Extracting Attributes of Students Mental Health, Behaviour, Attendance and Performance in Academics During COVID-19 Pandemic using PCA Technique

This study assessed the health perceptions of 333 Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic via an online questionnaire administered in October 2020, which queried the perceived importance and actual performance of health behaviors. The health perception scales used in the survey consists of the six dimensions of mental health, disease, physical activity, sleep, diet, and sanitary health. The data were primarily analyzed using paired sample t-test for analysis of difference and importance-performance analysis (IPA). The IPA results were presented in four quadrants—“keep up the good work,” “concentrate here,” “low priority,” and “possible overkill.” The results indicated that first, there was a positive relationship between the importance and performance of all the subdimensions of health perception. Second, sanitary healthcare was rated as being of the greatest importance and was performed most, while physical activity management was rated least important and performed least. Third, statistically significant differences were found between importance and performance for all items of mental health, disease, physical activity, sleep, and diet dimensions, and some differences were found for items assessing the hygiene control dimension. Fourth, in the two-dimensional IPA model, “sanitary health” and “disease” are in Quadrant I (keep up the good work); “mental health,” in Quadrant II (concentrate here); and “physical activity,” “sleep,” and “diet,” in Quadrant III (low priority). No components of healthcare were in Quadrant IV (possible overkill). Based on these results, we emphasize the importance of adolescent health education and discuss solutions to enhance the performance of healthcare activities.

Previous research in sociology has shown that what is considered as sanity or mental health is described according to a social ideal. Mental health problems have been theorized as a deviance from such norms. Depression, in particular, has been the object of sociological contemplation due to its divergence from a Western social normativity focused on functionality, adaptation and productivity. This research adds to this body of work on depression as a deviation from social norms. It seeks to address a gap within the literature, by exploring the ways in which the “post-depressive” state may be defined in accordance with social norms. As such, it analyzes the links between “post-depression” and normality, from the perspective of individuals having lived with depression. 46 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Canadians individuals who have experienced depression. Results from our content analysis show that the absence of depression was often synonymous with normality and characterized by the following dimensions: a positive attitude; the potential to take action; functionality and performance; self-management; a positive relationship with others; and the notion of meaningful projects. Our results show that participants do not define the absence of depression following psychiatric or clinical indicators, as recorded in the DSM, and that they do not consider it to be a return to an anterior, pre-depression, state. Rather, post-depression is idealized, perceived as a state of unfailing conformity to social expectations and norms.

Background Informal caregiving has become an integral part of many societies, however there is increasing concern about the well-being of carers and how they manage their care-related responsibilities in conjunction with their health and mental health. Previous studies have reported mixed results with some proposing that carers are intrinsically healthier. Aims To explore the association between different levels of caregiving and health behaviours and mental health status. Methods Data were collected through HealthWise Wales (HWW) and linked to healthcare records (N=27,455). These included self-reported data on level of caring responsibilities (0;1-19;20-49;50+ hours per week), whether or not they left employment due to their caring role, mental health using the short Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and health behaviour data on smoking status, physical activity and dietary habits. Data on current diagnosis of Anxiety and Depression were drawn from linked healthcare records. Separate logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender and socio-economic status were fitted to assess the association between intensity of caring responsibility and each mental health and health behaviour outcome. Results Of the 14,451 HWW participants who had complete records, 3,856 (26.7%) reported being an informal carer. Intense carers (20-49 hours per week) were more likely to be physically inactive (OR:1.27, 95%CI:1.04-1.56), smoke cigarettes (OR:1.49, 95%CI:1.11-2.00) and eat unhealthily (OR:1.48, 95%CI:1.13-1.93). They were more also likely to self-report (OR:1.87, 95%CI:1.51-2.32) or have a diagnosis of depression or anxiety (OR:1.57, 95%CI:1.26-1.97). Other levels of caregiving intensity also demonstrated the above associations. Carers who had given up work to care were more likely to be smokers and have common mental disorders. Conclusion Being an informal carer is associated with unhealthy behaviours and common mental disorders, with a gradient effect dependent on the level of caregiving activity. New interventions that can support carers to improve their health and wellbeing are urgently needed.

Given that adolescents and young people spend most of their time in the educational system, advancements in neurodevelopmental research emphasize the important and complex role of peers’ influence on adolescents’ behaviour, suggesting that supportive programmes led by peers have a strong potential benefit (King, & Fazel, 2019). In many cases peers are the most important source of social support, and are therefore an important target group to investigate the factors of risk, signs of poor mental health and ways to assess their health behaviour and awareness of the care which should be taken regarding their mental health, as well as the resources and prevention models. The wish is to study whether there are differences regarding the mental behaviour in certain characteristics of susceptibility to peer pressure as a risk for the mental health of students of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula and students of the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Zagreb, Division of Petrinja (N=440). The set hypothesis states that there is a statistically significant difference among students of the faculty in Pula and those in Petrinja in their assessment of certain features of peer pressure susceptibility as a possible risk for mental health. The results obtained at the x2-test showed a statistically significant difference between certain peer pressure features among students regarding their study environment linked to hanging out with peers who consume drugs and being tempted to try them, getting involved in risky behaviours if their peers ask them to, and betting or gambling because their friends also do that. The results indicate that in smaller communities social control and conformity in the students’ behaviour is more present due to their wish to fit in a peer group as well as possible, suggesting the need for strengthening the positive health behaviour of young people during their whole education in order to secure a healthy and productive adult population.

The National Service Framework for Mental Health (NSF–MH) is a strategic blueprint for services for adults of working age for the next 10 years. It is both mandatory, in being a clear statement of what services must seek to achieve in relation to the given standards and performance indicators, and permissive, in that it allows considerable local flexibility to customise the services which need to be provided to fit the framework. This paper summarises the process by which the NSF was created, and its content, which became clear when it was published on 30 September 1999 (Department of Health, 1999).

Youth mental health in Australia is concerning with 25% of young people reported as experiencing mental health issues in a 12-month period. Meanwhile, Australian schools march forward with academic improvement agendas. Survey research conducted among primary and secondary school teachers, most drawn from the Australian state of Queensland, revealed that although teachers value student well-being initiatives, they are experiencing very real tensions dealing with student mental health concerns and performance targets, which is complicated by a lack of confidence in the efficacy of well-being programs in schools. These findings raise concerns about the need for government authorities, school leaders, and teacher education providers to further investigate the need for balance between school performance improvement agendas and student well-being concerns.

To inform the future development of a pan-Canadian Mental Health and Addictions (MHA) performance measurement framework, we undertook a review and comparison of current provincial/territorial MHA policies and performance measurement frameworks. Most did not have performance measurement approaches that were explicitly linked to policy actions but eleven acknowledged the importance of performance measurement. Among the provinces with a framework, there were few performance domains in common. The common policy priorities and areas of convergence in current performance measurement practices may provide a useful starting point for the development of a pan-Canadian MHA performance measurement framework.

AbstractObjectivesUser experience (UX) plays a key role in uptake and usage of mental health smartphone interventions, yet remains underinvestigated. This review aimed to characterize and compare UX evaluation approaches that have been applied in this specific context, and to identify implications for research and practice.MethodsA narrative review was conducted of UX-themed studies published in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus up to February 2019. Eligible studies reported on data reflecting users' interactions with a smartphone intervention for any mental health condition. Studies were categorized into “situated” versus “construct-based” methods according to whether or not an established UX construct was used to acquire and analyze data.ResultsSituated approaches used bespoke UX metrics, including quantitative measures of usage and performance, as well as grounded interview data. Construct-based approaches such as assessments of usability and acceptability were based on conceptual frameworks, with methodologically stronger versions featuring construct definitions, validated measurement tools, and an ability to compare data across studies. Constructs and measures were sometimes combined to form bespoke construct-based approaches.ConclusionsBoth situated and construct-based UX data may provide benefits during design and implementation of a mental health smartphone intervention by helping to clarify the needs of users and the impact of new features. Notable however was the omission of UX methods, such as split testing. Future research should consider these unaddressed methods, aim to improve the rigor of UX assessment, integrate their use alongside clinical outcomes, and explore UX assessment of more complex, adaptive interventions.

Elite performance encompasses a complex balancing act involving a series of professionals attempting to help an individual perform to the limit of their abilities, whilst simultaneously striving to further their capacity. Teachers and performance scientists are under pressure to try to push performers harder to be able to achieve success in competitions, performances and their career. Clinicians must strive to keep the physical and mental health of performers in as good shape as possible while they are balancing these often extreme physical and psychological training demands-—‘the show must go on.’ Efforts to better understand mechanisms that may impact both performance capacity and risk to health are therefore highly important, and feature in research presented in the current issue.