Effects of physical and psychological multimorbidity on the risk of dementia: multinational prospective cohorts and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies only considered the impact of a single physical or psychological disorder on dementia. Our study investigated the association of physical and psychological multimorbidity with dementia among older adults using two multinational prospective cohorts to supplement the limited joint evidence. METHODS: We utilized the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 2012 to 2018) in the United States (US) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 2012 to 2018). Physical disorder was defined as any one of seven self-reported physician-diagnosed conditions. Psychological disorder was assessed using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Research Depression (CES-D) scale or the EURO-D. Dementia was determined through a combination of self-reported physician diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or the 27-point HRS cognitive scale. Competing risk models were utilized to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). DerSimonian-Laird random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to obtain pooled estimates. RESULTS: The prevalence of physical and psychological multimorbidity was 17.29% (1027/5939) in continental Europe and 15.52% (1326/8543) in the US. The incidence of dementia was 6.21 per 1000 person-years in continental Europe and 8.27 per 1000 person-years in the US, respectively. It was highest among participants with physical and psychological multimorbidity in continental Europe (10.46 per 1000 person-years) and the US (14.82 per 1000 person-years), compared with the other three groups. In the univariate model, participants who reported physical and psychological multimorbidity had a higher risk of dementia compared with those who reported no physical and psychological disorders in continental Europe (HR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.55, 4.33) and the US (HR = 4.11; 95% CI: 2.44, 6.94). After adjusting all covariates, the risk of dementia among participants who reported physical and psychological multimorbidity increased by 86% in continental Europe (aHR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.08, 3.21) and by 176% in the US (aHR = 2.76; 95% CI: 1.61, 4.72), respectively. After pooling the outcomes, the risk of dementia among participants who reported physical and psychological multimorbidity increased by 115% (aHR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.27, 3.03). CONCLUSIONS: Physical and psychological multimorbidity was prevalent among older adults in the US and continental Europe. Given the consistent associations with dementia, it is imperative to increase awareness of the links and recognize the limitations of single-disorder care. Specific attention should be given to providing care coordination.

Psychological, Psychiatric, and Organic Brain Manifestations of Celiac Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. Although its main impact often concerns the small intestine, resulting in villous atrophy and nutrient malabsorption, it can also cause systemic manifestations, particularly when undiagnosed or left untreated. METHOD: Attention is directed to the possible psychological, psychiatric, and organic brain manifestations of celiac disease. Specific topics related to the influence and risk of such manifestations with respect to celiac disease are defined and discussed. Overall, eighteen main topics are considered, sifted from over 500 references. RESULTS: The most often studied topics were found to be the effect on quality of life, organic brain dysfunction and ataxia, epilepsy, Down syndrome, generalized psychological disorders, eating dysfunction, depression, and schizophrenia. For most every topic, although many studies report a connection to celiac disease, there are often one or more contrary studies and opinions. A bibliographic analysis of the cited articles was also done. There has been a sharp increase in interest in this research since 1990. Recently published articles tend to receive more referencing, up to as many as 15 citations per year, suggesting an increasing impact of the topics. The number of manuscript pages per article has also tended to increase, up to as many as 12 pages. The impact factor of the publishing journal has remained level over the years. CONCLUSION: This compendium may be useful in developing a consensus regarding psychological, psychiatric, and organic brain manifestations that can occur in celiac disease and for determining the best direction for ongoing research focus.

Sleep and psychological disorders seriously affect the quality of life of chronic rhinosinusitis patients.

PURPOSE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease that affects patients' quality of life (QoL). We aim to explore which symptoms bothered the patient most. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of CRS patients 2 years after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The main observation indicators were SNOT-22 and visual analog scale (VAS) scores. The patients were grouped according to clinical control standard of EPOS 2020. Patients' symptom scores and postoperative medication were used for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 276 patients were included, among them, uncontrolled patients accounted for 23.9%, sense of taste/smell, fatigue, lacking of a good night's sleep, reduced concentration and reduced productivity were the most serious symptoms that troubled them. VAS and SNOT-22 scores were significantly different among all groups (P = 0.000), and had clinical significance for the diagnosis of clinical uncontrolled patients (both P < 0.0001). Furthermore, the duration of corticosteroids use and nasal saline irrigation in uncontrolled patients was significantly longer than that in other patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There are significant differences in the QoL of CRS patients with different clinical control, sleep and psychological disorders are main symptoms that affect the QoL of CRS patients, and more targeted management of sleep/psychological issues may be needed especially for uncontrolled patients.

[Supporting psychobehavioral disorders at home and in institutions: a systemic approach]. / Accompagner les troubles psycho-comportementaux à domicile et en institution : une approche systémique.

Caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders is a complex process, that of a chronic illness. Psychological and behavioral symptoms associated to dementia can appear in all neuro-degenerative diseases to varying degrees, and depend on numerous factors that need to be understood in order to take appropriate action. We propose a systemic approach to psychological and behavioral symptoms, with a view to preventing their onset or reducing their severity.

[The nurse and psychotic disorders in neurocognitive diseases]. / L'infirmière face aux troubles psychotiques au cours de maladies neurocognitives.

Psychotic disorders, such as delusions and hallucinations, cause stress for individuals, their caregivers and healthcare professionals. Attitudes, perceived as behavioral tendencies, in the presence of these symptoms, can either alleviate or exacerbate them. How should we position ourselves in the presence of these disorders? What are the most effective attitudes for calming day-to-day situations?

Is schema therapy effective for adults with eating disorders? A systematic review into the evidence.

Commonly developing in adolescence and following a chronic course, eating disorders are life-threatening psychological disorders and typically very difficult to treat despite the body of research exploring treatment options. Due to the high levels of severity and the enduring nature of eating disorders, schema therapy has been proposed as a more effective treatment than cognitive behaviour therapy. To assess the effectiveness of schema therapy in adults with eating disorders, the present systematic review was designed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. A structured search of electronic databases and grey literature was conducted, and the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool was used to assess the quality of each article. Four articles including 151 participants were found which demonstrated that schema therapy is effective at reducing eating disorder symptoms and behaviour and general psychopathology. Despite the limitations of this study, including the scarcity of research available and varying methodologies used, the present systematic review found evidence supporting the use of schema therapy in patients with eating disorders, particularly those experiencing severe and enduring forms.

Association of risky driving behavior with psychiatric disorders among Iranian drivers: A case-control study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the possible association between psychological disorders and risky driving behavior (RDB) in Iran. METHODS: This case-control study conducted in Shiraz, Iran in 2021. The case group included drivers with psychological disorders and the control group included those without any disorders. The inclusion criteria for selecting patients were: active driving at the time of the study, being 18 - 65 years old, having a driving license, having a psychological disorder including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety spectrum disorder, or psychotic disorder spectrum confirmed by a psychiatrist, and completing an informed consent form. The exclusion criterion was the existence of conditions that interfered with answering and understanding the questions. The inclusion criteria for selecting the healthy cases were: active driving at the time of the study, being 18 - 65 years old, having a driving license, lack of any past or present history of psychiatric problems, and completing an informed consent form. The data were gathered using a researcher-made checklist and Manchester driving behavior questionnaire. First, partition around medoids method was used to extract clusters of RDB. Then, backward logistic regression was applied to investigate the association between the independent variables and the clusters of RDB. RESULTS: The sample comprised of 344 (153 with psychological disorder and 191 without confirmed psychological disorder) drivers. Backward elimination logistic regression on total data revealed that share of medical expenditure ≤ 10% of total household expenditure (OR = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.48 - 7.24), psychological disorder (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.67 - 5.70), and substance abuse class (OR = 6.38, 95% CI: 3.55 - 11.48) were associated with high level of RDB. CONCLUSION: Substance abuse, psychological illnesses, and share of medical costs from total household expenditure were found to be main predictors of RDB. Further investigations are necessary to explain the impact of different psychological illnesses on driving behavior.

[Vertigo and dizziness : functional disorders ?] / La symptomatologie vertigineuse : un trouble fonctionnel ?

Symptoms of vertigo and dizziness may arise from a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear but many or even most of them don't. The medical interrogatory is a key step for the diagnosis, combined with functional tests. Around 10 % of patients with vertigo are referred to specialists. They are a lot of psychogenic dizzy symptoms. The importance of a reassuring dialogue with the patient is of prime importance to avoid the development of functional or psychological imbalance.

La pathologie vertigineuse peut être séparée en deux grandes entités. Le vertige vrai, sensation rotatoire, «vertigo¼ des auteurs anglo-saxons et l'instabilité, «dizziness¼ des mêmes auteurs. L'anamnèse est la clé du diagnostic, précisée par des explorations fonctionnelles. En pratique, 10 % des patients vertigineux sont référés aux médecins spécialistes. Une mauvaise explication de la pathologie au patient peut entraîner des troubles fonctionnels importants qui peuvent évoluer en troubles psychologiques.

A NOVEL AND HYBRID WHALE OPTIMIZATION WITH RESTRICTED CROSSOVER AND MUTATION BASED FEATURE SELECTION METHOD FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are two leading human psychological disorders. In this work, several swarm intelligence-based metaheuristic techniques have been employed to find an optimal feature set for the diagnosis of these two human psychological disorders. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: To diagnose depression and anxiety among people, a random dataset comprising 1128 instances and 46 attributes has been considered and examined. The dataset was collected and compiled manually by visiting the number of clinics situated in different cities of Haryana (one of the states of India). Afterwards, nine emerging meta-heuristic techniques (Genetic algorithm, binary Grey Wolf Optimizer, Ant Colony Optimization, Particle Swarm Optimization, Artificial Bee Colony, Firefly Algorithm, Dragonfly Algorithm, Bat Algorithm and Whale Optimization Algorithm) have been employed to find the optimal feature set used to diagnose depression and anxiety among humans. To avoid local optima and to maintain the balance between exploration and exploitation, a new hybrid feature selection technique called Restricted Crossover Mutation based Whale Optimization Algorithm (RCM-WOA) has been designed. RESULTS: The swarm intelligence-based meta-heuristic algorithms have been applied to the datasets. The performance of these algorithms has been evaluated using different performance metrics such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, recall, f-measure, error rate, execution time and convergence curve. The rate of accuracy reached utilizing the proposed method RCM-WOA is 91.4%. CONCLUSION: Depression and Anxiety are two critical psychological disorders that may lead to other chronic and life-threatening human disorders. The proposed algorithm (RCM-WOA) was found to be more suitable compared to the other state of art methods.

COVID-19 and mental health: a longitudinal population study from Norway.

Existing research has found adverse short-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, but longer-term effects have been less documented. Using newly released register data on all general practitioner consultations in Norway through 2020 (about 14 million consultations in total), we find that during the spring and early summer 2020, the number of psychological cases initially increased relative to prior years, but then fell back towards the level of prior years during the summer 2020. In early September 2020, the number of cases accelerated, a pattern that held up through December 2020, so that the gap between 2020 and prior years became largest end-of-year. Our findings suggest that the accumulated adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health far exceeds the short-term effects. The effects are particularly strong for females and for residents in urban areas.

Psychological status and physical performance are independently associated with autonomic function.

BACKGROUND: Falls among older adults have become a global concern. While previous studies have established associations between autonomic function indicator; heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) with fall recurrence, as well as physical inactivity and psychological disorders as risk factors for falls, the influence of physical activity and psychological status on autonomic dysfunction observed among older fallers has not been adequately investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between psychological disorder and physical performance on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in older fallers. We hypothesised that older fallers have poorer autonomic function, greater dependency on others and were associated with psychological disorders. Furthermore, we hypothesised that both physical performance and psychological status can contribute to the worsening of the autonomic function among the elderly. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, adults aged ≥ 60 years were recruited. Continuous non-invasive BP was monitored over 5 min of supine and 3 min of standing. Psychological status was assessed in terms of depression, anxiety, stress, and concern about falling, while functional status was measured using time-up-and-go, functional reach, handgrip and Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADL) scale. RESULTS: A total of 62 participants were recruited consisting of 37 fallers and 25 non-fallers. Multivariate analysis revealed that Lawton IADL was independently associated with systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV) and diastolic blood pressure variability (DBPV) during both supine (SBPV: r2 = 0.080, p = 0.025; DBPV: r2 = 0.064, p = 0.046) and standing (SBPV: r2 = 0.112, p = 0.008; DBPV: r2 = 0.105, p = 0.011), while anxiety score was independently associated with SBPV and DBPV during standing (SBPV: r2 = 0.112, p = 0.009; DBPV: r2 = 0.105, p = 0.011) as compared to the other parameters. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that fallers had poorer ANS, greater dependence in IADLs, and were more anxious. IADL dependency and anxiety were the most predictive of autonomic dysfunction, and can be used in practice to identify poor autonomic function for the prevention of falls and cardiovascular diseases among older adults.

The association between dairy products and psychological disorders in a large sample of Iranian adults.

BACKGROUND: Dairy products contain certain nutrients that are useful in mental disorders. This study aimed to assess the associations between dairy products and psychological disorders in a large sample of Iran, a Middle Eastern country. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was undertaken on 7387 adults. Data on dietary intakes were obtained using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. Psychological health was assessed by the Iranian validated version of depression, anxiety, and stress scale 21. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between dairy intake and psychological disorders. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, total milk consumption (OR for the highest vs. lowest tertile: 0.73, 0.58-0.92) and total yogurt consumption (0.78, 0.62-0.97) were associated with decreased odds of depression. An inverse relationship was found between total dairy (0.73, 95% CI 0.590.91), total milk (0.72; 0.58-0.88), kashk (0.79, 0.65-0.96), and yogurt drink (0.80, 95% CI 0.65-0.98) consumption and anxiety symptoms. Higher intake of cheese was related to greater odds of stress (1.52, 1.02-2.26). No association was found between the consumption of high-fat dairy, low-fat dairy, low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, high-fat yogurt, cheese, kashk, yogurt drink, and depression. Also, there is no association between dairy products and stress symptoms. This association was significant among men and women and high-fat and low-fat products in the total adjusted stratified analysis models. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study revealed that both high-fat and low-fat dairy products are associated with a reduced prevalence of psychological disorders. Still, more prospective studies are required to confirm these associations.

How We Disenfranchise Grief for Self and Other: An Empirical Study.

Disenfranchised grief can be defined as a loss that is not openly acknowledged or a mourning process not recognized socially after a loss. One can also self-disenfranchise as suppressing and not allowing oneself to grieve. The current study aims to examine perceived disenfranchisement, self-disenfranchisement and disenfranchisement of others. For this purpose, three hypothetical unacknowledged loss scenarios, which are pet loss, a romantic relationship break-up and having a psychological disorder, were used to compare self and other disenfranchisement as well as to reveal the relationships to attachment and social support. The findings indicate that the three loss scenarios differ in terms of the acknowledgement of loss, grief and social and professional support for self and others. Subsequently, attachment and social support are significantly related to the evaluations of the disenfranchised grief process. Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed.

Depression and quality of life among pregnant women in first and third trimesters in Abeokuta: A comparative study.

Background: Pregnancy is a dynamic time during which a woman's emotional state may undergo extensive change. There have been conflicting views about the magnitude of emotional turmoil that occurs during pregnancy. Some investigators suggest that pregnancy is a time of particularly good psychological adjustment; others have reported high levels of psychological challenge. Aim: Our study aimed to compare the prevalence and correlates of depression in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy and to determine the relationship between quality of life and depressive disorder. Setting: The antenatal clinic of the State Hospital, Ijaiye. Method: A descriptive, comparative study of depressive disorder and the quality of life between first- and third-trimester pregnant women (confirmed through a pregnancy test and an abdominopelvic ultrasound). Result: For each trimester, 285 participants were recruited. The prevalence of depression among the pregnant women who participated in the study was 7.2%. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the prevalence of depression was 30 (10.5%), while it was 11 (3.9%) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Collectively, the relationship between depression and QoL was significant in the overall domain, satisfaction with general health domain (t = 2.27; p = 0.03), psychological domain (t = 2.74; p = 0.010, and environmental domain (t = 4.57; p ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Our study also highlights the need to pay closer attention to the psychological well-being and quality of life of all pregnant women and not just on their physical health and the baby's well-being.

Associations between dietary intake of B-vitamins and psychological disorders among Iranian women: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: B-vitamins affect brain function through multiple pathways. Given limited evidence on the relationship between dietary intake of these vitamins and psychological disorders, we examined dietary intake of vitamin B6-9-12 in relation to psychological disorders among Iranian women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid and reliable FFQ. To assess psychological disorders, we used a version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 validated in Iran. SETTING: Ten public health centres in southern Tehran, Iran. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 447 female participants aged 20-50 years. RESULTS: The median values of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folate) and B12 (cobalamin) were 1·30 mg/d, 313·89 µg/d and 3·99 µg/d, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, dietary vitamin B6 intake was associated with lower odds of depression (OR: 0·54; 95 % CI: 0·31, 0·95; Ptrend: 0·03). However, there was a positive association between dietary vitamin B12 intake with the odds of depression (OR: 2·05; 95 % CI: 1·17, 3·60; Ptrend: 0·01) and psychological distress (OR: 2·00; 95 % CI: 1·17, 3·41; Ptrend: 0·01). No association was found between vitamin B9 with any psychological disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Women with higher dietary intakes of vitamin B6 had lower likelihood of depression. However, women with higher dietary intake of vitamin B12 had higher odds of depression and psychological distress. Future prospective studies in different populations are needed to clarify whether B-vitamin deficiency is a cause or consequence of psychological disorders.

Association Between Preoperative Depression and Readmission Rate Following Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: To date, no meta-analysis of the relationship between hospital readmission after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and preoperative depression has been conducted. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of preoperative depression with the readmission rate following TJA. METHODS: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library for studies published before March 28, 2021, which compared readmission rates in patients with or without preoperative depression who underwent TJA. The primary outcome was the relationship between preoperative depression and 30-day and 90-day readmission rates after TJA. We also performed surgery type subgroup analyses for total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty (TKA), total shoulder arthroplasty, and total ankle arthroplasty. RESULTS: We included 9 studies with 395,815 TJA cases, of which 49,402 were diagnosed with preoperative depression and 346,413 were not. In pooled TJA analysis, the 30-day and 90-day readmission rates were significantly higher in the depression group than in the no-depression group (odds ratio [OR] 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-2.73, P = .002 and OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.14-1.43,; P < .001, respectively). In the subgroup analyses, the 90-day readmission rate was higher in the depression group than in the no-depression group after TKA (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.15-1.42, P < .001). There were no differences in other surgery types. CONCLUSION: Based on available evidence, preoperative depression increases the readmission rate after TJA, particularly TKA. As depression is a modifiable risk factor, screening for depression and referring patients for proper psychiatric management are important. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, meta-analysis.

Influence of Psychological Disorders on the Functional Outcomes in the Survivors of Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke has the greatest disabling impact of any chronic disease. The survivors of stroke, experience an average of 2.38 stroke related emotional, and behavioral components. In this study we decided to find out the frequency of psychological disorders and its association with impairment of daily living. We assessed the association of psychological symptoms after stroke and study their impact on physical functional recovery. METHODS: This is a hospital based observational cross-sectional study to assess the impact of early psychological symptoms on outcomes for patients with new or recurrent stroke. All subjects were evaluated in detail as per the case report for neurologic manifestations, psychological symptoms, stroke risk factors, complications and comorbidities. Relevant clinical information were recorded using the Duke Severity of Illness Scale. General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ28), Modified Barthel Index along with statistical tests like Chi square test was used in the study. RESULTS: Depression is the most prevalent psychological disorder as assessed by GHQ28 and Present State Examination in survivors of acute ischemic stroke. In survivors of acute ischemic stroke diabetes mellitus is most significantly associated with impairment of daily living. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking and dyslipidemia were found to be the most important risk factors in the present study. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor in these cases. But diabetes was found to be statistically significantly associated with impairment of daily living in the survivors of acute ischemic stroke. DISCUSSION: Present study entitled as Influence of psychological disorders on the functional outcomes in the survivors of acute ischemic stroke included 50 cases of survivors of acute ischemic stroke. Male to female ratio was 12:13. Mean ages in cases was 66.96 years. Physical disability was present in 24% patients. There was statistically significant prevalence of psychological disorders in cases with physical impairment than those without physical impairment p value 0.001. Psychological disorders in stroke survivors are associated with physical disability in survivors of acute ischemic stroke. Present study also found association of diabetes with physical disability in cases of survivors of acute ischemic stroke.

Effect of L-Carnosine as adjunctive therapy in the management of children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled study.

L-Carnosine is an amino acid that acts as an anti-oxidant, anti-toxic and neuroprotective agent. There is a paucity of data about the effectiveness of L-Carnosine in the management of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of L-Carnosine as adjunctive therapy in the management of ASD. This was a randomized controlled trial. Children aged 3-6 years with a diagnosis of mild to moderate ASD were assigned to standard care arm (occupational and speech therapy) and intervention care arm (L-Carnosine, 10-15 mg/kg in 2 divided doses) plus standard care treatment. The children were assessed at the baseline and the end of 2 months for the scores of Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition-Standard Version (CARS2-ST), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), BEARS sleep screening tool and 6-item Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI). Of the sixty-seven children enrolled, sixty-three children had completed the study. No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed for any of the outcome measures assessed. Supplementation of L-Carnosine did not improve the total score of CARS2-ST, ATEC, BEARS sleep screening tool and 6-GSI scores of children with ASD. Further investigations are needed with more objective assessments to critically validate the effectiveness of L-Carnosine on ASD children for more decisive results.

The usefulness of pre-employment and pre-deployment psychological screening for disaster relief workers: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Individuals who conduct disaster relief work overseas are exposed to a variety of traumatic events that can cause distress and trigger psychological illnesses. Identification of which disaster relief workers may be at risk of experiencing psychological distress or mental health disorders is frequently carried out through pre-employment or pre-deployment psychological screening. The primary objective of our review was to assess the evidence for pre-employment and pre-deployment psychological screening of relief workers who work in disaster situations. We aimed to identify specific pre-employment and pre-deployment characteristics that predict impaired wellbeing of an individual following engaging in disaster-related work. METHODS: A combined list of search terms was composed relating to disaster-related occupations, screening methods, psychological disorders, and study design. The databases used were PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and GlobalHealth. We included studies that used cross-sectional or longitudinal study designs; were published in the English language in peer-reviewed academic journals; reported on the association between pre-employment and pre-deployment features and post-deployment psychological disorders or distress; considered any occupational groups responding to a specified, discrete crisis; and used at least one validated measure of distress or disorder. We extracted data on the author; year of publication; disaster description; country of study; study design; population sample; disorder(s) outcome and the measures used; and results. RESULTS: Sixty-two, high-quality studies were included in the review. Forty-one potential predictors were identified. Of these, only volunteer status and previous history of mental illness and life stressors emerged as reliable predictors of distress or disorder. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that whilst it is attractive to screen for pre-employment and pre-deployment indicators of resilience, the evidence base for doing so is weak. At best, this sort of screening can only weakly suggest vulnerability and at worst may result in discrimination. Until better evidence about its usefulness becomes available, employers should exercise caution over its use.

Impact of Quran in Treatment of the Psychological Disorder and Spiritual Illness.

This paper studies the effect of Quranic therapy on psychological diseases and spiritual diseases. The experiments have been conducted on a random sample with 121 patients from both genders. The procedures that have been followed were different sessions with the patients, who were given some verses from the Holy Quran to listen within a specific period of time. After that, each patient was given a remedy program. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness and responsiveness of patients to receive treatment through Quran. This study highlighted the employment of a quantitative research, which achieved its objective through validity and reliability. The results of the effectiveness factor came after ability and willingness and gave a result of 92.6% for those who support the contention that the Quran has a significant healing influence. Also, some of the patients who regularly attended Quranic therapy sessions have been successfully cured, 81.8% of the sample believe that Quranic therapy sessions support their health needs. This study has empirically proved that the sound of the Holy Quran is an effective treatment for those who suffer from spiritual and psychological issues. Folk medicine and other traditional methods of treatment are important field of study that require further investigation. The study also illustrates that it's highly important for patient to have confidence in his doctor or healer. Furthermore, our results show that the ability and willingness positively and significantly are related to the effectiveness and responsiveness, also effectiveness positively and significantly related to the responsiveness. Therefore, the patients satisfied to receive treatment through Quran and they have the ability and willingness to do so as they believe that Quran is an essential part of their life.