Prevalence, assessment and correlates of mental health problems in neglected tropical diseases: a systematic review.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of disease conditions that affect the world's poorest people in low- and middle-income countries. NTDs are associated with negative behavioural experiences, including discrimination, rejection and stigmatization, that predisposes those affected to mental health problems. Consequently, researchers have shown profound interest in elucidating the mental health burden associated with NTDs. To address pertinent issues in the burgeoning literature relating to the prevalence, assessment and correlates of mental health problems in NTDs, a systematic review methodology was used. Underpinned by the PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted of electronic databases, individual journals and bibliographies for articles that were screened and subjected to predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sixteen articles from African, Asian and South American countries were included in the review. Depression was the most widely investigated mental health issue, followed by stress and anxiety, with prevalence estimates of 7-54%, 8-43% and 19-53%, respectively. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 and Self-Reporting Questionnaire were the most widely administered mental health screening tools. The major correlates of mental health problems are lower education and economic status and female gender. We recommend multisectoral and multilayered mental health and related interventions to address the increasing burden of mental health in NTDs.

Interventions impacting the accessibility of sexual reproductive health services for head porters in sub-Saharan Africa- A scoping review protocol.

Head porters working in markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are one of the world's most vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. They consist predominantly of uneducated women and girls seeking to escape poverty, early marriage, and other issues of domestic violence. Most female head porters are in their reproductive years and often lack access to sexual reproductive health services (SRHS) despite being at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unplanned pregnancies, and gender-based violence. The low priority for women and girls' SRH in many SSA countries highlights the need to explore the factors influencing the accessibility of services for failure to do so restrains human development. An initial search of the literature was conducted and revealed no current scoping or systematic reviews on the accessibility to SRHS for female head porters in SSA. We outline a scoping review protocol, using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, to determine the interventions that influence the accessibility of SRHS for female head porters in SSA. The protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/hjfkd). Findings will not only be valuable for female head porters but for all vulnerable female groups in SSA who experience high SRH risks and social disparities.

A twin disaster: Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and a cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak simultaneously in a low-resource country.

Managing a deadly pandemic in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is challenging. The task becomes tougher when there is an outbreak of an equally deadly disease. This is the present situation of Ghana, a low-resource country, that is confronted with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreak. Apart from the resource constraint at both governmental and individual levels, such a situation affects the overall wellbeing of ordinary citizens as well as healthcare professionals, particularly those in high-risk areas. Perhaps, more than ever, we have to ensure equitable distribution of scarce healthcare resources in our effort to manage this 'twin disaster' of COVID-19 and CSM. We evaluated Ghana's situation (outbreak response) and recommended measures to help us navigate this conundrum of a public health crisis.

Risk assessment of criminal offenders in Ghana: An investigation of the discriminant validity of the HCR-20V3.

The frequency with which assessment for risk of criminal offending is requested across mental health and criminal justice systems in Western countries is historically unprecedented. However, information concerning risk assessment practices and research in Sub-Saharan Africa is virtually nonexistent. In filling this gap, the present study discusses the prospects and challenges of risk assessment for criminal offending in Ghana, focusing on the criminal justice system, mental health system, and institutional record keeping. Secondly, data obtained from interviewing prisoners, their parents/legal guardians, and prison officers were used to score the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 version 3 (HCR-20V3) to discriminate between recidivists (n = 60) and non-recidivists (n = 60). The results reveal significant and positive correlations between HCR-20V3 ratings and recidivism that ranged from 0.35 (clinical presence) to 0.69 (historical relevance). The area under curve (AUC) values of the HCR-20 ratings similarly ranged from 0.69 (clinical presence ratings) to 0.88 (historical presence ratings). The historical presence and relevance ratings achieve good and a near-balanced sensitivity and specificity (e.g., 75 versus 88), with the latter also adding incrementally to the discrimination. The clinical and risk management ratings, however, did not add incremental validity to the discrimination. Although the exclusion of the items measuring mental and personality disorders, the small sample size and the use of retrospective design have the potential to undermine the findings reported here, this preliminary study on structured risk assessment in Ghana demonstrates the feasibility of administering risk assessment instruments by interviewing multiple informants.

Promoting maternal mental health in Ghana: An examination of the involvement and professional development needs of nurses and midwives.

Insight into the involvement and professional development needs (PDNs) of non-mental health nurses and midwives with respect to promoting maternal mental health is necessary to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare delivery. Using a cross-sectional survey and self-report methodology, the study investigates the involvement, PDNs, knowledge and attitudes of 309 nurses and midwives in promoting maternal mental health in Ghana. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, namely Analysis of Variance, bivariate and logistic regression, and cluster analysis. The results showed that the majority of the participants (94%) indicated they were involved in promoting maternal mental health. Knowledge about maternal mental health correlated significantly with involvement in promoting maternal mental health (p < .05), whereas attitude towards maternal mental health did not. An overwhelming proportion of the participants (83%-94%) expressed profound interest in professional development education across a range of maternal mental health areas. Enhancing the mental health knowledge-base of nurses and midwives could contribute significantly to promoting maternal mental health.