Academic literature on the topic 'Rural women – Mental health'

Background: Family planning is a crucial issue for all women of reproductive age, but in women with severe mental illness (SMI) there may be particular challenges and concerns. As primary care-based mental health care is expanded in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is an opportunity to improve family planning services for women with SMI. However, research exploring unmet family planning needs of women with SMI in such settings is scarce. Aim: To explore the family planning experiences, unmet needs and preferences of women with SMI who reside in a predominantly rural area of Ethiopia Methods: A qualitative study design was used. Women with SMI who were participating in the ongoing population-based cohort study in Butajira were selected purposively on the basis of responses to a quantitative survey of current family planning utilization. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 women with SMI who were of reproductive age until theoretical saturation was achieved. Audio files were transcribed in Amharic, translated into English and analysed using a Framework Approach using Open Code qualitative data analysis software. Results: The findings were grouped into four main themes. The first theme focused on the broader context of intimate relationships and sexual life of women with SMI. Sexual violence, assault and exploitation were reported by several respondents, underlining the vulnerability of women with SMI. Lack of control over sexual contact was associated with unwanted pregnancies. The second theme (childbearing and SMI) was around attitudes towards childbearing in women with SMI. Respondents described negative views from community members and some health professionals about the capacity of a woman with SMI to give birth and bring up a child. In most cases, it was assumed that a woman with SMI should not have a child at all. In the third theme (family planning for women with SMI), respondents spoke of their low access to information about family planning and systematic exclusion from existing services. In the fourth theme (preferred family planning services), the respondents had concerns about the ability of primary care workers to understand their specific family planning needs, but also valued proximity of the service and privacy. The importance of addressing health worker and community attitudes was emphasized. Conclusion: This study has provided in-depth perspectives from women with SMI about the broader context of their family planning experience, needs, barriers and how integrated primary care services could better meet their needs. Empowerment of women with SMI to access information and services needs to be an important focus of future efforts to improve the reproductive experiences of this vulnerable group.

Using the Eysenk Personality Inventory and the Psychological Research Test by Bemot, Dumonr. Laurent and Philonenko, the authors have analysed diffetent personality lacrors in women who asked for rubal sterilization as irreversible birth-control method. A comparative study of 100 women (mean age of 35, a mean of 13 years of marriage and a mean of 4 childten) who underwent a rubal sterilization (experimental group) and 100 women (mean age of 31, 8 years of marriage and a mena of 2 children) who underwent a reversible birth control method (control group). Results showed no sign6cant differences between the experimental and the control groups with respect to Neuroticism {N-EPI) and Psychopathology Levels (PSY).<br>Este trabajo ha analizado diferentes factores de personalidad en la mujer que solicita esterilización tubárica como método anticonceptivo irreversible, a través del  Cuestionario de personalidad de Eysenk (EPI) y del Test de Investigación Psicológica de Bemot, Dumont, Laurent y Philooenlco {PSY). Se hace un análisis comparativo de 100 mujeres (con una edad promedio de 35 :años, 13 años de matrimonio en promedio y un promedio de 4 hijos) a las que se les ha realizado la esterilización rubárica (grupo experimental), y 100 mujeres (con una edad promedio de 31 años, 8 años de matrimonio y un promedio de 2 hijos) que solicitan un método anticonceptivo reversible (grupo control). Los resultados no muestran diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambos grupos, con respecto a las variables de Neuroticismo (N-EPI) y de Balance Psicoparológico (PSY).

In the US, one in every eight deaths is due to an obesity-related chronic health condition (ORCHC). More than half of African American women (AAW) 20 years old or older are obese or morbidly obese, as are 63% of menopausal AAW. Many have ORCHC that increase their morbidity and mortality and increase health care costs. In 2013, 42.6 percent of AAs living in South Carolina (SC) were obese. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify the cognitive, behavioral, biological, and demographic factors that influence health outcomes (BMI, and ORCHC) of AAW living in rural SC. A sample of 200 AAW (50 in each of the 4 groups of rurality by menopausal status), 18-64 years, completed the: Menopausal Rating Scale (symptoms); Body Image Assessment for Obesity (self-perception of body); Mental Health Inventory; Block Food Frequency Questionnaire; Eating Behaviors and Chronic Conditions, Traditional Food Habits, and Food Preparation Technique questionnaires – and measures for Body Mass Index. Most rural, and premenopausal AAW were single and not living with a partner. Premenopausal women had significantly higher educational levels. Sixty percent of AAW had between 1 and 5 ORCHC. Most AAW used salt based seasonings, ate deep fried foods 1 to 3 times a week, and ate outside the home 1 to 3 times a month. Few AAW knew the correct daily serving for grains and dairy, and most consumed less than the recommended daily serving of fruits, vegetables and dairy. Morbidly obese AAW used more traditional food preparation techniques than obese and normal-weight AAW. Rural, and menopausal AAW had significantly higher morbid obesity levels, consumed larger portions of meats and vegetables, and reported more body image dissatisfaction than very rural AAW, and premenopausal AAW, respectively. Controlling for socioeconomic factors the relationships between perceptions of body images, psychological distress, and psychological wellbeing remained significant for numbers of ORCHC

Alarming rates of suicide among production farmers have prompted researchers to investigate factors associated with depressive symptoms among this population. Aspects of farm life and farming can contribute to higher levels of depressive symptoms. Higher levels of depression can also increase an individual’s risk of injury and development of chronic disease, impacting overall quality of life. Despite the approximate 3.5 million farm women in the U.S., current research has focused on the male farmer. Men and women have different responses to stressors, and women in general have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. Farm women can be further subjected to stressors associated with farming as an occupation and their gendered role within the agrarian culture. The large number of farm women affected, the relationship of chronic depressive symptoms on health and quality of life, the lack of current research available, and the rising rates of suicide and depressive symptoms among farmers emphasize the need for further investigation of farm women and depressive symptoms. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to 1) explore the current state of the science of farm women and depressive symptoms and identify variables commonly associated with depressive symptoms among farm women, 2) identify variables influencing levels of depressive symptoms within farm women aged 50 and over and identify differences between those women with high depressive symptoms and those with low depressive symptoms, and 3) establish the reliability and validity of the 12-item John Henry Active Coping Scale (JHAC-12) within the sample. A systematic review of the literature revealed that there is a need for more research with strong study designs regarding farm women and depressive symptoms within the context of their environment, culture, and occupation. The review identified multidimensional factors from farm women’s lives that influence their level of depressive symptoms. Farm women’s ethnicity, the agrarian culture, family and social relations, as well as specific demographics were identified as key variables associated with an increased risk of higher depressive symptoms. Because of the identification of the multi-dimensional factors, the use of the Modified Biopsychosocial Model (MBPS) was selected as a framework for continued research as it depicts the interrelationship between the factors and their influence on farm women’s depressive symptoms. The MBPS was applied to data from 358 farm women aged 50 and older from a larger cohort study, and a secondary analysis was performed. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify those variables associated with depressive symptoms among farm women. Depressive symptoms were predicted by race/ethnicity, years of education, adequacy of income for vacation, perceived health status, perceived stress score, and active coping score. Significant differences between those farm women with low CES-D score (< 16) and those with high CES-D score (≥ 16) were noted. Race/ethnicity, years of education, adequate income for vacation and retirement, reported health status of fair or better, perceived stress score, active coping score and satisfaction from farm work were all significant between groups. Women who were non-White, had less education, reported income not adequate for vacation or retirement, reported poor health, higher levels of perceived stress, lower levels of active coping and who were not satisfied with farm work were more likely to be in the high CES-D group. A principal component analysis with direct oblimin rotation in a sample population of older farm women (n=458) identified two dominant themes of the JHAC-12: “commitment to hard work” and “self-efficacy.” The instrument component structure reflects the culture of the agrarian society. In the two-component solution, 2 items were removed from the scale after revealing low values of communality (< .3). The item reduction resulted in more refined scale, increasing explained variance by 4.1% with less items. Cronbach’s of the JHAC-12 (α = .78) and JHAC-10 (α = .76) indicated high levels of reliability for both scales. Rotation of the items resulted in a simple structure with high loadings within items, no major-cross-loadings and little correlation between components (r = .29), supporting both convergent and discriminant validity in this population. The ability of the JHAC to encompass the socio-culture aspects of active coping among farm women and obtain a quantifiable result supports the JHAC as an important tool to utilize in future studies of depressive symptoms and farm women with use of the JHAC-10 in future studies of farm women decreasing the burden of the participants. Although there are limitations within each document, each section adds to the science of farm women and depression symptoms and provides directions for future research. The major gaps identified were: 1) the need for current research with stronger study designs, 2) studies of farm women across their life spans, 3) the need for focused studies among minority and migrant women, 4) an understanding of farm women and their leisure time, and 5) a broader application of the MBPS theory to include a large number of social variables shown to be associated with farm women and depressive symptoms that were not available in the dataset.

<p> The purpose of this study was to characterize sexual harassment in public, or &lsquo;eve teasing&rsquo;, in rural India, develop a measurement tool, and to estimate its prevalence and association with common mental disorders (CMD) and suicide ideation (SI) among young women. Mixed methods included focus group discussions, direct observation of questionnaire administration, and both qualitative and quantitative data gathering with a novel questionnaire. Females ages 14&ndash;26 were recruited through purposive sampling in nine villages for the initial pretest (N=89). Using the finalized questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using a randomized cluster sample of 19 villages and recruited 198 women ages 15-24 using house-to-house probability sampling. Eve teasing was described as staring, stalking, passing comments, or inappropriate physical touch. Most participants perceived significant negative consequences, including tight restrictions on girls&rsquo; mobility, inability to attend school or work, girl&rsquo;s being blamed, and causing family problems. Among those who reported eve teasing victimization, psycho-social responses included feelings of fear (88%), anger (78%), and shame (68%) (N=59). The internal reliability of the questionnaire was high for key measures (Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha: .65 to .84) and principal components analysis suggested two underlying constructs in the eve teasing instrument. Nearly 30% of participants reported ever having been eve teased, 21% screened positive for a CMD, and 27% reported recent suicide ideation (N=198). In multivariate analyses, spending more than 1 hour in public daily was associated with reported eve teasing (OR: 3.1 (CI: 1.26-7.49) p=0.016). The odds of screening positive for CMD were significantly higher if eve teased, but only among participants who reported adverse childhood events (ACEs) (OR: 4.5 (CI: 1.18-11.43) p=0.003). Eve teasing was significantly associated with SI among participants who reported ACEs when CMD were included in the model (OR: 3.1 (CI: 1.119-8.472) p=0.032). This is the first study, to our knowledge, to assess the association between eve teasing victimization and mental health outcomes in a community setting. We found that eve teasing may negatively impact the mental health of young women, especially victims of child abuse, and offer a reliable and valid questionnaire for future research.</p>

Cultural and social influences on mental and physical health are increasingly recognized by social science researchers. Researchers have found that specific, Afrocultural factors are related to the functioning of African Americans. The current research considered whether interdependence is especially salient for African American women since women and African Americans tend to define themselves within the context of social relationships. The study outlines processes affecting the mental and physical health of African American women including communalism, collective efficacy, and social capital. The also study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and both mental and physical health among African American women in a low-income residential area. The effect of social capital and collective efficacy on mental and physical health above income was analyzed using hierarchical regression. One-hundred-thirty African-American women in a low-income area of Richmond, Virginia completed surveys between October 2002 and October 2004 measuring social capital, collective efficacy and general health and mental health. Level of education served as a proxy for socioeconomic status. The study's central hypothesis was that social capital and collective efficacy, an indicator of social capital, would moderate rather than mediate the association between socioeconomic status and the outcome variables in this population due to the importance of relationships in the African American culture and in the lives of women. Both moderation and mediation models were tested. Significant relationships were found between income and both physical health and mental health. There were no significant relationships found between social capital and physical health, mental health, or socioeconomic status and mediation was not established. The results also did not establish social capital as a moderator between socio-economic status and the outcome variables. This lack of relationship may be related to several factors including the homogeneity of the sample in terms of socioeconomic status and challenges associated with the use of a new measure for social capital. Meaningful comparisons of social capital between socioeconomic levels could not be made.

Class of 2017 Abstract<br>Objectives: To explore whether rural pharmacists express more stigmatized attitudes towards patients with psychiatric disorders, compared to their urban counterparts. Methods: Data was collected from participants attending the AzPA Southwestern Clinical Pharmacy Seminar during a weekend in February, 2015, using a questionnaire adapted from the Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes (MICA) Scale v4. The questionnaire consisted of demographic and attitude assessment questions regarding patients suffering from psychiatric disorders across different domains (quality of life, fear of patients, admitting to having a psychiatric disorder, and more). Participants were also asked if they would be interested in taking a continuing education course on mental health. Results: The majority of participants that completed the study were women (75%) and identified racially as white (89%). Pharmacists practice settings were as follows: 79% of pharmacists worked in urban areas and 21% in rural areas. Rural pharmacists displayed significantly higher rates of stigmatized attitudes compared to their urban peers (mean scale score 37.65 vs. 40.15, p=0.049). Conclusions: Pharmacists that practice in rural settings expressed more stigmatized attitudes, compared to their urban counterparts, towards patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.