RESUMO
Background: Adverse childhood experiences include exposure of children to physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Children exposed to severe maltreatment and trauma during their early childhood are at a higher risk of early onset of psychiatric disorders. Aim: To find the prevalence of childhood adverse experiences in psychiatric patients and its association with perceived social support and suicidal attempts. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the psychiatry outpatient department at a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. Patients with a diagnosis of substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and neurotic disorders according to ICD-10 (F10-F45) and in remission were included in the study. Institutional Ethical Committee approval and informed consent from the participants were obtained. Socio-demographic and clinical details were obtained. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and Multidimensional scale of Perceived Social Support were administered. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were employed for data analysis. Results: Eighty-five per cent of the subjects had a history of at least one type of childhood trauma. Emotional abuse was the most commonly reported type of trauma. Among patients with childhood trauma, 47.2% reported high levels of perceived social support, whereas 18.5% individuals reported a history of at least one suicide attempt. Conclusions: A significant proportion of patients with psychiatric disorders in an Indian setting have experienced childhood trauma. Childhood trauma in psychiatric disorders is associated with a higher risk of attempting suicide.
RESUMO
Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by physical and affective symptoms that start during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and improve on the onset of the menstrual cycle. The estimated prevalence in India of PMS is found to be 43%, but most studies have been done on adolescent and college-going females. There is a dearth of studies in India done on PMS in working women. Aims: The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome in working women and determine its association with the quality of their work life. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Kochi and five different groups of professional women were included in the sample population. A total of 600 participants were analyzed for sociodemographic data, premenstrual syndrome using the premenstrual symptoms screening tool and quality of their work life using the work-related quality of life scale. Chi-square test was applied to find the association of categorical demographic parameters with premenstrual syndrome and with quality of work life in women satisfying the criteria for PMS. Results: A total of 48% of the participants screened positive for PMS and 35% of working women with PMS had lower quality of work life (P < 0.001). Highest educational qualification, occupation, and sexual activity were significantly associated with PMS and with quality of work life in women with PMS. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of PMS in working women, which significantly affects their quality of work life. There is a need for further research in this area that can propel improvement in policies in the workplace to boost productivity and growth.
RESUMO
Background and Objectives: Coronary artery disease (CAD) has been associated with increased stress both etiologically and as a consequence. The current pandemic of COVID-19 infection has impacted the personal, social, and occupational spheres of people's lives and has negatively affected mental health. People with existing chronic medical illnesses may be more vulnerable to the stressful effects of the ongoing pandemic.This study was conducted on patients with CAD during the COVID-19 pandemic to estimate the prevalence of psychological distress, the factors associated with distress, and their coping mechanisms. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala in the cardiology department. After informed consent was obtained from the patients with CAD, sociodemographic details were collected, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10 scale) was administered to assess psychological distress and the Brief COPE scale was administered to assess their coping mechanisms. Results: Among 50 patients who participated, the prevalence of psychological distress was 50%. The factors associated with distress were female gender, semiskilled occupation, incomplete COVID-19 vaccination status, exposure of family to COVID-19, experiencing financial difficulties, and experiencing difficulty acquiring medications prescribed for CAD. Religion and acceptance were the most common coping strategies applied by the patients and acceptance was found to be a better coping strategy than religion. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of psychological distress among patients with CAD during the pandemic, owing to the emotional, financial, and familial instability faced during the pandemic.