Can mental health treatments help prevent or reduce intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological research suggests an interrelationship between mental health problems and the (re)occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, little is known about the impact of mental health treatments on IPV victimization or perpetration, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to identify prospective, controlled studies of mental health treatments in LMIC. We defined 'mental health treatment' as an intervention for individuals experiencing mental ill health (including substance misuse) including a substantial psychosocial or pharmacological component. Studies had to measure a mental health and IPV outcome. We searched across multi-disciplinary databases using a structured search strategy. Screening of title/abstracts and full-text eligibility assessments were conducted by two researchers independently, data were extracted using a piloted spreadsheet, and a narrative synthesis was generated. RESULTS: We identified seven studies reported in 11 papers conducted in five middle-income countries. With the exception of blinding, studies overall showed acceptable levels of risk of bias. Four of the seven studies focused on dedicated mental health treatments in various populations, including: common mental disorders in earthquake survivors; depression in primary care; alcohol misuse in men; and alcohol misuse in female adult sex workers. The dedicated mental health treatments targeting depression or alcohol misuse consistently reduced levels of these outcomes. The two studies targeting depression also reduced short-term IPV, but no IPV benefits were identified in the two alcohol-focused studies. The other three studies evaluated integrated interventions, in which a focus on substance misuse was part of efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS and violence against particularly vulnerable women. In contrast to the dedicated mental health interventions, the integrated interventions did not consistently reduce mental ill health or alcohol misuse compared to control conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Too few studies have been conducted to judge whether mental health treatments may provide a beneficial strategy to prevent or reduce IPV in LMIC. Key future research questions include: whether promising initial evidence on the effects of depression interventions on reducing IPV hold more broadly, the required intensity of mental health components in integrated interventions, and the identification of mechanisms of IPV that are amenable to mental health intervention.

Oxidative stress and haemodialysis: role of inflammation and duration of dialysis treatment.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress has long been demonstrated in haemodialysis patients. However, the factors influencing their oxidative status have not been characterized extensively in these patients. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the influence of a large number of factors known to be associated with oxidative stress. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, we determined the plasma levels of lipid and protein oxidation markers in 31 non-smoking haemodialysis patients and 18 non-smoking healthy subjects, together with various components of the antioxidant system at the plasma and erythrocyte level. RESULTS: No influence of age, diabetes or iron overload on oxidative markers and plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant systems was detected in these haemodialysis patients. The lack of an association between iron overload and oxidative status may be related to the lower level of plasma ascorbate in haemodialysis patients, since ascorbate favours the generation of free iron from ferritin-bound iron. Interestingly, plasma C reactive protein (CRP) levels measured by highly sensitive CRP assay were correlated positively with plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (r=0.38, P<0.04) and negatively with plasma alpha-tocopherol levels (r=-0.46, P<0.01). Moreover, significant inverse correlations were observed between duration of dialysis treatment and plasma levels of alpha-tocopherol (r=-0.49, P<0.02) and ubiquinol (r=-0.40, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that inflammatory status and duration of dialysis treatment are the most important factors relating to oxidative stress in haemodialysis patients.