Digital Commons Network^™

Making Cities Mental Health Friendly For Adolescents And Young Adults, Pamela Y. Collins, Moitreyee Sinha, Tessa Concepcion, George Patton, Thaisa Way, Layla Mccay, Augustina Mensa-Kwao, Helen Herrman, Evelyne De Leeuw, Lukoye Atwoli

Brain and Mind Institute

Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health1,2. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for …

Mental Health Problems And Service Gaps Experienced By Pregnant Adolescents And Young Women In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review, Joan Mutahi, Anna Larsen, Pim Cuijpers, Stefan Swartling Peterson, Jurgen Unutzer, Mary Mckay, Grace John-Stewart, Teresa Jewell, John Kinuthia, Manasi Kumar

Brain and Mind Institute

Background: Pregnant adolescent girls and young women (AGYW, aged 12–24 years) are at high risk for mental health problems, particularly in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of mental health studies among pregnant AGYW in SSA published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2020 in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Global Index Medicus following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42021230980). We used Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model to frame and synthesize results from included studies.

Findings: Our search yielded 945 articles from which 18 studies were included (N = 8 quantitative, N = 9 qualitative, …

Longitudinal Association Between Parental-To-Child-Maltreatment And Self-Reported Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms In Pakistani Adolescents, Maryam Pyar Ali Lakhdir, Ghazal Peerwani, Salman Muhammad Soomar, Apsara Ali, Salima Farooq, Naureen Akber Ali, Asif Khaliq, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Syed Iqbal Azam

Community Health Sciences

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment is considered one of the risk factors for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested in Pakistani settings.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between parent-to-child maltreatment and the risk of developing GAD symptoms among adolescents.
Methods: The association of none to rare, occasionally, and frequently parent-to-child maltreatment with the incidence of GAD symptoms was investigated in a sample of 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years who were followed for two years. Parent-to-child maltreatment was assessed using ICAST-C (International child abuse screening tool). GAD Symptoms were determined by SCARED (Screen …

Mental Health Of Children And Adolescents Amidst Covid-19 And Past Pandemics: A Rapid Systematic Review, Salima Meherali, Neelam Punjani, Samantha Louie-Poon, Komal Abdul Rahim, Jai K. Das, Rehana A. Salam, Zohra S. Lassi

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: The COVID‑19 pandemic and associated public health measures have disrupted the lives of people around the world. It is already evident that the direct and indirect psychological and social effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic are insidious and affect the mental health of young children and adolescents now and will in the future. The aim and objectives of this knowledge-synthesis study were to identify the impact of the pandemic on children's and adolescent's mental health and to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions employed during previous and the current pandemic to promote children's and adolescents' mental health.
Methodology: We conducted …

Economic Burden And Mental Health Of Primary Caregivers Of Perinatally Hiv Infected Adolescents From Kilifi, Kenya, Patrick V. Katana, Amina Abubakar, Moses K. Nyongesa, Derrick Ssewanyana, Paul Mwangi, Charles R. Newton, Julie Jemutai

Institute for Human Development

Background: Eighty per cent of perinatally HIV infected (PHI) adolescents live in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA), a setting also characterized by huge economic disparities. Caregiving is crucial to the management of chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS, but the economic costs and mental disorders borne by caregivers of PHI adolescents often go unnoticed. In this study, we evaluated economic costs, coping strategies and association between economic cost and mental health functioning of caregivers of perinatally HIV infected adolescents in Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods: We used a cost of illness descriptive analysis approach to determine the economic burden and Patient Health Questionnaire …

Knowledge And Beliefs Of Adolescents Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv/Aids In A Rural District In Pakistan, Hafsa Raheel, Franklin White, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

Objective:

To assess the knowledge and beliefs of adolescents (15-19 years girls and boys) regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS.

Methods:

A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2002 in a rural district (Mirpurkhas) of Sindh province, Pakistan.

Results:

A total of 428 adolescent girls and boys were interviewed. Only 44% correctly named at least one STI, while 55% knew at least two modes of transmission for HIV/AIDS. Adolescents with education greater than or equal to secondary level, those who were able to read the newspaper, possessed electricity in their homes and were allowed to meet their …