Police work is stressful. A protective function against work stress and harm to mental health is social support, either within or outside work. This cross-sectional study analyzes the associations of ...quantitative (availability) and qualitative (adequacy) aspects of social support with general mental health among Swedish police officers. A total of 728 officers responded to a national survey. Bivariate analyses (
t
-test and chi square) identified continuous and categorical variables (respectively) statistically significantly associated with sex and social support. Pearson correlation coefficient was provided to indicate the associations between general mental health and different types of social support. Sex-stratified logistic regression modeling calculated crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and assessed the relationships between different types of social support, sociodemographic variables and general mental health. The findings show that low adequacy of attachment is associated with poorer mental health among female officers, although female officers also reported higher availability of both social interaction and attachment compared to male officers. We found an association between low work-related social support and poorer mental health among single male police officers. Moreover, police officers who worked shifts, were younger, had less work experience, and/or had no children reported higher availability of attachment, whereas older police officers reported higher adequacy of social interaction compared to younger police officers. Variation in the quantity and quality of close social relationships seems to be important to mental health. Police organizations need to be aware of this in their efforts to make the work environment more supportive. Social support might create an environment where officers feel more comfortable discussing their mental health concerns and seeking assistance.
This article compares the determinants of living alone in later life in Spain and Sweden, two countries with relatively similar levels of economic development from a global view point but different ...family systems and institutional contexts. With microdata coming from census (Spain) and linked administrative registers (Sweden), logistic regression techniques, including a nonlinear regression–based decomposition of differences between, are used to estimate the weight of different factors behind the residential choices of elderly women. Theoretical expectations are validated. Levels of living alone are associated with age, childlessness, marital status, and education in both populations. Population characteristics (compositions effects) explain only a small part of the differences in living alone between both countries, while behaviors (rate effects) account for the larger part of the variation. Therefore, among elderly women proximate determinants of living arrangements produce different outcomes in different sociocultural environments largely determined by existing family systems.
COVID-19 shocked health and economic systems leaving millions of people without employment and safety nets. The pandemic disproportionately affects people with substance use disorders (SUDs) due to ...the collision between SUDs and COVID-19. Comorbidities and risk environments for SUDs are likely risk factors for COVID-19. The pandemic, in turn, diminishes resources that people with SUD need for their recovery and well-being. This article presents an interdisciplinary and international perspective on how COVID-19 and the related systemic shock impact on individuals with SUDs directly and indirectly. We highlight a need to understand SUDs as biopsychosocial disorders and use evidence-based policies to destigmatize SUDs. We recommend a suite of multi-sectorial actions and strategies to strengthen, modernize and complement addiction care systems which will become resilient and responsive to future systemic shocks similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This paper compares the determinants of living alone among elderly women in six countries (Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, and Sweden) with very different family systems, policy ...contexts, levels of development, and socio‐economic characteristics. Different factors behind the residential choices of elderly women are estimated by means of logistic regression. Decomposition models are used to assess the extent to which observed differences between countries correspond to specific population compositions or to other factors. Although the importance of all independent variables for living alone is shown to be strong and statistically significant, persistent intercountry disparities in behaviour linked to levels of familism and development remain. Population composition explains only a small part of the observed differences in living alone. Economic development provides an important underlying explanation for the incidence of living alone among women, but many specific differences can also be explained by societal characteristics such as family systems and available policy options.
The increase in one-person households (OPHs) in the developed world is often seen as the result of a trend in which individualistic values and behaviors are replacing family solidarity. Nordic ...countries have been identified as frontrunners in this development. In Asia, equally developed countries like Japan retain elements of a strong-family system and an asymmetrical gender regime, simultaneously as they are experiencing rapid increases in OPHs. This article aims to uncover how the demographic and socioeconomic composition of OPHs have developed since the 1990s among working-age women in Sweden and Japan. Our results show that, in particular, civil status and income play different roles for OPH-living in Sweden and Japan. In contrast to Japan, the level of OPHs remained stable over time in Sweden, and even declined among women with high incomes. This suggests that the negative association between family formation and women’s economic activity is temporary and only prevails as long as society has not adapted to the convergence of men’s and women’s socioeconomic roles. The findings are discussed in light of the “second demographic transition” and “dual equilibrium theory”.
Background:
Treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), results, in general, in improvements in terms of both drug use and social functioning. However, there are clients who are in need of repeated ...treatment. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify, for adults in compulsory care for severe SUD, the association between reporting having experienced a risky psychosocial childhood and repeated entries into the Swedish compulsory care system for SUD.
Method:
Hierarchical logistic regression and mediation analysis methods were used to analyse data from the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care (SiS) database. The sample included 2719 adults assessed at their compulsory care intake. The study examined the association between history of institutional care, family with SUD or psychiatric problem and repeated compulsory care entries as an adult controlling for main drug, age and gender.
Results:
In the regression model the factor with the strongest association with repeated compulsory care intakes for SUD, was as a child having been in mandated institutional care (OR = 2.0 (1.60–2.51)). The proportion of the total effect that is mediated through LVU (law (1990:52) the care of young persons (special provisions) act) was 33% for SUD problems in family during childhood, 44% for psychiatric problems in family during childhood, and 38% for having been in foster care.
Conclusion:
Having been in mandated institutional care as a youth was strongly associated with repeated compulsory care for SUD as an adult. This is concerning since receipt of services as a child is supposed to mediate against the consequences of risky childhood conditions. These adults, as a group, are in need of a well-coordinated and integrated system of extensive aftercare services to reduce the likelihood of re-entry into compulsory care for an SUD.
Substance use among older persons occurs with medical and psychiatric comorbidities. This study examined the associations of substance use disorder (SUD), psychiatric, and dual diagnoses with ...12-month cumulative hospitalized days, hospital admission rate and number of days to first hospitalization.
The cohort of 3,624 individuals (28.2% women) aged 50 years or older was assessed for substance use severity in 65 Swedish municipalities during March 2003-May 2017. Addiction Severity Index data were linked to hospital discharge records and crime statistics. The outcomes were (a) 12-month cumulative hospitalized days; (b) Hospital admission rate, and (c) days to first hospitalization. Generalized linear regression techniques investigated associations between outcomes and SUD, psychiatric and dual diagnoses at admission.
During 2003-2017, 73.5% of the participants were hospitalized. Twelve-month hospitalized days were positively associated with SUD (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.26-1.58), dual diagnosis (IRR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.74-2.36), and psychiatric diagnoses (IRR = 2.51, 95%CI: 2.09-3.01). Hospital admission rate was positively associated with SUD (IRR = 4.67, 95%CI: 4.28-5.08), dual diagnosis (IRR = 1.83, 95%CI: 1.64-2.04), and psychiatric diagnoses (IRR = 1.73, 95%CI: 1.55-1.92). Days to first hospitalization were negatively associated with SUD (IRR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.47-0.58), dual diagnosis (IRR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.50-0.65), and psychiatric diagnoses (IRR = 0.83, 95%CI: 0.73-0.93). The marginal effects of SUD and/or mental disorders increased with age for all outcomes, except for days to first hospitalization.
Three of four older persons assessed for substance use severity were later hospitalized. Substance use disorders, dual diagnoses and other mental disorders were the primary reasons for hospitalization and were associated with longer stays, earlier hospitalization, and repeated admissions. Sensitizing service providers to old age substance use and sharing data across the care continuum could provide multiple points of contact to reduce the risk of hospitalizations among older persons with problematic substance use.
The stressful and complex nature of police work and its adverse effects on mental health are well-documented in police research. The mental health of police students however, has not been given the ...same attention. To the best of our knowledge, studies on the mental health of Swedish police recruits have not been undertaken since 2010.
The present study aims to examine whether there are differences in the mental health between two cohorts (2009 and 2020) of Swedish police recruits, as well as to compare the mental health of both cohorts with the general population data collected in 2002.
Data was collected using the SCL-90-R survey. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and independent sample
-tests. Bi-variate analyses including
-test and chi-square were used to examine differences in sociodemographic variables between the two cohorts.
A total of 376 police recruits participated in the study. Results indicated no significant differences between the cohorts with regards to the three global indices of the SCL-90-R: Global Severity Index (GSI), Positive Symptom Total (PST), and Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI). Recruits with a college degree had lower scores on GSI and PSDI, similar to respondents that where in a relationship vs. singles. A total of 15 (four female) recruits had GSI scores above the Swedish patient mean. Compared with the general population, males and females from the 2009, as well as females from the 2020 cohorts had lower or insignificantly different mean scores on all global indices, with males from the 2020 cohort having a significantly lower PST score.
While the vast majority of recruits had results that where indicative of a low prevalence and intensity with regards to mental health disorders, some recruits did score above the Swedish patient mean. While mental preparedness is part of the curriculum for Swedish police recruits, interventions targeting the stigmas of poor mental health could be of value. The fact that educational attainment appears to have a positive impact on the mental health of police recruits, could be taken in to consideration when recruiting future police officers.
This qualitative thematic study aimed to examine the placement of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in compulsory institutional care in Sweden, to expand knowledge regarding their care and ...treatment. The dataset comprised official documents and anonymized journal documents from personnel detailing the experiences of twenty-five unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in compulsory institutional care organized by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care in 2015. The study identified three main themes: traumatic life events and mental health, alignment between needs, goals, and treatment, and language difficulties. The findings revealed a high prevalence of severe traumatic experiences among the asylum-seeking minors, with half having endured significant psychological and physical trauma. Mental health issues were inconsistently addressed, and prior traumas were often overlooked in care planning. The majority exhibited various mental health problems, underscoring the need for tailored interventions. The study highlights challenges in aligning unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors' individual needs, treatment goals, and provided care. Language barriers emerged as a critical concern, impeding effective communication and treatment. Approximately 80% of the asylum-seeking minors experienced difficulties in understanding and expressing themselves in Swedish. The limited use of professional interpreters further exacerbated this issue. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to better support unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors within compulsory institutional settings.
BACKGROUND:Little evidence exists regarding the effects of soy consumption on the metabolic syndrome in humans. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to determine the effects of soy consumption on components of the ...metabolic syndrome, plasma lipids, lipoproteins, insulin resistance, and glycemic control in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. DESIGN:This randomized crossover clinical trial was undertaken in 42 postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a control diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, DASH), a soy-protein diet, or a soy-nut diet, each for 8 wk. Red meat in the DASH period was replaced by soy-protein in the soy-protein period and by soy-nut in the soy-nut period. RESULTS:The soy-nut regimen decreased the homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance score significantly compared with the soy-protein (difference in percentage change: -7.4 ± 0.8; P < 0.01) or control (-12.9 ± 0.9; P < 0.01) diets. Consumption of soy-nut also reduced fasting plasma glucose more significantly than did the soy-protein (-5.3 ± 0.5%; P < 0.01) or control (-5.1 ± 0.6%; P < 0.01) diet. The soy-nut regimen decreased LDL cholesterol more than did the soy-protein period (-5.0 ± 0.6%; P < 0.01) and the control (-9.5 ± 0.6%; P < 0.01) diet. Soy-nut consumption significantly reduced serum C-peptide concentrations compared with control diet (-8.0 ± 2.1; P < 0.01), but consumption of soy-protein did not. CONCLUSION:Short-term soy-nut consumption improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome.
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