Introduction Prior research has highlighted the psychosocial impact of infectious diseases on ind... more Introduction Prior research has highlighted the psychosocial impact of infectious diseases on individuals and the community at large. However, little is known about the psychosocial implications of COVID-19. This study set out to determine the rate as well as correlates of anxiety and depressive symptoms among persons managed as in-patients for COVID-19 in Lagos, Nigeria. Materials and Methods We conducted an online survey between April to June ending 2020 using a consecutive sampling technique of persons positive for COVID-19 and who were managed as in-patients across five (5) treatment centers in Lagos, Nigeria. The survey collected information on demographic as well as clinical data including suicidality. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results There were one hundred and sixty participants in total. The mean age of respondents was 36.4 (±9.7) years with a higher proportion (56.9%) being males. With regards to diagnosis, 28.1% and 27.5% of the respondents were categorised as probable cases of depression and anxiety respectively, while 3.8% respondents reported suicidal ideation. Majority of the respondents (61.9%) reported the fear of infecting their loved ones. The variables that showed association with psychiatric morbidity were a past history of an emotional concern, employment status, guilt about infecting others and boredom. Conclusion This study revealed a high burden of psychological/psychiatric morbidity among persons treated for COVID-19, particularly persons who have had prior emotional concerns. The findings from this study reiterate the need to pay attention to the mental health of people during disease outbreaks and to incorporate psychosocial interventions as part of the management package.
Background: The manifestations of subjective traumatic distress among emergency nurses in Nigeria... more Background: The manifestations of subjective traumatic distress among emergency nurses in Nigeria have not been extensively studied. Objective: To determine the prevalence and correlates of subjective traumatic distress among emergency department nurses in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: One hundred nurses working at the Emergency Department of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, were surveyed for the impact of subjective traumatic distress using the Revised Impact of Event Scale. The sociodemographic characteristics and some work-related factors were also determined. Results: Of the 100 participants, 60 (60%) met the criteria for the impact of subjective traumatic distress. The overall mean score of the participants for the IESR was 27.9 ± 6.7 with a range of 0 to 66. The most frequent symptoms of subjective trauma distress sub-scale included avoidance symptoms, (mean: 12.2± 9.1; range 0-28) intrusion symptoms (mean: 7.3 ± 3.8; range 0-20) and hyperarousal...
Objectives: Postgraduate medical training is characteristically intensive and stressful. Given th... more Objectives: Postgraduate medical training is characteristically intensive and stressful. Given that anxiety disorders are often linked with stress-related scenarios; awareness of the burden of anxiety disorders among postgraduate medical trainees and their determinants is essential for informed intervention. This study was set to investigate the pattern of anxiety psychopathology, and to determine its correlates among doctors in a Nigerian postgraduate medical training facility.Methods: The participants, made up of 204 resident doctors were administered questionnaire to elicit their socio-demographic and work related variables. Subsequently, 12- item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to ascertain the presence of emotional distress, and the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders- fourth edition [DSM-IV] Axis-1 Disorders, Non-patient edition (SCID-1/NP) was administered to characterize anxiety related psychopathology in the ...
Background: A major concern following the Sosoliso air crash was for the mental health repercussi... more Background: A major concern following the Sosoliso air crash was for the mental health repercussions of the disaster on those persons who were close to the victims. Given that 52 students of the Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja died, the focus was on the relations and school mates of these students. The current study is on the impact of bereavement oriented psychotherapy for the school mates of the victims with respect to the therapeutic processes identified and key psycho-physiological parameters of general health and anxiety. Method: three teams of therapists comprising of the combination of a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologists facilitated group therapy sessions across two days for the target population. The general therapeutic model used was the client-centred model. Pre and post measures of general health perception and anxiety were assessed using the GHQ and HARS respectively. Results: therapeutic processes identified during the course of the therapeutic sessions include c...
ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the levels of anxiety, depression and psychological ... more ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the levels of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among patients presenting for the first time to the general outpatient department at a teaching hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were randomly selected while waiting to see the medical officers at the general outpatient department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. They were screened with twelfth version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). There were more female participants 178 (53.4%) and about half of them were single 179 (57.9%). The age of the participants ranged from 12 - 92 years with a mean of 32.2 + 13.6. Of the total participants, 210 (67.9%) manifested with probable psychological distress, 145 (46.9%) manifested with anxiety and 49 (15.7%), 10 (3.2%0 and 19 (6.1%) suffered from mild, moderate and severe depression respectively. Psychological distress among participants was significantly associated with anxiety (p
The Lagos State Government of Nigeria recently launched its Mental Health Policy and Work Plan ai... more The Lagos State Government of Nigeria recently launched its Mental Health Policy and Work Plan aimed at addressing the mental health needs of Lagos, one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, and its nearby communities. This paper discusses the contextual basis of this initiative, its components and the challenges faced so far. It argues that urban centres deserve attention in the current push towards investing in mental health services in low- and middle-income countries.
Objective: Very few studies reported the high prevalence of emotional reactions amongst healthcar... more Objective: Very few studies reported the high prevalence of emotional reactions amongst healthcare workers, in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression among health care workers in two tertiary health institutions in Maiduguri, north-Eastern Nigeria. Methods: In this comparative, cross-sectional study, we used a stratified sampling technique to recruit 370 healthcare workers (clinical and non-clinical staff) from university teaching hospital, and Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State, north-east Nigeria. The participants completed a semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results: Twenty (10.7%) and 14 (7.6%) clinical and non-clinical health care workers, respectively had depression (÷2 = 1.096, df = 1, n = 0.295). The prevalence of depression in males and females were 7.8% and 26.9%, respectively. Gender had a significant association with depression (÷2 = 3.427, df = 1, n =0.043)...
Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, 2013
Background : The aim of the study was to determine the lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors ... more Background : The aim of the study was to determine the lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors among hypertensives and the use of antihypertensive medication in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: Two hundred and fifty consecutive patients who were attending the outpatients' clinic cardiology unit of the medical department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria were recruited into the study. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 53.9 +12.1 years. Forty-six percent were males and 54% females. Some of the participants indulged in unhealthy lifestyle such as daily smoking of cigarettes (5.0%) and alcohol consumption (10.8%). Some of the participants (45.3%) carry out physical exercises such as walking (71.0%). A large number of the participants (84.0%) believed that hypertension can be controlled. Half of the respondents (50%) had used medication for one to five years. Close to half of the ...
International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 2013
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious genetic blood disorder experienced by many young people in... more Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious genetic blood disorder experienced by many young people in Nigeria, but the attitudes of students to peers with SCD is scarcely studied. We explored the stigmatising attitudes towards SCD among 370 secondary school students in Nigeria. The students completed questionnaires on attitude to SCD based on a modified Bogardus scale. A significant proportion of the students endorsed negative attitudes towards peers with SCD and showed poor knowledge of the condition. For example, only 41% thought most students would invite a peer with SCD to their birthday party; only 43% thought most students would like to study together with a peer with SCD; 30% believed spiritual and traditional healers can cure SCD; 11% believed that SCD is caused by evil spirits; 15% believed it can be caused by bad food; and 9% thought it is infectious. Regression analysis identified as significant predictors of negative attitudes these two factors: (a) having less personal cont...
Background: One of the foremost hindrances preventing appropriate mental health service delivery ... more Background: One of the foremost hindrances preventing appropriate mental health service delivery in developing countries is the limited knowledge of the general population about mental disorders which often leads to social stigma, negative perception and poor attitudes towards the mentally-ill. This study investigated nurses' mental health-related knowledge, their attitudes towards mental illness and the mentally-ill, their mental health-related and intended behaviour and opinion and beliefs about possible causes of mental illness. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, hospital and questionnaire-based survey that took place at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty-three nurses working in LASUTH participated in the study. The participants were asked to complete the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) and Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI). Results...
The contents of this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the T-Institut... more The contents of this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the T-Institute. Neither the T-institute nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use which may be made of the information in this publication.
The patient-doctor relationship is central to the practice of medicine; crucial for the delivery ... more The patient-doctor relationship is central to the practice of medicine; crucial for the delivery of high quality health care; diagnosis and management of diseases. This relationship is also at the core of contemporary medical ethics. The patient-doctor relationship also embraces the duty of care of physicians to their patients. The breech of adequate duty of care may lead to medical negligence and liability to the attending physician. This paper reviewed the literature on the patient-doctor relationship, modern changes in the relationship, medical negligence and suggestions on how Nigerian physicians should improve upon duty of care and communication skills to avoid medical litigation's.
Introduction Prior research has highlighted the psychosocial impact of infectious diseases on ind... more Introduction Prior research has highlighted the psychosocial impact of infectious diseases on individuals and the community at large. However, little is known about the psychosocial implications of COVID-19. This study set out to determine the rate as well as correlates of anxiety and depressive symptoms among persons managed as in-patients for COVID-19 in Lagos, Nigeria. Materials and Methods We conducted an online survey between April to June ending 2020 using a consecutive sampling technique of persons positive for COVID-19 and who were managed as in-patients across five (5) treatment centers in Lagos, Nigeria. The survey collected information on demographic as well as clinical data including suicidality. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results There were one hundred and sixty participants in total. The mean age of respondents was 36.4 (±9.7) years with a higher proportion (56.9%) being males. With regards to diagnosis, 28.1% and 27.5% of the respondents were categorised as probable cases of depression and anxiety respectively, while 3.8% respondents reported suicidal ideation. Majority of the respondents (61.9%) reported the fear of infecting their loved ones. The variables that showed association with psychiatric morbidity were a past history of an emotional concern, employment status, guilt about infecting others and boredom. Conclusion This study revealed a high burden of psychological/psychiatric morbidity among persons treated for COVID-19, particularly persons who have had prior emotional concerns. The findings from this study reiterate the need to pay attention to the mental health of people during disease outbreaks and to incorporate psychosocial interventions as part of the management package.
Background: The manifestations of subjective traumatic distress among emergency nurses in Nigeria... more Background: The manifestations of subjective traumatic distress among emergency nurses in Nigeria have not been extensively studied. Objective: To determine the prevalence and correlates of subjective traumatic distress among emergency department nurses in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: One hundred nurses working at the Emergency Department of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, were surveyed for the impact of subjective traumatic distress using the Revised Impact of Event Scale. The sociodemographic characteristics and some work-related factors were also determined. Results: Of the 100 participants, 60 (60%) met the criteria for the impact of subjective traumatic distress. The overall mean score of the participants for the IESR was 27.9 ± 6.7 with a range of 0 to 66. The most frequent symptoms of subjective trauma distress sub-scale included avoidance symptoms, (mean: 12.2± 9.1; range 0-28) intrusion symptoms (mean: 7.3 ± 3.8; range 0-20) and hyperarousal...
Objectives: Postgraduate medical training is characteristically intensive and stressful. Given th... more Objectives: Postgraduate medical training is characteristically intensive and stressful. Given that anxiety disorders are often linked with stress-related scenarios; awareness of the burden of anxiety disorders among postgraduate medical trainees and their determinants is essential for informed intervention. This study was set to investigate the pattern of anxiety psychopathology, and to determine its correlates among doctors in a Nigerian postgraduate medical training facility.Methods: The participants, made up of 204 resident doctors were administered questionnaire to elicit their socio-demographic and work related variables. Subsequently, 12- item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to ascertain the presence of emotional distress, and the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders- fourth edition [DSM-IV] Axis-1 Disorders, Non-patient edition (SCID-1/NP) was administered to characterize anxiety related psychopathology in the ...
Background: A major concern following the Sosoliso air crash was for the mental health repercussi... more Background: A major concern following the Sosoliso air crash was for the mental health repercussions of the disaster on those persons who were close to the victims. Given that 52 students of the Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja died, the focus was on the relations and school mates of these students. The current study is on the impact of bereavement oriented psychotherapy for the school mates of the victims with respect to the therapeutic processes identified and key psycho-physiological parameters of general health and anxiety. Method: three teams of therapists comprising of the combination of a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologists facilitated group therapy sessions across two days for the target population. The general therapeutic model used was the client-centred model. Pre and post measures of general health perception and anxiety were assessed using the GHQ and HARS respectively. Results: therapeutic processes identified during the course of the therapeutic sessions include c...
ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the levels of anxiety, depression and psychological ... more ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the levels of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among patients presenting for the first time to the general outpatient department at a teaching hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were randomly selected while waiting to see the medical officers at the general outpatient department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. They were screened with twelfth version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). There were more female participants 178 (53.4%) and about half of them were single 179 (57.9%). The age of the participants ranged from 12 - 92 years with a mean of 32.2 + 13.6. Of the total participants, 210 (67.9%) manifested with probable psychological distress, 145 (46.9%) manifested with anxiety and 49 (15.7%), 10 (3.2%0 and 19 (6.1%) suffered from mild, moderate and severe depression respectively. Psychological distress among participants was significantly associated with anxiety (p
The Lagos State Government of Nigeria recently launched its Mental Health Policy and Work Plan ai... more The Lagos State Government of Nigeria recently launched its Mental Health Policy and Work Plan aimed at addressing the mental health needs of Lagos, one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, and its nearby communities. This paper discusses the contextual basis of this initiative, its components and the challenges faced so far. It argues that urban centres deserve attention in the current push towards investing in mental health services in low- and middle-income countries.
Objective: Very few studies reported the high prevalence of emotional reactions amongst healthcar... more Objective: Very few studies reported the high prevalence of emotional reactions amongst healthcare workers, in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression among health care workers in two tertiary health institutions in Maiduguri, north-Eastern Nigeria. Methods: In this comparative, cross-sectional study, we used a stratified sampling technique to recruit 370 healthcare workers (clinical and non-clinical staff) from university teaching hospital, and Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State, north-east Nigeria. The participants completed a semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results: Twenty (10.7%) and 14 (7.6%) clinical and non-clinical health care workers, respectively had depression (÷2 = 1.096, df = 1, n = 0.295). The prevalence of depression in males and females were 7.8% and 26.9%, respectively. Gender had a significant association with depression (÷2 = 3.427, df = 1, n =0.043)...
Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, 2013
Background : The aim of the study was to determine the lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors ... more Background : The aim of the study was to determine the lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors among hypertensives and the use of antihypertensive medication in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: Two hundred and fifty consecutive patients who were attending the outpatients' clinic cardiology unit of the medical department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria were recruited into the study. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 53.9 +12.1 years. Forty-six percent were males and 54% females. Some of the participants indulged in unhealthy lifestyle such as daily smoking of cigarettes (5.0%) and alcohol consumption (10.8%). Some of the participants (45.3%) carry out physical exercises such as walking (71.0%). A large number of the participants (84.0%) believed that hypertension can be controlled. Half of the respondents (50%) had used medication for one to five years. Close to half of the ...
International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 2013
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious genetic blood disorder experienced by many young people in... more Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious genetic blood disorder experienced by many young people in Nigeria, but the attitudes of students to peers with SCD is scarcely studied. We explored the stigmatising attitudes towards SCD among 370 secondary school students in Nigeria. The students completed questionnaires on attitude to SCD based on a modified Bogardus scale. A significant proportion of the students endorsed negative attitudes towards peers with SCD and showed poor knowledge of the condition. For example, only 41% thought most students would invite a peer with SCD to their birthday party; only 43% thought most students would like to study together with a peer with SCD; 30% believed spiritual and traditional healers can cure SCD; 11% believed that SCD is caused by evil spirits; 15% believed it can be caused by bad food; and 9% thought it is infectious. Regression analysis identified as significant predictors of negative attitudes these two factors: (a) having less personal cont...
Background: One of the foremost hindrances preventing appropriate mental health service delivery ... more Background: One of the foremost hindrances preventing appropriate mental health service delivery in developing countries is the limited knowledge of the general population about mental disorders which often leads to social stigma, negative perception and poor attitudes towards the mentally-ill. This study investigated nurses' mental health-related knowledge, their attitudes towards mental illness and the mentally-ill, their mental health-related and intended behaviour and opinion and beliefs about possible causes of mental illness. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, hospital and questionnaire-based survey that took place at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty-three nurses working in LASUTH participated in the study. The participants were asked to complete the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) and Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI). Results...
The contents of this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the T-Institut... more The contents of this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the T-Institute. Neither the T-institute nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use which may be made of the information in this publication.
The patient-doctor relationship is central to the practice of medicine; crucial for the delivery ... more The patient-doctor relationship is central to the practice of medicine; crucial for the delivery of high quality health care; diagnosis and management of diseases. This relationship is also at the core of contemporary medical ethics. The patient-doctor relationship also embraces the duty of care of physicians to their patients. The breech of adequate duty of care may lead to medical negligence and liability to the attending physician. This paper reviewed the literature on the patient-doctor relationship, modern changes in the relationship, medical negligence and suggestions on how Nigerian physicians should improve upon duty of care and communication skills to avoid medical litigation's.
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