Changes in the prevalence of comorbidity of mental and physical disorders in Singapore between 2010 and 2016

INTRODUCTION@#Few studies have examined the changes in the prevalence of comorbidity of mental and physical disorders in recent years. The present study sought to examine whether the prevalence of comorbidity of mental and physical disorders in Singapore showed any changes between 2010 and 2016.@*METHODS@#We extracted data from two repeated nationally representative cross-sectional surveys conducted among resident adults aged ≥ 18 years in Singapore. Significant changes were tested using pooled multinomial logistic regression analyses.@*RESULTS@#The prevalence of comorbid mental and physical disorders increased significantly from 5.8% in 2010 to 6.7% in 2016. Among those with physical disorders, there were significant increases over time in the prevalence of comorbid generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) (0.1% vs. 0.4%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (1.4% vs. 3.9%) in diabetes mellitus, and alcohol dependence in cardiovascular disorders (0.1% vs. 1.3%). Among those with mental disorders, there were significant increases over time in the prevalence of comorbid diabetes mellitus in OCD (4.1% vs. 10.9%), cancer in major depressive disorder (0.4% vs. 2.4%), and cardiovascular disorders in GAD (0.4% vs. 6.7%) and alcohol dependence (0.9% vs. 11.8%). Significant changes in the overall prevalence of comorbid mental and physical disorders were also observed across age group, education and employment status.@*CONCLUSION@#The prevalence of comorbid mental and physical disorders increased significantly over time. This finding supports the need for more appropriate clinical management with better integration between mental health and general medical care professionals across all aspects of the healthcare system to treat this comorbidity in Singapore.

Desordem do espaço urbano e o consumo de álcool entre adolescentes / Urban space disorder and alcohol consumption among adolescents

Atualmente, mais pessoas vivem em áreas urbanas do que em áreas rurais, resultado da intensa urbanização que, muitas vezes, tem ocorrido sem o adequado planejamento. Neste contexto, surge a desordem urbana como determinante da saúde em ambientes urbanos, sendo importante o entendimento sobre seus aspectos físicos e os possíveis impactos na saúde da população, especialmente na qualidade de vida de adolescentes. Desta forma, o estudo objetivou investigar a associação entre a desordem do espaço urbano e o consumo de álcool entre adolescentes brasileiros. O estudo seguiu um desenho transversal, desenvolvido com base nos dados do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes, realizado no período de 2013 e 2014. A amostra foi composta por 2.384 adolescentes residentes nas capitais Fortaleza, Porto Alegre e Rio de Janeiro, que foram selecionadas pela disponibilidade de dados georreferenciados. Para fins deste estudo, a variável desfecho foi definida pelo consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, avaliado por meio da seguinte pergunta: "Nos últimos 30 dias (um mês), em quantos dias você tomou pelo menos um copo ou uma dose de bebida alcoólica?". A desordem do espaço urbano, enquanto variável de exposição, foi avaliada por meio das características urbanísticas do Censo Demográfico de 2010, conhecidas como: número de domicílios com iluminação pública, pavimentação, arborização nos logradouros públicos, bueiro/boca de lobo, lixo acumulado em vias públicas, esgoto a céu aberto, meio-fio/guia, calçada e rampa para cadeirante. A partir das variáveis contextuais de exposição, aferidas no nível dos setores censitários, foram construídos indicadores do entorno com o propósito de estimar os efeitos para cada indivíduo. Para obtenção destes indicadores, foram definidos buffers (áreas) circulares, considerando raios de 100 e 250 metros, tomando como ponto central as residências dos adolescentes nas capitais selecionadas. O valor de cada indicador foi obtido como uma média ponderada da proporção de domicílios que atendem determinada característica, cujos pesos são proporcionais à área de interseção de cada setor censitário com o buffer. Foram calculadas razões de prevalência e intervalos de 95% de confiança por meio de modelos de regressão de Poisson com variância robusta, ajustados por fatores de confusão. Os resultados demonstraram associações entre adolescentes que vivem em locais com calçada [RP = 1,24 (IC 95% = 1,02 - 1,50)], bueiro [RP = 1,36 (IC 95% = 1,01 - 1,84)], rampa [RP = 0,79 (IC 95% = 0,62 - 0,99)] ou esgoto [RP = 0,8 (IC 95% = 0,66 - 0,97)] e o consumo de álcool. De maneira surpreendente, os achados sugerem que a presença de características desejáveis no entorno dos domicílios dos adolescentes pode contribuir ou não para o consumo de álcool, enquanto que características não desejáveis podem contribuir como fatores de proteção para o consumo de álcool entre adolescentes brasileiros. O consumo de álcool entre adolescentes demanda atenção no cenário da saúde pública e o investimento em estudos que visem o conhecimento sobre fatores contextuais, e suas possíveis relações com o consumo, podem ser uma importante estratégia para a compreensão ampliada do cenário atual de saúde de adolescentes em ambientes urbanos.

Currently, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas, as a result of intense urbanization that has often occurred without adequate planning. In this context, urban disorder appears as a determinant of health in urban environments, and it is important to understand its visual aspects and the possible impacts on the health of the population, especially in the lives of adolescents. Thus, the study aimed to investigate the association between urban space disorder and alcohol consumption among Brazilian adolescents. The study followed a cross- sectional design, based on data from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents, carried out between 2013 and 2014. The sample consisted of 2.384 adolescents residing in the capitals Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro, who were selected by the availability of georeferenced data. For the purposes of this study, the outcome variable was defined by the consumption of alcoholic beverages, evaluated through the following question: "In the last 30 days (one month), on how many days did you have at least one glass or one dose of alcoholic beverage?". The disorder of urban space, as exposure variable, was evaluated through the urban characteristics of the 2010 Demographic Census, known as: number of households with public lighting, paving, afforestation in public places, manhole/wolf mouth, garbage accumulated in public roads, open sewers, curbs/curbs, sidewalk and wheelchair ramp. From the contextual variables of exposure, measured at the level of the census sectors, indicators of the surroundings were constructed with the purpose of estimating the effects for each individual. To obtain these indicators, circular buffers (areas) were defined, considering radii of 100 and 250 meters, taking as a central point the residences of adolescents in the selected capitals. The value of each indicator was obtained as a weighted average of the proportion of households that meet a given characteristic, whose weights are proportional to the area of intersection of each census sector with the buffer. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression models with robust variance, adjusted for confounding factors. The results showed associations between adolescents living in places with sidewalks [PR = 1.24 (CI 95% = 1.02 - 1.50)], manhole [PR = 1.36 (CI 95% = 1.01 - 1 .84)], ramp [RP = 0.79 (CI 95% = 0.62 - 0.99)] or sewage [RP = 0.8 (CI 95% = 0.66 - 0.97)] and the alcohol consumption. Surprisingly, the findings suggest that the presence of desirable characteristics in the surroundings of adolescents' homes may or may not contribute to alcohol consumption, while undesirable characteristics may contribute as protective factors for alcohol consumption among Brazilian adolescents. Alcohol consumption among adolescents demands attention in the public health scenario, and investment in studies aimed at knowledge about contextual factors, and their possible relationships with consumption, can be an important strategy for a broader understanding of the current scenario of adolescent health in urban environments.

Determinants of the Psychological States of Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-sectional Study in Bangladesh

@#Introduction: Cerebral palsy is a group of early childhood chronic mobility disorders. Parenting a child with cerebral palsy is often challenging, especially for mothers. This research aimed to identify the determinants of the psychological states of mothers of children with cerebral palsy in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020. A total of 344 mothers of children with cerebral palsy was recruited using a simple random sampling technique and guided questionnaires. The data were analysed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression models. Results: The overall response rate was 98.29%. The median (IQR) age of respondents and the children with cerebral palsy were 30 (13) and 6 (6), respectively. The proportions of mothers with good knowledge on cerebral palsy and having higher negative family impact were 57.8% and 41.9%, respectively. Fifty-nine per cent of mothers of children with cerebral palsy had higher levels of maternal psychological stress. The predictors of maternal psychological stress were the mother’s age, marital status, types of family, family income, age of children, gender, and higher levels of the negative maternal appraisal. Conclusions: Mothers of children with cerebral palsy in Bangladesh had a higher level of maternal psychological stress. The factors identified in this study could help to develop policies and strategies to minimise maternal psychological stress associated with parenting children with cerebral palsy in Bangladeshi households.

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in insomnic patients with or without comorbidities:a pilot study / 中华内科杂志

Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-i) in chronic insomnia patients in terms of the improvements of psychological and sleep diary parameters. Methods Patients who met the diagnostic criteria of chronic insomnia, were divided into primary group or comorbid group. Both groups received standard CBT-i interventions. Psychological scales and sleep diaries were used to evaluate participants' severity of insomnia and psychological conditions related to insomnia at four time points:before intervention (baseline), immediate after intervention, 4 weeks and 16 weeks after intervention. Results Both groups achieved significant improvements after intervention on psychological measurements and sleep diary parameters. Such improvements were maintained at 4-week and 16-week follow-ups. The sleep diary data indicated that by the end of the intervention, there were significant differences on sleep onset latency(51.72 min to 10.53 min in primary group, P<0.01;59.26 min to 15.67min in comorbid group, P<0.01)and sleep efficiency (71％to 95％in primary group, P<0.01;68％to 90％in comorbid group, P<0.01). There were differences on sleep onset latency (10.00 min vs. 13.93 min,P<0.05), total sleep time (355.71 min vs. 327.85 min, P<0.05) and sleep efficiency (95％vs. 91％, P<0.01) in primary group and comorbid group respectively. No differences were found on wake after sleep onset in the two groups. Conclusions Chronic insomnia patients with or without comorbidities both have improvements after CBT-i. Sleep diary parameters rather than psychological measurements are different in two groups. Thus, CBT-i is an effective non-pharmaceutical therapy inpatients with chronic insomnia.