A comparison of depression, stress and self-image between younger and older adolescent mothers

Adolescent pregnancy is a major social problem which results in negative psychological, medical, developmental, economic and educational consequences for both mother and child. A review of the literature examined psychological and sociocultural factors and negative consequences associated with adolescent pregnancy. There has been little research on age specific differences between adolescent mothers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether significant differences in depression (Ho1), self-image (Ho2) and parenting stress (Ho3) existed between younger and older adolescent mothers. Thirty three adolescent mothers between the ages of 15 and 21 participated in the study. An Analysis of variance was used to determine whether significant differences existed and correlation coefficients were also calculated. Significant differences in depression, self-image and parenting stress were found and all three hypotheses were rejected. Mid-adolescent mothers were significantly less depressed than mothers in the other age groups. Younger mothers felt less competent and less able to cope than older mothers. They experienced parenting as more stressful and were less attached to their children. Younger mothers also reported the lowest levels of emotional health and were most at risk for developing psychological problems. In contrast, older mothers were more competent but felt more tied down, isolated and dissatisfied with their social relationships than younger mothers. Depression and stress were correlated with isolation, poor health and poor family relationships. The results of this study point to the need to screen adolescent mothers for emotional and psychological problems, especially depression and stress, and to provide appropriate counseling services to address these needs. Furthermore, since the needs of adolescent mothers vary according to their age and stage of development, programs that serve adolescent mothers should be tailored to meet the specific developmental needs of each age group

Distribution and evolution of acute interventional ischemic stroke treatment in Germany from 2010 to 2016

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is a new evidence-based treatment option for large vessel occlusion in the anterior brain circulation. Using comprehensive administrative data from Germany, we analysed the nationwide development of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and MT in Germany between 2010 and 2016. Methods: We considered all documented cases (n = 1,515,634) with a main diagnosis of the ICD-10-GM code I63 (ischemic stroke) and identified specific stroke recanalization therapy by using the corresponding Operating and Procedure Key for systemic thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy out of the DRG statistics. Regional analyses are based on data from the 413 German administrative districts and cities and the obligatory quality reports of all hospitals. We distinguished between rates of MT related to place of residence of patients and place of treatment. Results: Coded ischemic strokes increased by 10.2% from 2010 (n = 206.688) to 2016 (n = 227.687). The rate of IVT increased from 8.9% in 2010 to 14.9% in 2016 and the rate of MT increased from 0.8% in 2010 to 4.7% in 2016 with a strong increase in 2015 and 2016. There was a high regional variability of MT according to place of residence of patients between 0 and 11.2% in 2016 with significant lower treatment rates in rural compared to urban areas (3.8 vs 5.4%). Mean age of patients treated with MT increased from 67.8 years in 2010 to 73.3 years in 2016 and almost reached the mean age of IVT treated patients (74.4 years). The number of hospitals coding MT increased from 91 to 193 from 2010 to 2016, but 80% of all MT procedures were performed in neurointerventional centers with ≥50 procedures/year in 2016. Conclusions: The rate of IVT in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Germany continues to rise and has reached 14.9% nationwide. The increase of MT is even more pronounced and was triggered by the evidence after publication of the MT randomized trials. There is still a high regional variability with significant lower MT rates in rural areas

Comparing counselling alone versus counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app for university students experiencing anxiety or depression (CASELOAD): protocol for a feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND: University counselling services face a unique challenge to offer short-term therapeutic support to students presenting with complex mental health needs and in a setting which suits the academic timetable. The recent availability of mobile phone applications (apps) offers an opportunity to supplement face-to-face therapy and has the potential to reach a wider audience, maintain engagement between therapy sessions, and enhance therapeutic outcomes. The present study, entitled Counselling plus Apps for Students Experiencing Levels of Anxiety or Depression (CASELOAD), aims to explore the feasibility of supplementing counselling with guided use of a well-being app. METHODS/DESIGN: Forty help-seeking university students (aged 18 years and over) with symptoms of moderate anxiety or depression will be recruited from a University Counselling Service (UCS) in the United Kingdom (UK). Participants will be recruited via counsellors who provide the initial clinical assessment and who determine treatment allocation to one of two treatments on the basis of client-treatment fit. The two conditions comprise (1) counselling alone (treatment as usual/TAU) or (2) counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app (enhanced intervention). Trained counsellors will deliver up to six counselling sessions in each treatment arm across a 6-month period, and the session frequency will be decided by client-counsellor discussion. Assessments will occur at baseline, every counselling session, post-intervention (3 months after consent) and follow-up (6 months after consent). Assessments will include clinical measures of anxiety, depression, psychological functioning, specific mental health concerns (e.g. academic distress and substance misuse), resilience and therapeutic alliance. The usage, acceptability, feasibility and potential implications of combining counselling with guided use of the well-being app will be assessed through audio recordings of counselling sessions, telephone interviews with participants, focus groups with counsellors and counsellor notes. DISCUSSION: This study will inform the design of a randomised pilot trial and a definitive trial which aim to improve therapy engagement, reduce dropout and enhance clinical outcomes of student counselling. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN55102899

Mental health and behaviour of students of public health and their correlation with social support: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Future public health professionals are especially important among students partly because their credibility in light of their professional messages and activities will be tested daily by their clients; and partly because health professionals' own lifestyle habits influence their attitudes and professional activities. A better understanding of public health students' health and its determinants is necessary for improving counselling services and tailoring them to demand. Our aim was to survey public health students' health status and behaviour with a focus on mental health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out among public health students at 1-5-years (<it>N </it>= 194) with a self-administered questionnaire that included standardized items on demographic data, mental wellbeing characterized by sense of coherence (SoC) and psychological morbidity, as well as health behaviour and social support. Correlations between social support and the variables for mental health, health status and health behaviour were characterized by pairwise correlation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The response rate was 75% and represented students by study year, sex and age in the Faculty. Nearly half of the students were non-smokers, more than one quarter smoked daily. Almost one-fifth of the students suffered from notable psychological distress. The proportion of these students decreased from year 1 to 5. The mean score for SoC was 60.1 and showed an increasing trend during the academic years. 29% of the students lacked social support from their student peers. Significant positive correlation was revealed between social support and variables for mental health. Psychological distress was greater among female public health students than in the same age female group of the general population; whereas the lack of social support was a more prevalent problem among male students.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Health status and behaviour of public health students is similar to their non-students peers except for their worse mental health. Future public health professionals should be better prepared for coping with the challenges they face during their studies. Universities must facilitate this process by providing helping services targeted at those with highest risk, and developing training to improve coping skills. Social support is also a potentially amenable determinant of mental health during higher education.</p

Determination of nutrient salts by automatic methods both in seawater and brackish water: the phosphate blank

9 páginas, 2 tablas, 2 figurasThe main inconvenience in determining nutrients in seawater by automatic methods is simply solved: the preparation of a suitable blank which corrects the effect of the refractive index change on the recorded signal. Two procedures are proposed, one physical (a simple equation to estimate the effect) and the other chemical (removal of the dissolved phosphorus with ferric hydroxide).Support for this work came from CICYT (MAR88-0245 project) and Conselleria de Pesca de la Xunta de GaliciaPeer reviewe

Synthesis and Comparison of Various 6-aryldibenzo[b,d]pyrylium salts

Color poster with text, images, and photographs.Our objective is to synthesize different 6-aryldibenzo [b,d]pyrylium salts. By varying the R groups, we can examine the communication between electron donors and acceptors across extended ring systems.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs; Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement; American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fun

The mental health needs of today’s college students: Challenges and recommendations

This paper reviews the literature on the changing mental health needs of todays college students and the challenges posed by both the growing number of students with serious psychological problems on campus and the increase in the number of students seeking counseling. The implications of student mental health problemsfor students,faculty, staff, and the institution are discussed, as well as some strategiesfor responding to the surge in mental health needs on college campuses. The mission of university and college counseling centers is to &quot;assist students to define and accomplish personal, academic, and career goals by providing developmental, preventive, and remedial counseling (CAS, 1999, p. 67). Traditionally, the emphasis has been on developmental and preventive counseling. However, the role and function of college counseling centers continues to evolve and change in response to a variety of social, political, and economic factors (CAS, 1999); and to the momentous changes in the demographics of today&apos; college student population, perhaps the greatest change in higher education in recent years (Levine &amp; Cureton, 1998a). Today&apos;s college students are increasingly diverse: 30 % are minorities, 20 % are foreign born or first generation, 55 % are female, and 44 % of all undergraduates are over the age of 25 (Choy, 2002). Martha Anne Kitzrow, Ph.D is a licensed psychologist with the rank of professor a