Risk and resilience factors for depression and suicidal ideation in Mongolian college students

There were 16 state and 84 private universities in Mongolian and 67% of high school graduates were enrolled in higher levels of education in 2014 (Ministry of education, 2015). Over 67% of total students who enrolled in the higher levels of education were females. This cross-sectional study is a secondary analysis of data from a research project originally designed to describe the overall health and wellness of college students at a technical college in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Discriminant analysis of caregivers' psychiatric symptoms according to offspring psychopathology

Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psiquiatria, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilNew York State Psychiat Inst & Hosp, Div Epidemiol, New York, NY 10032 USAColumbia Univ Coll Phys & Surg, Dept Psychiat, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032 USANew York State Psychiat Inst & Hosp, HIV Ctr Clin & Behav Studies, New York, NY 10032 USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psiquiatria, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Mental Health Research in the Global Era: Training the Next Generation

Psychiatric disorders are among the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet fewer than 25 % of affected individuals are estimated to have access to treatment. In many low-income settings, it is estimated that less than 10 % of affected individuals are able to access basic mental health care and, even when they do, it is often below minimum ethical and clinical standards. The discipline of global mental health is dedicated to reducing mental health disparities within and between countries by preventing mental disorders and improving access to psychiatric treatment, particularly in low-resource settings. The global partnership model for mental health research is based on the idea that investigators from high- and low-resource settings work collaboratively to identify and address barriers and facilitators to mental well-being across diverse settings

HIV/AIDS and Serious Mental Illness: A Risky Conclusion

Letter to the Editor of the journal Psychiatric Services about the conclusions of the October 2012 article "Serious mental illness and risk of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses: an analysis of Medicaid beneficiaries in eight states" published in the journal

Validation of the Mental Illness Sexual Stigma Questionnaire (MISS-Q) in a sample of Brazilian adults in psychiatric care

Objective: We evaluated the psychometric properties of a new instrument "Mental Illness Sexual Stigma Questionnaire" (MISS-Q). Methods: We interviewed 641 sexually active adults (ages 18-80) attending public outpatient psychiatric clinics in Rio de Janeiro about their stigma experiences. Results: Nine factors were extracted through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and labeled: 'individual discrimination by others'; 'staff willingness to talk about sexuality'; 'staff and family prohibitions'; 'sexual devaluation of self'; 'perceived attractiveness'; 'mental illness concealment'; 'perceived sexual role competence'; 'withdrawal'; and 'locus of social-sexual control'. 'Withdrawal' and 'locus of social-sexual control' showed poor psychometric properties and were excluded from further analysis. The remaining seven factors had high factorial loadings (.39 to .86), varying from sufficient to optimal reliability (Ordinal α ranged from .57 to .88), and good convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusions: The resulting MISS-Q is the first instrument assessing mental illness sexual stigma with demonstrated psychometric properties. It may prove useful in reducing stigma, protecting sexual health, and promoting recovery. Keywords: Stigma; psychometric assessment; severe mental illness; sexual and romantic relationships

Mental Illness Sexual Stigma: Implications for Health and Recovery

The majority of people in psychiatric care worldwide are sexually active, and studies have revealed sharply elevated rates of HIV infection in that group compared with the general population. Recovery-oriented treatment does not routinely address sexuality. We examined the relationship between gender, severe mental illness diagnosis, and stigma experiences related to sexuality among people in psychiatric outpatient care. Method: Sexually active adults attending 8 public outpatient psychiatric clinics in Rio de Janeiro (N = 641) were interviewed for psychiatric diagnosis and stigma experiences. Stigma mechanisms well-established in the literature but not previously examined in relation to sexuality were measured with the Mental Illness Sex Stigma Questionnaire, a 27-item interview about stigma in sexual situations and activities. Results: Experiences of stigma were reported by a majority of participants for 48% of questionnaire items. Most people reported supportive attitudes toward their sexuality from providers and family members. Those with severe mental illness diagnoses showed greater stigma on individual discrimination and structural stigma mechanisms than did those with nonsevere mental illness diagnoses, whereas there was no difference on the social psychological processes (internalized stigma) mechanism. Regardless of diagnosis or gender, a majority of participants devalued themselves as sexual partners. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Adults in psychiatric outpatient care frequently reported stigma experiences related to aspects of their sexual lives. From the perspectives of both HIV prevention and recovery from mental illness, examinations of the consequences of stigma in the sexual lives of people in psychiatric care and improving their measurement would have wide applicability

Burnout syndrome and coping strategies in Portuguese oncology health care providers

Background Burnout is a multidimensional syndrome and includes symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment at work. Oncology health care providers are at high risk to develop symptoms of burnout because of work-related stressors. Adaptive coping strategies adopted to deal with stressors may prevent the development of burnout. Objective The present study aims to assess the association between burnout, functional coping strategies, and occupational factors in a sample of oncology providers, mostly nurses. Methods Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Problem Solving Inventory “Inventário de Resolução de Problemas” were administered. Descriptive, correlational, and linear regression analyses were performed. Results The study showed that emotional exhaustion correlated with lower levels of adaptive coping, less years of experience in Oncology, and a greater amount of hours worked per week. Personal accomplishment was associated with the adaptive coping strategies. No further statistically significant associations were identified. Discussion Our findings support the importance of adaptive coping strategies in order to prevent symptoms of burnout when health professionals face potentially stressful occupational factors. Training aimed at improving adaptive coping skills may prevent burnout syndrome for health care professionals working in Oncology

Perceived Mental Illness Stigma Among Youth in Psychiatric Outpatient Treatment

This research explores the experiences of mental illness stigma in 24 youth (58.3% male, 13–24 years, 75% Latino) in psychiatric outpatient treatment. Using Link and Phelan’s (2001) model of stigmatization, we conducted thematic analysis of the interview texts, examining experiences of stigma at individual and structural levels, in addition to the youths’ social-psychological processes. Youth in psychiatric treatment acknowledged that their larger cultural context holds pejorative viewpoints toward those with mental illness and reported experiences of stigma within their families and social networks. Our results also offer insight into the social-psychological processes of stigma, highlighting how labeling may influence their self-concept and the strategies in which youth engage to manage a stigmatized identity. We discuss differences in stigma experiences by gender, age, and diagnosis. Findings provide new information on the stigma experiences of youth in psychiatric treatment and suggest that a multilevel approach to reduce stigma is warranted