Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Apr 2012
Depressive symptoms and suicide in 56,000 older Chinese: a Hong Kong cohort study.
To examine dose-response associations between depressive symptoms and suicide and modification effects of sex, age and health status in older Chinese. ⋯ Depressive symptoms predict higher suicide risk in older Chinese in a dose-response pattern. These associations were not attenuated by adjustment for health status, suggesting that depressive symptoms in older people are likely to be an independent causal factor for suicide. The GDS score showed no threshold in predicting suicide risk, suggesting that older people with low GDS scores deserve further attention and those with very high scores need urgent intervention.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Apr 2012
Predicting community violence from patients discharged from acute mental health units in England.
To investigate the validity of risk factors and established risk measures in predicting community violence in an acute mental health sample up to 20 weeks post-discharge. ⋯ The risk factors and risk measures that have been found to be predictive in forensic samples are also predictive in acute mental health samples, although the effects are not as large. Future research needs to be conducted with a larger sample to include investigation of differences in risk factors based on gender and social support. Services and clinicians need to consider how to integrate findings into useful frameworks to support decisions and contribute to managing risk. This should assist in identifying interventions aimed at preventing community violence.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Apr 2012
Perceived needs, self-reported health and disability among displaced persons during an armed conflict in Nepal.
Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in low-income countries and have experienced war. Few studies have assessed their psychosocial needs and disability. We carried out a comprehensive assessment of perceived needs, self-reported health, and disability among IDPs in Nepal and examined factors associated with disability. ⋯ The reporting of findings only about psychiatric symptoms is insufficient in studying the mental health of displaced and potentially traumatized populations living in low-income countries. Assessments of perceived needs and factors associated with disability give a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying needs among crisis populations, and this can inform intervention programs. Depression and anxiety should be treated effectively to avoid disability.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Mar 2012
Prevalence, symptom patterns and comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care in Qatar.
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in a Qatari population who attend the primary health care settings and examine their symptom patterns and comorbidity. ⋯ The findings of this study revealed that depression was more prevalent in the Qatari population than anxiety disorders. Women were likelier than men to have depression and anxiety disorders. The high-risk groups of depression and anxiety disorders were female gender, being married, middle aged, and highly educated.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Jan 2012
Prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among a nationwide sample of Arab high school students: association with family characteristics, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and quality of life.
The objectives were first, to assess the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among a stratified random sample of Kuwaiti high school students and second, to explore the association of child abuse with parental characteristics, subjective quality of life (QOL), self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. ⋯ The findings support the impression that, despite the conservative culture, child abuse is being experienced by a significant number of children in the Arab world. Preventive education in this culture should include limits on child disciplinary measures, the vulnerable groups identified, the impact on psychosocial functioning, and the protective effect of parental harmony.