Roman Nakhamiyayev, Michelle Perry, Sahil Sood
et al.
DiGeorge syndrome, also known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, is a multisystem condition associated with congenital cardiac defects, craniofacial abnormalities, immune dysfunction, endocrine disturbances, and a high lifetime risk of psychiatric disorders. Bipolar I Disorder is a severe mood disorder with a substantially elevated risk of suicidal ideation and attempts, especially during manic episodes with psychotic features. This report describes a woman in her 20’s with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Bipolar I Disorder who presented with acute suicidal ideation in the context of a manic episode. She responded to inpatient stabilization and responded well to valproic acid and olanzapine. This case highlights the substantial clinical impact of psychiatric illness in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and reinforces the need for heightened attention to mood instability and suicide risk in affected individuals.
Background: The therapeutic potential of music therapy, a non-invasive, affordable, and adaptable psychosocial intervention, has gained increasing attention in cancer care. Cancer diagnosis and treatment are often accompanied by significant psychological challenges, including anxiety, depression, emotional distress, and fatigue, all of which can substantially reduce patients’ quality of life (QoL). Addressing these psychological issues is essential for delivering comprehensive, holistic care. Existing studies vary in terms of therapy types, delivery methods, treatment phases, and patient populations. This heterogeneity can affect the comparability of findings and limit the generalizability of individual study outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the impact of music therapy on the psychological well-being and resilience of cancer patients. Method: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic selection of peer-reviewed studies was conducted based on inclusion criteria such as study design, participant characteristics, type of music intervention, and measurable psychological outcomes. Both active (e.g., singing, playing instruments, songwriting) and receptive (e.g., listening to live or recorded music) forms of therapy were considered across various types and stages of cancer. Results: The findings demonstrated statistically significant improvements in emotional health, reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and increased coping ability (Hedges’ g = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.66; p < 0.001) and psychological resilience (Hedges’ g = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.61; p < 0.001). Effectiveness and heterogeneity among mental results in cancer patients were assessed using statistical analysis utilising meta-analysis with random-effects models. Conclusion: Interventions conducted by certified music therapists, particularly when initiated early in treatment, were particularly more effective. Music therapy is an effective complementary treatment in cancer care. Its integration into supportive care frameworks is recommended to enhance psychological recovery, emotional strength, and overall well-being in cancer patients.
Josh Nguyen, Timothy J. Cronin, Sophie Marsland
et al.
Background: Sexual minority individuals continue to experience significantly higher levels of mental ill health than heterosexual people due to ongoing exposure to sexual minority stressors. Internalized sexual stigma is a key driver of negative mental health outcomes among sexual minority individuals and couples, yet few longitudinal studies have examined how internalized stigma changes over time and its antecedents. This study examined (1) the seven-year trajectory of internalized stigma, and (2) the effect of structural discrimination, friend and family support for relationship, and concealment on changes in internalized stigma at both within-person and between-person levels. Methods: We used linear mixed effects models in a sample of 660 sexual minority adults (n = 330 same-sex couples; Mage = 39.5 years, SD = 10.8) who were assessed annually over seven years. Results: Results showed that internalized stigma remained stable over time. There were significant between-person effects of structural stigma, friend support, and concealment on internalized stigma over time, suggesting that those who, on average, report greater structural stigma and concealment, and lower support from friends, tend to report higher internalized stigma over time. There were significant within-person effects of concealment on internalized stigma at the same timepoint, indicating that when individuals conceal their sexual identity more than usual, they are also more likely to report higher internalized stigma. There was no lagged within-person association between concealment and internalized stigma. There were no within-person effects of friend or family support on internalized stigma at the same or following timepoint. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of examining individual, social and structural drivers of internalized stigma over time. This research has important implications for developing effective interventions to reduce minority stress and improve mental health among sexual minority individuals.
This viewpoint article is a personal narrative of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experience, reflecting the lived reality of denial, awareness, and acceptance of mental illness. It emphasizes early intervention, breaking down stigma, and that recovery is not a linear process. The story brings to life how invisible mental illness can feel, how hard it is to put a name to the struggle, and how therapy and support can slowly bring a sense of hope and healing. It also encourages free dialogue on mental health to foster compassion and reduce stigma. With the use of personal experience and global definitions of mental health, the article focuses on the fact that anxiety struggles are real, valid, and require attention. These reflections are meant to remind anyone walking a similar path to trust their healing, however slow or uneven it may feel. They are also an invitation to open up conversations about mental health, so that it becomes something we discuss with honesty and compassion, rather than silence and stigma.
This study draws upon intersectionality theory to describe variations in suicidal ideation and behaviour across gender, romantic identity, race and age among a sample of self-identified asexual individuals. Using data from the 2020 Ace Community Survey (n = 10, 005), interactive multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of various social identities on suicidal behaviour and ideation, as well as the presence of any significant interactions. Findings indicate that (a) being female and BIPOC and (b) being nonbinary/trans and aromantic or currently questioning one’s romantic identity yielded significantly higher odds of reporting suicidal ideation. Findings also indicate that being aromantic and in the middle (30 – 44) or older (45+) age category resulted in significantly lower odds of suicidal ideation. No interaction effects were found to be statistically significant for suicidal behaviour. This study contributes to growing research in the area of intersectionality and, specifically, the need for researchers to consider how multiple social identities interact to impact the mental health and well-being of asexual individuals. Policy and practice implications are discussed.
Priyanka Dixit, Supriya Lahoti, Arpana Kullu
et al.
Objectives: There is a significant gap in evidence regarding the health-seeking behaviour of short-distance drivers (SDDs) traveling less than 800 km in a single direction within India, resulting in an absence of healthcare programmes or interventions specifically designed for this group. This exploratory qualitative assessment was conducted to understand the experiences and perceptions of SDDs regarding health services available for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted in 2022 with 86 primary and 118 secondary participants from nine states in India. The interviews were conducted in five different languages. Two separate interview guides were developed: one for primary participants (including drivers) and another for secondary participants (such as government officials, programme officials and nongovernment organisation [NGO] representatives). Purposive sampling was employed to select secondary participants, while primary participants were identified through snowball sampling. Data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis, identifying key themes and patterns from the transcripts. ATLAS.ti (version 8) software was used for data analysis. Results: The SDDs did not have knowledge of any HIV prevention or care services accounting for their working environment and hours. The results showed that financial problems, poor management of healthcare services, lack of knowledge regarding the available services and quality of care at public healthcare facilities were major barriers to accessing care for HIV/AIDS. The perceived risk of infection did not translate into seeking testing for HIV. Stigma emerged as an important factor that deterred testing as well as treatment for HIV/AIDS. The secondary participants mentioned that the targeted interventions had limited engagement with short-distance drivers due to a lack of specific focus on this group. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for tailored HIV prevention and care programmes for SDDs, who face unique barriers such as financial constraints, stigma and limited healthcare access. It emphasises the importance of integrating this group into national strategies to improve awareness, reduce stigma and promote regular testing.
Nicolás García Mejía, Miriam J.J. Lommen, Anja F. Ernst
et al.
Background: Several studies have explored posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its comorbidities focusing on shared processes among diagnoses or association between disorder dimensions. Nevertheless, these studies consider disorders as categorical entities ignoring the heterogeneity of said psychopathology. Objectives: Our study aims to identify how symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and somatic complaints relate at the symptoms level in victims of armed conflict in Colombia. Method: Cross-sectional data from 258 participants from a Colombian randomized controlled trial was used to estimate a network at the scale level and a second network at the item level. The expected influence centrality, bridge centrality, accuracy, and stability were calculated. Results: At the scale level reexperiencing, anxiety, and numbing were the most central nodes; the most central bridge nodes at this level were numbing, PHQ9 cognitive-affective dimension, and PHQ anxiety. At the symptom level, nervous/anxious, depressed/hopeless, troubles concentrating, trauma memories, fear/anger/guilt, and experiencing little pleasure were the most central nodes. Additionally, the most central bridge nodes at this level were nervous/anxious, fear/anger/guilt, experiencing no positive feelings, and feeling depressed and hopeless. Limitations: Cross-sectional data provides valuable but limited information of transdiagnostic processes. Furthermore, our sample size limited our ability to estimate a full symptom network. Our dataset did not include psychological processes measurements. Conclusions: Different paths connect PTSD to anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints. Results suggest that victims of armed conflict experience PTSD not only with anxiety features but also depression-related features that might be tied to negative emotions such as anger, shame, and guilt.
Iftitah Saadati, I Gusti Ngurah Antaryama, FX Teddy Badai Samodra
Abstract: Stress causes a person's mental state to be unstable. A contributing factor to stress is emotional exhaustion caused by work routines. Recovery facilities that support the psychological needs of individuals are essential, but existing public facilities still have shortcomings, especially in implementing designs that consider the perspectives of users and stress issues. In the context of psychology, the natural environment is identified as an effective solution to cope with stress. Architecture, as a physical manifestation of the environment, is important in creating positive energy to overcome this. This research aims to evaluate building and environmental design elements integrated with user needs. This research uses a qualitative approach with literature studies and interviews as research methods. Restorative Healing Architecture design principles as a study aspect to produce architecture criteria. The results showed that to achieve emotional stability, natural and healthy environmental conditions are needed that are by user needs. Architectural criteria generated from natural elements can manage and control physiological stress, thereby improving self-quality.Keywords: Architecture, Environment, Psychology, and StressAbstrak: Stres mempengaruhi mental seseorang menjadi tidak stabil. Faktor penyebab stres adalah kelelahan emosianal yang dsebabkan oleh rutinitas pekerjaan. Fasilitas pemulihan yang mendukung kebutuhan psikologis individu menjadi kritis, namun fasilitas publik yang ada masih memiliki kekurangan, terutama dalam penerapan desain yang memperhatikan perspektif pengguna dan permasalahan stres. Dalam konteks psikologi, lingkungan alami diidentifikasi sebagai solusi yang efektif untuk mengatasi stres. Arsitektur, sebagai manifestasi fisik lingkungan, memiliki peran kunci dalam menciptakan energi positif terhadap kendala tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi elemen desain bangunan dan lingkungan yang terintegrasi dengan kebutuhan pengguna. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan kajian literatur dan wawancara sebagai metode penelitian. Prinsip desain Arsitektur Pemulih sebagai aspek kajian untuk menghasilkan kriteria Arsitektur. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa untuk mencapai kestabilan emosional diperlukan kondisi lingkungan yang alami dan sehat yang sesuai bagi penggunanya. Kriteria Arsitektur yang dihasilkan dari elemen alami dapat mengelola dan mengontrol stres fisiologis, sehingga dapat meningkatkan kualitas diri.Kata Kunci: Arsitektur, Lingkungan, Psikologi, dan Stres
Hypertrophic scars and keloids are forms of abnormal scarring, which may be the cause of somatic ailmants and, due to unfavorable aesthetic effect, also mental disorders and social problems. Given the unclear aetiology and the lack of effective treatment methods, they pose a serious challenge for modern science. The contribution of genetic factors is one of the proposed hypotheses regarding the formation of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Gene polymorphism and mutations occurring in them may interfere with the proper course of signaling pathways responsible for the subsequent stages of the wound healing process. An important role in the pathogenesis of abnormal scarring may be the TGF-B1/Smad pathway, MAPK kinase, pathway for IGF-I and its receptor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and urokinase plasminogen activator, gene polymorphisms for the vitamin D receptor and the ADAM33 gene, as well as abnormal expression of suppressor genes. The effect on heat shock protein expression and type 2 hyaluronidase synthase was also shown. The explanation of the genetic basis of hypertrophic scar and keloid formation may lead to a full understanding of their pathogenesis and also have important implications in the form of therapeutic benefits resulting in the development of effective forms of treatment.
Alana Santos Monte, Liana Mara Rocha Teles, Mônica Oliveira Batista Oriá
et al.
ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of different criteria of maternal near miss in women admitted to an obstetric intensive care unit and their sensitivity and specificity in identifying cases that have evolved to morbidity. Method: A cross-sectional analytical epidemiological study was conducted with women admitted to the intensive care unit of the Maternity School Assis Chateaubriand in Ceará, Brazil. The Chi-square test and odds ratio were used. Results: 560 records were analyzed. The incidence of maternal near miss ranged from 20.7 in the Waterstone criteria to 12.4 in the Geller criteria. The maternal near-miss mortality ratio varied from 4.6:1 to 7.1:1, showing better index in the Waterstone criteria, which encompasses a greater spectrum of severity. The Geller and Mantel criteria, however, presented high sensitivity and low specificity. Except for the Waterstone criteria, there was an association between the three other criteria and maternal death. Conclusion: The high specificity of Geller and Mantel criteria in identifying maternal near miss considering the World Health Organization criteria as a gold standard and a lack of association between the criteria of Waterstone with maternal death.
OptiMusic training uses a unique audio-visual
system to utilize a combination of lights and sound
to train children with special needs to explore
and interact with the environment. The training
encourages children to create music and sound
effects by sweeping a bat across the light beams.
It is an enjoyable way for children with behavior
challenges and learning difficulties to engage
with their surroundings. It can be used to teach
concepts, cause and effect, communication, social
skills, teamwork, fine-gross motor skills (particularly
hand-eye coordination), musical timing and rhythm,
audio-visual memory, and aural sequencing.
It is very flexible and can be tailored to the needs
and different levels of children with special needs.
OptiMusic training for children with special needs
uses a variety of music, sounds and images to
create a powerful, multi-sensory and learning
environment for these children.
In this article, we would like to share our
experiences and learnings gained throughout the
development of the OptiMusic programme for
children with special needs. There is an introduction
to the system; structure and curriculum; and
creative ideas and activities in the programme.
Camila Junqueira Muylaert, Vicente Sarubbi Jr, Paulo Rogério Gallo
et al.
Objetives This methodological study explain and emphasize the extent and fertility of the narrative interview in qualitative research. Methods To describe the narrative method within the qualitative research. Results The qualitative research method is characterized by addressing issues related to the singularities of the field and individuals investigated, being the narrative interviews a powerful method for use by researchers who aggregate it. They allow the deepening of research, the combination of life stories with socio-historical contexts, making the understanding of the senses that produce changes in the beliefs and values that motivate and justify the actions of possible informants. Conclusion The use of narrative is an advantageous investigative resource in qualitative research, in which the narrative is a traditional form of communication whose purpose is to serve content from which the subjective experiences can be transmitted.
Gustavo D?Andrea, Carla Aparecida Arena Ventura, Moacyr Lobo da Costa Júnior
This study examined some basic health care approaches toward human needs, with a particular focus on nursing. We aimed to incorporate these approaches into the discussion of the mental health of adolescent offenders who consume alcohol. We discuss specific needs of the delinquent group, critique policies that prioritize coercion of adolescent offenders, and the role that nurses could play in the sphere of juvenile delinquency.
Adriano Aparecido Bezerra Chaves, Maria Cristina Komatsu Braga Massarollo
O presente estudo teve por objetivos conhecer a percepção de enfermeiros sobre dilemas éticos existentes na assistência de enfermagem a pacientes terminais, no contexto da UTI de um hospital geral do município de São Paulo e o que é considerado para a tomada de decisão. O estudo foi realizado através de entrevistas com dez enfermeiros atuantes na UTI, utilizando uma abordagem qualitativa, conforme a análise de conteúdo. Foram encontrados dilemas éticos ligados a: diversidade de valores; presença dos pacientes terminais na UTI; incertezas sobre a terminalidade e limites de intervenção para prolongar a vida dos pacientes; discordância de tomadas de decisão; não aceitação do processo de morte pela família do paciente e a falta de esclarecimento da família e do paciente. Além disso, para tomar decisão frente aos dilemas éticos, ele considera os seus valores, a ética profissional, a empatia e o diálogo com os colegas.<br>El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos conocer la percepción de enfermeros sobre dilemas éticos existentes en la asistencia de enfermería a pacientes terminales en el contexto de la UTI de un hospital de São Paulo y lo que se considera como la toma de decisiones. El estudio fue realizado desde una perspectiva cualitativa, utilizando el análisis de contenidos. Fueron entrevistados diez enfermeros actuantes en la UTI. El estudio mostró que los enfermeros encuentran dilemas éticos generados por diversos factores: diversidad de valores; presencia dem los pacientes terminales en la UTI; incertidumbre generada a raíz de la condición terminal; los límites de intervención para prolongar la vida; discordancia en la toma de decisiones; resistencia para aceptar el proceso de muerte por parte de la familia y la falta de esclarecimiento de la família y de los pacientes. Además, sus valores, la ética profesional, la empatía y el diálogo son tenidos en cuenta para tomar decisiones.<br>The purpose of this study was to learn about nurses' perception about ethical dilemmas in nursing care for terminal patients in the context of a general hospital ICU in the city of São Paulo, and what they take into account when making decisions. The study was performed through interviews with ten nurses working at the ICU, using a qualitative approach based on content analysis. Ethical dilemmas were found to be linked to: diversity of values; presence of terminal patients at the ICU; uncertainties about terminality and the limits of intervention to prolong the patients' lives; disagreements in decision-making; non-acceptance of the process of dying by the patients' families and the lack of clarifications for the patient and the family. In addition, the nurses consider their values, the professional ethics, empathy and dialogue with co-workers to make decisions in view of such ethical dilemmas.
Neste estudo foram analisados aspectos relacionados à maneira como pacientes críticos percebem, vivenciam e avaliam o atendimento à necessidade de higiene corporal enquanto internados numa Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI).
Heloise da Costa Lima Fernandes, Sofia Cristina Iost Pavarini, Elizabeth Joan Barham
et al.
Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo cujo objetivo foi identificar o conhecimento que os Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) apresentam sobre envelhecimento e demência, com a finalidade de subsidiar a implantação de uma linha de cuidado à demência em um município paulista. Todos os cuidados éticos foram observados. Os sujeitos foram 51 ACS. O instrumento de coleta foi a entrevista semiestruturada. A análise foi fundamentada na técnica de conteúdo. Com relação à questão o que é idoso para você, a maioria dos agentes associam aspectos negativos do envelhecimento à idade cronológica, como dependência física e social. Com relação à concepção de demência, a maioria dos entrevistados a define como um problema biológico que afeta o cérebro, compromete a memória e causa dependência. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de um programa de capaci-tação dos agentes em gerontologia.