Psychological Distress in Refugee Children: A Systematic Review

Nearly one-quarter of the refugees worldwide are children. There have been numerous studies reporting their levels of psychological distress. The aim of this paper is to review systematically and synthesize the epidemiological research concerning the mental health of refugee children residing in Western countries. A Cochrane Collaboration style review was conducted searching nine major databases, bibliographies, and grey literature from 2003 to 2008. Included studies had to meet the reporting standards of STROBE and investigate mental health in non-clinical samples of asylum seeking and refugee children residing in OECD countries. A total of twenty-two studies were identified of 4,807 retrieved citations, covering 3,003 children from over 40 countries. Studies varied in definition and measurement of problems, which included levels of post-traumatic stress disorder from 19 to 54%, depression from 3 to 30%, and varying degrees of emotional and behavioral problems. Significant factors influencing levels of distress appear to include demographic variables, cumulative traumatic pre-migration experiences, and post-migration stressors. Importantly, the research base demands greater contextual and methodological refining such that future research would have greater generalizability and clinical implications.     

Religious Maturity and Psychological Distress Among Older Christian Women

Hood's article on Mysticism, Reality, Illusion, and the Freudian Critique of Religion is examined from a constructivist point of view. Hood's misinterpretation of Freudian statements and of recent developments within psychoanalysis are due to an outdated conception of "reality." We suggest that Hood's use of Freud might serve an apologetic, theological purpose. Hood has written a remarkable article that, after reading and rereading, leaves us confused. Whereas, in the empirical study of religion, Hood has produced fine scholarship, we find it difficult to catch the point he wants to make with this text. One must appreciate, of course, that he claims attention for Freud's theories of religion and enters a dialogue with recent authors in the psychoanalysis of religion, but it is doubtful whether he has done justice to Freud or Freud's successors. Moreover, Hood seems to have missed the essence of the present development of constructivism and contextualism in philosophy and psychology, and his argument rings an apologetic bell.     

Religious Coping, Psychological Distress and Disability Among Patients with End-Stage Pulmonary Disease

A growing body of literature suggests that individuals who face life-threatening situations turn to religion to help them cope. Religion has been cited as the most frequently used resource to cope with stressful events (K. I. Pargament, 1997). The present study was the first to investigate the religious coping methods of patients with lung disease who are awaiting transplant and to identify which coping methods are associated with distress and disability. The study was an exploratory, cross-sectional analysis of 90 patients with end-stage pulmonary disease who were being evaluated for transplant. Results indicated that religiosity was highly prevalent. Patients employed a combination of religious coping efforts, but mostly used coping methods considered positive. Patients with late-onset pulmonary diseases used religious coping strategies more frequently than patients with cystic fibrosis. Hierarchical regression analyses identified a subset of religious coping strategies that predicted 27%, 14%, and 34% of the unique variance in depression, overall disability, and psychosocial disability, respectively.     

Psychological Distress Among a Tunisian Community Sample During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Correlations with Religious Coping

Journal of Religion and Health - Despite advances in medicine and technology, when facing epidemics people continue to turn to religion to deal with such unpredictable...     

Relationship Between Religious Belief and Happiness: A Systematic Literature Review

Happiness is a feeling that is desired by every human being. To achieve happiness, human try various routes like, to gain financial superiority, fame, entertainment, assets and so on. But on the contrary, religiosity is claimed to be a technique to attain purpose in life, mental health, physical well-being and internal peace, which ultimately leads to happiness in life. This study analyses the studies conducted in last two decades toward understanding the relationship between religiousness and happiness. These studies have been organised in terms of the religions, geographic locations, scales and significance. The study shows that the claim has proven to be true by a vast majority of the surveys irrespective of religion, gender, nationality or race. Although Muslims seems to be the happiest, it requires further verification.     

Attitude Toward Christianity and Psychological Type: A Survey Among Religious Studies Students

A sample of 367 students studying religion at A-level completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter together with the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity. The data demonstrated that sensing types hold a more positive attitude toward Christianity than intuitive types and that judging types hold a more positive attitude toward Christianity than perceiving types. No significant differences in attitude toward Christianity were found either between extroverts and introverts, or between thinking types and feeling types.     

Religious Coping and Psychological Distress in Military Veteran Cancer Survivors

Research on the relationship between religious coping and psychological well-being in cancer survivors is limited. Forty-eight veteran cancer survivors completed measures of psychological distress, posttraumatic growth, and positive and negative religious coping. Negative religious coping was associated with greater distress and growth. Positive religious coping was associated with greater growth. Gender, race, and religious affiliation were significant predictors of positive and negative religious coping. Veteran cancer survivors who utilize negative religious coping may benefit from referral to clergy or a mental health professional. Assessment of religious coping may be particularly important for female, non-White, and Christian cancer survivors.     

Symptoms of Psychological Distress Among Mothers and their Adult Offspring: A Longitudinal Examination

We examined the association between maternal psychological distress during offspring’s early development and offspring’s later distress in adulthood, as well as the influence of maternal characteristics at offspring’s birth and offspring’s characteristics in adulthood on distress. Data were obtained from the British Cohort Study, a longitudinal study of children born in a one-week period in 1970. Children were followed up multiple times from birth through to age 30. Results indicate that greater symptoms of maternal psychological distress during offspring’s early childhood are associated with greater symptoms of distress in adult offspring. A large component of this association is indirect, occurring through mother’s distress in later childhood and offspring’s problem behavior during adolescence. Findings that the association between maternal and offspring’s distress is more indirect than direct support arguments that early maternal distress has long-term consequences for offspring.     

Measuring Mental Wellbeing Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Instruments

Globally, promoting mental wellbeing among adolescents is of great public health and social significance. However, less is known about advances in measures of mental wellbeing, relevant for use in mental health interventions, which are age-appropriate and acceptable for use among adolescents. Comprehensive assessment includes multiple aspects of mental wellbeing, as well as positive indicators of feeling and functioning. This review used systematic review methods, guided by PRISMA, to identify and assess comprehensive instruments in terms of their content, conceptual relevance for youth, and responsiveness to change. Ryan and Deci’s framework for mental wellbeing, grounded in hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives, was applied to assess the preponderance of feeling and functioning items for each instrument. The review identified 11 instruments that fit specified inclusion criteria. Only four of the scales were developed for adolescents. Though the scales varied in their preponderance of items, all scales encompassed at least one indicator of both feeling and functioning. Findings emphasize the importance of validating adult-developed instruments for youth and ensuring the instrument’s cultural and conceptual relevance within groups of adolescents. As promoting mental wellbeing becomes critical to the field of practice, practitioners need access to relevant and acceptable measures.     

Psychological Distress,Anxiety, and Depression of Cancer-Affected BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers: a Systematic Review

Understanding the intermediate- and long-term psychological consequences of genetic testing for cancer patients has led to encouraging research, but a clear consensus of the psychosocial impact and clinical routine for cancer-affected BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers is still missing. We performed a systematic review of intermediate- and long-term studies investigating the psychological impact like psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in cancer-affected BRCA mutation carriers compared to unaffected mutation carriers. This review included the screening of 1243 studies. Eight intermediate- and long-term studies focusing on distress, anxiety, and depression symptoms among cancer-affected mutation carriers at least six months after the disclosure of genetic testing results were included. Studies reported a great variety of designs, methods, and patient outcomes. We found evidence indicating that cancer-affected mutation carriers experienced a negative effect in relation to psychological well-being in terms of an increase in symptoms of distress, anxiety, and depression in the first months after test disclosure. In the intermediate- and long-term, no significant clinical relevant symptoms occurred. However, none of the included studies used specific measurements, which can clearly identify psychological burdens of cancer-affected mutation carriers. We concluded that current well-implemented distress screening instruments are not sufficient for precisely identifying the psychological burden of genetic testing. Therefore, future studies should implement coping strategies, specific personality structures, the impact of genetic testing, supportive care needs and disease management behaviour to clearly screen for the possible intermediate- and long-term psychological impact of a positive test disclosure.     

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Distress Thermometer for Screening Distress in Asian Patients with Cancer

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings - The distress thermometer (DT) is a commonly used tool for screening distress in Asian patients with cancer. However, the optimal cut-off score...     

Prevalence of Sexual Abuse Among Children with Conduct Disorder: A Systematic Review

Many clinicians and researchers have speculated that child sexual abuse and conduct disorder co-occur frequently, yet no systematic reviews of literature have specifically addressed both these conditions. To estimate the prevalence of sexual abuse among children with conduct disorder, the pertinent literature was systematically reviewed. Ten databases were searched, supplemented with hand search of reference lists from retrieved papers. Blind assessments of study eligibility and quality were conducted by two independent researchers. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Twenty-three studies meeting minimum quality criteria that were enough to insure objectivity and not to invalidate results and including 7,256 participants with either conduct disorder or child sexual abuse were examined. The prevalence of child sexual abuse among participants with conduct disorder was 27 %; however, such figure might be underestimated due to selection, sampling, and recall biases; poor assessment methods; and narrow definitions of abuse in included studies. Participants with conduct disorder, compared with healthy individuals, reported higher rates of child sexual abuse. However, compared with other psychiatric populations, they reported similar or lower rates. There was also some evidence suggesting that children with conduct disorder might be more likely to report child physical abuse. Female participants with conduct disorder, compared with males, were significantly more likely to report child sexual abuse. Youths with conduct disorder are at risk of being (or having been) sexually abused, although such risk seems to be neither more specific to nor stronger for these individuals, compared with people with other psychiatric disorders.     

Profiles in Problem Solving: Psychological Well-Being and Distress Among Persons with Diabetes Mellitus

Although social problem-solving abilities have been consistently associated with indicators of behavioral health, this work has been largely confined to tests of specific theoretical issues. Research has yet to demonstrate how the separate elements of the social problem-solving model relate to different patterns of adjustment, particularly among persons who live with chronic disease. We studied the occurrence of different profiles of social problem-solving abilities observed among persons living with diabetes mellitus. We then examined differences between clusters on measures of life satisfaction and depression. Results indicate that distinct profiles in problem-solving abilities do occur and these groupings can be distinguished by their different patterns of adjustment. Implications for theoretical models of problem solving and clinical assessment and interventions for persons with diabetes are discussed.     

Religious Orientation, Mature Faith, and Psychological Distress: Elements of Positive and Negative Associations

There are substantial data exploring the link between religiousness and health, yet there is little consensus regarding the nature of the relationship between religiousness domains and mental health. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of mental health outcomes associated with religiousness domains. Participants included 251 ( M = 19.02; range = 17–25) young adults who completed self-report measures of religiousness (Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Quest Orientations, Faith Maturity Scale), and psychological distress subscales (SCL-90-R). We identified significant relationships between each of the religiousness measures and the SCL-90-R subscales and analyzed the relative contributions of each of the religiousness measures in predicting psychological distress with hierarchical multiple regression. The Faith Maturity Scale was a particularly robust predictor of positive and negative psychological adjustment. The specific pathways by which religiousness influences mental health outcomes remain to be elaborated in future research.     

The Contributions of Political Life Events to Psychological Distress Among South African

The psychological consequences of adverse political experiences among South African youth were studied in a sample of 540 black and white adolescents from two age groups, evenly divided by gender. Three questionnaires were administered, measuring exposure to political life events, the presence of symptoms of psychopathology, and stressful personal life events during the previous 5 years. The first hypothesis, predicting a substantial contribution of stressful political experiences to psychopathology, was strongly supported; when stressful personal life events were partialed out, a significant effect for political life events remained both on general distress and symptomatology indices. The second hypothesis of a linear relation between exposure to political life events and severity of distress was also confirmed. The findings underscore the enduring impact on children's mental health of past apartheid policies in South Africa specifically, and adverse political environments in general.     

Gender Differences in Psychological Distress Among Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union

In this study we compared rates and correlates of psychological distress among immigrant women and men from the former Soviet Union. A demographic, migration, and social network questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist-90-R were administered to 935 female and 706 male immigrants. Older age and less time in the United States predicted distress in both gender groups. However, having less education, leaving relatives behind, and not being sponsored by friends or a religious organization predicted greater distress for women. Women reported significantly more distress than men except for those men who were married and retired.     

Religious Support,Motives for Having Large Families,and Psychological Functioning Among Religious Jewish Mothers

The effects of religious support, maternal motivations for having large families, and their interactions on psychological functioning were assessed in a sample of 79 religious Israeli Jewish mothers of six or more children. Religious support from religious leaders, community, and G-d—as well as faith-focused maternal motivation—were all positively related to adaptive psychological functioning. In contrast, self-focused maternal motivation was negatively related to adaptive functioning. Moreover, religious support and maternal motivation were both related to psychological functioning even after controlling for social support. Finally, several significant interactions between religious support and maternal motivation emerged and are also discussed.     

Gender Differences in Psychological Distress Among Latin American Immigrants to the Canary Islands

We compared gender differences in rates and correlates of psychological distress among Latin American immigrants to the Canary Islands, Spain. Immigrant men (n?=?150) and women (n?=?150) completed questionnaires about demographic and migration characteristics, immigration demands, and psychological distress. Women reported more distress and immigration demands related to loss and occupation than men. For women, not being employed full time and immigration demands related to loss, novelty, occupation, and language were significantly related to distress. For men, living with children/grandchildren and immigration demands related to novelty and not feeling at home were significantly related to distress. Study findings suggest that women are at higher risk for psychological distress and that sources of psychological distress are gender specific.     

A Critical Review of the Forms and Value of Religious Coping Among Informal Caregivers

A review of the literature revealed high rates of religiousness and religious coping among informal caregivers (i.e., unpaid family and friends) and some associations with better mental and spiritual health and caregiving experience. However, the information necessary to practically and empirically apply this knowledge to improve the lives of caregivers was noticeably absent. To this end five key issues were identified: (a) Measurement, (b) Process, (c) Effectiveness, (d) Moderators, and (e) Mediators. A greater understanding of the specific types of religious coping strategies used, how their use changes over time, for whom and what outcomes they are most effective, and what influences and explains their effectiveness, will better equip healthcare workers to promote the functioning and well being of caregivers.