Exploring the role of psychological assistance hotlines in improving mental health problems among Chinese adult women: A perspective based on social expectations and gender roles.

This paper looks at how social expectations and gender roles affect the mental health of Chinese women. Traditional Chinese culture, influenced by Confucianism and patriarchy, still has a negative impact on women's mental well-being, despite efforts for gender equality. Women's mental health is vital for both individuals and society, and this study aims to understand these issues better to help shape policies and interventions.

Adult female callers' characteristics and mental health status: a retrospective study based on the psychological assistance hotline in Hangzhou.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the basic characteristics and mental health status of adult female callers to the psychological assistance helpline in Hangzhou City, in order to provide targeted services for effectively intervening in the psychological crises of this group. METHODS: Data from adult female callers to a helpline in Hangzhou City were collected between 2019 and 2022, encompassing demographic information and discussed issues. The data were analyzed according to age groups, marital status, and call times. The mental health status of the adult female population was measured by two indicators-mood status and suicide risk. RESULTS: The study included 15,580 adult female callers. Among them, 52.2% were aged 30 and below, 62.1% were unmarried, and 42.6% were from other provinces. The primary types of calls were related to mental health (56.5%), romantic relationships (11%), and marriage/family issues (13%). Adults aged 30 and below had more consultations about romantic relationships, work, and study-related issues compared to those over 30. Those over 30 sought more advice on marriage/family and child education. Younger callers displayed higher levels of depression and suicide risk compared to older callers. Unmarried callers had a higher proportion of moderate depression and suicide risk than married callers. Higher education levels were associated with lower depression levels (OR = 0.631,95%CI:0.439-0.906, P = 0.013) and high-risk proportions (OR = 0.328,95%CI:0.147-0.733, P = 0.007). Late evening callers had a higher high-risk proportion (OR = 5.326,95%CI:2.633-10.775, P < 0.001), and employed individuals had lower high-risk proportions compared to unemployed callers (OR = 0.536,95%CI:0.320-0.897, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The mental health status of female callers aged 30 and below, unemployed individuals, and those calling in the latter part of the night have relatively poorer mental health and are more likely to be at risk for suicide, which needs to be taken seriously, and more professional and targeted intervention services need to be enhanced in the hotline.

Workplace violence against COVID-19 front-line healthcare workers versus non-front-line in Hangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers (HCWs) is a global issue. Our research aimed to elucidate the status and associated factors of WPV among front-line/non-front-line HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in Hangzhou City through multistage sampling from December 2020 to January 2021. PARTICIPANTS: This study included 14 909 valid samples (N=3748 front-line HCWs and N=11 161 non-front-line HCWs). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed the WPV status by Chinese version of WPV questionnaire. Binary logistic regression model was established to examine the associated factors of front-line/non-front-line HCWs experiencing WPV. RESULTS: The total WPV prevalence equalled 37.25% for front-line HCWs and 27.73% for non-front-line HCWs. Among front-line HCWs, females were less likely to experience WPV (OR 0.837, 95% CI 0.710 to 0.988), while individuals who were undergraduate (OR 1.251, 95% CI 1.061 to 1.541) and had higher professional title (intermediate: OR 1.475, 95% CI 1.227 to 1.772; advanced: OR 1.693, 95% CI 1.294 to 2.216) were more likely to suffer from WPV; for non-front-line HCWs, individuals who aged over 50 years old (OR 0.721, 95% CI 0.563 to 0.969), had worked between 10 and 19 years (OR 0.847, 95% CI 0.749 to 0.958) and worked in the non-graded hospital (OR 0.714, 95% CI 0.614 to 0.832) had less chance to experience WPV, while individuals who had higher educational level (undergraduate: OR 1.323, 95% CI 1.179 to 1.484; ≥graduate: OR 1.519, 95% CI 1.217 to 1.895), were nurse (OR 1.142, 95% CI 1.031 to 1.265), and had higher professional title (intermediate: OR 1.458, 95% CI 1.297 to 638; advanced: OR 1.928, 95% CI 1.607 to 2.313) were more inclined to suffer from WPV (p all<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the prevalence of WPV among front-line HCWs is significantly higher than among non-front-line HCWs. Policy-makers should prioritise COVID-19 front-line HCWs, especially those with high educational levels and professional titles.

Factors Influencing the Level of Depression and Anxiety of Community-Dwelling Patients with Schizophrenia in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a huge challenge to global public health. People with schizophrenia living in communities urgently need effective interventions to help them adjust to life and work, but they have not received enough attention. This study aims to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia in China during the epidemic and to explore the possible influencing factors. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey, we collected 15,165 questionnaires. Assessments included demographic information, concern about COVID-19-related information, sleep status, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and accompanying illnesses. The 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate depression and anxiety levels. Group comparison was conducted by t-test, ANOVA, or chi-square test wherever suitable, with Bonferroni pairwise correction. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors for anxiety and depression. RESULTS: 16.9% of patients had at least moderate anxiety, and 34.9% had at least moderate depression. T-test showed that females scored higher on GAD-7 and PHQ-9 than males, and patients without accompanying long-standing diseases, who were not concerned about COVID-19, had lower GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. ANOVA showed that participants aged from 30 to 39, with higher education scored higher on GAD-7, and patients with better sleep, and having less concern about COVID-19, had lower GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Regression analysis indicated that participant ages of 30-39 and 40-49 positively predicted anxiety, whereas patient ages of 30-39 years positively predicted depression. Patients with poor sleep, accompanying diseases, and concern about the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to experience anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: During the pandemic, Chinese community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia had high rates of anxiety and depression. These patients deserve clinical attention and psychological intervention, especially those with risk factors.

Characteristics associated with registration and management of the 686 Program among schizophrenia patients in China: A cross-sectional study.

The 686 Program has covered mainland China but lacks empirical research. We aimed to examine potential influencing factors associated with the registration and management of the Program. 3993 patients with schizophrenia discharged in 2019 were included. We found that approximately two-thirds of patients were registered. 88.9 % registered patients accepted the follow-up management. Males, unemployment, lower education, longer duration of illness, more hospitalization positively affected the registration and management. Individuals with violent behavior and local Hukou were more likely to be registered. Future evaluation of the Program should take these factors into account.

Children and Adolescents' Psychological Well-Being Became Worse in Heavily Hit Chinese Provinces during the COVID-19 Epidemic.

In light of the novel coronavirus's (COVID-19's) threat to public health worldwide, we sought to elucidate COVID-19's impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents in China. Through online self-report questionnaires, we aimed to discover the psychological effects of the pandemic and its associated risk factors for developing mental health symptoms in young people. We disseminated a mental health survey through online social media, WeChat, and QQ in the five Chinese provinces with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the late stage of the country-wide lockdown. We used a self-made questionnaire that queried children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 on demographic information, psychological status, and other lifestyle and COVID-related variables. A total of 17,740 children and adolescents with valid survey data participated in the study. 10,022 (56.5%), 11,611 (65.5%), 10,697 (60.3%), 6868 (38.7%), and 6225 (35.1%) participants presented, respectively, more depressive, anxious, compulsive, inattentive, and sleep-related problems compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19. High school students reported a greater change in depression and anxiety than did middle school and primary school students. Despite the fact that very few children (0.1%) or their family members (0.1%) contracted the virus in this study, the psychological impact of the pandemic was clearly profound. Fathers' anxiety appeared to have the strongest influence on a children's psychological symptoms, explaining about 33% of variation in the child's overall symptoms. Other factors only explained less than 2% of the variance in symptoms once parents' anxiety was accounted for. The spread of COVID-19 significantly influenced the psychological state of children and adolescents in participants' view. It is clear that children and adolescents, particularly older adolescents, need mental health support during the pandemic. The risk factors we uncovered suggest that reducing fathers' anxiety is particularly critical to addressing young people's mental health disorders in this time.

Prognostic factors for long-term outcomes of microvascular decompression in the treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia: a retrospective analysis of 97 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to investigate predictors of postoperative outcomes of microvascular decompression (MVD) for the treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN). METHODS: A cohort of 97 patients with medically refractory GPN who underwent MVD at the authors' institution between January 2010 and July 2019 was retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to identify predictors of long-term outcome in patients after MVD. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (91.8%) reported immediate and complete relief of pain after the procedure. Of the remaining 8 patients (8.2%), 6 achieved partial pain relief and pain gradually diminished within 2 weeks after surgery, and 2 did not experience postoperative pain relief. In univariate Cox regression analysis, venous compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve root entry zone (HR 3.591, 95% CI 1.660-7.767, p = 0.001) and lower degree of neurovascular conflict (HR 2.449, 95% CI 1.177-5.096, p = 0.017) were significantly associated with worse pain-free survival. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, venous compression (HR 8.192, 95% CI 2.960-22.669, p < 0.001) and lower degree of neurovascular conflict (HR 5.450, 95% CI 2.069-14.356, p = 0.001) remained independently associated with worse pain-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Venous compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve root entry zone and lower degree of neurovascular conflict were significantly correlated with shorter pain-free survival in patients who underwent MVD for GPN. Microvascular decompression is a safe, feasible, and durable approach with a low complication rate for the treatment of GPN.

Analysis of Real-World Implementation of the Biopsychosocial Approach to Healthcare: Evidence From a Combination of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods.

Aims: The modern medical model has been transformed into a biopsychosocial model. The integration of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare can help improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment. This study explored the actual application of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare and provides a basis for targeted interventions to promote the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare. Methods: Study 1 involved one-on-one interviews with 30 medical staff and focus group interviews with 16 recent patients. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey of 13,105 medical staff in Hangzhou, China that analyzed the status quo implementation of the biopsychosocial approach in healthcare. Results: Study 1 found that medical staff did not welcome patients to report information unrelated to their disease, hoping patients did not express their emotions. In the treatment process, patients believed that medical staff refused to attend to or did not encourage reporting of any information other than the disease, and that patients should have reasonable expectations for medical staff. Study 2 found that medical staff had a 37.5% probability of actively paying attention to the patient's psychosocial status. Female medical staff (38.5%) were actively concerned about the patient's psychosocial status significantly more than male medical staff (34.2%) (P < 0.01). The medical staff in the psychiatric department (58.4%) paid more active attention to the patient's psychosocial status than staff in the non-psychiatric departments (37.2%). Gender, department, hospital level, and professional title were the factors associated with the medical staff's attention to the patient's psychosocial status (P < 0.05). The influence of age on the probability of medical staff actively paying attention to the psychosocial status of patients increased with the number of years of employment. Participants that were 31-40 years old, had an intermediate professional title, and 11-15 years of employment were the least likely to actively pay attention to patients' psychosocial status. Conclusion: Although the biopsychosocial approach has been popularized for many years, it has not been widely used in medical care. Medical staff pay more attention to patients' physical symptoms and less attention to patients' psychosocial status. It is recommended that training will be provided to medical personnel on implementing a biopsychosocial approach with particular attention to the sociodemographic characteristics of medical personnel. Additionally, we propose helping patients set reasonable expectations, and formulating guidelines for implementing the biopsychosocial approach.

The impact of health education videos on general public's mental health and behavior during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has seriously affected people's mental health and changed their behaviors. Previous studies for mental state and behavior promotion only targeted limited people or were not suitable for daily activity restrictions. Therefore, we decided to explore the effect of health education videos on people's mental state and health-related behaviors. METHODS: Based on WeChat, QQ, and other social media, we conducted an online survey by snowball sampling. Spearman's non-parametric method was used to analyze the correlation related to mental health problems and health-related behaviors. Besides, we used binary logistic regression analyses to examine mental health problems and health-related behaviors' predictors. We performed SPSS macro PROCESS (model 4 and model 6) to analyze mediation relationships between exposure to health education videos and depression/anxiety/health-related behaviors. These models were regarded as exploratory. RESULTS: Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that people who watched the health education videos were more likely to wear masks (OR 1.15, p < 0.001), disinfect (OR 1.26, p < 0.001), and take temperature (OR 1.37, p < 0.001). With higher level of posttraumatic growth (PTG) or perceived social support (PSS), people had lower percentage of depression (For PSS, OR 0.98, p < 0.001; For PTG, OR 0.98, p < 0.01) and anxiety (For PSS, OR 0.98, p < 0.001; For PTG, OR 0.98, p = 0.01) and better health behaviors. The serial multiple-mediation model supported the positive indirect effects of exposure to health education videos on the depression and three health-related behaviors through PSS and PTG (Depression: B[SE] = - 0.0046 [0.0021], 95% CI - 0.0098, - 0.0012; Mask-wearing: B[SE] = 0.0051 [0.0023], 95% CI 0.0015, 0.0010; Disinfection: B[SE] = 0.0059 [0.0024], 95% CI 0.0024, 0.0012; Temperature-taking: B[SE] = 0.0067 [0.0026], 95% CI 0.0023, 0.0013). CONCLUSION: Exposure to health education videos can improve people's self-perceived social support and inner growth and help them cope with the adverse impact of public health emergencies with better mental health and health-related behaviors.

Long-Term Retrospective Analysis of Re-do Microvascular Decompression in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with persistent or recurrent hemifacial spasm (HFS) and the experience of microvascular decompression (MVD) in the treatment of such patients to accumulate additional clinical evidence for optimal treatment protocols. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, surgical methods and treatment efficacies of 176 patients with persistent or recurrent HFS from January 2009 to January 2018. Results: Missing compression zones was the main reason for symptom persistence (87.50%) or recurrence (71.50%) after MVD treatment of HFS. We divided the surgical area into three zones. Most persistent or recurrent cases had decompression only in the root exit zone (REZ) (Zone 1) but missed the ventrolateral pons-involved area (Zone 2) or the bulbopontine sulcus-involved area (Zone 3) in the first MVD. Too much use of Teflon (12.50%), arachnoid adhesions (5.60%) and Teflon granulomas (10.40%) can also cause a recurrence. The difference between preoperative and postoperative Cohen scores was statistically significant in persistent or recurrent HFS patients (p<0.05). The postoperative follow-up time ranged from 36 to 108 months (71.75 ± 22.77). Conclusions: MVD should be performed in the compression site, which is mostly located at the brainstem/facial REZ. Intraoperative exploration should be conducted in accordance with the abovementioned zones to effectively avoid missing offending vessels. Re-do MVD is effective in patients with persistent or recurrent HFS.

Experience to prevent wire tethering in deep brain stimulation from a single center.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes of wire tethering in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and propose ways to prevent it. METHODS: A total of 70 consecutive patients (140 electrodes) operated for DBS in our department from September 2017 to December 2019 were analyzed to document wire tethering, respectively, in the initial period (September 2017-June 2018) and the late period (July 2018-December 2019). The patients come back to our clinic 1 month postoperatively to turn on the equipment and followed up any time postoperatively face to face. RESULTS: Wire tethering was divided into mild, moderate and severe. The frequency of mild wire tethering was 12.5% (2/16) in the initial period and 9.3% (5/54) in the late period. The frequency of moderate wire tethering was 12.5% (2/16) in the initial period and 3.7% (2/54) in the late period. There was only one patient suffered from severe wire tethering in the initial period and none in the late period. There was a significant difference between the initial (31.3%) and the late (13%) periods in the frequency of total wire tethering. CONCLUSIONS: Wire tethering is a rare but serious hardware complication in DBS which should be noteworthy. Improving surgical skill when implanted the extension wire and inventing new material covering extension wire can prevent wire tethering.

Improving recovery after microvascular decompression surgery for hemifacial spasm: experience from 530 cases with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm with an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol. METHODS: 984 hemifacial spasm patients who underwent MVD from Jan 2017 to Dec 2017 were analyzed. They were divided into the conventional treatment group (control; n = 453) and the later ERAS group (n = 531). The multimodal ERAS protocol consists of 23 perioperative elements. Time to feeding, mobilization, and urinary catheter removal, wound pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and total, preoperative, and perioperative hospital length of stay (LOS), along with outcomes and complications, were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients in both groups had similar clinical characteristics. Patients in the ERAS group had significantly higher rates of early feeding (469 [88.5%], ERAS, vs. 183 [40.6%], control; p < 0.05), early mobilization (497 [93.7%], ERAS, vs. 215 [47.7%], control; p < 0.05), and early removal of urinary catheter (458 [86.4%], ERAS, vs. 175 [38.8%], control; p < 0.05). The ERAS group also had a significantly lower incidence of wound pain (135 [25.5%], ERAS, vs. 348 [77.2%], control) and PONV (173 [32.6%], ERAS, vs. 251 (55.7%), control) (p < 0.05) and significantly shorter preoperative (0.9 ± 0.3 d, ERAS, vs. 2.3 ± 0.6 d, control), postoperative (4.1 ± 0.4 d, ERAS, vs. 5.8 ± 0.7 d, control), and total LOS (5.2 ± 0.3 d, ERAS, vs. 8.8 ± 0.6 d, control) (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in outcomes or surgical complication rates between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the ERAS protocol for patients undergoing MVD procedures for the treatment of HFS improved the quality of perioperative care without an increase in adverse events.

Occupational stress, mental health, and self-efficacy among community mental health workers: A cross-sectional study during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19, community mental health care workers (CMHWs) faced much heavier workloads, which make them vulnerable to mental problems. AIM: This study aims to investigate coronavirus disease-related occupational stress and its single and cumulative effect on mental health and self-efficacy among CMHWs. METHODS: A quick-response online cross-sectional survey WA conducted during the coronavirus disease outbreak. A total of 536 CMHWs were recruited in March 2020, in China. Demographics, occupational stress, depression, anxiety, positive and negative emotions, and self-efficacy were collected. Logistic regression analysis was employed to test the single and cumulative effect of occupational stress on mental health and self-efficacy. RESULTS: CMHWs did not show high level of depression or anxiety in this study. Those who provided service for suspected people who were quarantined reported higher risk of depression and anxiety. Staying out for more than 3 days was a risk factor of depression while cleaning/sterilising streets or communities was a protective factor of depression. Those who received psychiatric training showed higher positive emotion and self-efficacy, and providing psychological assistance online increased the self-efficacy. CMHWs with two different types of work had 0.996 times more risk of depression than those with only one type of work. CONCLUSION: The potential cumulative effect of occupation stress suggested that reasonable job assignment and organisational support are necessary safeguards for CMHWs.

Long-Term Retrospective Analysis of Microvascular Decompression in Patients With Recurrent Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and the experience of microvascular decompression (MVD) in the treatment of such patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data, imaging examination results, surgical methods, and treatment efficacies in 127 patients with recurrent typical TN from January 2005 to December 2014. Results: The age of the recurrent group was higher than that of the non-recurrent group (p < 0.05). The duration of pain before the first MVD procedure was longer in the recurrent group than in the non-recurrent group (p < 0.05). Patients in the recurrent group were more likely to have compression of the trigeminal nerve by the vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) or multiple vessels than patients in the non-recurrent group (p < 0.05). A Kaplan-Meier curve showed a median pain-free survival of 12 months after the first MVD procedure. The severity of pain (preoperative visual analog scale [VAS] score) in patients with recurrence was lower than that in patients with first-onset TN (p < 0.05). Vessel compression, Teflon compression or granuloma and arachnoid adhesion were considered the main causes of recurrence. Postoperative Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) scores in the redo MVD group were excellent (T = 2) for 69 patients (53.33%) and good (T = 3) for 46 patients (36.22%). The postoperative follow-up was 63-167 months (105.92 ± 25.66). During the follow-up, no recurrence was noted. All complications were cured or improved. Conclusions: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective surgical method for the treatment of TN. For recurrent patients, reoperation can achieve good results.

miR­155 mediates inflammatory injury of hippocampal neuronal cells via the activation of microglia.

MicroRNA (miR)­155 has a crucial role in various cellular functions, including differentiation of hematopoietic cells, immunization, inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the roles and mechanisms of miR­155 in treatment­resistant depression (TRD). A Cell Counting Kit­8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to assess the cell viability and apoptosis of microglial cells, respectively. Western blotting and reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were used to evaluate the associated protein and mRNA expression, respectively. The results revealed that miR­155 reduced the cell viability of BV­2 microglial cells, and miR­155 enhanced the expression levels of pro­inflammatory cytokines in BV­2 microglial cells. Furthermore, conditioned medium from miR­155­treated microglia decreased the cell viability of HT22 hippocampal cells. miR­155­treated microglia increased the apoptosis of neuronal hippocampal cells by modulating the expression levels of apoptosis regulator Bax, apoptosis regulator Bcl­2, pro­caspase­3 and cleaved­caspase­3. The cell cycle distribution was disrupted by miR­155­treated microglia through induction of S phase arrest. Furthermore, the overexpression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 reversed the pro­apoptotic effect of activated microglia on hippocampal neuronal cells. In conclusion, the present results suggested that miR­155 mediated the inflammatory injury in hippocampal neuronal cells by activating the microglial cells. The potential effects of miR­155 on the activation of microglial cells suggest that miR­155 may be an effective target for TRD therapies.