Training in neuropsychiatry: views of early career psychiatrists from across the world.

BACKGROUND: Training and practice in neuropsychiatry varies across the world. However, little is known about the experiences and opinions of early career psychiatrists (ECPs) across different countries regarding neuropsychiatry. AIMS AND METHOD: To investigate neuropsychiatry training experiences, practices and opinions among ECPs across different countries. An online survey was distributed to ECPs in 35 countries across the world. RESULTS: A total of 522 participants took part in this study. Responses show that neuropsychiatry is integrated to a variable extent in psychiatric training curricula across the world. Most respondents were not aware of the existence of neuropsychiatric training or of neuropsychiatric units. Most agreed that training in neuropsychiatry should be done during or after the psychiatry training period. Lack of interest among specialty societies, lack of time during training, and political and economic reasons are regarded as the main barriers. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: These findings call for an improvement in the extent and in the quality of neuropsychiatry training across the world.

Sleep quality and its relationship with school schedules and mental health of Nigerian secondary school adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the sleep quality of in-school Nigerian adolescents and its association with their schooling and mental health outcomes. METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. It was conducted among adolescents attending public and private secondary schools within the Ife Central Local Government, Osun State, southwestern Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and 7-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaires were used to determine sleep quality, depression, and anxiety, respectively. RESULTS: We studied 448 adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years with a mean age of 15.0 ± 1.8 years. The majority of our respondents (85.0%) had poor sleep quality. More than half of the respondents (55.1%) had insufficient sleep during weekdays, while only 34.8% had insufficient sleep during weekends. The school closing time and school type showed a statistically significant association with sleep quality (P = .039 and .005, respectively). The odds of having poor sleep quality increased by 2-fold among adolescents in private schools when compared with those in public schools (adjusted odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval = 1.069-3.627). Using multiple linear regression, only depression showed a statistically significant association with sleep quality at 95% confidence interval (CI = 0.073 to 0.219, P < .001), such that for every unit change in depression scores (PHQ-9), there will be a corresponding increase of 0.103 in sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep quality is poor in adolescents and adversely associated with their mental health. This should also be addressed in the development of appropriate interventions. CITATION: Olorunmoteni OE, Fehintola FO, Seun-Fadipe C, Komolafe MA, Mosaku KS. Sleep quality and its relationship with school schedules and mental health of Nigerian secondary school adolescents. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(11):1895-1904.

Psychological Distress, Anxiety, Depression, and Associated Factors Among Nigerian Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: We determined the prevalence of psychological distress, and the associations between sociodemographic factors, anxiety, depression, COVID-19-related experiences, and psychological distress, among nurses and doctors in Nigeria. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study, conducted over a month (1st of July-31st of July 2021) among 434 Health Care Workers (HCWs) [225 (51.8%) nurses and 209 (48.2%) doctors] from two tertiary health facilities in southwestern Nigeria. Binary logistic regression was carried out to determine the factors associated with psychological distress (dependent variable), while the independent variables were anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 experience-related factors. Results: The prevalence of moderate and severe psychological distress was 49.1% and 5.8%, respectively. Individuals who had the first degree had significantly lower odds (AOR: 0.43; p = 0.037) of experiencing psychological distress while being a nurse (AOR: 2.03; p = 0.014), higher levels of anxiety (1.28; p < 0.001), and depression (AOR: 1.17; p = 0.005) were associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing moderate to severe levels of psychological distress. Conclusion: There is a high level of psychological distress experienced by these health workers. Hence, they will benefit from strategies to reduce their distress.

Developing an mHealth Intervention to Reduce COVID-19-Associated Psychological Distress Among Health Care Workers in Nigeria: Protocol for a Design and Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Globally, COVID-19-related psychological distress is seriously eroding health care workers' mental health and well-being, especially in low-income countries like Nigeria. The use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions is now increasingly recognized as an innovative approach that may improve mental health and well-being. This project aims to develop an mHealth psychological intervention (mPsyI) to reduce COVID-19-related psychological distress among health care workers in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to present a study protocol to determine the level of COVID-19-related psychological distress among health care workers in Nigeria; explore health care workers' experience of COVID-19-related psychological distress; develop and pilot test mPsyI to reduce this distress; and assess the feasibility of this intervention (such as usability, engagement, and satisfaction). METHODS: A mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods approach is used in which health care workers will be recruited from 2 tertiary health care facilities in southwest Nigeria. The study is divided into 4 phases based on the study objectives. Phase 1 involves a quantitative survey to assess the type and levels of psychosocial distress. Phase 2 collects qualitative data on psychosocial distress among health care workers. Phase 3 involves development of the mHealth-based psychological intervention, and phase 4 is a mixed methods study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. RESULTS: This study was funded in November 2020 by the Global Effort on COVID-19 Health Research, and collection of preliminary baseline data started in July 2021. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report the development of an mHealth-based intervention to reduce COVID-19-related psychological distress among health care workers in Nigeria. Using a mixed methods design in this study can potentially facilitate the adaptation of an evidence-based treatment method that is culturally sensitive and cost-effective for the management of COVID-19-related psychological distress among health care workers in Nigeria. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/36174.

Workplace violence and risk for psychiatric morbidity among health workers in a tertiary health care setting in Nigeria: Prevalence and correlates.

The objectives were to evaluate the workplace violence and risk for psychiatric morbidity, as well as their correlates, among health workers in a tertiary healthcare setting in Nigeria. A stratified random sampling technique was used to recruit the health workers. Each participant was administered a socio-demographic questionnaire, the ILO/ICN/WHO/PSI Workplace Violence Questionnaire and the 12- item General Health Questionnaire. A total of 380 health workers were recruited, with a mean age of 36.4 (±7.64) years. The prevalence rates of workplace violence and risk of psychiatric morbidity were 39.9% and 38.5%. Factors with independent associations with workplace violence included young age, female sex and worry about workplace violence while a widowed, separated or divorced marital status and being victim of workplace violence independently increased risk for developing psychiatric morbidity. This study therefore showed that workplace violence is common in the health care setting, and significant proportion of workers are at risk for developing psychiatric morbidity. These observations suggest need for the regular mental health screening of health workers, as well as the need for programmes aimed at preventing workplace violence in this setting.

Sleep Hygiene Index: Psychometric Characteristics and Usefulness as a Screening Tool in a Sample of Nigerian Undergraduate Students.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the psychometric properties of the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and determine its capacity to screen for poor sleep quality in a nonclinical sample of Nigerian university students. METHODS: A total of 348 students appropriately completed the SHI, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS: The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) of the SHI was .64 and its construct validity was modestly satisfactory. It had a significant negative correlation with the MEQ (r = -.170, P < .001) and positive correlations with global PSQI (r = .289, P < .001) and ESS (r = .219, P < .001) scores. Prior to the factor analysis, our sample was randomly divided into two. In one half of the sample (sample 1), exploratory factor analysis of the SHI items yielded a three-factor model. Confirmatory factor analysis on the other half (sample 2) corroborated this model with satisfactory indices of fitness (c2 = 67.805; df = 55; c2/df = 1.233; P = .115; goodness of fit index = .943; Tucker-Lewis index = .958; incremental fit index = .972; comparative fit index = .970; root mean square error of approximation = .037). A cutoff total score of 16 on the SHI had the best sensitivity (77.0%) and specificity (47.5%) to identify students who were categorized as experiencing poor sleep quality, according to the PSQI (area under the curve = 0.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.59-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: The SHI exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties as a self-rated assessment instrument in the evaluation of sleep hygiene and as a screening instrument for poor sleep quality among Nigerian undergraduate students.

Sleep quality and psychological distress among undergraduate students of a Nigerian university.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to assess the sleep quality of undergraduate students in a Nigerian University, to determine its association with psychological distress, and to evaluate some of the factors associated with poor sleep quality among the students. METHODS: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among the undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The multistage sampling method was used to select 520 study participants, and a self-administered instrument including a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index, General Health Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale was administered. RESULTS: Out of 520 students who gave consent to participate in the study, 505 students (97.1%) returned a fully-completed questionnaire. Half of the students (50.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 45.7-54.5%) had poor sleep quality, with a minority (5.7%) taking sleep medications at least once or twice a week. About one-fourth (24.4%; 95% CI, 21.7-27.1%)) had psychological distress. Among the demographic factors, the year of study (χ2=13.80 [P<.01]) had significant association with poor sleep quality. Presence of psychological distress and symptoms of depression and anxiety were also significantly associated with poor sleep quality. The year of study, psychological distress, and anxiety symptoms were significant predictors of poor sleep quality among the students. CONCLUSION: The strong association between psychological distress and quality of sleep further underscores the benefit of advocating for habits that can improve optimal mental health and sleep quality among the undergraduate students.