and Tomsk regions, Kamchatka and Krasnoyarsk regions, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Data collection was carried out in the form of an online survey in November-December 2020. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Participants. &lt;/strong&gt;The study sample consisted of 1258 adolescents and young people aged 14 years and older, of which 671 are adolescents and young people who identify themselves as indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation. Young men constituted 33% of the sample, mean age &amp;ndash; 22,1 years (&lt;em&gt;min =&lt;/em&gt; 14, &lt;em&gt;max =&lt;/em&gt; 35; &lt;em&gt;SD =&lt;/em&gt; 6,26). &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Measurements. &lt;/strong&gt;The several scales for assessing the help-seeking and related attitudes towards alternative practices, self-assessment of mental health (HBSC scale). Descriptive statistics, contingency tables to assess differences by ethnicity and gender and a logistic regression model predicting intention to future use of the services were calculated. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results. &lt;/strong&gt;Young people's appeal to providers of alternative practices of help (magicians, fortune-tellers, psychics, etc.) has no ethno-cultural specifics. The youth of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East significantly more often than the youth of another ethnicity turn only to shamans, who are part of the unique spiritual culture of these ethnic groups but not to any other group of practitioners. &lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions. &lt;/strong&gt;Asking for help from different representatives of alternative assistance is interconnected, which may be the result of "teenager experimentation" in different areas of life, or openness to new experience, including in relation to the search for different types of help. The second important factor of use of alternative services is the distrust of official medicine, which motivates people to use alternative types of health care (turning to shamans, fortune tellers, magicians, sorcerers, etc.).&lt;/p&gt;

An investigation of the psychological stress of medical staff in Shanghai shelter hospital during COVID-19.

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychological status of medical workers from other locations who helped support the fight against COVID-19 in Shanghai and to provide a basis for psychological crisis intervention plans under designated emergencies. While supporting the Shanghai Lingang Shelter Hospital, we investigated 1,097 medical staff from other cities working in the hospital. A questionnaire comprising the general information questionnaire, health questionnaire depression scale, generalized anxiety scale, insomnia severity index scale, and mental health self-assessment questionnaire was used. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders among subjects of different genders, ages, and educational levels. There were statistically significant differences in the incidences of anxiety, depression, stress response, and sleep disturbance among subjects with different levels of worry about COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lingang Shelter Hospital team experienced more psychological pressure, suggesting that medical institutions should pay attention to the mental health of frontline medical workers during COVID-19 and prepare psychological intervention measures for team members.

Physical activity, mental health and quality of life of women who have experienced COVID-19

Physical activity occupies an important place in maintaining and improving the health and well-being of individuals and the population, which is why physical activity stands out as an important lifestyle. The restrictive measures introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic have led to a significant drop in the level of physical activity, as well as an increase in anxiety and depression. The aim of this research was to determine whether there is a connection between physical activity, mental health and quality of life of women who have experienced COVID-19. The sample of respondents consisted of women between the ages of 20 and 60 (n=193). The IPAQ questionnaire (longer version) was used to assess physical activity. Selfassessment of mental health was determined by the longer version of the DASS questionnaire. Quality of life was assessed by the World Health Organization-WHOQOL questionnaire. Descriptive statistics parameters were calculated, and canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the level of physical activity, mental health and quality of life. Canonical correlation analysis partially confirmed that there is an association between the level of physical activity and mental health parameters. There is no correlation between the level of physical activity and quality of life. In general, it is necessary for future research to include tests and measuring instruments in order to better understand the real effects of physical activity on mental and physical health after COVID-19 infection. For example, the use of an accelerometer in research would be important for an objective assessment of physical activity levels. Also, other factors that can directly or indirectly affect people's quality of life should be taken into account. Longitudinal research is necessary to examine the impact of different levels, forms and intensities of physical activity on mental health and quality of life after COVID-19 infection.

A Model of Depression in University Faculty, Staff, and Health Care Workers Using an Automated Mental Health Screening Tool.

This study aimed to examine relationships among worked hours, stress, sleep hours, burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression reported by academic medical center employees. Employees completed an anonymous electronic mental health survey with automated feedback that included self-help and professional local resources. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Eighty percent of participants reported ( n = 693) medium/high stress, 58% reported burnout, 37%/26% screened positive for anxiety/depression, and 14% reported PTSD. Structural equation modeling attained highly significant coefficients ( P < 0.05) and excellent goodness of fit, with strong stress and PTSD positive direct associations with anxiety, burnout, and depression. The model explained 58% of variation in depression scores. A clinician only model demonstrated stronger PTSD effects, but no work hours effects. Workplace self-screening tools can guide employee mental health self-assessment, self-help programs, and professional resources, while also informing targets for employer programs.

Multi-level health indicators as predictors of students’ subjective well-being experience

The subjective well-being as an integral experience of health state is a multidimensional phenomenon. The intrapersonal, social and environmental levels of subjective well-being were distinguished. The aim of the study was to determine predictors of subjective well-being of students. 850 students of different courses of St Petersburg and Novosibirsk universities took part in the study. The screening techniques MHC-SF (C.Keyes) and test of resilience (D.Leont’ev and E.Rasskazova), Scale of subjective well-being (C.Ryff), Measuring of prosocial tendencies (G.Carlo and B.A.Randall, adaptation of N.Kukhtova), Measuring of attitude to significant life situations (E.Korjova, A.Berdnikova), Scale of depression PHQ-9 and Scale of anxiety GAD-7 (Patient Health Questionnaire) were used. The results showed that students with a high level of subjective well-being rated all levels of health significantly higher than students with a low level of subjective well-being. The greatest influence on the subjective wellbeing is exerted by intrapersonal (endopsychic) predictors — resilience (β=0.322; p=0.000) and the presence of a goal in life (β=0.176; p=0.000). To a lesser extent, exopsychic predictors have an impact — attitude to a significant life situation and prosocial orientation, as well as self-assessment of mental health and presence of depression. The greatest contribution to the subjective well-being of intrapersonal characteristics confirms the leading role of personality in regulating the relationship between human and world. The data obtained make it possible to build a hierarchy of significant health resources for working out different health-saving programs.

MENTAL HEALTH OF TEACHERS IN UKRAINIAN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The aim: To research the indicators of teachers’ mental health in a destabilizing organization of professional activities. Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Poltava M. V. Ostrogradsky Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central State Pedagogical University and Poltava State Medical University in 2018-2020. The sample size of 1817 respondents (Ukraine) included 388 men and 1429 women aged 20 to 57 years. The following methods were used: “Scale of threats to occupational health” (Dziuba, 2015) and “Scale of subjective well-being” (Sokolova, 2007) adapted by T. Dziuba. The study used mathematical and statistical analysis (descriptive statistics, correlation analysis) using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 21.0). Results: It was found that an unstable level of emotional comfort is dominant (57.2%). This is shown by the following indicators: “self-assessment of mental health” 61.0%, “tension and sensitivity” 54.3% and “signs of psychiatric symptoms” 53.0%. Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative impact of the threat factors “daily and weekly overtime” (p &lt;0.01) and “overwork” (p &lt;0.01) on mental health. There is an increase in emotional discomfort in a situation of daily and weekly overtime and overwork. There is a positive correlation between the teachers’ mental health and the indicator “significance of the professional environment” (p &lt;0.01). Conclusions: The study showed that teachers’ mental health in Ukrainian educational organizations is characterized by unstable emotional comfort and increased emotional discomfort, which is a consequence of unbalanced (destabilizing) working conditions: overwork, overtime. The obtained data motivates the need to conduct targete psychotherapeutic and corrective work with teachers who demonstrate professional distress.

Mental health self-assessment system in the pandemic in Colombia

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought different impacts on human life unfortunately, mental health has not received due attention.

The Effect of Subjective Perception of Work in Relation to Occupational and Demographic Factors on the Mental Health of Polish Nurses.

Introduction: Nursing is considered one of the most stressful professions in the world. The high emotional burden associated with excessive workload in qualitative and quantitative terms, exposure to existing and emerging infectious diseases, daily confrontation with the suffering of individuals and their families and low social support leads to the development of numerous stress reactions among nurses, resulting in the development of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression. Indeed, somatic and mental stress-related disease rates are higher among nurses than in the general population.Aim: To determine the impact of subjective work characteristics on the mental health of nurses in relation to demographic and occupational factors.Material and method: The research was carried out among 558 nurses working in hospitals in Podlaskie Voivodeship, and used the Subjective Work Evaluation Questionnaire (SWEQ) and Goldberg's GHQ-28 Questionnaire.Results: As measured by SWEQ, and as self-assessed by means of the GHQ-28 questionnaire, overall stress negatively affects the nurses' health (R2 = 18.7%). Among the partial measures of the SWEQ questionnaire, work overload had strong and the lack of rewards, social relations and lack of support had weak negative effect on the overall mental health assessment of nurses (R2 = 19.2%). The responsibility measure was an exception that had a positive impact on the nurses' well-being. Among occupational and demographic factors, only higher education in relation to secondary education in interactions with the overall stress measure and unpleasant work conditions had a positive effect on the overall mental health self-assessment of nurses (R2 = 20.7%).Conclusions: The results of our study provide a clear message to the hospital management that improving the work organization and atmosphere of nurses by reducing perceived work overload and increasing the responsibility of nurses can have a positive impact on their mental health. Encouraging nurses to improve their education can result not only in an obvious improvement in staff qualifications, but also in better resistance to stressors in the workplace and, consequently, in better staff well-being. Both measures can have a positive impact on the quality of care provided by nurses and on reducing staff turnover.

Investigation of the psychological status of suspected patients during the Coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic.

We explored the psychological changes in suspected patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic and obtained evidence for early psychological guidance and intervention in this group. A total of 31 inpatients with suspected COVID-19 were identified at our hospital. The depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 scale, and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) mental health self-assessment questionnaire were used to assess depression, anxiety, and overall mental health. Among the patients, 32.3% had symptoms of depression and 19.4% had symptoms of anxiety. Levels of anxiety and fear varied. In comparing the PHQ-9 and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale scores of suspected and confirmed patients, there was no significant difference in the distribution of severity of anxiety or depression in the 2 groups. The PHQ-9 scores indicated mild depression symptoms in 25.8% of suspected patients, moderate symptoms in 0%, and severe symptoms in 6.5%. Overall, 50% of confirmed patients had symptoms, with 30.8% classified as mild, 15.4% classified as moderate, and 3.8% classified as severe. The 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale scores in the group of suspected patients showed that 9.7% had mild symptoms, 0% had moderate symptoms, and 9.7% had severe symptoms. In the group of confirmed patients, 38.4% had symptoms (34.6% mild, 0% moderate, and 3.8% severe). Diagnosed patients had more visible symptoms of depression and different total PHQ-9 scores. During the COVID-19 epidemic, suspected and diagnosed patients had different levels of mental health problems. Diagnosed patients had more visible symptoms. The performance of suspected patients was higher, but their mental state was more polarized. It may thus be important to monitor the psychological state of suspected patients as early as possible to enable timely interventions that promote psychological rehabilitation.

Towards Accessible Mental Healthcare through Augmented Reality and Self-Assessment Tools

&lt;p class="0abstractCxSpFirst"&gt;Mental health presents a growing public health concern worldwide with mental illnesses affecting people’s quality of life and causing an economic impact on societies. The rapidly increasing demand for mental healthcare is calling for new ways of disseminating mental health knowledge and for supporting people with mental health illnesses. As an alternative to traditional mental health therapies and treatments, mental health self-assessment and self-management tools become widely available to the public. While such tools can potentially offer more timely personalised support, individuals seeking help are faced with the challenge of making an appropriate choice from an exhaustive number of online tools, mobile apps, and support programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="0abstractCxSpLast"&gt;In this article, we present myGRaCE – a self-assessment and self-management mental health tool made accessible to users via Augmented Reality technologies. The advantage of the system is that it provides a direct pathway to relevant and reliable mental health resources and offers a positive incentive and interventions for at-risk users. The system offers service users the resources to gain a better understanding of their mental state and increase control of their mental health conditions via self-monitoring and self-help.&lt;/p&gt;

Anthropometric characteristics and health self-assessment of female university students

Background/Aim: An important period in becoming a young woman is studying at the University. It is a period of taking responsibility for yourself, your health and social relationships. The abilities formed during this period directly affect one's physical and mental health. The study was undertaken in order to determine anthropometric characteristics and to evaluate the health of female students aged 19 to 22. Methods: An analytical population study based on a survey using a standardised SF36 self-report health test and measurement using an objective bioimpedance method with Omron BF 511 estimated 408 female students of the University of Banja Luka aged 19 to 22, based on inclusion criteria. Results: The mean body mass index (BMI) ± standard deviation of female students was 22.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2 , with 31.80 ± 6.47 percent fat and 28.15 ± 2.81 percent muscle mass. The mean values ± standard deviation of the SF 36 for mental health (MH) questionnaires was 60.7 ± 24.95 and for physical health (FH) 72.21 ± 25.89. Conclusion: Female students have ideal BMI values. Physical health self-assessment reached higher values than the mental health self-assessment, which is probably related to mental distress and problems during studying.

Self-assessment of Mental Health Among Students of Iran University of Medical Sciences

Self-assessment of Mental Health Among Students of Iran University of Medical Sciences

Combatants’ Self-assessment of Mental Health

In order to analyze the self-assessment of mental health status of combatants, a year after the execution of operational and service tasks in special conditions, a complete survey of 964 combatants was conducted, which were divided into three groups by level of mental health: Group I - 338 people – healthy combatants who were not provided with rehabilitation assistance; Group II - 311 persons who for 6 years prior to the survey, according to the outpatient cards revealed prenosological neurotic conditions, clinical data on the presence of borderline mental disorders (BMD) after returning from combat zones in this group was not revealed, they were provided with short-term psycho-correctional assistance by psychologists at the place of service; Group III – 315 people who were diagnosed with adaptation disorders (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in this regard, they were treated and medical &amp; psychological rehabilitation. A year after the events, a clinical examination and a questionnaire were conducted. It is shown that the mental state of combatants with BMD is characterized by the absence of clinical symptoms, which indicates the effectiveness of the activities. Given the fact that persons who did not receive psycho-prophylactic and rehabilitation aid, a year after participating in the fighting are identified psychosomatic disorders and specific psychopathological symptoms, we have proposed the improvement of methodological approaches to providing them with psychoprophylactic assistance with the development of legislative regulation of complex rehabilitation measures. Keywords: Combatants; Mental disorders; Self-assessment; Stages of rehabilitation

An Internet Resource for Self-Assessment of Mental Health and Health Behavior: Development and Implementation of the Self-Assessment Kiosk.

BackgroundStandardized measurement of physical and mental health is useful for identification of health problems. Personalized feedback of the results can influence health behavior, and treatment outcomes can be improved by monitoring feedback over time. However, few resources are available that are free for users, provide feedback from validated measurement instruments, and measure a wide range of health domains.ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop an internet self-assessment resource that fills the identified gap and collects data to generate and test hypotheses about health, to test its feasibility, and to describe the characteristics of its users.MethodsThe Self-Assessment Kiosk was built using validated health measurement instruments and implemented on a commercial internet survey platform. Data regarding usage and the characteristics of users were collected over 54 weeks. The rate of accrual of new users, popularity of measurement domains, frequency with which multiple domains were selected for measurement, and characteristics of users who chose particular questionnaires were assessed.ResultsOf the 1435 visits, 441 (30.73%) were visiting for the first time, completed at least 1 measure, indicated that their responses were truthful, and consented to research. Growth in the number of users over time was approximately linear. Users were skewed toward old age and higher income and education. Most (53.9%, 234/434) reported at least 1 medical condition. The median number of questionnaires completed was 5. Internal reliability of most measures was good (Cronbach alpha>.70), with lower reliability for some subscales of coping (self-distraction alpha=.35, venting alpha=.50, acceptance alpha=.51) and personality (agreeableness alpha=.46, openness alpha=.45). The popular questionnaires measured depression (61.0%, 269/441), anxiety (60.5%, 267/441), attachment insecurity (54.2%, 239/441), and coping (46.0%, 203/441). Demographic characteristics somewhat influenced choice of instruments, accounting for <9% of the variance in this choice. Mean depression and anxiety scores were intermediate between previously studied populations with and without mental illness. Modeling to estimate the sample size required to study relationships between variables suggested that the accrual of users required to study the relationship between 3 variables was 2 to 3 times greater than that required to study a single variable.ConclusionsThe value of the Self-Assessment Kiosk to users and the feasibility of providing this resource are supported by the steady accumulation of new users over time. The Self-Assessment Kiosk database can be interrogated to understand the relationships between health variables. Users who select particular instruments tend to have scores that are higher than those found in the general population, indicating that instruments are more likely to be selected when they are salient. Self-selection bias limits generalizability and needs to be taken into account when using the Self-Assessment Kiosk database for research. Ethical issues that were considered in developing and implementing the Self-Assessment Kiosk are discussed.

The Self-Assessment Kiosk: Development and implementation of an internet resource for self-assessment of mental health and health behavior that provides personalized feedback

The Self-Assessment Kiosk: Development and implementation of an internet resource for self-assessment of mental health and health behavior that provides personalized feedback

Level of information about gynaecological prevention in teenagers at risk from social exclusion, referred by family court rulings to juvenile attendance centres - a pilot study.

The objective of the study was to present preliminary results of a pilot study concerning the level of knowledge of gynaecological prevention, conducted in teenagers referred by court rulings to a juvenile attendance centre. The instrument was an anonymous survey questionnaire completed by participants in health prevention classes in late 2010 and early 2011. The studied group consisted of teenagers aged 15-17 years (mean age: 15.72 years, median = 16 years, SD = 0.679) who were under probation officers' supervision in the Zamość region of south-eastern Poland. The sample size was 101 persons - 51 boys (50.50%), 50 girls (49.5%). According to the respondents, the most important reasons for seeing a gynaecologist were: menstrual disorders (70.30%), suspicion of pregnancy (63.37%) and pain or burning sensations while urinating (58.42%). The following were regarded as prevalent cancers in women: cancers of the breast (99.01%), cervix (89.1%), and ovaries (62.38%). Over 92% of subjects stated that it was possible to protect oneself from cervical cancer, but only 41.5% of respondents indicated the correct definition of the term 'cytology'. Statistical analysis focused on differences between genders. A higher self-assessment of mental health was shown in boys. Teenagers of similar background may find it more difficult to gain access to knowledge about health prophylaxis, including gynaecological prevention. Efforts should be intensified in order to 'equalize health opportunities' through appropriate preparation of teaching curricula (including health education and philosophy of medicine).