5 research outputs found
Help-Seeking Behavior for Mental Health Concerns among Indian young adults
One in seven Indians suffer from mental illness. However, there exists a wide gap between the incidence of mental illness and the treatment thereof. This is attributable to the stigma against mental health concerns in Indian society (Böge et al., 2018; Gaiha et al., 2020). While there exists research on mental health stigma and its associations in the Indian context, the psychological variables that underlie the stigma of help-seeking behavior have not been thoroughly investigated. Further, amongst the existent literature that focuses on stigma and barriers to help-seeking behavior, majority has been conducted in Western contexts and prior to the COVID-19-pandemic, limiting their generalizability to a culturally unique South Asian context. This study assesses the relationship between Help-Seeking Behaviour and Perceived Public Stigma, Personal Stigma, Self-Stigma, Gender, Gender Conformity, and Patriarchal Belief System amongst urban Indian young adults. Additionally, it investigates the factors that facilitate seeking help from faith-based mental healthcare services. The study employs a quantitative, cross-sectional, and exploratory approach. A sample of N = 150 (age 18-25 years) was recruited via convenience snowball sampling and filled out an online survey. Results indicated that Self-Stigma and Gender are significant predictors of Help-Seeking Behavior. Gender Conformity and Patriarchal Belief System did not moderate the relationship between the predictor variables and Help-Seeking Behavior. Further, Religiosity was a significant predictor of utilizing faith-based services. âSense of hopeâ and âtrusted sources of recommendation from friends/familyâ were identified as the strongest motivators for utilizing faith-based services. Insights obtained from this study will inform future research and will aid in designing targeted interventions that tackle help-seeking barriers
A systematic review exploring the effectiveness of body image interventions among boys
Body image concerns significantly impact boysâ physical and mental health. While several reviews synthesize evidence on body image interventions for mixed-gender adolescents, a systematic review exclusively focusing on boys is currently missing. Thus, this systematic review synthesizes evidence on universal psychosocial interventions targeting body image among boys and identifies effective approaches for enhancing their body image. Searches were conducted across seven databases until February 2024. Forty-one studies were included and assessed for quality across domains such as selection bias, study design, and methods. Three studies exclusively targeted boys, while 38 involved mixed-gender groups. Multiple therapeutic approaches were used across the interventions, including media literacy, socio-cognitive approaches, combined cognitive dissonance and media literacy, positive body image, compassion and mindfulness, and other approaches, with no single approach proving universally effective. Some promise for interventions employing positive body image and embodiment techniques was noted. Few interventions showed effectiveness on boysâ body image but most benefited girls. Further, findings were inconsistent across outcomes, with lower-quality studies driving evidence of effectiveness. These findings highlight that the effectiveness of current body image interventions among boys is inconclusive, emphasizing the urgent need for improvement or development of new interventions tailored specifically to address boysâ body image concerns
âChange needs to start at homeâ: A reflexive thematic analysis of girl athletesâ and coachesâ experiences of body image in New Delhi, India
Despite the physical, psychological, and social health benefits of sport participation, multiple barriers keep girls and women on the margins of sport in India. Further, body image concerns are implicated globally as a hindrance to sports engagement among adolescents but are rarely acknowledged in India. Due to a lack of research, the unique restrictions to sport participation faced by girls in India are yet to be understood. Drawing on the Sociocultural Theory of Body Image, this study explored the intersection of body image and sports from the perspectives of Indian athletes and coaches. Twelve athletes (girls aged 11â17 years; football n = 6, netball n = 6) and six coaches (football n = 3, netball n = 3) from New Delhi, India, participated in semi-structured focus groups. Reflexive thematic analysis was used and we formulated three themes: 1) âTo Do What We Love, We Must Struggleâ; 2) âWhat Will People Say?â; and 3) âHold On To Your Power, Be Youâ. The themes provide a nuanced understanding of the experiences of athletes and coaches on and off the playing field. The findings shed light on several individual and systemic factors, such as harassment, societal norms, feelings of empowerment, and internalising appearance ideals, that impact girlsâ engagement with sport in New Delhi, India. Methods to improve sports engagement, discrepancies between athlete and coach perspectives, and recommendations for sports organisations to combat body image concerns and improve sports uptake among girls in an Indian setting are discussed
The role of psychological flexibility, perceived injustice and body image in Vulvodynia : A longitudinal study
Background Women with Vulvodynia experience pain, related impacts on sex and daily functioning, and depression. While psychosocial factors are associated with outcomes in Vulvodynia, longitudinal data are limited, especially in mixed/spontaneous Vulvodynia. Broad psychological models such as psychological flexibility (PF) and content-specific factors, such as body-exposure anxiety (BEA) and avoidance during sexual activities and perceived injustice, have not been adequately investigated in Vulvodynia. The aim of this study was to explore whether these factors assessed at baseline predict pain severity, pain interference, sexual functioning and satisfaction and depression 3 months later. Methods A longitudinal study of 349 women with Vulvodynia was conducted. Participants completed online self-report measures of pain-related and sexual outcomes, depression, BEA, perceived injustice and facets of PF (present moment awareness, pain acceptance, committed action) at baseline and after 3 months, overlapping with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Results Seventy percent of women responded at both assessments (n = 244). There were significant decreases in pain severity, pain interference, present moment awareness, committed action and a significant increase in depression at 3 months. All the baseline psychosocial factors significantly correlated with at least one outcome at 3 months. When adjusting for baseline outcome and demographics, committed action significantly positively predicted depression at 3 months and pain acceptance significantly positively predicted pain interference at 3 months. Conclusions Among women with Vulvodynia, pain acceptance and committed action are prospectively associated with pain interference and depression. The reliability and generalizability of these results needs to be established given the overlap with the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should investigate whether targeting these factors enhances outcomes in Vulvodynia. Significance This longitudinal study explored the role of PF, perceived injustice and body image during sexual activities in predicting pain severity, pain interference, sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction and depression in women with Vulvodynia. The study findings reveal that two facets of PF (committed action and pain acceptance) predicted pain interference and depression over time. It may be important to incorporate these processes in treatments developed for Vulvodynia
Evaluating a school-based body image lesson in Indonesia: A randomised controlled trial.
Negative body image is a common public health concern among adolescents, globally. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness, implementation fidelity, and acceptability of a single session, school-based universal body image intervention in Indonesia. A total of 1926 adolescents (59.4 % girls) and 12 school guidance counsellors (lesson facilitators) from nine state junior secondary schools in Surabaya, East Java took part in a two-arm open parallel cluster randomised controlled trial. In response to the changing circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, half of the lessons were conducted in person and half were delivered online. Results showed that the lesson did not significantly improve adolescent body image or secondary outcomes relative to the control, though there was no evidence of harm. There were no substantive findings regarding intervention effectiveness by gender. The mode of intervention delivery (online vs. in-person) did not significantly influence the main findings. Implementation fidelity varied widely, and the lesson content and pedagogy were largely acceptable, though there was a strong preference for in-person lesson delivery. Findings have implications for researchers aiming to improve adolescent body image in low- and middle-income countries. Lessons learned can inform future school-based efforts to support adolescent body image. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.