Mental health literacy

وَقَالُواْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلذِّكۡرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجۡنُونࣱ‏

They say, ‘Receiver of this Quran! You are definitely mad

قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَكُمُ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُرۡسِلَ إِلَيۡكُمۡ لَمَجۡنُونࣱ‏

Pharaoh said, ‘This messenger who has been sent to you is truly possessed.’

وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُوٓاْ ءَالِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرࣲ مَّجۡنُونِۭ

and said, ‘Are we to forsake our gods for a mad poet?’

ثُمَّ تَوَلَّوۡاْ عَنۡهُ وَقَالُواْ مُعَلَّمࣱ مَّجۡنُونٌ

they turned their backs on him, saying, ‘He is tutored! He is possessed!’

فَتَوَلَّىٰ بِرُكۡنِهِۦ وَقَالَ سَٰحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونࣱ‏

Pharaoh turned away with his supporters, saying, ‘This is a sorcerer, or maybe a madman,’

كَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَتَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُواْ سَاحِرٌ أَوۡ مَجۡنُونٌ

Every previous people to whom a messenger was sent also said, ‘A sor-cerer, or maybe a madman!’

And they that is the disbelievers of Mecca say to the Prophet s ‘O you to whom the Remembrance the Qur’ān — as you claim — has been revealed lo! you are indeed possessed!

He said ‘Verily this messenger of yours sent to you is a madman!’

and would say ‘Are we to abandon our gods for a mad poet?’ that is for the sake of what Muhammad (s) says? as regards the hamzas in a-innā ‘are we’ the same applies as mentioned above.

And they say: "O you (Muhammad) to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been revealed! Verily, you are a madman (6)"Why do you not bring angels to us if you are of the truthful? (7)We do not send the angels down except with the truth, and in that case, they (the disbelievers) would have no respite (8)Verily, We, it is We Who revealed the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'an) and surely We will guard it (from corruption)(9) The Accusation that the Prophet (ﷺ) was a Madman and Demands for Him to bring down Angels Allah tells us about the disbelief, arrogance and stubbornness of the disbelievers as reflected in their words: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ (O you (Muhammad) to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been revealed!) i.e., the one who claims to receive it. إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ (Verily, you are a mad man!) i.e., by your invitation to us to follow you and leave the way of our forefath

Fir'awn said: "And what is the Lord of Al-'Alamin (23)(Musa) said: "The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, if you seek to be convinced with certainty. (24)(Fir'awn) said to those around: "Do you not hear (what he says)? (25)(Musa) said: "Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers! (26)(Fir'awn) said: "Verily, your Messenger who has been sent to you is a madman! (27)(Musa) said: "Lord of the east and the west, and all that is between them, if you did but understand! (28) Allah tells us about the disbelief, rebellion, oppression and denial of Fir'awn, as He says: وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ((Fir'awn said:) "And what is the Lord of the 'Alamin") This is because he used to say to his people: مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرِي (I know not that you have a god other than me.)(28:38) فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ (Thus he fooled his people, and

And they will turn to one another and question one another (27)They will say: "It was you who used to come to us from the right side. (28)They will reply: "Nay, you yourselves were not believers. (29)"And we had no authority over you. Nay! But you were a transgressing people. (30)"So now the Word of our Lord has been justified against us, that we shall certainly taste (the torment). (31)"So we led you astray because we were ourselves astray. (32)Then verily, that Day, they will (all) share in the torment (33)Certainly, that is how We deal with the criminals (34)Truly, when it was said to them: "La ilaha illallah," they puffed themselves up with pride (35)And (they) said: "Are we going to abandon our gods for the sake of a mad poet? (36)Nay! he has come with the truth and he confirms the Messengers (37) The arguing of the Idolators on the Day of Resurrection Allah tells us that the disb

ولو كشف الغطاء لرأيت أكثر النفوس البشرية صرعى مع هذه الأرواح الخبيثة وهي في أسرها وقبضتها تسوقها حيث شاءت ولا يمكنها الامتناع عنها ولا مخالفتها وبها الصرع الأعظم الذي لا يفيق صاحبه إلا عند المفارقة والمعاينة فهناك يتحقق أنه كان هو المصروع حقيقة وبالله المستعان وعلاج هذا الصرع باقتران العقل الصحيح إلا الإيمان بما جاءت به الرسل وأن تكون الجنة والنار نصب عينه وقبلة قلبه ويستحرض أهل الدنيا وحلول المثولات والآفات بهم ووقوعها خلال ديارهم كمواقع القطر وهم صرعى لا يفيقون وما أشد أعداء هذا الصرع ولكن لما عمت البلية به بحيث ينظر الإنسان لا يرى إلا مصروعا لم يصر مستغربا ولا مستنكرا بل صار لكثرة المصروعين عين المستنكر المستغرب خلافة فإذا أراد الله بعبد حيرا أفاق من هذه الصرعة ونظر إلى أبناء الدنيا مصروعين حوله يمينا وشمالا على اختلاف طبقاتهم فمنهم من أطبق به الجنون ومنهم من يفيق أحيانا قليلة ويعود إلى جنونه ومنهم من يجن مرة ويفيق أخرى فإذا أفاق عمل عمل أهل الإفاقة والعقل ثم يعاوده الصرع فيقع في التخ

الثاني أن هذا باطل بصور كثيرة منها دخول الماء في العود والسحاب ودخول النار في الحديد ودخول الغذاء في جميع أجزاء البدن ودخول الجن في المصروع فالروح للطافتها لا يمتنع عليها مشابكة البدن والدخول في جميع أجزائه

فالعقل فن واحد وطريقه % أدرى فأرصد و الجنون فنون

هكذا ضعف الدين في قرون سالفة فكيف الظن بزمانك هذا وقد انتهى الأمر إلى أن مظهر الإنكار يستهدف لنسبته إلى الجنون فالأولى أن يشتغل الإنسان بنفسه ويسكت

وأما القسم الثاني، وهو المدح بسبب الجاه والمال، فالفرح بذلك، كالفرح بنبات الأرض الذي يصير عن قريب هشيما، ولا يفرح بذلك إلا من قل عقله، وإن كنت خاليا عن الصفة التي مدحت بها، ففرحك بالمدح غاية الجنون.

قالوا وكيف يمدح أمر يمنع القرار ويسلب المنام ويوله العقل ويحدث الجنون بل هو نفسه جنون كما قال بعض الحكماء الجنون فنون والعشق فن من فنونه كما قال بعض العشاق

The effectiveness of school mental health literacy programs to address knowledge, attitudes and help seeking among youth.: Aim: Conduct a systematic review for the effectiveness of school mental health literacy programs to enhance knowledge, reduce stigmatizing attitudes and improve help-seeking behaviours among youth (12-25 years of age). Methods: Reviewers independently searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ERIC, grey literature and reference lists of included studies. They reached a consensus on the included studies, and rated the risk of bias of each study. Studies that reported three outcomes: kn

Is It Possible to "Find Space for Mental Health" in Young People? Effectiveness of a School-Based Mental Health Literacy Promotion Program.: Lack of knowledge regarding, and the stigma associated with, mental disorders have been identified as major obstacles for the promotion of mental health and early intervention. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention program focused on the promotion of mental health literacy (MHL) in young people (“Finding Space for Mental Health”). A sample of 543 students (22 classes), aged between 12 and 14 years old, participated in the study. Each class of studen

Facilitators and Barriers for Advance Care Planning Among Ethnic and Racial Minorities in the U.S.: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature.: Growing evidence suggests a low engagement in advance care planning (ACP) among ethnic minorities in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to synthesize findings from prior research about ACP among ethnic minorities. An extensive literature search was conducted using multiple electronic databases. After applying inclusion criteria, 26 studies were included. Four categories of facilitators and barriers to ACP were identified: (1) Socio-demographic factors, (2) health status, literacy and experie

Adolescent health literacy and health behaviors: A systematic review.: Objectives: To systematically review and synthesize literature on the relationship between health literacy and health behaviors in adolescents. Methods: Searches in PsychInfo, PUBMED/MEDLINE, and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) were conducted. Studies were included if they reported original data on the relationship between health literacy and a health behavior in adolescents, were written in English, and the population did not have a chronic illness or disability. Results: Sevent

The effect of a community-based self-help multimodal behavioral intervention in Korean American seniors with high blood pressure.: Background: Great strides have been made in improving heart health in the United States during the last 2 decades, yet these strides have not encompassed many ethnic minority populations. There are significant health disparity gaps stemming from both a paucity of valid research and a lack of culturally sensitive interventions. In particular, many Korean Americans with chronic illnesses encounter difficulty navigating the healthcare system because of limited health literacy. Methods: The effect o

Workplace Interventions Targeting Mental Health Literacy, Stigma, Help-Seeking, and Help-Offering in Male-Dominated Industries: A Systematic Review.: Mental ill-health and suicide represent a significant proportion of the burden of global disease among men. Connell's relational theory of masculinities provides a useful framework to explore how mental health literacy, mental health stigma, and delayed help-seeking and help-offering behaviors are associated with mental ill-health among men, particularly within male-dominated industries. To address the high incidences of mental ill-health in male-dominated industries, several workplace intervent

Biogenetic models of psychopathology, implicit guilt, and mental illness stigma.

Whereas some research suggests that acknowledgment of the role of biogenetic factors in mental illness could reduce mental illness stigma by diminishing perceived responsibility, other research has cautioned that emphasizing biogenetic aspects of mental illness could produce the impression that mental illness is a stable, intrinsic aspect of a person ("genetic essentialism"), increasing the desire for social distance. We assessed genetic and neurobiological causal attributions about mental illness among 85 people with serious mental illness and 50 members of the public. The perceived responsibility of persons with mental illness for their condition, as well as fear and social distance, was assessed by self-report. Automatic associations between Mental Illness and Guilt and between Self and Guilt were measured by the Brief Implicit Association Test. Among the general public, endorsement o…

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Sad to say: is it time for Sorrow Management Theory?

Terror Management Theory (TMT) research often asks respondents to describe their personal death. This exposure enables the testing of hypotheses regarding defenses ("buffers") against the anxious awareness of death. Curiously, though, the respondents' narratives are not analyzed or reported. The present study offers a qualitative analysis of 209 college student narrative responses provided for this purpose by TMT researchers Jeff Greenberg and Nathan Heflick. The narratives are reviewed with attention to affect (adjectives), semantic structure, and theme. Many responses are marked by anxiety, but sorrow is also pervasive. Individual differences in response substance and structure invite further exploration. It is suggested that our understanding of the response to personal death threat could be enhanced by encompassing sorrow as well as anxiety within the same conceptual framework. Sever…

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Nurses' attitudes to mental illness: a comparison of a sample of nurses from five European countries.

Background: Mental health problems are of serious concern across Europe. A major barrier to the realisation of good mental health and well-being is stigma and discrimination. To date there is limited knowledge or understanding of mental health nurses' attitudes towards mental illness and individuals experiencing mental health problems. Objectives: To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness and those experiencing mental health problems across a sample of registered nurses working in mental health settings from five European countries and the factors associated with these attitudes. Design: A questionnaire survey. Settings: A total of 72 inpatient wards and units and five community facilities in Finland, Lithuania, Ireland, Italy and Portugal. Participants: 810 registered nurses working in mental health settings. Methods: The data were collected using The Community Attitudes …

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An exploratory study of the relationship between parental attitudes and behaviour and young people's consumption of alcohol.

Background: Concern is growing regarding frequent and excessive misuse of alcohol by young people. The average age at which young people in Europe start to drink is twelve and a half, and during the last decade, the quantity of alcohol consumed by younger adolescents in the UK has increased. Families are known to play an important role in shaping young people's alcohol misuse, although family risk and protective factors associated with misuse in a UK context are in need of further investigation. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design, involving secondary analyses of self-completion questionnaire responses from 6,628 secondary school children (i.e. aged 11-16 years), from 12 schools within an urban location in Wales. Items relating to family functioning and perceived parental attitudes were first subjected to factor analysis. Associations of family closeness and conflict, parent…

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Specific unwillingness to donate eyes: the impact of disfigurement, knowledge and procurement on corneal donation.

Although willingness, attitudes and beliefs surrounding solid-organ donation have been extensively investigated, much less is known about corneal donation. Despite evidence that a substantial number of families who agree to multiorgan donation also specifically refuse corneal donation, it is unclear why this occurs and what can be done to increase rates of corneal donation. We conducted a survey of 371 Australian adults regarding their views on corneal donation. Although willingness to donate corneas generally reflected a person's willingness to donate all of one's organs, unwillingness to donate corneas appeared to be due to other factors. Specifically, decisions not to donate appear to be driven by a range of concerns surrounding disfigurement. The survey also provides eye banks with reassurance about the acceptability of whole globe procurement, and recognition that research into blin…

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End-of-life care preferences and needs: perceptions of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background and objectives: Despite high mortality rates, surprisingly little research has been done to study chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients' preferences for end-of-life care. The objective of this study was to evaluate end-of-life care preferences of CKD patients to help identify gaps between current end-of-life care practice and patients' preferences and to help prioritize and guide future innovation in end-of-life care policy. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: A total of 584 stage 4 and stage 5 CKD patients were surveyed as they presented to dialysis, transplantation, or predialysis clinics in a Canadian, university-based renal program between January and April 2008. Results: Participants reported relying on the nephrology staff for extensive end-of- life care needs not currently systematically integrated into their renal care, such as pain and symptom management, a…

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Obstacles to local-level AIDS competence in rural Zimbabwe: putting HIV prevention in context.

We explore the wider social context of an HIV-prevention programme in rural Zimbabwe. We make no comment on the programme itself, rather seeking to examine the wider community dynamics into which it was inserted, to highlight how pre-existing social dynamics may have influenced community "readiness" to derive optimal benefit from the intervention. Using the concept of "the AIDS competent community", we analysed 44 interviews and 11 focus groups with local people. Despite high levels of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, there were several ways gender, poverty and low literacy may have undermined its perceived relevance to peoples' lives. Lack of opportunities for dialogue in the social milieu beyond the intervention may have limited opportunities for translating factual AIDS knowledge into action plans, or sharing hidden individual experiences of HIV/AIDS-affected family members or friends, giv…

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What psychosocial factors influence adolescents' oral health?

Few studies have examined, comprehensively and prospectively, determinants of oral-health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between psychosocial factors and oral health status, health perceptions, and quality of life. Measures of symptom and functional status, health perceptions, quality of life, oral health beliefs, and psychological (sense of coherence, self-esteem, health locus of control) and social factors (parents' income and education) were collected from 439 12- and 13-year-olds at baseline and six-month follow-up, together with a clinical examination at baseline. Structural equation modeling indicated that increased levels of caries and more symptoms predicted more functional limitations, and, cross-sectionally, greater functional impact was associated with worse health perceptions, which were linked to lower quality of life. Sense o…

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Doing it my way: old women, technology and wellbeing.

This article focuses on women in their nineties (nonagenarians) who are ageing in place - or ageing at home - in upstate New York. I analyse these old women's use of everyday technological tools to care for themselves and construct meaning. I argue that despite what we may expect, nonagenarian women can be and are technogenarians in their active and creative uses of everyday technologies. Old women utilise lifelong care work repertoires to identify, adjust, use and reject old and new technologies for their own everyday mobility, communication, nourishment, and physiological health. Perhaps most importantly techno-savvy elders can maintain and achieve health and wellbeing, associated here with bodily comfort, social networks, self-efficacy and intellectual life, in and beyond their homes. In these ways, nonagenarians can teach us how household technologies can be health and ageing technol…

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Perceptions of the safety of oral contraceptives among a predominantly Latina population in Texas.

Background: Fear of side effects and previous negative experiences are common reasons for contraceptive nonuse. Study design: We collected information about perceptions of oral contraceptive (OC) safety from 1271 women 18-49 years old in El Paso, TX, and compared their responses to a medical evaluation by a nurse practitioner. We also asked participants about their interest in obtaining OCs over the counter (OTC). Results: Among 794 women potentially at risk of unintended pregnancy, 56.0% said that OCs were medically safe for them. Reasons given for OCs being unsafe were related to fears of side effects and prior negative experiences rather than true contraindications. Older women and participants recruited at the less affluent recruitment site were significantly more likely to report that OCs were medically unsafe for them (p<.05). Nonusers who thought OCs were medically unsafe for them…

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Reasons for participating in randomised controlled trials: conditional altruism and considerations for self.

Background: Randomised controlled trials of healthcare interventions depend on the participation of volunteers who might not derive any personal health benefit from their participation. The idea that altruistic-type motives are important for trial participation is understandably widespread, but recent studies suggest considerations of personal benefit can influence participation decisions in various ways. Methods: Non-participant observation of recruitment consultations (n = 25) and in-depth interviews with people invited to participate in the UK REFLUX trial (n = 13). Results: Willingness to help others and to contribute towards furthering medical knowledge featured strongly among the reasons people gave for being interested in participating in the trial. But decisions to attend recruitment appointments and take part were not based solely on consideration of others. Rather, they were pr…

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Strategies to avoid opiate withdrawal: implications for HCV and HIV risks.

Background: Research on heroin withdrawal has primarily been done clinically, thus focussing on symptom severity, physiological manifestations, and how withdrawal impairs normal functioning. However, there is little scientific knowledge on how heroin withdrawal affects injection behaviour. This paper explores how withdrawal episodes heighten unsafe injection practices and how some long-term injectors manage such risks. Methods: We interviewed 32 injection drug users in New York City who had been injecting drugs for 8-15 years (21 HIV and HCV uninfected; 3 HIV and HCV infected; and 8 singly infected with HCV). We used in-depth life history interviews to inquire about IDUs' life history, injection practices and drug use behaviour over time. Analysis used grounded theory techniques. Results: Withdrawal can enhance risk by undermining IDUs' willingness to inject safely; increasing the likeli…

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Community participation for malaria elimination in Tafea Province, Vanuatu: Part I. Maintaining motivation for prevention practices in the context of disappearing disease.

Background: In the 1990s, the experience of eliminating malaria from Aneityum Island, Vanuatu is often given as evidence for the potential to eliminate malaria in the south-west Pacific. This experience, however, cannot provide a blueprint for larger islands that represent more complex social and environmental contexts. Community support was a key contributor to success in Aneityum. In the context of disappearing disease, obtaining and maintaining community participation in strategies to eliminate malaria in the rest of Tafea Province, Vanuatu will be significantly more challenging. Method: Nine focus group discussions (FGDs), 12 key informant interviews (KIIs), three transect walks and seven participatory workshops were carried out in three villages across Tanna Island to investigate community perceptions and practices relating to malaria prevention (particularly relating to bed nets); …

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Determinants of family consent to tissue donation.

Background: Family consent to tissue donation currently falls well below that for solid organ donation. Moreover, research suggests that Americans have limited understanding of tissue donation, an activity largely overshadowed by the more publicly visible organ donation. This research sought to identify determinants of families' consent to tissue donation. Methods: Data collection included a brief, self-administered survey completed by tissue bank staff and telephone interviews with family for a sample of tissue donor-eligible deaths reported to a national sample of 16 United States Tissue banks from 2003 to 2006. Family members (N = 1,418) and tissue bank staff (n = 226) involved in the tissue donation decision participated in the research. Results: The families of 1,015 (71.6%) tissue donor-eligible patients consented to tissue donation; 403 (26.8%) families refused. Results revealed a…

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Knowledge gaps and misconceptions about coronary heart disease among U.S. South Asians.

Background: Although South Asians are at higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) than most other U.S. racial/ethnic groups, very little research has addressed this disparity. Purpose: As a first step in developing culturally targeted CHD prevention messages for this rapidly growing community, this study examined South Asians' knowledge and beliefs about CHD. Methods: Analyses, conducted in 2009, were based on data collected from January to July 2008 in a cross-sectional study population of 270 South Asian adults in Illinois. Interviews were conducted in English, Hindi, or Urdu using a standardized questionnaire. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the associations between sociodemographics and CHD knowledge and attitudes about preventability. Results: Eighty-one percent of respondents had one or more CHD risk factors. Most participants (89%) said they knew little or …

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Effects of classroom education on knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation in ethnically diverse urban high schools.

School-based health education is a promising approach for improving organ donation rates, but little is known about its efficacy among ethnically diverse youth. The impact of a classroom intervention was examined in a multicultural high school population where students' ethnicities were 45% African American, 30% Asian American, and 33% Caucasian (allowing for multiracial choices). A baseline survey was administered to all health classes within two wk prior to intervention. On the intervention day, classes randomly assigned to the intervention group received an educational session, followed by a second survey; in control classes, the second survey was taken before the educational session. At baseline, non-Caucasian ethnicity and male gender were each associated with lower levels of willingness to donate. Following the intervention, students in the intervention group demonstrated a signifi…

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"Driving the devil away": qualitative insights into miraculous cures for AIDS in a rural Tanzanian ward.

Background: The role of religious beliefs in the prevention of HIV and attitudes towards the infected has received considerable attention. However, little research has been conducted on Faith Leaders' (FLs) perceptions of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the developing world. This study investigated FLs' attitudes towards different HIV treatment options (traditional, medical and spiritual) available in a rural Tanzanian ward. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 FLs purposively selected to account for all the denominations present in the area. Data was organised into themes using the software package NVIVO-7. The field work guidelines were tailored as new topics emerged and additional codes progressively added to the coding frame. Results: Traditional healers (THs) and FLs were often reported as antagonists but duality prevailed and many FLs simultaneously believed in tr…

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Mapping a message for faith leaders: encouraging community health promotion with local health data.

This study reports the use of a community-based health survey to share local health information with faith leaders. Geographical information systems software identified survey respondents within 2 km (1.25 miles) of places of worship. Results were tabulated for the community surrounding each place of worship and were compared with city- and county-level data. Faith leaders were presented with community-specific reports describing the health attributes of residents who lived in the surrounding area, in order to assist with the identification issues of concern and opportunities to develop health ministries to address these issues. Faith leaders were encouraged to share this information with members of their faith community and develop means of obtaining additional information on the people of interest. We believe that engaging faith leaders with neighborhood-specific health information wil…

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Demographic, socio-economic, and cultural factors affecting fertility differentials in Nepal.

Background: Traditionally Nepalese society favors high fertility. Children are a symbol of well-being both socially and economically. Although fertility has been decreasing in Nepal since 1981, it is still high compared to many other developing countries. This paper is an attempt to examine the demographic, socio-economic, and cultural factors for fertility differentials in Nepal. Methods: This paper has used data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2006). The analysis is confined to ever married women of reproductive age (8,644). Both bivariate and multivariate analyses have been performed to describe the fertility differentials. The bivariate analysis (one-way ANOVA) was applied to examine the association between children ever born and women's demographic, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics. Besides bivariate analysis, the net effect of each independent variabl…

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To report or not to report: a psychosocial investigation aimed at improving early detection of avian influenza outbreaks.

The aim of this study was to identify difficulties and barriers to reporting clinically suspect situations, possibly caused by avian influenza (AI), and to explore possible incentives to reporting such situations, with the ultimate aim of facilitating early detection of AI outbreaks. Focus group sessions were held with policy-makers from the competent authority, representatives of veterinary practitioners and poultry farmers. Personal interviews with a group of poultry farmers and practitioners were held to ascertain the difficulties and barriers they perceived and their proposed solutions. An electronic questionnaire was put on the websites of a poultry farmer union and the Royal Dutch Veterinary Association to investigate perceptions and attitudes concerning AI-suspect situations in The Netherlands. Six themes emerged identifying factors that hinder the reporting of a clinically suspec…

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Hope and improvements in mental health service providers' recovery attitudes following training.

Background: Service providers' attitudes towards recovery can improve with formal training. However, it is unclear whether improvements depend on dispositional hope. Aims: To determine whether attitudinal improvements following formal recovery training vary depending on participants' dispositional hope. Method: One hundred and three providers attended formal recovery training and completed measures of recovery knowledge, attitudes, hopefulness and optimism. Results: Training improved providers' recovery knowledge, attitudes, hopefulness and optimism. Providers with both high and low dispositional hope achieved similar gains. Conclusions: Attitudinal improvements following formal recovery training were not dependent on baseline levels of dispositional hope. Institutions committed to recovery-oriented care should consider utilizing formal training.

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Ethnic differences in perception of lung function: a factor in pediatric asthma disparities?

Rationale: Disparities in pediatric asthma exist in that Latino children have higher prevalence and greater morbidity from asthma than non-Latino white children. The factors behind these disparities are poorly understood, but ethnic-related variations in children's ability to accurately recognize and report their pulmonary functioning may be a contributing process. Objectives: To determine (1) if differences exist between Latino and non-Latino white children's perceptual accuracy and (2) whether these differences are related to asthma outcomes. Methods: Five hundred and twelve children, aged 7-16 years (290 island Puerto Ricans, 115 Rhode Island Latinos, and 107 Rhode Island non-Latino white children) participated in a 5-week home-based protocol in which twice daily they entered subjective estimates of their peak expiratory flow rate into a hand-held, programmable spirometer and then per…

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Women's knowledge of Pap smear test and human papillomavirus: acceptance of HPV vaccination to themselves and their daughters in an Islamic society.

Objective: Cancer of cervix uteri is the second most common cancer among women, and it has been shown to be caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in more than 99% of cases. We surveyed Muslim Turkish women, who mostly accept talking about sex as a taboo, to examine their knowledge about Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test, HPV, HPV vaccine, and their attitude toward vaccination to themselves and their daughters. Methods: We surveyed 525 women aged between 19 and 53 years to examine their knowledge about cervical cancer screening Pap smear test, HPV, HPV vaccine, and their attitude toward vaccination to themselves and their daughters with a questionnaire that is consisted of 5 parts with a total of 31 items. Results: The knowledge of cervical screening was high (70%), and 51% of the subjects were at least once had a Pap smear test, but most respondents (56%) had never heard of HPV. For…

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Approaches to family planning in Muslim communities.

Addressing the cultural and religious beliefs around the issue of family planning has been a big challenge for the international development community. The concept of family planning has raised some concerns regarding its acceptability within Muslim populations. While some Muslim states and organisations have adopted a rather cautious approach to the issue, others have gone to the extent of inviting religious leaders to present religiously sound interpretations (fatwa) on the subject. Alongside these deliberations are some alarming statistics on maternal health. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide 211 million women become pregnant each year and that about two-thirds of them deliver live infants. The remaining one-third of pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth or induced abortion. Some 200 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for effective contr…

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Psychological outcomes and health beliefs in adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer and controls.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent and young adult (AYA) pediatric cancer survivors and peers without a history of serious illness on psychological distress, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), health beliefs; examine age at diagnosis and cancer treatment intensity on these outcomes; and examine relationships between number of health problems and the outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS AYA cancer survivors (n = 167) and controls (n = 170), recruited during visits to a cancer survivorship clinic and primary care, completed self-report questionnaires of distress, health problems, and health beliefs. For survivors, providers rated treatment intensity and health problems. Results There were no statistically significant differences between survivors and controls in psychological distress or HRQOL. Cancer survivors had less positive health beliefs. Survivors diagnosed a…

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