The effect of social determinants of health on quality of life among Afghan refugees in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic:a path analysis

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges in 2020 in the world and Iran. To help vulnerable groups such as refugees during the response and recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying the quality of life (QOL) and its associated factors is helpful. Considering that research in this field is limited, this study evaluated the effect of social determinants of health on the quality of life among Afghan refugees in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 300 Afghan refugees and migrants in Alborz province, Iran, from February to May 2022 using Convenience sampling. Data were completed using the socioeconomic status scale (SES), World Health Organization's quality of life -BREF (WHOQOL), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale—21 Items (DASS-21), and COVID-19 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (COVID-PTSD). In addition, path analysis was applied to evaluate the relationships among the research variables with quality of life. RESULTS: 64.3% of the study participants were male, with a mean of 29.29 ± 9.64 years. The path analysis showed that SES had the most positive relationship (B = .266), and the number of COVID-19 cases had the most negative relationship (B = -.169) with the quality of life from both paths. The self-rated health had the most positive relationship (B = .25), and the DASS score had the most negative relationship (B = -.2) with the quality of life through only one path. Access to medical services was the only variable that indirectly had a positive causal relationship with QOL (B = .044). CONCLUSION: We provided an empirical model that illustrates the relationships between quality of life and social determinants of health among Afghan refugees and migrants during the Covid19 pandemic. The negative emotional states of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DAS) as a mediator play an essential role in the quality of life and other variables

Factors affecting mental health and happiness in the elderly: A structural equation model by gender differences

Abstract Purpose There are few studies on the gender differences in mental health, happiness, and their related factors among the older population through the structural equation model (SEM) in Iran. We conducted this study to evaluate the factors affecting mental health and happiness in the elderly using an SEM by gender differences. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 739 elderly people in 2019 in Karaj, Iran. Sociodemographic, Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (SCL90‐R), and the Oxford Happiness Inventory were applied to evaluate the relationships between happiness, mental health, and sociodemographic factors by using statistical path analysis with Lisrel 8.8 and SPSS‐17. Results Overall, 55.5% of the participants in the study were female. The SCL90 (p value = .000) and happiness (p value = .000) scores showed significant differences between men and women. Fit indices confirmed the high model fitness, desirability, and logical relationships between the variables according to the conceptual model in both men (X2 = 3.2, df = 1) and women (X2 = 5.4, df = 2) groups. According to the path analysis, among the variables that affected happiness just through the direct path, education had the most positive causal relationship in men (B = .13) and women (B = .16), but mental health problems in men (B = −.33) and women (B = −.26), as well as the distance from home to the healthcare center in men (B = −.13) and women (B = −.11), had the most negative causal relationship with happiness respectively. Age was the only variable that was negatively related to happiness through direct and indirect paths in the women (B = −.188). Conclusion We provided an empirical model that illustrates the relationships between happiness, mental health, and related factors in the older population. Gender differences in path analysis showed that age negatively affects the happiness of older women but not men

Clinical and Socio-Demographic Variables Associated With Long COVID-19:A Cross-Sectional Study

Considering the importance of long COVID-19 (LC), this study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical/sociodemographic factors and LC symptoms (LCS). This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 308 people infected with COVID-19 in Alborz, Iran, from April 1 to June 1, 2022. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to measure the association between the LCS with other variables. Overall, 76.6% of participants had at least one LCS. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that females (crude odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.725 [1.42, 5.22]), educated persons (3.747 [1.58, 8.84]), people with a higher number of COVID-19 reinfection (2.280 [1.30, 3.97]), having an underlying disease (1.996 [1.01, 3.93]), and COVID-19 severity (3.321 [1.037, 10.635]) had higher odds of LC than others (all p &lt; .05). Study findings provide additional clinical/sociodemographic data on risk for LC. These data may inform future research and clinical practice for potential risk identification and early intervention.<br/

Unusual Clinical Presentation of a Giant Left Ventricle Hydatid Cyst

A 39-year-old woman was hospitalized in our center due to chest and left shoulder pain. Having a history of tamponade and tuberculosis, she was under treatment for the previous two months. Echocardiography, chest CT and MRI documented intramyocardial and pericardial hydatid cyst which was later confirmed by further pathological studies. Later, the cyst was removed surgically

Full empirical path model between health anxiety, COVID-19 phobia, and social relationsaccording to T-value.

(T-value>1.96 is considered as significant). AGE: Age, PN: Partner number, CN: Child number, HA: Health anxiety, HIVY = HIV duration (year), SES: Socioeconomic status; EDU: Education, SR: Social relations; CPH: COVID-19 phobia.</p