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Purposes: To investigate quality of life (QoL) of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia and examine the influencing factors of the QoL in a Chinese rural area. Methods: This study included people with schizophrenia (n = 269) and their family caregivers (n = 269) from Xinjin district, Chengdu, China. Family caregivers' QoL was measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Form and its influencing factors was analyzed by the multivariate regression. Results: Family caregivers of people with schizophrenia had very poor QoL across four domains. The regression analysis showed that physical domain of QoL was significantly associated with age, psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and caregiving burden of family caregivers (p < 0.05). Psychological domain of QoL was significantly related to family caregivers' affiliate stigma, caregiving burden, and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia (p < 0.05). Social domain of QoL was significantly associated with age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and affiliate stigma of family caregivers (p < 0.05). Environmental domain of QoL was significantly related to age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and family caregivers' caregiving burden (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Family caregivers of people with schizophrenia had poor QoL in rural China. Family caregivers' QoL is significantly impacted by age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, caregivers' affiliate stigma and caregiving burden. Providing social support and psychosocial interventions for family caregivers of people with schizophrenia might be crucial to improve their QoL and caregiving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Atmospheric PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and their derivatives are a global concern that influences environments and threatens human health. Concentrations of 52 PAHs and the main derivatives in six Chinese megacities were measured in the winter of 2019. The concentrations of ∑PAHs (sum of 52 PAHs) ranged from 19.42 ± 7.68 to 65.40 ± 29.84 ng m−3, with significantly higher levels in northern cities (Harbin [HB], Beijing [BJ], and Xi'an [XA]) than southern ones (Wuhan [WH], Chengdu [CD] and Guangzhou [GZ]). Source apportionment of ∑PAHs was conducted by the PMF model and results showed coal combustion and traffic emissions were the two dominant sources, which dominated ∑PAHs in northern and southern cities, respectively. Biomass burning was also characterized as a crucial source of ∑PAHs and showed extremely high contributions in XA (42.5%). Assisted by the individual PAH source apportionment results, the source-depend TEQ (total BaP equivalent) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) were firstly reported in these cities. The results highlighted the contributions of coal combustion and biomass burning to both TEQ and ILCR, which were underestimated by ∑PAHs source apportionment. Secondary organic aerosol-derived PAHs were demonstrated to increase the TEQ compared with the fresh PAHs and three parameters, namely temperature, relative humidity, and O 3 concentrations were characterized by multiple linear regression as the principal factors influencing secondary reactions of PAHs in winter. This study provides accurate human health-orientated results and potential control measures to mitigate the toxicity of secondary formed PAHs, and significantly decrease the uncertainty level of traditional methods. The results also revealed great progress in air pollution control by the Chinese government in the past 20 years, but still a long way to go to formulate strict emission control strategies from both environmental and human health-protective perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed to compare the treatment status between older (≥65 years) and younger adults (18-64 years) with severe mental illness (SMI) and explore factors associated with treatment status in rural China. Persons with SMI were identified in one mental health survey in 2015 in 6 townships of Xinjin County, Chengdu, China. Logistic regressions were conducted to explore factors associated with treatment status. Older adults with SMI, especially major depressive disorder, reported significantly lower rates of treatment than younger group. Older age, longer duration of illness, and poor mental status were risk factors for never-treated status in these patients. Never-treated status (46.3%) and poor treatment status in these older patients are serious issues. Different treatment statuses in these patients had various influencing factors. It is crucial to develop culture-specific, community-based mental health services to improve early identification, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery of older adults with SMI in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the relationship between changes of family structure for people with severe mental illness (SMI) and treatment status of SMI during a period of sustained rapid socioeconomic development. This study aimed to explore the relationship between changes of family structure and treatment status of people with SMI in a 21-year longitudinal study in a rural area of China. Epidemiological surveys of mental disorders were conducted in May, 1994, and October, 2015, in the same six townships (total population 170 174 in 2015) in Xinjin county, Chengdu, which is a representative middle-income rural county in southwest China. The six townships were randomly selected from all 12 townships of Xinjin county in 1994. The surveys consisted of two steps: (1) screening procedures for psychosis (face-to-face interviews with the head of each household together with key informant interviews), household by household; and (2) psychiatric interviews of people aged 15 years and older, to identify those with SMI (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depressive disorder) according to the International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders-10 (ICD-10) criteria. The two surveys were approved by the university human research ethics committees. The number of people aged 15 years and older who were identified to have SMI was 711 and 1042 in 1994 and 2015, respectively. The mean number of family members was significantly lower in 2015 (3·0 [SD 1·5]) than in 1994 (3·4 [1·5], p<0·0001). Compared with people with SMI in 1994, those with SMI in 2015 had a significantly higher rate of living alone (13·7% vs 9·9%, p<0·013) and without caregivers (15·6% vs 8·4%, p<0·0001). There was a significantly lower rate of parents as caregivers in 2015 than in 1994 (13·5% vs 17·9%, p<0·011). The rate of low family economic status (less than the population mean) for people with SMI was significantly higher in 2015 than in 1994 (p<0·0001). Fewer family members (included in the same family hukou) was significantly associated with low family economic status (p=0·023), and low family economic status was significantly associated with poor treatment status (p=0·015). The family structure and status of people with SMI has changed markedly during the rapid socioeconomic development from 1994 to 2015 in rural China. Fewer family members, fewer family caregivers and relative poverty have gradually become major challenges for families who care for people with SMI. How to improve care for people with SMI should be important if targets for Healthy China 2030 are to be met. Community mental health care, the precise poverty alleviation strategy, and the culture-specific family intervention programme should be crucial for comprehensive community mental health care and for improvement of the treatment and recovery of people with SMI in the community. The survey in 1994 was supported in part by the China Medical Board of New York (92-557). The survey in 2015 was supported in part by the Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research (2014–2016), Seed Funding Programme for Applied Research (2014–2016), Contemporary China Strategic Research Theme (2014–2016), Small Project Funding (2014–2016), and Mental Health Research in Chengdu, China (department matching fund, 2015–2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]