The role of infant's gender and other psycho-ocial variables on women with postpartum depression in Jos, Nigeria

Background: The preference for male child abounds in many cultures across the globe and not having a male child serves as a source of worry for a woman in the postpartum period which might contribute to depression. There is dearth of  information on the role of infant's gender and other psycho-social factors associated with pregnancy and postpartum depression in Jos Nigeria.Aim: This study aimed to determine the association between the role of infant's gender and other psychosocial factors, and postpartum depression.Methods: Five hundred and fifty women were recruited in a cross sectional study that involved a two stage procedure in a Tertiary Hospital in Jos, Nigeria. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire and the Depression Module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I Diagnosis (SCID) were used.Results: One hundred and sixteen (21.8%) participants were found to have  postpartum depression among the study population. Though the gender of the infant was not statistically associated with postpartum depression, however, the expected gender of baby by both parents [new mothers (p=0.002) and spouses (p<0.001)] were significantly associated with postpartum depression among participants.Conclusion: The infant's gender expectation from both parents could serve as a determinant for postpartum depression of women of childbearing age.KeyWords: Infant's Gender, Psycho-Social Variables, Postpartum Depressio

Psychoactive substance dependence in females. A three year review of patients on admission at an addiction treatment centre in north central Nigeria

Background: Psychoactive Substance dependence is a chronic and relapsing brain disorder characterized by uncontrollable drug use despite negative physical, social and psychological consequences. Although regarded as a mainly male affair in the past, recent trends indicate that more females are becoming involved.Materials and Method: Data was collected from the case notes of all patients admitted into Centre for Addiction treatment Vom between January 2014 and December 2016 . Data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 .Results: There was a progressive increase in the number of female admissions. Their ages range from 16 to 47 years and 88.9 % were multiple substance abusers. Psycho-stimulants were the commonest substance of abuse among the females with a high rate of abuse of prescription medications, the commonest being tramadol. Injecting drug use was uncommon.Conclusion: Females are increasingly becoming involved in substance use.Keywords: Psychoactive substance dependence, females, admission, drug treatment centre, North central Nigeri

Sociodemographic predictors of depression among survivors of armed conflict with posttraumatic stress disorder in Dogonahawa, north central Nigeria

Background: Survivors of mass violence are at high risk of developing a wide range of psychological disorders. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of trauma in post conflict low-income countries where armed conflict abounds.Objective: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of comorbid  depression among victims of armed- conflict in Dogonahawa, north-central Nigeria who developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and those who did not. It also assessed the socio-demographic predictors for comorbid depression among those who developed PTSD.Method: A cross-sectional study that employed a multi stage sampling technique to select eligible subjects in Dogonahawa, north-central Nigeria. The PTSD module of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to assess for current symptoms of PTSD, while the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to assess for depression.Results: The results showed that 55.5% and 44.7% of the respondents had PTSD and PTSD with comorbid depression respectively. The difference in prevalence was statistically significant with adults diagnosed with PTSD in this community being significantly more likely to experience comorbid depression than those without PTSD (p< 0.001). Being a female gender and being the head of household were found to be the predictors for comorbid depression among respondents with PTSD.Conclusions: Mental health consequences of conflict continued to endure four years after the armed conflict. In the light of the above, mental health emergency  interventions after exposure to traumatic event need to be developed to enhance healing and recovery.KeyWords: PTSD, co-morbid depression, sociodemographic predictors, depression, Armed, Conflict, Dogonahaw

Binge drinking and sexual assault among women in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

Background: Alcohol related sexual assault is a growing epidemic world wide that affects mainly women. There is urgent need to empower women to identify behaviors and situations that may predispose them to sexual victimization.Objectives: The study was carried out to determine the relationship between binge drinking and sociodemographic factors. It also assessed the relationship between binge drinking and sexual assault.Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in Jos North Local Government Area from March to July, 2017. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select 272 participants aged 18 years and above who consented after obtaining ethical approval.Results: The total numbers of participants were 272 females with an age range of 18-60 years. The mean age was 28.8 ± 8.6 years. The socio-demographic variables significantly associated with binge drinking were marital status (X2 = 9.847, DF = 2, p = 0.007), educational status (X2 = 10.684, DF = 3, p = 0.014) and employment status (X2= 5.122, DF = 1, p = 0.024). Binge drinking was significantly associated with sexual assault (X2 = 10.732, DF = 1, p = 0.001). Previously married were significantly more likely to binge drink compared with never married and married. Those with no formal education were more likely to binge drink compared to those with tertiary education while the unemployed were less likely to binge drink compared with the employed. The sexually assaulted (P = 0.01, OR = 2.429, CI = 1.419-4.157) were 2 times more likely to binge drink.Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between binge drinking with marital status, employment, lower level of education and sexual assault. Women should be provided with information about the safe level of alcohol consumption and the many consequences of heavy drinking including sexual assault.Keywords: Binge drinking, women, sexual assault, socio-demographic, Jo

Posttraumatic stress disorder among internally displaced victims of Boko Haram terrorism in north-eastern Nigeria

Background: A large number of youth are often directly involved in armed-conflict, and therefore are at greater risk of developing a wide range of mental disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However little is known about the prevalence of PTSD among youth who constitute a large work force.Objective: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder among Internally Displaced youth exposed to Boko Haram terrorism in North-Eastern Nigeria. It also assessed the socio-demographic factors associated with PTSD in this population.Method: A cross-sectional study that employed a consecutive sampling technique to select eligible subjects undergoing a Citizenship and leadership training at Citizenship and Leadership training institute Jos, Plateau State. The posttraumatic stress disorder module of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess for current symptoms of PTSD.Results: The results show that more than two-third of the respondents were unemployed youth with secondary level of education and had low or no stable income. More than 63% of the respondents were diagnosed with PTSD. Educational status (p=0.002), marital status (p=0.001) and income before displacement (p=0.010) were the significant factors associated with PTSD.Conclusions: The results point to the importance of screening and treatment for traumatic armed conflict victims, with particular attention to youth who had low education and low income levels as well as being never married or widowed.Keywords: PTSD, sociodemographic factors, Bokoharam terrorism, North Eastern Nigeri

Postnatal quality of life - A content analysis of qualitative results to the Mother-Generated Index.

BACKGROUND: The Mother-Generated Index (MGI) assesses postnatal quality of life (QoL) without providing a predefined checklist, thus offering mothers the opportunity to identify areas of life affected by having a baby. AIM: To identify: (a) details and particularities of areas of life affected after childbirth and thus specific domains defining postnatal quality of life; (b) changes in the importance of domains specifying QoL within the first weeks postpartum; and (c) the potential role of cultural differences with regard to the nature of QoL definitions. METHODS: Prospective, cross-cultural, longitudinal survey. We applied a qualitative content analysis to Mother-Generated Index data collected in Switzerland and Germany using combined deductively and inductively category building. RESULTS: Women participated at three days (n=124) and six and a half weeks (n=82) postpartum. Eleven domains were identified, each with several subdomains: 'physical well-being' (e.g. fatigue), 'psychological well-being' (e.g. happiness, emotional confusion), 'general well-being', 'motherhood' (e.g. bonding with the baby), 'family and partnership' (e.g. time for partner and children), 'social life' (e.g. friends, being isolated), 'everyday life' (e.g. organisation daily routine), 'leisure' (e.g. less time), 'work life' (e.g. worries about job), 'financial issues' (e.g. less money), and further aspects. The most frequently indicated domains were 'motherhood' and 'family and partnership'. Differences between the stages of assessment and countries were identified. DISCUSSION: Mothers faced challenges in defining their new role but welcomed the slowdown in the rhythm of life and experienced overwhelming maternal feelings. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that postnatal quality of life is a concept that changes over time and differs between countries

Health workers’ attitude towards children and adolescents with mental illness in a teaching hospital in north-central Nigeria

Objective: Public stigma against mental illness is well studied. However, there is a dearth of research into health workers’ attitude towards children and adolescents with mental illness, especially in lowand middle income countries such Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 395 health workers in a Teaching Hospital in North-Central Nigeria. Participants were selected by random sampling from clinical and non-clinical departments. Participants completed questionnaires to assess stigma, knowledge, personal contact, previous training, and exposure to religious teaching on child and adolescent mental illness (CAMI).Results: The response rate was 90%. Many health workers (42%) indicated that affected children should not play with other children, 38% would feel ashamed if a child in their family had mental illness, 42% would be concerned if their child sat with an affected child, and 27% would be afraid to speak to a child or adolescent with mental illness. Independent predictors of negative attitudes were: poor knowledge, exposure to religious teaching that affected children are possessed or dangerous, and being from a non-medical professional group.Conclusion: CAMI is stigmatised by health workers in this specialist Hospital in Nigeria. Urgent intervention is required to avoid adverse impact on affected children

Association between the types of offence, demographic profile, and level of intoxication among substance abusing violent offenders in a Nigerian prison

The association between substance use and criminality can be deduced from the acknowledgment of the increase of what are commonly called drug-defined offences, and those offences committed while under the influence of drug and/or alcohol. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of substance use disorder, the relationship between type of crime and demographic profile, and the relationship between offence committed and degree of intoxication with alcohol and illegal drugs at the time of crime among convicted and awaiting trial violent offenders. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 432 male inmates either convicted or awaiting trial in Jos maximum security prison, Plateau state. They completed a pro forma questionnaire containing their demographic and forensic profiles. They were screened with self-administered General Health Questionnaire item 28 and interviewed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview questionnaire. The prevalence of substance use disorder was 54% (233). A significant correlation was found between type of offence committed and intoxication with substance at the time of crime (odds ratio = 0.3003; P= 0.001). High prevalence of substance use disorder was found among violent offenders in the prison

Functional disability as a measure of severity in depressive disorders

Background: Good level of functioning is an asset that individuals have used to create wealth and perform social activities. Depressive disorders, no matter how mild, have a negative toll on how individuals perform or enjoy such social or economic endowments. The study was aimed at determining the relationship between severity of depression and global functioning.Methods: The cross-sectional study included 100 depressed adult outpatients. A variety of measures including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to diagnose depression while the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale were used to rate the severity of depression and measure the degree of functioning respectively.Results: Forty-two percent of the study participants were still depressed. Out of this number, 47.6% were in remission, 40.5% had mild symptoms while 7.1% and 4.8% had moderate and severe depressive symptoms respectively. Majority (93.1%) of those who had achieved full remission exhibited superior functioning compared to those who were still experiencing one symptom or the other. A statistically significant association (p<0.001) was found between severity of depression and level of functioning.Conclusion: Severe depression is associated with poor functioning among patients. Functional improvement should therefore be one of the targets of treatment by physicians.Key words: Functioning; Severity; Depressive disorder

Prevalence and Psychosocial Consequences of Rape in Jos, North–Central Nigeria

Background: Rape is common throughout the world. It is often under-reported by victims and their families for fear of social stigma and cultural sanctions. Several studies have revealed that majority of rape victims are females, with males being the most perpetrators.Objectives: The study was aimed at determining the prevalence of rape and to examine the psychological and social consequences as well as responses to rape by the victim, the family and society.Methods and Materials: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 284 respondents from 4 communities in Jos, Plateau State Capital, Nigeria. A semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire was used to collect participants’ socio-demographic data while a questionnaire on rape designed by the authors was used to enquire about rape and other associated factors. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) questionnaire was used to determine the psychological consequences of rape.Results: The result revealed a rape prevalence of 31.0% (28.2% in females and 2.8% among males). Rape was statistically associated with young victims (P<0.001). Majority (59.1%) of the victims were raped before 16 years of age. Rape by neighbors/family friends accounted for 50% of all cases involving female victims while that by strangers was 15%. A large proportion (63,6%) of the victims were raped once, 13.6% were raped more than thrice. All female victims were raped through the vagina (81.2% with penis and 18.8% by fingering). The male victims were raped with penis through anal orifice. Only 9.2% were gang raped. About two-thirds of the victims did not report to anyone, but, 36.4% did so. As high as 49.8% of the respondents believed there was no justification for anyone to rape another person just as others cited seductive dressing, substance abuse, and moral decadence as factors that contribute to the offence. Negative psychological and social consequences such as depression, anxiety, post –traumatic stress disorder, social isolation, loss of trust etc were found to be associated with rape. Conclusion: The study showed that rape is a serious problem in our community and therefore urgent measures must be put in place to deal with its increasing prevalence and consequences