Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Research Publications
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ItemHow do caregivers understand and respond to unsettled infant behaviour in Vietnam? A qualitative study(WILEY, 2018-01-01)BACKGROUND: Unsettled infant behaviours are a common source of concern for new parents and have been associated with perinatal common mental disorders amongst women in high-income settings. There is little evidence about how unsettled infant behaviours are understood and managed in low and lower-middle income countries. This study aimed to describe caregivers' understandings of, and responses to, unsettled infant behaviours in Vietnam and their family caregiving contexts. METHODS: Women who were mothers of infants aged 0-6 months were purposively recruited from two sites in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam (one urban and one rural). An additional group of women who were grandmothers were recruited by snowball sampling. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews about demographic information, infant feeding practices, descriptions of infant crying episodes, beliefs about why infants cry, settling strategies, infant sleeping arrangements and sources of advice on infant care. Translated interview transcripts were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Twenty-four interviews were undertaken (21 with mothers and 3 with grandmothers). Five major themes emerged from the data after analysis: infant settling techniques, sources of information on unsettled infant behaviour, understandings of the causes of infant crying, the emotional responses of caregivers and the intergenerational household context. Infants were commonly cared for by people from multiple generations, particularly during the day. Infant settling was characterized by attending to infants immediately, breastfeeding and bed-sharing with parents during the night. Most mothers received advice on caregiving from family members. Infant crying was attributed to hunger and loneliness, as well as traditional beliefs that the infant was being upset by 'ghosts' or becoming 'hot'. Women described feeling anxious, frustrated and helpless in relation to unsettled behaviours amongst their infants. CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions on interpreting infant cues, infant sleep requirements and bed sharing may be appropriate in Vietnam if multiple generations are included and traditional beliefs about infant crying are addressed.
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ItemClinicians' perceptions of women's experiences of endometriosis and of psychosocial care for endometriosis(WILEY, 2017-02-01)BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a complex, chronic condition with known psychological and social implications for women. Little is known about clinicians' perceptions of the psychosocial aspects of endometriosis and associated care. AIM: To describe clinicians' perceptions of women's experiences of living with endometriosis and of the provision of psychosocial care for endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative approach was taken using semi-structured interviews with eight gynaecologists and four general practitioners who provide care to women with endometriosis in Victoria, conducted by telephone and in person from June to December 2014. RESULTS: Clinicians' perceptions of women's experiences of endometriosis were consistent with those reported by women, particularly when discussing potential infertility. However, less comprehensive descriptions of the effects of endometriosis on women's work and social life and intimate relationships were observed. Some clinicians asserted that endometriosis is caused by poor mental health. General practitioners positioned themselves as best placed to provide psychosocial care to women with endometriosis; gynaecologists suggested various potential providers but rarely themselves. Most clinicians assessed themselves as not being adequately trained to understand and provide care for the psychosocial aspects of endometriosis; half of the gynaecologists did not believe it was necessary for them to do so. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this research demonstrate clinicians' need for further support in the provision of psychosocial care for women with endometriosis, potentially through expanded clinical guidelines and professional development opportunities.
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ItemEarly childhood development: impact of national human development, family poverty, parenting practices and access to early childhood education(WILEY, 2017-05-01)BACKGROUND: This study was to describe and quantify the relationships among family poverty, parents' caregiving practices, access to education and the development of children living in low- and middle-income countries (LAMIC). METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected in UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Early childhood development was assessed in four domains: language-cognitive, physical, socio-emotional and approaches to learning. Countries were classified into three groups on the basis of the Human Development Index (HDI). RESULTS: Overall, data from 97 731 children aged 36 to 59 months from 35 LAMIC were included in the after analyses. The mean child development scale score was 4.93 out of a maximum score of 10 (95%CI 4.90 to 4.97) in low-HDI countries and 7.08 (95%CI 7.05 to 7.12) in high-HDI countries. Family poverty was associated with lower child development scores in all countries. The total indirect effect of family poverty on child development score via attending early childhood education, care for the child at home and use of harsh punishments at home was -0.13 SD (77.8% of the total effect) in low-HDI countries, -0.09 SD (23.8% of the total effect) in medium-HDI countries and -0.02 SD (6.9% of the total effect) in high-HDI countries. CONCLUSIONS: Children in the most disadvantaged position in their societies and children living in low-HDI countries are at the greatest risk of failing to reach their developmental potential. Optimizing care for child development at home is essential to reduce the adverse effects of poverty on children's early development and subsequent life.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableCo-morbid anaemia and stunting among children of pre-school age in low- and middle-income countries: a syndemic(CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS, 2019-01-01)OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of co-morbidity of two important global health challenges, anaemia and stunting, among children aged 6-59 months in low- and middle-income countries. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted 2005-2015. Child stunting and anaemia were defined using current WHO classifications. Sociodemographic characteristics of children with anaemia, stunting and co-morbidity of these conditions were compared with those of 'healthy' children in the sample (children who were not stunted and not anaemic) using multiple logistic models. SETTING: Low- and middle-income countries. SUBJECTS: Children aged 6-59 months. RESULTS: Data from 193 065 children from forty-three countries were included. The pooled proportion of co-morbid anaemia and stunting was 21·5 (95 % CI 21·2, 21·9) %, ranging from the lowest in Albania (2·6 %; 95 % CI 1·8, 3·7 %) to the highest in Yemen (43·3; 95 % CI 40·6, 46·1 %). Compared with the healthy group, children with co-morbidity were more likely to be living in rural areas, have mothers or main carers with lower educational levels and to live in poorer households. Inequality in children who had both anaemia and stunting was apparent in all countries. CONCLUSIONS: Co-morbid anaemia and stunting among young children is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, especially among more disadvantaged children. It is suggested that they be considered under a syndemic framework, the Childhood Anaemia and Stunting (CHAS) Syndemic, which acknowledges the interacting nature of these diseases and the social and environmental factors that promote their negative interaction.
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ItemGender-informed psycho-educational programme to promote respectful relationships and reduce postpartum common mental disorders among primiparous women: long-term follow-up of participants in a community-based cluster randomised controlled trial(CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS, 2018-09-25)BACKGROUND: What Were We Thinking (WWWT) is a gender-informed, psychoeducational programme to promote respectful relationships and skilled management of unsettled infant behaviours and thereby reduce postpartum common mental disorders. It comprises a highly structured seminar for couples and babies, usual primary care from a WWWT-trained nurse and take-home print materials. The aim was to assess long-term outcomes after a cluster randomised controlled trial of WWWT. METHOD: Trial participants who consented completed a computer-assisted telephone interview 18 months postpartum. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms with the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Impacts of baseline characteristics and trial arm on changes in scores from baseline to follow-up were calculated using Conditional Latent Growth Curve Models adjusting for prognostic indicators and controlling for clustering effects. RESULTS: Overall, 314/400 (78.5%) women contributed data at baseline (6 weeks postpartum), trial endline (26 weeks postpartum) and follow-up (12 months after trial endline). In intention-to-treat analyses, there was a significantly greater improvement in adjusted GAD-7 scores [regression coefficient (RC) -0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.94 to -0.17] and non-significant improvement (RC -0.27; 95% CI -0.63 to 0.08) in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to follow-up in the intervention than the control arm. In a per-protocol analysis, the proportion with GAD-7 scores ⩽4 (asymptomatic) improved 24.1% (55.7% baseline to 79.8% follow-up, p = 0.043) among women who received the full WWWT programme, which included the seminar, compared with 2.4% (77.1-79.5%, p = 0.706) among those who received the partial intervention (usual care from WWWT-trained nurse and print materials). CONCLUSIONS: The WWWT programme has a significant sustained beneficial impact on postnatal generalised anxiety among primiparous women compared with usual care. The in-person seminar is the most influential component of the intervention. Psycho-educational programmes integrated into primary care appear promising as a strategy to reduce postpartum common mental disorders.
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ItemRelated but different: distinguishing postpartum depression and fatigue among women seeking help for unsettled infant behaviours(BMC, 2018-09-25)BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence in relatively healthy populations suggests that postpartum depression and fatigue are likely distinct but related experiences. However, differentiating depression and fatigue in clinical settings remains a challenge. This study aimed to assess if depression and fatigue are distinct constructs in women with relatively high fatigue and psychological distress symptoms attending a residential program that assists with unsettled infant behaviour. METHODS: 167 women (age: M = 34.26, SD = 4.23) attending a private residential early parenting program completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21-D), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and self-report sleep variables before program commencement. Confirmatory Factor Analysis examined the associations between depression and fatigue latent factors. RESULTS: A two-factor model of separate but related depression and fatigue constructs provided a significantly better fit to the data than a one-factor model of combined depression and fatigue (p < .001). In the two-factor model, the depression and fatigue latent factors were moderately correlated (.41). Further predictive utility of this two-factor model was demonstrated as both depression and fatigue factors were independently predicted by worse self-reported sleep efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides empirical evidence that for women attending a clinical service with relatively high fatigue and psychological distress, postpartum depression and fatigue remain separate but related experiences. These findings suggest that in women seeking clinical support in the postpartum period, both depression and fatigue need to be carefully assessed to ensure accurate diagnoses, and (b) whilst depression intervention may improve fatigue, targeted fatigue intervention may also be warranted.
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ItemMen's perceptions of prostate cancer diagnosis and care: insights from qualitative interviews in Victoria, Australia(BMC, 2017-10-27)BACKGROUND: The Victorian Prostate Cancer Registry (Australia) revealed poorer rates of survival for men diagnosed with prostate cancer in one Victorian regional area than for men in metropolitan Melbourne. We sought to explore the perceptions and experiences of prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care of men diagnosed with prostate cancer who lived in regional or metropolitan areas and of men who had not been so diagnosed. Our goal was to contribute to the evidence from which can be built continuing improvements in prostate health care. METHODS: Using the qualitative method of in-depth interviews to gain access to explanation and meaning, we interviewed 21 men: 10 recruited through the Prostate Cancer Outcome Registry-Victoria and 11 from the community. Transcripts were analysed thematically. RESULTS: We identified four main themes within which men discussed prostate cancer: Case-finding, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care, and Spreading the Word. Contrasts revealed between regional and metropolitan areas related mostly to the more limited supportive care in regional areas. CONCLUSIONS: It is evident from the perspectives of these men that every aspect of prostate cancer care would benefit from attention: publicising the need to check prostate health, treatment, and supporting men in the years after treatment. Continuing to work on systemic improvements is an important goal for all those committed to men's health.
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ItemGlobal research priorities for interpersonal violence prevention: a modified Delphi study(WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, 2017-01-01)OBJECTIVE: To establish global research priorities for interpersonal violence prevention using a systematic approach. METHODS: Research priorities were identified in a three-round process involving two surveys. In round 1, 95 global experts in violence prevention proposed research questions to be ranked in round 2. Questions were collated and organized according to the four-step public health approach to violence prevention. In round 2, 280 international experts ranked the importance of research in the four steps, and the various substeps, of the public health approach. In round 3, 131 international experts ranked the importance of detailed research questions on the public health step awarded the highest priority in round 2. FINDINGS: In round 2, "developing, implementing and evaluating interventions" was the step of the public health approach awarded the highest priority for four of the six types of violence considered (i.e. child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, armed violence and sexual violence) but not for youth violence or elder abuse. In contrast, "scaling up interventions and evaluating their cost-effectiveness" was ranked lowest for all types of violence. In round 3, research into "developing, implementing and evaluating interventions" that addressed parenting or laws to regulate the use of firearms was awarded the highest priority. The key limitations of the study were response and attrition rates among survey respondents. However, these rates were in line with similar priority-setting exercises. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest it is premature to scale up violence prevention interventions. Developing and evaluating smaller-scale interventions should be the funding priority.
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ItemInteractions among alcohol dependence, perinatal common mental disorders and violence in couples in rural Vietnam: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling(BMC, 2012-09-19)BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition that perinatal common mental disorders (PCMDs) are prevalent in women in low and lower-middle income countries and emerging evidence that PCMDs and alcohol abuse occur in men in these settings. Domestic violence is associated with PCMDs in both women and men. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among PCMDs, alcohol abuse and domestic violence in couples in a rural, low-income setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study was undertaken in randomly selected communes in Ha Nam and Hanoi, Vietnam. All women in the selected study sites who were at least 28 weeks pregnant or were mothers of 4 - 6 week old babies in the recruitment period were eligible. The husbands of the women who consented to join the study were also invited to participate. Data sources were study-specific questions and standardised measures: PCMDs were assessed by psychiatrist-administered Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM IV disorders, and alcohol dependence (AD) by the CAGE questionnaire (cut-off of ≥ 2). Structural Equation Modeling was used to test direct, indirect and mutual relationships simultaneously in the hypothesised model. RESULTS: In total 364/392 (93%) eligible women agreed to participate. Of these, 360 were married, and 230 (64%) of their husbands also participated to yield a sample of 230 couples for analyses. Overall, in 7.4% (95% CI: 4.6-11.6) of couples both wife and husband were diagnosed with a PCMD; and 41.2% (95% CI: 35.1-47.8) of couples at least one member had a PCMD. Comorbid PCMD and AD were observed in 6.9% (95% CI: 4.3-11.0) of men, but did not occur in women. After controlling for other psychosocial risk factors comorbid PCMD and AD in husbands increased by 4.7 times the probability of PCMDS in their wives via intimate partner violence. PCMDS in wives did not increase the probability of PCMDS or AD in husbands. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence that comorbid PCMD and AD in husbands have a significant adverse effect on the mental health of their wives in rural areas of Vietnam. This indicates that strategies to prevent and treat PCMDs in women will be more effective if paired with initiatives to reduce alcohol dependence and violent behaviours in men.
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ItemAge, mode of conception, health service use and pregnancy health: a prospective cohort study of Australian women(BIOMED CENTRAL LTD, 2013-04-08)BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence about the ways in which maternal age and mode of conception interact with psychological, sociodemographic, health and health service factors in governing pregnancy health. The aim of this study was to establish in what ways maternal age and mode of conception are associated with, health behaviours, health service use and self-rated physical and mental health during pregnancy. METHOD: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a collaboration between universities, infertility treatment services and public and private obstetric hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia,. Consecutive cohorts of nulliparous English-literate women at least 28 weeks pregnant who had conceived through ART (ARTC) or spontaneously (SC) in three age-groups: 20-30; 31-36 and at least 37 years were recruited. Data were obtained via structured individual telephone interviews and self-report postal questionnaires at recruitment and four months postpartum. Study-specific questions assessed: sociodemographic characteristics; reproductive health; health behaviours and health service use. Standardized instruments assessed physical health: SF 12 Physical Component Score (PCS) and mental health: SF12 Mental Component Score (MCS); State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The main outcome measures were the SF 12 PCS, SF12 MCS scores and pregnancy-related hospital admissions. RESULTS: Of 1179 eligible women 791 (67%) participated, 27 had fertility treatment without oocyte retrieval and were excluded and 592/764 (78%) completed all pregnancy assessments. When other factors were controlled speaking a language other than English, having private health insurance and multiple gestation were associated with worse physical health and having private health insurance and better physical health were associated with better mental health. Pregnancy-related hospital admissions were associated with worse physical health and multiple gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal age and mode of conception are not associated with pregnancy health and health service use when sociodemographic factors are considered.