Enacted Ebola Stigma and Health-related Quality of Life in Post Ebola Epidemic: A Psychosocial Mediation Framework Through Social Support, Self-Efficacy, and Coping.

On-site experiences and reports have shown that the multiple outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) resulted in pervasive experience of stigma against many people who have recovered from EVD as well as their families and close relatives. Three evidence-based protective factors which are supposed to mitigate the impact of enacted Ebola stigma on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals in this epidemic context were identified. We expected that positive religious coping, perceived social support, and general self-efficacy would mediate the relationship between enacted Ebola stigma and HRQoL. These hypotheses were tested through multiple mediation model using the structural equation modeling among a large sample of adult populations (N = 1614; 50% women) in the province of Equateur in the DRC, in the aftermath of the 9th Ebola outbreak. The mediation model yielded adequate fit statistics and the results provided strong evidence that higher levels of enacted Ebola stigma were associated with lower HRQoL. They confirmed the synergetic mediating effects of positive religious coping, perceived social support from family (but not from others sources) and general self-efficacy. Futher exploratory findings revealed that the perceived social support from family buffered the impact of enacted Ebola stigma on HRQoL. If replicated by a longitudinal study, our findings lay a solid foundation for empirical-based community mental health interventions for reducing enacted Ebola stigma and promoting HRQoL during epidemics, especially in the DRC.

Prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth among middle-aged and older widowed persons: A latent class analysis and testing for the role of social support.

Evidence has shown that symptoms of grief co-occur with posttraumatic growth following loss. Using latent class analysis among a Togolese sample of middle-aged/older widowed persons, we identified three classes along their experiences of grief-growth interaction (combined grief/growth, predominantly growth, and low-medium growth classes). The combined grief/growth class members were more likely to have lost their spouses recently and to report greater marital relationship satisfaction with their spouse before their death. The perceived social support from family was predictive of the predominantly growth class membership. The findings provide a nuanced understanding of grief, which is dominated by psychopathology and negative outcomes.

Prevalence and Effects of Daily and Major Experiences of Racial Discrimination and Microaggressions among Black Individuals in Canada.

The prevalence and correlates of different forms of racial discrimination among Black Canadians are unknown. This article aims to examine the prevalence of different forms of racial discrimination (daily, major and microaggressions) and their association with self-esteem and satisfaction with life among Black Canadians. A convenience sample of 845 Black Canadians aged 15-40 was recruited. We assessed frequencies of everyday and major racial discrimination, and racial microaggressions against Black Canadians and their association with self-esteem and satisfaction with life, controlling for gender, age, job status, education, and matrimonial status. At least 4 out of 10 participants declared having being victims of everyday racial discrimination at least once per week. Between 46.3% and 64.2% of participants declared having been victims of major racial discrimination in various situations including education, job hiring, job dismissal, health services, housing, bank and loans, and police encounters. Significant gender differences were observed for everyday and major racial discrimination with higher frequencies among female participants. A total of 50.2% to 93.8% of participants declared having been victims of at least one episode of racial microaggressions. Results showed a significant negative association between racial discrimination and satisfaction with life (b = -0.26, p = .003), and self-esteem (b = -0.23, p = .009). This study highlights the need to stop colorblind policies in different sectors in Canada, and for a public commitment to combat racism at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Implications are discussed for prevention, research and public health.

Corrigendum: The Transcultural Community Resilience Scale: Psychometric Properties and Multinational Validity in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713477.].

The Transcultural Community Resilience Scale: Psychometric Properties and Multinational Validity in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Few instruments assess community resilience. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity of communities to support resilience of members deserves to be assessed to develop programs for improving mental health of affected populations. This article presents the development of the Ottawa-Community Resilience Scale (O-CRS), its underlying factorial structure and transcultural validity with a multilingual (English, French, Creole, Kinyarwanda), multinational (DR Congo, Haiti, Rwanda, Togo) and multicultural sample affected by this pandemic. A sample of 1,267 participants (40.9% women) were recruited in the four countries: DRC (n = 626, 43.4% women), Haiti (n = 225, 42.0% women), Rwanda (n = 174, 40.5% women), and Togo (n = 242, 33.2% women), with a mean age of 32 (SD = 10.1). They completed measures assessing individual resilience, depression and the O-CRS. Exploratory and confirmatory Factor Analyses, Cronbach alpha, coefficient H and the McDonald's Omega, and bivariate regression were used to estimate the underlying components of the O-CRS, its internal consistency and concurrent validity. Parallel factorial analysis and confirmatory factor analysis results revealed an excellent fit 3-factor structure. Internal consistency coefficients varied between 0.82 and 0.95. The O-CRS showed a good construct validity with a positive association with individual resilience and negative association with depression score. Developed with a collaborative approach involving researchers, practitioners, and clients/patients, the O-CRS and its three factors (community strengths and support, community trust and faith, and community values) demonstrated excellent psychometric properties for assessing community resilience among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence and correlates of depression among Black individuals in Canada: The major role of everyday racial discrimination.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common mental health problem causing significant disability globally, including in Canada. Prevalence estimates for depression within Black communities in Canada are unknown. This study determined the prevalence of depression in a sample of Black Canadians and the association between everyday racial discrimination experiences and depression. METHODS: We analyzed data collected from the Black Community Mental Health project in Canada. Participants provided sociodemographic information and completed measures assessing depressive symptomology, everyday racial discrimination, and social support. The prevalence of depressive symptomatology was computed across sociodemographic variables and categories of everyday racial discrimination. Different regression models were conducted to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and everyday racism controlling for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: In total, 65.87% of participants reported severe depressive symptoms, with higher rates among women, those who are employed, and those born in Canada. The linear regression models showed that everyday racial discrimination is the best predictor of depressive symptoms, with a final model explaining 25% of the variance. A logistic regression model demonstrated that those experiencing a high level of racial discrimination are 36.4 more likely to present severe depressive symptoms when compared to those reporting a low level of discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of depressive symptoms among Black individuals are nearly six times the 12-month prevalence reported for the general population in Canada. Racial discrimination, which significantly predicts greater depressive symptomatology, is consistent with earlier studies in the United States and suggests that Canadian colorblind policies may inadvertently reinforce racial discrimination with detrimental effects on mental health.

Prevalence and correlates of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and the major role of stigmatization in low- and middle-income countries: A multinational cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Currently, there is little data on the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to examine the pooled and separate prevalence and determinants of depression during the pandemic in samples from four LMICs. METHODS: Participants (N= 1267, 40.9% women) were recruited from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Rwanda, and Togo. They completed an online cross-sectional survey on sociodemographics, exposure and stigmatization related to COVID-19, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist depression subscale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence for depression symptoms was 24.3% (95% CI: 22.08-26.79%), with significant differences across countries. Younger age, gender (women), and high levels of exposure and stigmatization related to COVIID-19, and resilience were associated with depression in the pooled data. There were significant variations at the country level. Stigmatization (but not exposure to COVID-19 and resilience) was a strong predictor among the four countries. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression symptoms in the LMICs are similar to those reported in China and in most high-income countries during the pandemic. The findings emphasize the need for implementing non-fear-based education programs during epidemics to reduce stigmatization.