COVID-19 and stress of Indian youth: An association with background, on-line mode of teaching, resilience and hope.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic causes serious threats to physical health and triggers wide varieties of psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. Youth exhibit a greater risk of developing psychological distress, especially during epidemics influencing their wellbeing. Objectives: To identify the relevant dimensions of psychological stress, mental health, hope and resilience and to examine the prevalence of stress in Indian youth and its relationship with socio-demographic information, online-mode of teaching, hope and resilience. Method: A cross-sectional online survey obtained information on socio-demographic background, online-mode of teaching, psychological stress, hope and resilience from the Indian youth. A Factor Analysis is also conducted on the recompenses of the Indian youth on psychological stress, mental health, hope and resilience separately to identify the major factors associated with parameters. The sample size in this study was 317, which is more than the required sample size (Tabachnik et al., 2001). Results: About 87% of the Indian youth perceived moderate to a high levels of psychological stress during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Different demographic, sociographic and psychographic segments were found to have high stress levels due to the pandemic, while psychological stress was found to be negatively correlated with resilience as well as hope. The findings identified significant dimensions of the stress caused by the pandemic and also identified the dimensions of mental health, resilience and hope among the study subjects. Conclusion: As stress has a long-term impact on human psychology and can disrupt the lives of people and as the findings suggest that the young population of the country have faced the greatest amount of stress during the pandemic, a greater need for mental health support is required to the young population, especially in post pandemic situations. The integration of online counselling and stress management programs could assist in mitigating the stress of youth involved in distance learning.

Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) among young adults of Kashmir.

OBJECTIVE: Studies on the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Kashmir, India, are yet to be conducted. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of ACEs among young adults across all the ten districts of Kashmir Valley. METHODS: A cross-sectional research strategy was used to assess the prevalence of ACEs by employing a multi-stage sampling method. Data were collected from 800 students studying in different colleges and universities in Kashmir with the help of the "Adverse Childhood Experiences" (ACEs) scale. RESULTS: Findings disclosed that less than a quarter of the respondents reported high exposure to ACEs (15.4 %), more than one-tenth of the participants reported extremely high exposure to ACEs (13.4 %), over a quarter of the sample reported moderate exposure to ACEs (26.3 %), one-third of the youth reported low exposure to ACEs (33.0 %) and over one-tenth of the respondents reported no exposure to ACEs (11.8 %). The prevalence of ACEs was found to be 88.2 % (females: 82.7 % and males: 90.8 %) in Kashmir. The ACEs with the highest level of prevalence were "often or very often sworn at, insulted, or put down" (49.8 %), followed by "often or very often acted in a way that made them afraid that they would be physically hurt" (47.6 %), "often or very often pushed, grabbed, shoved, or slapped" (41.6 %), "often or very often hit so hard that they had marks or were injured" (28.3 %) and "touched or sexually fondled" (25.3 %). Thirteen out of 21 adverse events during childhood were significantly associated with gender. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest the need to advocate early targeted interventions, reduce ACEs and their impact, and design efficient measures to improve the health and well-being of young adults in Kashmir.

Prevalence of trauma among young adults exposed to stressful events of armed conflicts in South Asia: Experiences from Kashmir.

Objective: There is dearth of studies regarding the exposure of traumatic conflicts in Kashmir, India, because of limited research undertaken in this area. Therefore, the main intent of this study was to estimate the prevalence of trauma among young adults exposed to violent and stressful events of armed conflict. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on the prevalence of trauma in all the 10 districts of Kashmir Valley using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected from 693 students by means of the Demographic Information Questionnaire and Kashmir Conflict Exposure Checklist (KCEC). Results: Findings revealed that one third of the respondents were exposed to high traumatic exposure (33.3%), close to quarter of the participants reported extremely high traumatic exposure (23.7%), over one third of the respondents were exposed to moderate traumatic exposure (33.5%), and about one tenth of the sample were exposed to low traumatic exposure (9.5%) in the context of the Kashmir conflict. The prevalence of trauma was 100% in both males and females. The traumatic events with highest rate of prevalence were "feeling stressed" (97.3%), followed by "fear of search operations, crackdowns or curfews" (89.2%); "witnessing a protest or being part of it" (88.3%); "a family member, relative or friend being hit with a bullet, pellet, or any other explosive" (76.5%); and "exposure to violent media portrayals" (74.3%). Thirteen of 17 traumatic events were significantly associated with gender wherein males reported significantly higher prevalence in all of these events than females, except one. Conclusions: The findings of the current study revealed a very disturbing picture regarding the prevalence of traumatic experience of Kashmiri young adults and recommends that educational institutions and nongovernment organizations in Kashmir should pay attention toward guiding the young adults of Kashmir in the right direction for their growth, safety, and welfare, in addition to providing mental health support services, to enhance psychological competence, prevent the development of psychiatric disorders, and utilize the potentials of youth for nation building. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Happiness, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Life as Perceived by Indian University Students and Their Association with Spirituality.

The present study aims to examine the association between various dimensions of psychological well-being (subjective happiness, satisfaction, and meaning in life), spirituality, and demographic and socioeconomic background of university students. A total of 414 postgraduate students were selected from three different schools, viz. science, management, and social sciences/humanities of Pondicherry University (A Central University), Puducherry, India, following multistage cluster sampling method. One semi-structured questionnaire and four standardized psychological scales, viz. subjective happiness scale, satisfaction with life scale, meaning in life questionnaire, and spirituality attitude inventory, were used for data collection after checking psychometric properties of the scales. The results show that a positive significant correlation between spirituality and subjective happiness exists. Spirituality is also correlated with meaning in life and satisfaction with life scale. Statistically, no significant gender difference was observed with respect to subjective happiness, meaning, and satisfaction in life as well as spirituality although the mean score of female students was more in all the four psychological domains. Non-integrated students are found to be happier than integrated students, and statistically it was significant. Positive interpersonal relationship and congenial family environment were probed to be facilitating factors for positive mental health of university students. There is a severe need to address students' mental health by every educational institution through multiple programs.

Are there differences in the mental health status of adolescents in Puducherry?

The present study assessed the mental health of adolescents in Puducherry, India. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 291 students (121 male and 170 female) in the 14-17year old age group, grades IX and XI. The students were recruited from private, public, co-ed and single sex schools. Along with a Structured Questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory was administered. We sought to investigate as to whether there would be differences in mental health status of adolescents based on age, class, gender and other demographic variables. There were significant age differences with respect to global mental health, psychological distress, anxiety and loss of behavioural/emotional control. Family type-wise significant differences in global mental health, life satisfaction and loss of behavioural/emotional control were also found. Significant differences were observed with respect to global mental health, psychological well-being, positive effects, psychological distress and depression across socio-economic groups. Number of siblings also accounted for differences in anxiety and emotional ties. However, no significant gender differences were observed across mental health sub-scales. Results suggest the need for promotion of mental health awareness and intervention programs for adolescents, their parents and teachers. There is also a need for advocacy in children and adolescent rights regarding welfare, well-being and protection from violence. The objective is to enhance psychological well-being and reduce psychological distress in students across different social strata.

Quality of Life Among Senior Citizens in Bhutan.

This study explored associations between quality of life (QOL), spirituality, social integration, chronic diseases, and lifetime adversity among people aged 60 years and older in Bhutan. Adults aged 60 to 101 years (n = 337) completed face-to-face interviews. The main measure included the World Health Organization QOL questionnaire and Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire. The social relationships domain of QOL had the highest mean. Frequent back pain, memory decline, depression, mobility impairment, insomnia, and lung diseases were commonly reported and negatively related to QOL. Compared with women, men reported fewer physical and mental health problems and better QOL. Multivariate analysis revealed that cumulative health problems, psychological distress, and social connectedness contributed significantly to overall QOL. The measure of spirituality was negatively associated with QOL, which is not conclusive and suggests the need for more research especially when the influence of spiritualism is highly visible in the everyday lives of Bhutanese people. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to care for elderly people in Bhutan.

Depression among Indian university students and its association with perceived university academic environment, living arrangements and personal issues.

The aim of the study is to ascertain the level of depression among university students across gender, academic stream, semesters, perception of family environment and relationship with parents, academic performance, and family income. In addition, the study examines the association between students' perceived university academic environment, living arrangements, personal issues, and depression. Seven hypotheses were formulated for verification. A total of 717 students were recruited following the multistage cluster sampling method, and data were collected by a specially designed structured questionnaire, academic achievement record and a standardized University Students Depression Inventory. Findings disclosed that 37.7%, 13.1%, and 2.4% of the students were suffering from moderate, severe, and extremely severe depression. A significant difference was found across semester, that is, semester II students reported a higher level of depression than semester III students. So far as academic stream is concerned, students from humanities and social science were found to be suffering from more depression compared to students from science and management streams. The study further disclosed that the students who reported positive views about the university academic environment and living arrangements had lower level of depression compared to their counterparts. Personal resilience's such as being able to sharing personal problems with others and doing regular exercise were found to be associated with positive mental health. The findings of the study emphasize the need for immediate mental health support services for about 15.6% of the students who were either suffering from severe or extremely severe depression at the University.

Violence against the adolescents of Kolkata: A study in relation to the socio-economic background and mental health.

This study attempts to understand the nature of violence suffered by the adolescents of Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta) and to identify its relation with their socio-economic background and mental health variables such as anxiety, adjustment, and self-concept. It is a cross-sectional study covering a total of 370 adolescents (182 boys and 188 girls) from six higher secondary schools in Kolkata. The data was gathered by way of a semi-structured questionnaire and three standard psychological tests. Findings revealed that 52.4%, 25.1%, and 12.7% adolescents suffered psychological, physical, and sexual violence in the last year. Older adolescents (aged 17-18 years) suffered more psychological violence than the younger ones (15-16 years) (p<0.05). Sixty nine (18.6%) adolescent students stood witness to violence between adult members in the family. More than three-fifth (61.9%) adolescents experienced at least one type of violence, while one-third (32.7%) experienced physical or sexual violence or both. Whatever its nature is, violence leaves a scar on the mental health of the victims. Those who have been through regular psychological violence reported high anxiety, emotional adjustment problem, and low self-concept. Sexual abuse left a damaging effect on self-concept (p<0.05), while psychological violence or the witnessing of violence prompted high anxiety scores (p<0.05), poor emotional adjustment (p<0.05), and low self-concept (p<0.05). This study stresses the need to provide individual counselling services to the maltreated adolescents of Kolkata so that their psychological traumas can heal and that they can move on in life with new hopes and dreams.

Spirituality in Indian University Students and its Associations with Socioeconomic Status, Religious Background, Social Support, and Mental Health.

The present study aimed to understand spirituality and its relationships with socioeconomic status (SES), religious background, social support, and mental health among Indian university students. It was hypothesized that (1) female university students will be more spiritual than male university students, (2) four domains of spirituality will differ significantly across socioeconomic and religious background of the university students in addition to social support, and (3) there will be a positive relationship between spirituality and mental health of university students, irrespective of gender. A group of 475 postgraduate students aged 20-27 years, 241 males and 234 females, from various disciplines of Pondicherry University, India, participated in the study. Students' background was collected using a structured questionnaire. Overall spirituality and its four dimensions were measured using the Spirituality Attitude Inventory, while mental health status was estimated based on scores of the psychological subscale of the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire. Female students were significantly more spiritual than male students, particularly in spiritual practice and sense of purpose/connection. Hindu religion and lower family income were associated with lower spirituality. Higher spirituality was associated with congenial family environment and more support from teachers and classmates. There was a strong association between overall spirituality and two spirituality domains (spiritual belief and sense of purpose/connection) with better mental health. Findings suggest an opportunity for open dialogue on spirituality for university students as part of their mental health and support services that fosters a positive mind set and enhancement of resilience.

Male circumcision for HIV prevention in India: emerging viewpoints and practices of health care providers.

A compelling case for promoting male circumcision (MC) as an intervention for reducing the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection was made by dissemination of the results of three studies in Africa. The WHO/UNAIDS recommendation for MC for countries like India, where the epidemic in concentrated in high-risk groups, advocates MC for specific population groups such as men at higher risk for HIV acquisition. A multicentre qualitative study was conducted in four geographically distinct districts (Belgaum, Kolkata, Meerut and Mumbai) in India during June 2009 to June 2011. Two categories of health care providers: Registered Healthcare Providers (RHCPs) and traditional circumcisers were interviewed by trained research staff who had received master's level education using interview guides with probes and open-ended questions. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling. A comparative analysis of the perspectives of the RHCP vs. traditional circumcisers is presented. Representatives of both categories of providers expressed the need for Indian data on MC. Providers feared that promoting circumcision might jeopardize/undermine the progress already made in the field of condom promotion. Reservation was expressed regarding its adoption by Hindus. Behavioural disinhibition was perceived as an important limitation. A contrast in the practice of circumcision was apparent between the traditional and the trained providers. MC should be mentioned as a part of comprehensive HIV prevention services in India that includes HIV counselling and testing, condom distribution and diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. It should become an issue of informed personal choice rather than ethnic identity.

Metacognitions mediate HIV stigma and depression/anxiety in men who have sex with men living with HIV.

The study examined whether the relationships between HIV stigma and depression and anxiety would be mediated by metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies in men who have sex with men living with HIV. Men who have sex with men living with HIV completed an online survey that measured 30-item Metacognitions Questionnaire, thought control strategies (Thought Control Questionnaire), as well as symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder-7). The relationships between internalised and anticipated HIV stigma with depressive symptoms were mediated by Negative Metacognitive Beliefs and the use of Worry and Social thought control strategies. Negative Metacognitive Beliefs mediated the association between internalised HIV stigma and anxiety symptoms.

Community and healthcare providers' perspectives on male circumcision: a multi-centric qualitative study in India.

BACKGROUND: Although male circumcision (MC) is recommended as an HIV prevention option, the religious, cultural and biomedical dimensions of its feasibility, acceptability and practice in India have not been explored till date. This study explores beliefs, experiences and understanding of the community and healthcare providers (HCPs) about adult MC as an HIV prevention option in India. METHODS: This qualitative study covered 134 in-depth interviews from Belgaum, Kolkata, Meerut and Mumbai cities of India. Of these, 62 respondents were the members of circumcising (CC)/non-circumcising communities (NCC); including medically and traditionally circumcised men, parents of circumcised children, spouses of circumcised men, and religious clerics. Additionally, 58 registered healthcare providers (RHCPs) such as general and pediatric surgeons, pediatricians, skin and venereal disease specialists, general practitioners, and operation theatre nurses were interviewed. Fourteen traditional circumcisers were also interviewed. The data were coded and analyzed in QSR NUD*IST ver. 6.0. The study has not explored the participants' views about neonatal versus adult circumcision. RESULTS: Members of CC/NCC, traditional circumcisers and RCHPs expressed sharp religious sensitivities around the issue of MC. Six themes emerged: Male circumcision as the religious rite; Multiple meanings of MC: MC for 'religious identity/privilege/sacrifice' or 'hygiene'; MC inflicts pain and cost; Medical indications outweigh faith; Hesitation exists in accepting 'foreign' evidence supporting MC; and communication is the key for acceptance of MCs. Medical indications could make members of NCC accept MC following appropriate counseling. Majority of the RHCPs demanded local in-country evidence. CONCLUSION: HCPs must educate high-risk groups regarding the preventive and therapeutic role of MC. Communities need to discuss and create new social norms about male circumcision for better societal acceptance especially among the NCC. Feasibility studies on MC as an individual specific option for the high risk groups in health care setting needs to be explored.

Aggression in sexually abused trafficked girls and efficacy of intervention.

The broad objective of this study was to understand the incidence and severity of aggression among sexually abused girls who were trafficked and who were then further used for commercial sexual exploitation (referred to subsequently as sexually abused trafficked girls). In addition, the impact of counseling for minimizing aggression in these girls was investigated. A group of 120 sexually abused trafficked Indian girls and a group of 120 nonsexually abused Indian girls, aged 13 to 18, participated in the study. The sexually abused trafficked girls were purposively selected from four shelters located in and around Kolkata, India. The nonsexually abused girls were selected randomly from four schools situated near the shelters, and these girls were matched by age with the sexually abused trafficked girls. Data were collected using a Background Information Schedule and a standardized psychological test, that is, The Aggression Scale. Results revealed that 16.7% of the girls were first sexually abused between 6 and 9 years of age, 37.5% between 10 and 13 years of age, and 45.8% between 14 and 17 years of age. Findings further revealed that 4.2% of the sexually abused trafficked girls demonstrated saturated aggression, and 26.7% were highly aggressive, that is, extremely frustrated and rebellious. Across age groups, the sexually abused trafficked girls suffered from more aggression (p < .05), compared with the nonvictimized girls. Psychological interventions, such as individual and group counseling, were found to have a positive impact on the sexually abused trafficked girls. These findings should motivate counselors to deal with sexually abused children. It is also hoped that authorities in welfare homes will understand the importance of counseling for sexually abused trafficked children, and will appoint more counselors for this purpose.

Prevalence of violence against children in families in Tripura and its relationship with socio-economic factors.

BACKGROUND: Violence against children is a deep-rooted social problem in India. The problem is also related to economic as well as cultural beliefs and practices. The objective of this study was to ascertain the prevalence and nature of violence experienced by the children in families in Tripura, India and its relationship with socio-economic factors. METHODS: A group of 320 children (160 males and 160 females) studying in Class VIII and IX and aged between 14-19 participated in the study after obtaining their informed consent from eight randomly selected English and Bengali medium schools in Agartala, Tripura (India). Data were collected by using a specially designed 'Semi-structured Questionnaire. RESULTS: Findings revealed that about 20.9% (67/320), 21.9% (70/230) and 18.1% (58/230) of the children experienced psychological, physical and sexual violence respectively. Male children were more likely to be victims of psychological and physical violence while female children experienced more sexual violence (p less than 0.01).Further analysis of data revealed some relationship between violence against children and nuclear family(p was less than 0.01), uncongenial and/or disturbed family environment (p was less than 0.01)and dominating, short-tempered and/or aggressive parent personality (p was less than 0.01),irrespective of the nature of the violence. Physical violence was found to be more prevalent in high income families (p was less than 0.01) while children from the lower income group of families experienced more psychological violence (p was less than 0.01). Sexual violence was found to be equally prevalent in all socio-economic groups. The study also clearly indicated that academic performance of violence-experienced children, irrespective of nature of violence and socio-economic groups was poor compared to academic performance of non-violence-experienced children (p was less than 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: About one-fifth of the children under study did experience violence in Tripura. Findings speak in favor of an intervention program for creating awareness among parents and teachers about the issue of violence against children, targeted at parents when they meet for periodic parent-teachers meetings in the educational institutions.

ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Children's Version (ICAST-C): Instrument development and multi-national pilot testing.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a child victimization survey among a diverse group of child protection experts and examine the performance of the instrument through a set of international pilot studies. METHODS: The initial draft of the instrument was developed after input from scientists and practitioners representing 40 countries. Volunteers from the larger group of scientists participating in the Delphi review of the ICAST P and R reviewed the ICAST C by email in 2 rounds resulting in a final instrument. The ICAST C was then translated and back translated into six languages and field tested in four countries using a convenience sample of 571 children 12-17 years of age selected from schools and classrooms to which the investigators had easy access. RESULTS: The final ICAST C Home has 38 items and the ICAST C Institution has 44 items. These items serve as screeners and positive endorsements are followed by queries for frequency and perpetrator. Half of respondents were boys (49%). Endorsement for various forms of victimization ranged from 0 to 51%. Many children report violence exposure (51%), physical victimization (55%), psychological victimization (66%), sexual victimization (18%), and neglect in their homes (37%) in the last year. High rates of physical victimization (57%), psychological victimization (59%), and sexual victimization (22%) were also reported in schools in the last year. Internal consistency was moderate to high (alpha between .685 and .855) and missing data low (less than 1.5% for all but one item). CONCLUSIONS: In pilot testing, the ICAST C identifies high rates of child victimization in all domains. Rates of missing data are low, and internal consistency is moderate to high. Pilot testing demonstrated the feasibility of using child self-report as one strategy to assess child victimization. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The ICAST C is a multi-national, multi-lingual, consensus-based survey instrument. It is available in six languages for international research to estimate child victimization. Assessing the prevalence of child victimization is critical in understanding the scope of the problem, setting national and local priorities, and garnering support for program and policy development aimed at child protection.