Stigma and access to care in first-episode psychosis

Aim Mental health‐related stigma is considered a significant barrier to help‐seeking and accessing care in those experiencing mental illness. Long duration of untreated psychosis is associated with poorer outcomes. The impact of stigma on the duration of untreated psychosis, in first‐episode psychosis remains unexplored. To examine the association between mental health‐related stigma and access to care in people experiencing first‐episode psychosis in Birmingham, UK. Methods We collected data on a prospective cohort of first‐episode psychosis. The Stigma Scale was used as a measure of mental health‐related stigma, and duration of untreated psychosis as a measure of delay in accessing care. We performed logistic and linear regression analyses to explore the relationship between mental health‐related stigma and duration of untreated psychosis, adjusting for sex, age, educational level, religion and ethnicity. Results On the 89 participants included in this study, linear regression analysis revealed that overall stigma and the discrimination sub‐factor were significant predictors of longer duration of untreated psychosis, whereas logistic regression identified the disclosure sub‐factor to be a significant predictor of longer duration of untreated psychosis. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that stigmatizing views of mental illness from the patient's perspectives can result in delayed access to care. This emphasizes the importance of tackling mental health‐related stigma to ensure early treatment and improved outcomes for people experiencing first‐episode psychosis

The burden of Hepatitis B and C virus infections in patients with sickle cell anaemia in Jos – Nigeria

Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an important public health problem in Nigeria associated with frequent blood transfusion. Patients with this disease are at increased risk of contracting hepatitis B and C virus through blood transfusions.Objective: The study aimed at determining the burden of hepatitis B and C virus infections in patients with sickle cell anaemia and the role of blood transfusion in these infections acquisition in Jos.Materials and methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted on patients with SCA attending the Haematology Out-patient Clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital,between November 2014 and August 2015.Consenting patients with SCA had their blood screened for anti- HBV and HCV antibodies using fourth generation Elisa techniques after completing a questionnaire.Results: One hundred and eleven patients with SCA participated. Antibodies to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was detected in 21 (18.9%) while that to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was found in 16 (14.7%). Seventy six (68.5%) of the participants had history of blood transfusion while 35 (31.5%) were never transfused. 22.4% and 15.8% of those transfused were positive for HBV and HCV antibodies respectively. There was no significant difference in the proportion of those positive for anti HBV or HCV with respect to their transfusion status (p=0.24 and 0.81 respectively).Conclusion: The proportion of our patients with SCA that were anti HBV and anti-HCV positive was high. Blood transfusion did not significantly influence their positive status. Strategies aimed at controlling these viral infections in these patients and the general population should be enforced after public awareness campaigns and advocacy are instituted.Keywords: Sickle Cell Anaemia, burden, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis CVirus, infection, Blood Transfusio

Gender gap in parental leave intentions: Evidence from 37 countries

This is the final version. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record. Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18–30years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and women’s political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in women’s (rather than men’s) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to men’s higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, men’s leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed.SSHRC Insight Development GrantSSHRC Insight GrantEconomic and Social Research CouncilState Research AgencyGuangdong 13th-five Philosophy and Social Science Planning ProjectNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaSwiss National Science FoundationSwiss National Science FoundationCenter for Social Conflict and Cohesion StudiesCenter for Intercultural and Indigenous ResearchSSHRC Postdoctoral FellowshipSlovak Research and Development AgencySwiss National Science FoundationCanada Research ChairsSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of CanadaOntario Ministry of Research and InnovationHSE University, RFFaculty of Arts, Masaryk Universit

Show me your friends, I'll tell you your emotions:Emotional fit of immigrant‐origin minority youth in cross‐cultural friendship networks

The typical emotional responses to certain types of situations differ across cultures. Being reprimanded by your teacher in front of the class may be cause for anger and indignation among pupils in one cultural context, but for anger, shame, and possibly respect for the teacher among pupils in another cultural context. The consequence for immigrant-origin minorities is that they may not fit the emotions of the majority culture. Previous research has found that minorities who have majority contact have higher emotional fit with the majority culture. In the current study, we suggest that friendships with majority peers are particularly important to minorities' emotional fit. Students (945 minority and 1256 majority) from a representative sample of Belgian middle schools completed a sociometric questionnaire on their classroom friendships and rated their emotional experiences in two situations. Multilevel models yielded higher levels of emotional fit for minority youth with many (vs. few) majority friends as well as for minorities whose majority friends are connected (vs. less connected) to each other, or who are well-connected in the majority peer network. Having majority friends predicted emotional fit over and above majority contact in general

The role of language and cultural engagement in emotional fit with culture: an experiment comparing Chinese-English bilinguals to monolingual Brits and Chinese

The current study investigated to what extent language and culture shape emotional experience. Specifically, we randomly assigned 178 Chinese-English bilinguals to report on emotional situations, cultural exposure, engagement, and language proficiency in either English as a foreign language (LX) or Chinese (L1). We established their fit with both the typical patterns of emotions among British and Chinese monolinguals and predicted these fit indices from the survey language, cultural exposure, and engagement. Whereas monolinguals fitted their own culture’s emotional patterns best, bilinguals fitted both the typical LX and L1 patterns equally well. The survey language affected bilinguals’ emotional fit, but there was no evidence for true frame switching. Rather, bilinguals with low exposure to English encountered a drop in emotional fit when using English. Yet, this negative effect of survey language was buffered when bilinguals had better quality interactions with Westerners that are likely to foster conceptual restructuring in the LX

Indications and outcomes of bone marrow aspiration cytology in a Nigerian tertiary hospital: The Federal Medical Centre, Yola experience

Background: Bone marrow aspiration (BMA) cytology is a useful investigative tool in the diagnosis of haematological and non- haematological disorders. The purpose of this work was to identify the main indications and diagnostic outcomes of BMA cytology in our facility. Methods: A retrospective review of all BMA cytology reports of patients that underwent this procedure in Federal Medical Centre, Yola from January 2018 to December 2019 was carried out. Results: A total of one hundred and four (104) patients underwent BMAs in the period under review. This comprised of 59 (56.7%) males  and 45 (43.3%) females. Their ages ranged between 3 and 82 years with median age of 38 years and interquartile range (IQR): 22-55. The most common clinical indication for BMA was recurrent anaemia which accounted for 64.4% of all indications, while the most frequent diagnostic outcome was Megaloblastic Anaemia accounting for 34.6%. Conclusion: It is concluded that the commonest indication for BMA cytology in our facility is recurrent anaemia. The most frequent  diagnostic outcome is megaloblastic anaemia. Considering its safety and cost-effectiveness, BMA cytology is a valuable diagnostic  procedure among patients presenting with recurrent anaemia in our environmen

Human Immunodeficiency Virus in patients with lymphoma in Jos North-Central Nigeria

Background: Individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have increased risk of developing malignancies including lymphoma despite adequate antiretroviral therapy. The study was conducted with the aim of determining the proportion of adults with HIV-associated lymphoma in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: Consecutive consenting adults diagnosed with lymphoma attending the Haematology clinics of Jos and Bingham University Teaching Hospitals in Jos between February, 2016 and December, 2017had their blood samples screened and confirmed for HIV after completing a questionnaire. Results: Sixty (60) patients which comprised of 37 (61.7%) males and 23 (38.3%) females with lymphoma aged between 18 and 75 years participated. Nine (15.0%) of them were positive for HIV, which comprised of 8 (13.3%) Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) and 1 (1.7%) Hodgkins lymphoma (p = 0.074). Conclusion: The study has demonstrated a high prevalence of HIV infection in patients with lymphoma in Jos. Keywords: Lymphoma, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Jo