Purpose
Depression and anxiety are common mental health comorbidities found among women living with breast cancer. The presence of these mental health comorbidities results in decreased quality of ...life among patients. However, the indirect effects of depression and anxiety on quality of life have not been fully established. This study therefore examined the direct and indirect effects of depression and anxiety on quality of life through social support and religiosity.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional survey, 205 purposively selected participants were administered measures of depression and anxiety, social support, religiosity and quality of life. The statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) with PROCESS Macro was used for mediation analyses.
Results
Findings showed that there were significant direct negative effects of depression and anxiety on quality of life. Whereas depression had a significant negative indirect effect on quality of life through social support (
b
= − 0.247, 95% CI = − 0.482 to − 0.071), anxiety had a significant positive indirect effect on quality of life through social support (
b
= 0.142, 95%CI = 0.011 to 0.324). However, depression and anxiety did not have any significant indirect effect on quality of life through religiosity.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that there is the need to examine the mental health of women living with breast cancer as part of the routine healthcare, and social support ties should be strengthened to improve their quality of life.
Abstract Background Over two million Ghanaians suffer from moderate to mild mental disorders but prevalence levels and determinants among university students remains fairly unknown. A better ...understanding of depression and its determinants is necessary in developing appropriate interventions in this population group. Method A convenient sample of 270 students from a public university (132 males and 138 females) were interviewed using a questionnaire to record socio-demographic variables, HIV risk behaviours. Depressive symptoms were measured using Centre for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10). Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the determinants. Results The mean age was 22 (SD=2.39). Using a cut-off point of 10 of the CES-D10, the overall prevalence of depression was 39.2%; with 31.1% of mild to moderate depression and 8.1% severe depressive symptoms. Significant predictors included lack of social support, religion not having an impact on life, heavy alcohol consumption and traumatic experiences such as being forced to have sex, physically and sexually abused as a child, and beaten by a sex partner. Limitations Given the cross-sectional nature of the research, the findings are limited highlighting the need for further research. Also, relying on self-report of symptoms could have influenced the outcome. The use of a single university means that there could be regional differences in depression in other universities. Conclusion Depression occurs in a significant number of students. An appropriate intervention must be implemented to help reduce the burden of depression, especially to those found to be at risk.
•Access to health information is linked to improved quality of life.•Health literacy is linked to improved quality of life.•Depression and anxiety are significant mediators of the links.•Women with ...breast cancer need increased access to health information.•Improved health literacy should be emphasized in breast cancer treatment.
This study examined the direct and indirect influences of health literacy and access to health information on the quality of life among 205 women living with breast cancer in Ghana.
A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The interviewer-administered instrument included the health literacy scale, questions on access and satisfaction with healthcare information, depression and anxiety scale, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer.
Access to health information and health literacy had significant indirect effects on quality of life through depression and anxiety. Whereas health literacy had direct influence on quality of life after controlling for other factors, access to information had no direct influence on quality of life.
Health literacy and access to health information improve quality of life in women living with breast cancer by reducing the levels of depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety serve as possible mechanisms for the positive impacts of access to health information and health literacy on improved quality of life among breast cancer patients.
Health care providers need to ensure that the information needs of patients are met in oncology practice to reduce their negative emotional states which would lead to improved health and wellbeing.
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of cannabis and amphetamine use and to determine its associated factors among school-going adolescents in Ghana.
The 2012 Ghanaian Global ...School-based Student Health Survey on 3632 adolescents aged 11-19 years (
= 15.1 years;
= 1.4) was used. Participants for this study were sampled from selected junior (JHS) and senior high schools (SHS) in all the 10 administrative regions of Ghana. A two-stage cluster sampling design was used to select 25 senior high schools to represent all the 10 regions of Ghana. Information was collected with a self-administered structured questionnaire that contained information on demographics, alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, violence, and a range of other health-related behaviours.
The result showed that past-month cannabis use was 5.3% and lifetime amphetamine use was 7.1% among students. In multivariate model, after controlling for other variables, school truancy and current cigarette smoking were associated with both past-month cannabis and lifetime amphetamine use. The number of close friends was associated with only past-month cannabis use. School environment factors (bullying victimisation and having been attacked) and parental substance use were associated with lifetime amphetamine use.
This study identified a number of risk factors, including parental substance use and various risk behaviours, for both past-month cannabis and lifetime amphetamine use. School-based health intervention programmes should be developed taking into consideration the risk factors associated with cannabis and amphetamine use among school-going adolescents.
Parental involvement in physical activity and dietary habits have been found to play a substantial role in the mental health of young people. However, there is little evidence about the associations ...between parental involvement, health behaviours and mental health among Ghanaian youth. This study sought to examine the role of parental involvement in the association between physical activity, dietary habits and mental health among Ghanaian youth.
Data were obtained from the 2012 Ghana Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). The study population consisted of 1,984 school going youth in high schools with a median age of 15 years old, (53.7%) males. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression statistical models using complex samples method were performed.
The prevalence of mental distress was 18.1%, 16.6% and 23% for loneliness, feeling worried and suicidal ideation respectively. Younger students were more likely to feel lonely, worried and have suicidal ideation than older students. Students from low socio-economic backgrounds were significantly more likely to report loneliness, worry and suicidal ideation. After adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, some physical activity and eating habits were associated with experiencing loneliness, worry and suicidal ideation but after introducing parental involvement, there was a decrease in the likelihood of some health behaviour factors in both physical activity and dietary habits to be associated with loneliness, worry and suicidal ideation.
Physical inactivity and poor dietary habits could have a negative effect on mental distress, however, parental involvement could mitigate the impact of these lifestyle habits on mental distress and should therefore be taken into consideration in efforts aimed at encouraging positive lifestyle habits for good mental health among Ghanaian youth.
Objective
This study examined whether cancer-specific coping strategies have any significant influence on the quality of life of 205 women living with breast cancer in Ghana.
Methods
Using a ...cross-sectional survey design, participants were administered questionnaires which measured their cancer-specific coping strategies and health-related quality of life.
Results
Correlation analysis showed that helplessness-hopelessness negatively correlated with physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, functional wellbeing, and breast cancer additional concerns. Anxious preoccupation negatively correlated with all the domains of quality of life, whereas fighting spirit was positively correlated with emotional and functional wellbeing. Cognitive avoidance was positively correlated with functional wellbeing, while fatalism was positively related with all the domains of quality of life. Regression analysis revealed that anxious preoccupation predicted significant decreases in all the domains of quality of life, while helplessness-hopelessness predicted significant decreases in emotional and functional wellbeing domains. However, cognitive avoidance predicted significant increase in the functional domain of quality of life.
Conclusion
These findings underscore the need for psychosocial support for breast cancer patients to adopt effective coping strategies to deal with their challenges in managing their illness.
Consistent and proper condom use offers a safer, economically cheap and practically effective means of preventing HIV infection. Using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey with a sample of ...2779 sexually active youth (males = 682 and females = 2,097) in the age range 15–24, this study explored the prevalence of, and factors associated with consistent condom use among sexually active young adults in Ghana. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the data. Our results showed that approximately 11% of the respondents reported consistent condom use in their previous sexual activity. Females were more likely than males to have used a condom consistently. The logistic regression results showed that females who had tested for HIV were less likely to use a condom consistently. However, those who have obtained family planning information from print media and those from the northern part of Ghana were more likely to practise consistent condom use. Furthermore, males who professed the Traditional African religion were less likely to use a condom consistently. In contrast, males in the rich wealth category were more likely to use a condom consistently. These findings underscore the need for behavioural change campaigns targeting young adults, particularly those who are sexually active, to encourage consistent condom use. These interventions should target young adults with less family planning knowledge, those who know their HIV status and those who profess the Traditional African religion.
One of the pervasive problems in schools that has adverse implication on the wellbeing of students, is bullying victimisation. However, within sub-Saharan Africa, only few studies have examined how ...psychological distress influences bullying victimisation. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between bullying victimization and psychological distress among school going adolescents in Ghana.
One hundred and ninety-eight (198) male and female students completed a series of self-report questionnaires measuring psychological distress (anxiety, stress and depression) and bullying victimisation in a cross-sectional survey. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and standard multiple regression were used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that bullying victimisation was positively associated with all the domains of psychological distress: depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) and stress (r = 0.35, p < 0.001). Further analysis found depression to be the only significant predictor of bullying victimisation (β = 0.20; t = 2.01; p < 0.05). Taking into consideration that bullying victimization is a major problem among adolescents in schools, anti-bullying programmes should be implemented as this may promote improved wellbeing of school-going adolescents in Ghana.
Suicide is recognised as the third leading cause of death among adolescents globally. There is however limited data on the prevalence and factors associated with suicide particularly in Ghana. To ...explore the prevalence and risk and protective factors associated with suicide in Ghana, a nationwide Global School-based Student Health Survey data collected among senior high school adolescents in Ghana was used. The prevalence of suicidal behaviours was 18.2%, 22.5% and 22.2% for suicidal ideation, suicidal plan and suicidal attempt respectively. In the final analysis, anxiety increases the odds of suicidal behaviour, even after controlling for other variables. Loneliness increases the odds of suicidal behaviour but after adjusting for other factors the odds remained for only suicidal plan. Being bullied, physically attacked, involved in a physical fight and food insecurity remained risk factors for suicidal behaviour (i.e. ideation, plan and attempt) after adjusting for other factors. Truancy was found as a risk factor for both suicidal ideation and plans but such effect diminished for suicidal plan after adjusting for other variables. Increasing number of close friends remained a risk factor for both suicidal plan and attempt but such effect diminished for suicidal ideation after adjusting for other variables. Parental understanding of adolescents' problems and worries remained a significant protective factor for all the indices of suicidal behaviour after adjusting for other variables. Parental respect for privacy was protective of suicidal attempt but was not significant after adjusting for other variables. Early identification and intervention for at-risk adolescents in senior high schools, for example those experiencing different forms of physical abuse, drug and substance use and hunger can potentially reduce the prevalence of suicide among this population in Ghana.
This study examined the prevalence and associated factors of risky sexual behaviours among 1648 school-going adolescents using the 2012 Ghana Global School-based Student Health Survey. Our findings ...showed 33.5% of the participants had ever had sex 32.5% had multiple sexual partners and only 26.2% reported using condom during their last sexual intercourse. Being male, older age, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal ideation, being bullied, food insecurity (hunger), current alcohol and marijuana use were significant risk factors for being sexually experienced, multiple partners, but not condom use. Parental knowledge of activity was a significant protective factor against adolescents' sexual experience. These findings underscore the need to develop school-based interventions that would help reduce risky sexual behaviours among school-going adolescents.
•There is relatively high sexual risk behaviours among adolescents.•Being a male and of older age are significant predictors sexual risk behaviours.•Psycho-social factors significantly predict sexual risk behaviours among adolescents.•Parental knowledge of activity is a protective factor against being sexually experienced.
PDF
