Predictors of intimate partner violence among women of reproductive age group from Rwanda

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is an important global health and human rights concern, with significant prevalence in Rwanda. This study aimed to identify predictors of IPV among women of reproductive age in Rwanda, providing essential insights for targeted interventions. Methods Data from the Rwanda Demographic Health and Survey 2019-20, a nationally representative survey, were analyzed. The study included 14,634 women aged 15-49. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis to check the experiences of IPV by background characteristics of the women and logistic regression were used to explore associations between background characteristics and IPV. Results The study revealed that women's educational status, wealth index, witnessing parental violence, husband or partner's drinking habit, and fear of husbands or partners were significantly associated with IPV. Women with higher education and those from wealthier households were less likely to experience IPV. In contrast, women whose partners consumed alcohol and those who feared their partners faced higher risks of IPV. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of addressing social determinants such as education, economic status, and alcohol consumption patterns in efforts to reduce IPV in Rwanda. The findings show up the urgency of comprehensive interventions and policies aimed at promoting gender equality and preventing intimate partner violence.</p

Suicidal behaviour among the university students in the UK: A systematic review

Introduction: Identifying risk factors would help consider suicide prevention in any specific population. We aimed to assess suicidal behaviour among university students in the UK. Methods: An extensive keyword search was conducted through PubMed, Cochrane, CINHAL Plus, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Trip database, and Science Direct, following the PRISMA guidelines to identify different publications. The search strategy for the literature review was based on the Population Exposure Outcome framework. Critical appraisal utilised the CASP tool for cohort studies and the AXIS tool for cross-sectional studies, resulting in 14 included studies. A narrative synthesis was performed. Results: Postgraduate and undergraduate students used different suicidal methods such as poisoning, jumping, hanging, drowning, and suffocating, with jumping most preferred by male students. The predisposing factors of suicide among university students included: mental health problems (depression, psychological stress, psychosis, mania, neuroticism, financial anxiety, imperfect parents’ connection with students), sexual orientation with risk of suicide among nonheterosexual students due to lowered self-esteem from feeling disregarded, disrespected and insufficient attention from the surrounding. Suicidal behaviour was high among unmarried students, male and unemployed female students, and students with childhood experiences such as physical abuse, family violence, emotional abuse, neglect, and physical punishment—gender, with females seeking more services from general hospitals with more suicide attempts in older females. High risk was also noted in males, with increased risk in white students compared to black students. Conclusion: The review highlighted that students with previous mental health problems, a history of experiencing sexual abuse in childhood, bad relationships with their mother, disrespect and disregard in the community due to sexual identity are the major contributing factors for suicide among university students in the UK.</p

The effect of Covid-19 on the mental health of the people in the Indian subcontinent: A scoping review

Background: Indian subcontinent  has high mental heath burden and low resoueces to cope the mental health challenges. Assessment of impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the mental mental healthwould help to prioratize the resource allocations. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people in the Indian subcontinent. Methods: We followed PRISMA guidelines and made a systematic serach in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase to identify the original studies assessing mental health conditions during Covid-19 pandemic in the Indian subcontinent. Results: A total of 34 studies carried out between 2020 and 2022 was included in this review. The prevalence of anxiety disorders varied widely starting from 2.5% among residents of  urban slum in North India to 53% Bangladesh,  21.7% in Pakistan. The prevalence of depression also varied widely starting from 3.5% North India to 29.8% in Pakistan. The prevalence of stress related problem varied from 18.3% in Pakistan to 59.7% in Bangladesh. Female gender, married status, health care workers, and mental illness were the important predicotrs for anxiety and depressive disorders. Conclusion: The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health of people living in Indian subcontinent varies widely based on study population and methods.Therefore, a cautious interpretation is needed while generalizing the study results.</p

The systematic literature review process: a simple guide for public health and allied health students

A literature review is a key part of all academic research that informs researchers of the existing body of knowledge. Reviews conducted systematically are becoming more appealing to the researcher about two reasons. Firstly, they are robust, strong, comprehensive and reproducible and can appropriately serve the background review of any primary research. Secondly, they are qualified to be a stand-alone piece of academic work that contributes to the scientific body of knowledge. Although researchers and students in higher education who wish to write their dissertations are informed about the need for generating a literature review for primary research, when it comes to conducting a full systematic review, they may have some confusion and doubt on the distinction between a traditional literature review and a systematic review. This paper aims to clarify what a systematic review entails and take the readers' attention through the practical steps in conducting a systematic review. So, more of a practical step-by-step guide, rather than theoretical discussion of content, has been included. This paper would benefit early-career researchers, undergraduate students and many post-graduate students who wish to write their papers or dissertations based on a systematic review