OBJECTIVE

The competence of health workers to attend to vulnerable and marginalized populations is critical to health equity. The study determines the competence of physicians in providing health care to LGBT adolescents in a national tertiary hospital.

METHODOLOGY

All physicians from the departments of Pediatrics and Family and Community Medicine were recruited. An electronic form collected demographic data and responses to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBTDOCSS).Theresponsesweresummarizedandanalyzed.

RESULTS

Most respondents are male, with a mean age of 34.21 years. They are mainly staff of the Department of Pediatrics and post- residency fellows. Not all recall their participation in gender sensitivity training. They report scores towards the higher end of the scale: an overall score of 5.27 and mean subscale scores of 4.43 for clinical preparedness, 6.13 for attitudinal awareness, and 5.24 for basic knowledge. The heterogeneity and pertinacity of their experiences with LGBT individuals mediate their attitudinal awareness. Attaining the level of consultant suggests a better understanding of barriers and disparities against LGBT individuals. The tool has good internal reliability.

CONCLUSION

The demographic profile of the respondents suggests their involvement in healthcare, continuing education, and staff development. They report adequate competence in providing health care to LGBT adolescents.

Human ; Adolescent ; Competence ; Mental Competency ; Healthcare ; Delivery Of Health Care

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health issue with profound physical, psychological, and social consequences. Despite legislative measures in the Philippines, there is limited research on the profile of IPV survivors consulting specialized healthcare units.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the profile of female survivors of IPV consulting at the Philippine General Hospital Women’s Desk (PGH-WD), focusing on sociodemographic, psychological, relationship, community, and partner factors as contributors to their risk of experiencing IPV.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze data from IPV survivors who consulted the PGH-WD between January 2022 and December 2023. Data collection involved a chart review of eligible cases, guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria required that participants be female survivors of IPV aged 19 years and above, with consultations specifically related to IPV. Exclusion criteria included male survivors, non-Filipino nationals, individuals not residing in the Philippines, and charts missing key components. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze sociodemographic, psychological, relationship, community, and partner-related factors. Survivors were categorized into low-, moderate-, or high-risk groups based on the number of identified risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 518 charts were reviewed, of which 106 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Survivors’ ages ranged from 19 to 74 years, with 46 (43.4%) aged 19–34. Most survivors belonged to lower socioeconomic strata, with 61 (57.5%) categorized as poor. Psychological distress was common, with 24 (22.6%) reporting depression and 22 (20.8%) having attempted suicide. Relationship factors included dissatisfaction in 91 cases (85.9%) and prior abuse by partners in 88 (83.0%). Community factors showed that 104 survivors (98.1%) were aware of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (Anti-VAWC) law, and 101 (95.5%) reported having social support networks. Partner-related factors were less frequently reported, with 3 survivors (2.8%) indicating perpetrator substance use and 2 (1.9%) reporting histories of childhood abuse. Risk profiling categorized survivors into low-risk (39/106, 36.8%), moderate-risk (39/106, 36.8%), and high-risk (28/106, 26.4%) groups based on the number of identified risk factors.

CONCLUSION

This study provided a detailed profile of female IPV survivors consulting at the PGH-WD. Survivors were predominantly younger women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, with high rates of psychological distress, relationship dissatisfaction, and histories of prior partner abuse. Community factors, including strong social support networks and awareness of the Anti-VAWC law, were identified as potential protective mechanisms post-IPV.

Human ; Female ; Intimate Partner Violence ; Mental Health ; Gender-based Violence

BACKGROUND

In response to the need to provide for mental health services to address gender-related concerns in a higher education institute, the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies (CGWS) commissioned a project to formulate a framework for the increasing volume of referrals.

METHODOLOGY

A mixed methods study was done in order to gather data to create a responsive and practical mental health care service provision framework with and for service providers and service users in the university. An online survey (N=135), focus group discussion, key informant interviews, and a round table discussion were conducted, with constituents of the university recruited through purposive sampling.

RESULTS

A stepped-care model was proposed, consisting of: 1. Preventive Well-Being Resources, 2. Supportive Well-Being Interventions and Initial Screening Resources, 3. Structured Interventions, and 4. Interventions for Severe Mental Health Problems.

CONCLUSION

The framework formulated in collaboration with service providers and service users in the university addresses the goals of optimizing existing resources and enhancing service provision. Implementation and evaluation of this framework, as well as further information regarding the target population and their use of this model, are proposed avenues for further research.

Human ; Gender ; Gender Identity ; Sexual Harassment ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Lgbtq ; Sexual And Gender Minorities ; Psychiatry ; Psychology

INTRODUCTION: Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been available in Singapore since 2016, its uptake among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM) is low. The iPARTY study was established to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of PrEP and a PrEP teleconsultation service for young GBMSM aged 18 to 29 years. METHOD: A total of 53 young GBMSM were enrolled in the iPARTY study. They had a total of 5 in-person consultations and teleconsultations, at 12-week intervals. Laboratory tests and quarterly baseline surveys were performed to assess PrEP adherence, sexual behaviour, and incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). RESULTS: Thirty-five participants completed the entire 12-month follow-up. Most participants had positive experiences with PrEP teleconsultations. There was a statistically significant fall in participants' aggregate Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores throughout the study. Self-reported PrEP adherence decreased over the course of the study, denoting improved mental health. Although self-reported condom use for anal intercourse and participants' risk perception of HIV decreased after PrEP adoption, there was no statisti-cally significant increase in STI incidence. CONCLUSION This pilot project has shown that PrEP services provide an opportunity for YMSM to access sexual health testing, treatment and counselling, and may even have tangible benefits on the mental health of this population. Teleconsultation is shown to be a suitable platform for the delivery of such services. Collaborative initiatives are crucial to further enhance the affordability and accessibility of PrEP in Singapore, and to improve patient adherence.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Anti-HIV Agents/administration & dosage* ; Feasibility Studies ; Health Risk Behaviors ; HIV Infections/psychology* ; Incidence ; Medication Adherence ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Pilot Projects ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control* ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Telemedicine/statistics & numerical data* ; Homosexuality, Male/statistics & numerical data*

Cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders represent two major threats to human physical and mental health. Research on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals offers valuable opportunities to address these issues. However, existing methods are constrained by limitations in understanding ECG features and transferring knowledge across tasks. To address these challenges, this study developed a multi-resolution feature encoding network based on residual networks, which effectively extracted local morphological features and global rhythm features of ECG signals, thereby enhancing feature representation. Furthermore, a model compression-based continual learning method was proposed, enabling the structured transfer of knowledge from simpler tasks to more complex ones, resulting in improved performance in downstream tasks. The multi-resolution learning model demonstrated superior or comparable performance to state-of-the-art algorithms across five datasets, including tasks such as ECG QRS complex detection, arrhythmia classification, and emotion classification. The continual learning method achieved significant improvements over conventional training approaches in cross-domain, cross-task, and incremental data scenarios. These results highlight the potential of the proposed method for effective cross-task knowledge transfer in ECG analysis and offer a new perspective for multi-task learning using ECG signals.
Humans ; Electrocardiography/methods* ; Mental Health ; Algorithms ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Machine Learning ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/diagnosis* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Mental Disorders

OBJECTIVES: The 24-hour movement behaviors, comprising physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep, are crucial factors affecting children's mental health. This study aims to explore the longitudinal association between 24-hour movement behaviors and psychological well-being in overweight and obese children, providing empirical evidence for mental health promotion in this population. METHODS: A total of 445 overweight and obese children were recruited via stratified cluster random sampling from a provincial capital city in China and followed up for one year. Measures included objectively assessed physical activity and sleep duration using triaxial accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X+), parent-reported sedentary screen-based time (SST), and self-reported psychological well-being. RESULTS: After one year, the proportion of children meeting all 3 movement guidelines increased from 10.11% to 11.68%, while those meeting none increased from 11.24% to 15.06%. After adjusting for relevant covariates, children who met individual guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (β=0.377, 95% CI 0.209 to 0.545), sleep (β=0.187, 95% CI 0.042 to 0.332), or guideline combinations of MVPA+SST (β=0.545, 95% CI 0.377 to 0.713) and MVPA+sleep (β=0.602, 95% CI 0.449 to 0.755) showed significant improvements in psychological well-being after one year. Additionally, an increase in the number of guidelines met was significantly associated with improved well-being (β=0.113, 95% CI 0.011 to 0.214). CONCLUSIONS Adherence to any single movement guideline, especially MVPA or sleep, and combinations such as MVPA+SST or MVPA+sleep is significantly associated with enhanced psychological well-being in overweight and obese children. Integrated behaviors may be an effective strategy to improve mental well-being in this population.
Humans ; Child ; Exercise/psychology* ; Sleep ; Sedentary Behavior ; Female ; Male ; Pediatric Obesity/psychology* ; Overweight/psychology* ; Mental Health ; China ; Accelerometry ; Psychological Well-Being

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the current status and risk factors of oral health-related quality of life OHRQoL in patients with mental disorders and provide evidence for effective intervention measures. METHODS: A total of 397 patients diagnosed with mental illness were selected by convenience sampling, and investigation was carried out using general data questionnaire, health literacy in dentistry-14 (HeLD-14), oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14), and oral health status checklist. RESULTS: The total score of OHIP-14 in patients with mental disorders was 8(2, 14). The score of HeLD-14 was negatively correlated with the score of OHIP-14 (r=-0.142, P<0.01). The results of multiple linear regression showed that six variables including annual family income, schizophrenia, sweets, frequency of visits to the dentist, dental caries, and missing teeth affected OHRQoL of patients with mental disorders (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The poor OHRQoL of psychiatric patients is associated with many factors. Medical personnel should pay attention to their oral health problems and develop targeted oral care programs throughout the course of disease to improve oral health and related quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Quality of Life ; Oral Health ; Mental Disorders ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Male ; Female ; Dental Caries ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students, categorically focusing on effective coping strategies adopted.

METHODS

The researcher used a descriptive cross-sectional design and a pseudo-random number sampling method with an inversion technique to randomly select 548 health science students who participated fully out of the sum of 4,140 students from each department. The initial goal was to include 572 students in the sample. This ensured a fair representation of students from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). The researcher evaluated these students using the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire and Brief-Cope Scales.

RESULTS

Findings showed that 58.8% of the respondents were females, 34.7% were enrolled in the nursing program, and 59.7% chose to live with their parents. Most of the students experienced moderate stress, with 45.25% and 5.47% experiencing extremely stressful or distressing situations, in terms of relationships and academic life, respectively. There were no significant differences in fear of contagion, regardless of the students' gender. and social isolation between students who lived with and without their parents. In terms of relationships and academic life among the students, there was no significant difference in relation to the demographic characteristics. Results also showed that 26.6% of the students used problem-focused coping “a little bit," and there was no significant difference as to their developmental characteristics for those using problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, or avoidant coping. However, the results indicated a greater tendency towards avoidant coping strategies, with no significant differences observed. Students disproportionately adopted problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping strategies. Students reported a weakly significant positive correlation between emotionfocused coping and problem-focused coping, and a large negative association between fear of contagion and problem-focused coping strategies. They also reported a slightly positive correlation between relationships, academic life, and social isolation.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed that most students experience moderate stress, which gradually escalates into extremely stressful situations, particularly in relationships and academics. The researcher found no significant differences in fear of contagion or social isolation. However, avoidant coping was more prevalent compared to problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies. There were weak positive correlations between emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. Policy reform in the health and academic systems will strategically improve students' mental health.

Human ; Covid-19 ; Covid-19 Pandemic ; Mental Health

BACKGROUND

The clinical learning environment (CLE) significantly influenced the nursing students' learning experience. While clinical learning is the heart of nursing education, certain non-academic factors might be influenced by CLE. Consequently, CLE may be affected during a health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between nursing students’ CLE and their academic grit, self-esteem, and caring behaviors in the Central Philippines.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 462 nursing students enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Four self-report questionnaires were adopted to gather the data: a 42-item Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) scale, short-form Grit (Grit-S) scale, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem (RSE) scale, and Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI-24) scale. Spearman rho and rank-biserial correlation tools were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the clinical learning environment was positively associated with academic grit, selfesteem, and caring behavior. Some profiles of the participants, such as age, sex, year level, type of school, leadership experiences, clinical setting experience, and willingness to be a nurse, were significantly associated with the clinical learning environment, academic grit, self-esteem, and/or caring behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Students’ CLE influences their academic grit, self-esteem, and caring behavior. That is, students who reported a more positive perception of CLE, the higher their academic grit, self-esteem, and caring behaviors. Furthermore, some students’ profile characteristics influence CLE, academic grit, self-esteem, and caring behavior. Enhancing CLE while promoting grit, self-esteem, and caring behaviors of nursing students affiliated with hospitals or any clinical learning settings and promoting alternative means of meeting CLE competencies when face-to-face interactions are restricted during a health crisis are recommended.

Human ; Clinical Practicum ; Preceptorship ; Mental Health ; Education, Nursing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Climate anxiety is an emerging concept defined as increased anxiety about climate change and has been linked to negative mental health outcomes. As a relatively new concept, only a few have characterized it and its relationship with mental health, especially in the Global South populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between climate anxiety and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students from a college in a higher education institution in Manila, Philippines. Specifically, it aimed to (1) determine the proportion of undergraduate students who reported high levels of climate anxiety and depressive symptoms; and (2) determine the association between climate anxiety and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design and a convenience sampling method, the investigators collected data through an online survey to assess levels of climate anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), respectively. Data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among the 148 respondents (N=325), 14.86% had high climate anxiety (i.e., CCAS score >= 3) and 62.84% had high depressive symptoms (i.e., PHQ-9 score >= 10). Regression analysis showed that the odds of those having high climate anxiety reporting high depressive symptoms are higher than those with low climate anxiety, though this is not significant (OR = 2.53, p=0.144).

CONCLUSION

The study verifies the existence of climate anxiety among undergraduate students and reflects an alarming mental health situation in the selected college. It is recommended that wide-scope investigations on the current state of climate anxiety and mental health among the youth be done to verify their impacts, along with inter-sectoral efforts such as increasing awareness through health education interventions to improve the youths’ mental health literacy and resilience to the effects of climate change, and promoting climate change-responsive mental health services to address these as pressing threats to youth health.

Human ; Climate Anxiety ; Depressive Symptoms ; Depression ; Mental Health