The Effects of Religion and Locus of Control on Perception of Mental Illness

The Effect of Social Determinants of Health on Psychological Health Among Older Adults in Ghana

This study examines the effects of various factors, including socioeconomic status, built environment, access to healthcare, educational level, social participation, and economic stability, on older adults' psychological health. The current study analyzed a nationally representative sub-sample of 2,577 respondents aged 50 and above from the World Health Organization's Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (WHO SAGE) Wave 2. WHO SAGE Wave 2 is cross-sectional data collected via in-person structured interviews. Ordinal least square (OLS) was used to measure the average effect of social determinants of health (SDoH), and quantile regression analysis was used to determine the effects of SDoH on older adults' psychological health at different quantiles, specifically 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles. Significant determinants of psychological health across all quantiles included age, healthcare access, marital status, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment. However, the degrees of significance for residence, gender, educational level, chronic diseases, and social participation varied between quantiles, showing differing effects on older adults with high or low psychological health. Religion was insignificant across all quantiles. This study highlights the need for governments and public health agencies to develop targeted interventions and strategies that support the psychological well-being of older adults in the country.

Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Influence of Psychosocial Factors

(1) Background: In the treatment of colorectal cancer, it is important to consider different psychosocial factors. Our first objective was to measure the levels of perceived stress in subjects diagnosed with colorectal cancer awaiting potentially curative surgery. Also, we aimed to analyse what coping styles these patients used, how they perceived their illness, and the subsequent influence of these factors on their levels of stress. (2) Methods: Stress, coping styles and illness perception were assessed in a sample of 107 patients. The instruments used were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), the Stress Coping Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ-R). (3) Results: Patients using active coping styles have lower levels of perceived stress (p = 0.000; p = 0.002) than patients making use of passive coping styles (p = 0.000; p = 0.032; p = 0.001). A multi-linear regression model found that the perception of illness and the use of the negative approach coping style (p = 0.000; p = 0.001) influence an increase in perceived stress, and that a decrease in stress levels was influenced by the problem solving coping style (p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Based on our results, we recommend preventive interventions in care patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.