Media reporting of suicide in the bengaluru E-edition of three major indian dailies: An archival study.

India has the world's largest newspaper market, with over 100 million copies sold daily. The media scapegoat, simplify, speculate, and sensationalize suicide-related news instead of signposting people to seek help. Suicide affects individuals, families, and communities and is worthy of responsible reporting. This study examined the quality of newspaper coverage of suicides from January to December 2017 in three popular English dailies in Bengaluru, South India. Three hundred and ninety-five online suicide reports were evaluated for compliance with the 2017 WHO recommendations for responsible suicide reporting by media professionals. The secondary data were obtained from digital newspaper archives and analyzed. A handful of the sampled articles met key recommendations. While reporting on suicide in the Indian media, three critical areas that require the most attention are reducing sensationalism, providing help-seeking information, and educating the public on suicide prevention without perpetuating myths.

Perceptions of key stakeholders on peer led strength building program for suicide prevention among young adolescents: A qualitative study from Karnataka, India.

Context: Adolescent suicides are a significant public health concern in India and understanding the intersecting perspectives becomes imperative for the prevention of various mental health concerns. Aim: Assessing perceptions of various key stakeholders, that is, mental health experts, school and college teachers, and District Mental Health Program staff about peer-led strength building programs for suicide prevention. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional qualitative design using two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with mental health experts and teachers and one FGD with DMHP staff was conducted. The sample comprised 45 participants from Bengaluru urban district. Materials and Methods: The data were analyzed manually by the method of direct content analysis, and themes were determined using existing literature. Results: The teachers and the DMHP highlighted the need for an intensive training program/module that is necessary to be developed in order to train the peer leaders first. The mental health experts opined that creating a network will help in easy identification of the cases and appropriate treatment could be provided without delays. Conclusions: This study indicated that suicide is a preventable public health emergency and inaccessibility to existing as well as proper support systems was perceived as a major concern. Therefore, peer-led programs are beneficial in steering and improving help seeking behavior in suicidal adolescents.

Perception on Anxiety among Adolescents and Mental Health Professionals and Development of Comic Strip.

Background: Adolescence is a phase of many physical and psychological developments. This stage is also vulnerable to the development of mental illness. Anxiety is one of the most prevalent disorders among adolescents, which mostly onsets before puberty. This study aimed to understand the perception on anxiety among adolescents and mental health professionals and develop a comic strip on anxiety. Methods: This qualitative study involved focus group discussions (FGDs) among mental health professionals and pre-university college students. The FGD data were analyzed through direct content analysis according to the predetermined broad themes. Results: Awareness regarding anxiety was poor among adolescents, and in certain situations they were found to be reluctant to seek professional help. The comic strip on anxiety was developed based on the findings of FGD based on the themes, general awareness, factors responsible, symptoms and coping, management, and barriers to seeking professional help. Conclusions: Adolescents perceived mental health as very important for their overall health. The adolescents did not know that they were going through anxiety, but they noticed that they had some mental health issues and wanted to get out of it. The development of comic strip on anxiety for adolescents was an attempt to overcome these barriers.

Efficacy of video-based relaxation technique to minimize stress in young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The uncertainty of the pandemic and rapid changes brought forth stressors for young adults as learning shifted to the online mode and most recreational activities required screen time. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of video-based diaphragmatic breathing relaxation technique in reduction of stress levels amongst young adults during COVID-19 pandemic. A quasi-experimental design with a sample size of 30 young adults undertook pre- and post-tests of subscale of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21-items (DASS-21), negative emotion questionnaire, and hair cortisol concentration through enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay technique. The findings indicate that there was a reduction in stress levels as majority of the items on the stress subscale of DASS-21 revealed lower stress at significant level. In addition, post-intervention participants reported a reduction in experience of negative emotions. Therefore, indicating that the diaphragmatic focused video-based intervention was effective in lowering stress and negative emotions.

Development of an IEC resource (brochure) on suicide prevention for college students: A qualitative study in the Indian context.

BACKGROUND: Information Education Communication (IEC) materials play a vital role in behavior change by raising awareness about health issues. In India, suicide is the leading cause of death in the age group of 15-39 years, exemplifying the pressing need for raising awareness about suicide prevention. This study aimed to develop a brochure on suicide prevention for young adults with the help of scientific methodology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional qualitative research design was used in the study, and purposive sampling was used to collect the data. The study analyzed the awareness level and existing knowledge gap about suicide prevention among college students with the help of focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted independently among mental health experts, college teachers, and college students. Based on the findings from the FGDs, a comprehensive brochure was developed. The qualitative data collected by FGDs were analyzed using direct content analysis. RESULTS: The findings of the FGDs helped identify the knowledge gaps with regard to young adult suicide prevention, and a brochure was prepared to address the same. CONCLUSION: The development of young adult suicide prevention IEC resources pertinent to Indian settings is crucial. To bridge the knowledge gap on suicide prevention among college students and raise awareness, a brochure was developed based on scientific findings of the FGDs.

Perceived Difference in Handling Stress and Self-Care Strategies at Workplace among Public Sector Employees of Land Resources Development Department.

The perception of the employees on handling stress at workplace and effectiveness of stress management programs varies due to multiple internal and external factors. Thus, the present study aims to measure the perceived level of difference in psychosocial stress at workplace following a stress management program. This was an interventional study conducted among 30 public sector employees working in Land Resources Development Department. The study tools used were K10, World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF), and a work-life balance questionnaire which were quantitatively analyzed using paired t-test, and also, thematic analysis was used to assess the effectiveness of the stress management program. Stress management abilities improved on the work-life balance questionnaire with a P value of 0.027 after the intervention and a significant difference in the environment domain with a P value of 0.041 was found on WHOQOL-BREF. Thematic analysis showed a perceived reduction in negative reactions to work stress and improvement in self-care strategies after the intervention. This study highlights the subjective experience of work stress and stress management abilities that need to be addressed through the effective collaborative model of a stress management program.

Changes in Haematological Parameters in Newborns Born to Preeclamptic Mothers - A Case Control Study in a Rural Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is a physiological phenomenon. However, some women develop problems during pregnancy period, which puts both the mother's and the foetus health at risk. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are the type of the maternal diseases that can cause the most detrimental effects to the mother and foetus. AIMS: To determine the haematological parameters in neonates born to preeclamptic mothers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective case control study carried out on neonates born to preeclamptic mothers in our institute from March 2016 to November 2016. All the haematological parameters of the neonates were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 22.0 version software. Mean, Standard deviation, minimum and maximum values were calculated for continuous variables. The difference between the two groups was compared using independent student 't' test. The p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: About 120 mothers were included in the study out of which 60 were of study group and 60 of control group. Mean hemoglobin, PCV, red cell count, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), reticulocyte count and nRBC were significantly increased p<0.001, whereas total leucocyte count, mean neutrophil count, absolute neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, platelet count were significantly decreased p<0.001 in babies born to preeclamptic mothers. No difference was found between the two groups in the Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) value p(>0.05). CONCLUSION: The babies born to preeclamptic mothers are more prone for development of prematurity, low birth weight, Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR), sepsis, neutropenia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, increased RBC count, nRBC and reticulocyte count. Early haematological screening helps to decrease morbidity, improve growth, development and survival of the baby.