Emotional impacts of participation in an Australian national survey on mental health-related discrimination

Navigating distress: Exploring factors affecting adolescent girls' wellbeing during and after a violence-focused survey in Maharashtra, India

BACKGROUND

Ensuring the emotional wellbeing of participants in violence-focused research is a paramount ethical requirement. While previous research suggests that most participants in violence-focused studies do not report harmful consequences, little is known about the experiences of adolescent participants in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVE

This study, conducted in Maharashtra, India, aims at assessing how participant, contextual, and interviewer characteristics affect the level of distress that adolescent girls experience after participation in a violence survey.

METHODS

A total of 3049 13-18-year-old girls were interviewed on their experiences of family and intimate partner violence. Following the interview, both girls and interviewers completed a 5-item questionnaire on perceived participant distress. Linear regression analyses were conducted to identify possible correlates of girls' distress.

RESULTS

Less than 10 % of participants reported feelings of distress upon completion of the interview. Higher levels of interviewers' empathy were significantly associated with decreased levels of participants' distress (standardised beta: -0.25, p < 0.001). Reported distress was also lower if girls had opted for an audio- and mobile-assisted self-interview (ACASI) format (standardised beta: -0.05, p < 0.01) and if the interview was conducted by someone older (standardised beta: -0.22, p < 0.001). Conversely, if interviews were conducted in participants' homes and by interviewers with higher education levels, reported distress was significantly higher (standardised beta: 0.06, p < 0.01 and 0.12, p < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that incorporating empathetic interviewing and trust-building techniques into interviewer training, offering ACASI interviews, and choosing interview locations that ensure confidentiality can help protect the wellbeing of participants in violence research.

Participating in Longitudinal Observational Research on Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Quantitative Results From a Patient Perspective Study

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal observational studies play on an important role for evidence-based research on health services and psychiatric rehabilitation. However, information is missing about the reasons, why patients participate in such studies, and how they evaluate their participation experience.

METHODS

Subsequently to their final assessment in a 2-year follow-up study on supported housing for persons with severe mental illness, n = 182 patients answered a short questionnaire on their study participation experience (prior experiences, participation reasons, burden due to study assessments, intention to participate in studies again). Basic respondent characteristics as well as symptom severity (SCL-K9) were also included in the descriptive and analytical statistics.

RESULTS

To help other people and curiosity were cited as the main initial reasons for study participation (>85%). Further motives were significantly associated with demographic and/or clinical variables. For instance, "relieve from boredom" was more frequently reported by men and patients with substance use disorders (compared to mood disorders), and participants 'motive" to talk about illness" was associated with higher symptom severity at study entry. Furthermore, only a small proportion of respondents indicated significant burdens by study participation and about 87% would also participate in future studies.

CONCLUSIONS

The respondents gave an overall positive evaluation regarding their participation experience in an observational study on psychiatric rehabilitation. The results additionally suggest that health and social care professionals should be responsive to the expectations and needs of patients with mental illness regarding participation in research.

The Reactions of Adolescents, Parents and Clinicians to Participating in Qualitative Research Interviews Regarding Adolescents Bereaved by Suicide and Other Traumatic Death

There are concerns that involving adolescents bereaved by suicide and other traumatic death in research may cause distress and harm. However, no study has investigated such bereaved adolescents’ research experiences. In addition, no study has looked at the experiences of parents and clinicians as participants in adolescent suicide and traumatic death bereavement research. This study aimed to explore the short-term impact of research participation experienced by adolescents, parents, and clinicians. A total of 61 participants (adolescents, n = 17; parents, n = 12; clinicians, n = 32) filled out a short survey within two weeks of having taken part in a qualitative interview study. Data were analyzed descriptively. Most participants had experienced no distress while participating and no negative effects of participating; rather, participation was experienced as helpful for them and they would highly recommend participating in a study like this to others. A few adolescents and parents reported some distress, related to anxiety about participation and the unpleasantness of grief memories. The study clearly indicates that bereaved adolescents, parents and clinicians can safely participate in research interviews regarding their experiences of grief and help after suicide, generally valuing the opportunity to share their experience. To prevent and mitigate potential distress, training of research staff and implementation of appropriate participant distress protocols are imperative. Future studies could include longitudinal follow-up of participants to assess any longer-term consequences.

A Longitudinal Study on the Emotional Impact Cause by the COVID-19 Pandemic Quarantine on General Population

COVID-19 pandemic represents, not only a public physical health emergency, but a mental health serious problem as well. However, little is known about the psychological impact of the quarantine during this pandemic. The aim of this study is to assess the emotional impact of the lockdown measures imposed by the Argentinian government to fight the virus. For this, a survey was distributed on social network. We surveyed the Argentinian general population twice: 2 days after the mandatory quarantine started (time 1), and 2 weeks later (time 2). Anxiety levels were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II; and affect was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. A total of 6057 people answered both surveys. In addition, different socio-demographic factors were considered, such as risk factors for COVID-19, age, gender, educational level, variation in family income due to quarantine, number of children, whether they have older adults in charge or not and the number of hours viewing information about COVID-19. Statistically significant variations were observed between the two time points. The effect size, however, was very small. Depression tends to increase slightly, while levels of anxiety and affect (positive and negative) tend to decrease. Also, some slight differences related to the socio-demographic factors were found. Findings suggests that sustaining the lockdown measures could have a larger effect on mental health in the long term. It is necessary to continue monitoring emotional distress and other related mental health problems on the general population. It is also necessary to create programs aimed at promoting mental health, and to distribute information about it.