Discover mental health最新文献

{"title":"Resettled refugee parent and young adult perspectives on mental health after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Rachel Fabi, Christina D Campagna, Nidaa Aljabarrin, Eloho Olojakpoke, Noora Alghazeer, Sana Alamarie, Warood Alamarie, Robert A Rubinstein, Ron Saletsky, Andrea V Shaw","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00182-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-025-00182-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Refugees and other New Americans faced unique mental health barriers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced access to mental health supports and services in this population indicates a need for new community-based mental health interventions.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This paper explored refugee parents' and young adults' perceptions of the mental health barriers and facilitators encountered by young resettled refugees (ages 10-24) and their parents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using an interpretive phenomenology approach and a form of community-based participatory research (CBPR), we designed a focus group guide with student community members from various refugee and immigrant communities. We held eight gender- and language-concordant focus groups with refugee parents, and four gender-concordant focus groups with refugee young adults (18-24), facilitated by student community members. Translated transcripts were analyzed for major themes using an iterative emergent thematic coding approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The conversations in these focus groups were wide-ranging. Here we explore the themes and subthemes that emerged in three primary areas: the effects of COVID-19 on mental health, mental health stigma and other social barriers to mental health, and community strengths and strategies for addressing mental health.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>COVID-19 surfaced and intensified existing mental health challenges within resettled refugee communities. Community-based mental health interventions should be designed in partnership with the communities they aim to serve. The findings of this study suggest several possible intervention points to support refugee youth and parent mental health, including culturally sensitive group and individual therapy in a trusted community setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11992285/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143993672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mindfulness enhancements predict aberrant salience reductions and improve stress management.","authors":"Isabel Wießner, Júlia Paula Souza, Marcelo Demarzo, Luís Fernando Tófoli","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00179-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00179-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mindfulness improves mental health and clinical conditions including psychosis and modulates attentional processes including salience-the automatic direction of attention to prominent elements. Aberrant salience-the exaggerated significance attribution to perceived elements-is associated with psychotic experiences, but its interactions with mindfulness remain unexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This pre-post-intervention pilot study included 21 participants completing an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) course with measurements before (T0), after (T1), and three months post-course (T2). Primary outcomes were mindful attention (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS), decentering (Experiences Questionnaire, EQ), aberrant salience (Aberrant Salience Inventory, ASI), and correlations between time-dependent changes (T1-T0, T2-T0, T2-T1). Secondary outcomes included qualitative reports on Motivations, Learnings, Preferred Practices, and Stress Management.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Regarding mindfulness, MAAS and EQ continuingly increased (T0 vs. T1/T2). Regarding aberrant salience, the factor Heightened Cognition (ASI) increased post-course (T0 vs. T1), whereas Heightened Emotionality (T0 vs. T2) and Total Aberrant Salience (T1 vs. T2) decreased. Importantly, MAAS (T1-T0, T2-T0) correlated negatively with Heightened Emotionality (T2-T0). Qualitative findings revealed consistent stressors but improved stress management, integrated mindfulness practices into participants' daily lives, and potential mechanisms of presence, observation, perspective change, and emotion regulation underlying decreased aberrant salience.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Mindfulness may modulate pre-attentional and attentional processes and improve well-being and stress management, as reflected by reduced aberrant salience and promoted mindful attention and decentering. Our findings suggest that mindful attention may play a crucial role in reducing aberrant salience, offering a promising direction for future research on mindfulness interventions in psychosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11979052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143812877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interplay of psychological distress, stigma, and social support in determining quality of life among Vietnamese people living with HIV.","authors":"Vu Hoang Anh Nguyen, Thanh Nguyen Ai Tran, Thanh Tri Vu, Yen Thi Hoai Phan, Thao Thi Ngoc Nguyen, Gia-Phuoc Tran-Thien, Vinh-Long Tran-Chi","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00171-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00171-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study explores the intersection of psychological distress, stigma, and social support among Vietnamese people living with HIV (PLWH), focusing on their impact on quality of life (QoL). While antiretroviral therapy (ART) enhances survival, stigma and mental health issues persist, undermining QoL. Addressing these gaps in Vietnam is critical for improving comprehensive HIV care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was employed at Thu Duc City Hospital from March to May 2024, involving 369 PLWH receiving ART. Data collection utilized validated tools to assess anxiety symptoms (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), perceived social support (MSPSS), HIV stigma (HSS), and health-related QoL (PozQoL). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine interrelationships among these factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The distribution of moderate or severe anxiety and depression was 6.8% and 2.1%, respectively. SEM analysis revealed that anxiety and depression significantly increased perceived stigma, while social support reduced it. Stigma negatively impacted QoL. Social support showed complex effects on QoL, depending on contextual factors. Viral load and weight also moderated stigma's impact on QoL.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings underscore the bidirectional relationship between mental health and stigma, emphasizing the need for integrated mental health services within HIV care. Social support can mitigate stigma but requires careful contextual tailoring to avoid unintended negative consequences.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Enhancing QoL in PLWH necessitates addressing mental health, stigma, and social support. Integrating psychological care and stigma-reduction strategies into ART programs is vital. Future research should explore longitudinal dynamics and refine social interventions to maximize their benefits.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11977041/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Charting the course of depression care: a meta-analysis of reliability generalization of the patient health questionnaire (PHQ- 9) as the measure.","authors":"Kenni Wojujutari Ajele, Erhabor Sunday Idemudia","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00181-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00181-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, requiring reliable and adaptable screening tools. The Patient Health Questionnaire- 9 (PHQ- 9) is widely used, yet its reliability across diverse populations and cultural adaptations remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This meta-analysis assessed the reliability generalization of the PHQ- 9 across different populations, settings, and cultural contexts to determine its applicability in global mental health assessments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A reliability generalization (RG) meta-analysis was conducted on 60 studies with 232,147 participants. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability. Subgroup analyses examined the effects of administration modes, cultural adaptations, and study settings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The pooled Cronbach's α was 0.86 (95% CI [0.85, 0.87]), indicating high internal consistency. Test-retest reliability, based on eight studies, was 0.82 (95% CI [0.74, 0.90]). Self-administered formats had the highest reliability (α = 0.87), while face-to-face interviews were lower (α = 0.80). Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 99.3%) was observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The PHQ- 9 is a reliable depression screening tool globally, but significant heterogeneity highlights the need for continued cultural adaptation and validation to enhance its applicability across diverse contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11977096/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143804828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive review of mental health services across selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa: assessing progress, challenges, and future direction.","authors":"Faith Atewologun, Olaniyi Abideen Adigun, Olalekan John Okesanya, Hakeem Kayode Hassan, Olaleke Noah Olabode, Abioye Sunday Micheal, Mohamed Mustaf Ahmed, Bonaventure Michael Ukoaka, Nimat Bola Idris, Tolutope Adebimpe Oso, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00177-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00177-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental health is a crucial but frequently neglected aspect of general health and well-being that faces numerous challenges, including underfunding, shortage of trained professionals, pervasive stigma, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient policies in sub-Saharan Africa. This review reports the significant progress and initiatives that have been made in this region. South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Ghana have developed national policies and integrated mental health services into primary healthcare, marking a shift towards community-based care and reducing stigma through awareness campaigns. Countries such as South Africa and Rwanda have robust infrastructure, while Ethiopia and Kenya emphasize training primary healthcare providers and community-based models. Ghana's Mental Health Act and Uganda's collaboration with NGOs has enhanced awareness and resource mobilization. Mental healthcare-targeted programs, such as Kenya's Friendship Bench and Ethiopia's Health Extension Program, have demonstrated the efficacy of community-based interventions. South Africa has leveraged innovative approaches, such as telepsychiatry, to expand access to holistic mental health services, particularly in rural areas. Partnerships with traditional healers in Uganda and Rwanda have enhanced early identification and referral. Despite these advancements, challenges persist. Common issues include a severe shortage of mental health professionals, inadequate budget allocation, limited access to services in rural areas, and the need for comprehensive policy frameworks that continue to stall the desired goals. Urban-centric services in Nigeria, financial constraints in Tanzania, and resource limitations in Ethiopia and Rwanda have hindered equitable access. While public-private partnerships and technological innovations are emerging, the dominance of institutionalized care in several regions limits community outreach. To chart the path forward, improving mental health services in Sub-Saharan Africa requires increased funding, expanded training programs for mental health professionals, and incorporation of mental health into basic healthcare systems. Utilizing technology such as telemedicine and mobile health applications holds promise for overcoming geographical barriers and supporting ongoing education. Community-based models and advocacy efforts are essential for reducing stigma, promoting sustainable mental healthcare, and enhancing the overall well-being of citizens insub-Saharan Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11977099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143804827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase on corticosterone release: a systematic review of preclinical studies.","authors":"Christina F Pereira, Isabelle Boileau, Stefan Kloiber","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00155-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00155-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychiatric conditions are often linked to dysfunction of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) plays a significant role in stress and anxiety and interacts with the HPA axis. The ECS metabolizing enzyme, Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH), may be integral for HPA axis response to stress by reducing levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA). However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the effects of FAAH inhibition on stress-related hormone changes, and no comprehensive evaluation of this literature exists. This review aims to synthesize the literature on the impact of pharmacological FAAH inhibition on corticosterone levels in rodents. A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, APA PsychInfo, and Embase up to July 2024 was conducted. Articles reporting the effects of FAAH inhibition on corticosterone levels in rodents were included. Risk of Bias was assessed using SYRCLE's Risk of Bias tool. This review included 21 articles. FAAH inhibition showed limited effects depending on type of FAAH inhibitor, stress exposure, and rodent age. Selective FAAH inhibition did not significantly affect corticosterone levels in the absence of stress and showed minimal effects following acute stress. After chronic stress, these compounds showed more pronounced effects, reducing corticosterone in 40% of studies. Limited studies employing flavonoid-based and dual FAAH/TRPV1 inhibitors suggested blunted corticosterone after acute, but not chronic stress. This review found that FAAH inhibition has inconsistent effects on corticosterone regulation, highlighting the complex and context-dependent role of FAAH inhibition in modulating stress hormone responses, warranting further investigation to clarify its therapeutic potential in stress-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11977098/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143804829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mediating effect of depression between problematic social media use and body dysmorphic concerns in adolescents.","authors":"Sarah El Hayek, Sahar Obeid, Rima Kazan, Souheil Hallit, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Georges Haddad","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00176-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00176-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Adolescence is a critical period during which there is a concerning rise in the incidence of mental health problems, including depression and body dysmorphic concerns symptoms, as well as addictive behaviors such as problematic social media use. The objective of this research is to examine the role of depression as a mediator between problematic social media use and body dysmorphic concerns.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used a cross-sectional design and recruited a total of 336 Lebanese adolescents, aged 15 to 18, with an average age of 15.69 ± 1.10 years and 63.4% of them being female, from all governorates of Lebanon between the months of December 2023 and January 2024. The statistical analysis was performed utilizing version 25 of the SPSS program. Two categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, and two means were examined using the Student t test. Model 4 of the PROCESS MACRO, an add-on for SPSS, was utilized to conduct the mediation analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After adjusting for age and sex, depression was found to partially mediate the association between problematic social media use and body dysmorphic concerns (indirect effect: Beta = .48; Boot SE = .08; Boot CI .33; .65). Higher PSMU was significantly associated with more depression and directly associated with more body dysmorphic concerns.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study has shown, for the first time that depression may act as a mediator in the relationship between problematic social media use and Body dysmorphic disorder. Recognizing this malleable factor as a mediator might provide new understanding for psychiatric therapies conducted on persons who are likely to display signs of dysmorphia when they utilize social media in an addictive pattern.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"47"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11973002/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient and staff perception of aggression and its management in a Lebanese psychiatric hospital: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Laura Abou Zeid, Chadia Haddad, Souheil Hallit, Georges Haddad","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00178-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00178-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patient aggression is influenced by a variety of internal and external factors. The purpose of the study was to investigate the staff and patients' perceptions of the causes of patients' aggression and its management.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A convenient sample of 50 employees and 150 patients was chosen. The inpatients were selected from the Psychiatric hospital of the Cross and diagnosed with various mental disorders (Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, others) according to the DSM-5-TR criteria. Two different surveys were given to both patients and employees. The perception of aggression of patients and staff was assessed using the Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No significant association was found between the staff and patient groups in terms of perception of aggression (p > 0.05 for all). Verbal aggression was found to be the most prevalent type of aggressive behavior experienced by staff (92%). In addition, the staff perceived patient aggression as being insulting and disrespectful. Also, staff's gender influenced their perspective toward the patient's aggressive behavior. Among the patient group, a university education level (Standardized Beta β = -0.24) and aggressiveness (β = -0.29) influenced how patients perceived aggression.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Results showed that patients and staff generally agree and share the same perspective regarding aggression and its management in the psychiatric hospital.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11972235/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143789493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Burnout and depression in first-year medical students across the academic year in the United States.","authors":"Jonathan Shaw, Charles Lai, Peter Bota, Deborah Wright","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00175-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00175-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study examined the prevalence and severity of burnout and depression in first-year medical students at different points in the academic year.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>U.S. first-year allopathic medical students with a pass/fail preclinical curriculum were emailed through the school's email list with four rounds of surveys consisting of the full set of questions from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, with the question order randomized. The surveys were sent before winter break, during block final exams, the subsequent block's midpoint, and after the subsequent block's midterm examinations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 147 students completed the questionnaire (29.4%; n = 147/500). Most participants (73.5%) reported experiencing symptoms of work-related burnout, and 44.2% reported symptoms of depression. Client-related burnout and PHQ-9 scores were strongly correlated (Spearman r = 0.645, p < 0.001). Work-related burnout was also strongly related to client-related burnout (r = 0.739, p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 scores (r = 0.786, p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in depression or burnout were noted throughout all four survey rounds.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Burnout and depression severity in first-year medical students remain statistically similar throughout the academic year despite significant events such as exams or breaks. This may indicate that scheduling exams after breaks reduces any protective effect it may have on burnout/depression. It may also suggest that institutional changes such as a pass-fail preclinical curriculum meant to improve medical students' mental health have not had the intended positive effect.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11961772/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143756236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychological distress among community-based mental health professionals in Ghana: prevalence and contributing factors.","authors":"Akosua Serwaah Bonsu, Joana Salifu Yendork, Kwaku Oppong Asante, Enoch John Dotse, Kenneth Owusu Ansah","doi":"10.1007/s44192-025-00167-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44192-025-00167-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Ghana, community-based mental health professionals (MHPs) are essential in providing mental health treatments, albeit in difficult circumstances. High workloads, a lack of institutional support, and resource constraints are among the factors in these professions' elevated psychological distress. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, this study investigated the prevalence and contributing factors of psychological distress among mental health professionals (MHPs) working in communities in Ghana. Using the DASS-21 scale, quantitative data were gathered from 300 MHPs, and the results showed that the prevalence of clinically significant levels of psychological distress (from mild to extremely severe) was 41.3% for anxiety, 36% for depression, and 32.7% for stress. Psychological distress was significantly influenced by factors such as marital status and work experience. Qualitative interviews with 25 MHPs revealed more stressors that support the high prevalence rates, including workload and clients' behaviour; resource and infrastructure constraints; stigma and affiliate stigma; and lack of institutional support and isolation. The nature and extent of distress beyond depression, anxiety and stress gathered from MHPs' perspectives were the experience of \"intense distress\" (acute), \"persistent distress\" (chronic), and \"emotional distress\" (a component of burnout). Therefore, systemic adjustments, including better infrastructure, more financing for mental health services, and the creation of MHP-specific support programmes, are needed to address the psychological distress of MHPs in Ghana.</p>","PeriodicalId":72827,"journal":{"name":"Discover mental health","volume":"5 1","pages":"44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11958854/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143756239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}