Post-migration stress and mental health among refugees : a population-based survey among refugees from Syria recently resettled in Sweden

Refugees are exposed to several risk factors for mental ill health before, during, and after the migration. While the impact of traumatic experiences on the mental health of refugees is well-known, the effect of adverse experiences and circumstances in the post-migration context have been less investigated, although a shift has been seen in recent years. The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the knowledge on post-migration stress and its associations with mental ill health among refugees. The thesis is based around a cross-sectional and population-based survey among refugees from Syria who were granted permanent residence permit in Sweden between 2011-2013. The objective of Study I was to estimate the prevalence of mental ill health and its associations to potential traumas and post-migration stress among refugees from Syria recently resettled in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 4 000 individuals aged 18-64 years drawn from a sample frame containing all eligible participants. Access to registered-based information enabled the construction of non-response weights. Weighted analyses were conducted to calculate prevalence rates and associations, and associations were investigated through a series of logistic regression analyses. Results indicate that prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and low SWB are highly elevated among refugees from Syria with a majority meeting criteria for at least one of the included measures of mental ill health. Furthermore, experiences of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) before and during the migration as well as experiences of post-migration stress were common. Most types of PTEs and post-migration stress were associated with increased risk for mental ill health. The objective of Study II was to develop and validate the Refugee Post-Migration Stress Scale (RPMS), an instrument for assessing refugee-related post-migration stress. The development was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a preliminary instrument was developed based on a theoretical model of post-migration stress, covering seven hypothesized domains: perceived discrimination, lack of host country specific competences, material and economic strain, loss of home country, family and home country concerns, social strain, and family conflicts. In the second phase, the factorial structure of the instrument was investigated in the context of the survey described in Study I, using Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analyses. The analyses resulted in a 7-factor model of post-migration stress that showed excellent fit to data. The final version of the RPMS contains 21 items for assessing refugee-related post-migration stress across seven domains. Experiences of post-migration stress are common among refugees from Syria recently resettled in Sweden, and as the results in this thesis show, post-migration stress is associated with increased risk for mental ill health. In order to facilitate recovery from traumatic experiences, measures should be taken on a societal level to mitigate the adverse effects of post-migration stress among refugees

Seize the Means of Carbon Removal: The Political Economy of Direct Air Capture

The left must confront the politics of removing carbon from the atmosphere – a topic rapidly making its way to the top of the climate agenda. We here examine the technology of direct air capture, tracing its intellectual origins and laying bare the political economy of its current manifestations. We find a space crowded with ideology-laden metaphors, ample fossil-capital entanglements and bold visions for a new, ethereal frontier of capital accumulation. These diversions must be cut short if a technology with the capacity to help repair at least some climate damage is to be of any use. Only socialising the means of removal will allow this to happen

Forradalmi stratégia egy felmelegedő világban

A globális felmelegedés alapjaiban rengetheti meg a világ társadalmait és ezáltal könnyen lehet majd forradalmak előidézője. Ezek iránya és végkifejlete azonban természetesen nem előre meghatározott, a lehetőségek szerteágazóak. Az alábbi írás történeti példákon – többek közt a szíriai polgárháború és az 1917-es szovjet forradalom elemzésén – keresztül vizsgálja meg a klímaváltozás által kirobbantott forradalmak négy lehetséges forgatókönyvé

Emberi tényező? Az antropocén-narratíva kritikája

Az antropocén-narratíva úgy mutatja be az emberiséget, mint a Föld rendszerét uralma alá hajtó fajt. A klímaváltozás kérdését tekintve eszerint a fosszilis üzemanyagok égetése vissza- vezethető az emberi faj evolúciója során elsajátított képességekre, különösen a tűzhasználatra. De a fosszilis gazdaságot nem az emberiség egésze hozta létre, sem nem az tartja fenn. Ez a vitacikk megkérdőjelezi a faj kategóriájának használatát az antropocén-narratívában, amely nem csupán tudományosan elhibázott, hanem a cselekvést is bénítja. Az emberi fajon belüli egyenlőtlenségek a jelenlegi ökológiai válság szerves részét képezik, ezért ha meg akarjuk érteni ezt a válságot, nem hagyhatjuk ezeket figyelmen kívül

Size-Dependent Electroluminescence and Current-Voltage Measurements of Blue InGaN/GaN µLEDs down to the Submicron Scale

Besides high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with dimensions in the range of mm, micro-LEDs (μLEDs) are increasingly gaining interest today, motivated by the future applications of μLEDs in augmented reality displays or for nanometrology and sensor technology. A key aspect of this miniaturization is the influence of the structure size on the electrical and optical properties of μLEDs. Thus, in this article, investigations of the size dependence of the electro-optical properties of μLEDs, with diameters in the range of 20 to 0.65 μm, by current-voltage and electroluminescence measurements are described. The measurements indicated that with decreasing size leakage currents in the forward direction decrease. To take advantage of these benefits, the surface has to be treated properly, as otherwise sidewall damages induced by dry etching will impair the optical properties. A possible countermeasure is surface treatment with a potassium hydroxide based solution that can reduce such defects

Surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: a nationwide registry-based study with patient-reported outcomes

Purpose To compare patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) following surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) versus those without rheumatic diseases. Methods Data were obtained from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. The primary outcome was change in the Neck Disability Index (NDI) at 1 year. Secondary endpoints included the European Myelopathy Score (EMS), quality of life (EuroQoL-5D [EQ-5D]), numeric rating scales (NRS) for headache, neck pain, and arm pain, and complications. Results Among 905 participants operated between 2012 and 2018, 35 had RA or AS. There were signifcant improvements in all PROMs at 1 year and no statistically signifcant diference between the cohorts in mean change in NDI (−0.64, 95% CI−8.1 to 6.8, P=.372), EQ-5D (0.10, 95% CI−0.04 to 0.24, P=.168), NRS neck pain (−0.8, 95% CI−2.0 to 0.4, P=.210), NRS arm pain (−0.6, 95% CI−1.9 to 0.7, P=.351), and NRS headache (−0.5, 95% CI−1.7 to 0.8, P=.460). Discussion and conclusion Our study adds to the limited available evidence that surgical treatment cannot only arrest further progression of myelopathy but also improve functional status, neurological outcomes, and quality of life in patients with rheumatic disease

Cyclin A1 and P450 aromatase promote metastatic homing and growth of stem-like prostate cancer cells in the bone marrow

Bone metastasis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in prostate cancer (PCa). While cancer stem-like cells have been implicated as a cell of origin for PCa metastases, the pathways which enable metastatic development at distal sites remain largely unknown. In this study, we illuminate pathways relevant to bone metastasis in this disease. We observed that cyclin A1 (CCNA1) protein expression was relatively higher in PCa metastatic lesions in lymph node, lung, and bone/bone marrow. In both primary and metastatic tissues, cyclin A1 expression was also correlated with aromatase (CYP19A1), a key enzyme that directly regulates the local balance of androgens to estrogens. Cyclin A1 overexpression in the stem-like ALDHhigh subpopulation of PC3M cells, one model of PCa, enabled bone marrow integration and metastatic growth. Further, cells obtained from bone marrow metastatic lesions displayed self-renewal capability in colony forming assays. In the bone marrow, Cyclin A1 and aromatase enhanced local bone marrow-releasing factors, including androgen receptor, estrogen and matrix metalloproteinase MMP9 and promoted hte metastatic growth of PCa cells. Moreover, ALDHhigh tumor cells expressing elevated levels of aromatase stimulated tumor/host estrogen production and acquired a growth advantage in the presence of host bone marrow cells. Overall, these findings suggest that local production of steroids and MMPs in the bone marrow may provide a suitable microenvironment for ALDHhigh PCa cells to establish metastatic growths, offering new approaches to therapeutically target bone metastases

Интернет в жизни белорусских и норвежских студентов

Материалы X Международной научной конференции