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Background: Depression is a major public health concern among Indian adolescents. Pre- and post-natal depression can often alter fetal development and have negative consequences on the physical and mental health of the mother. This paper aims to draw attention to the prevalence of depression and its correlates among currently married, ever-pregnant adolescents from two Indian States, i.e. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Methods: This study utilizes data from a subsample (n = 3116) of the prospective cohort study Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) among 10 to 19 year-old adolescents. Bivariate analysis was performed to assess the prevalence of depression by sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. To further access the predictors associated with depression a logistic regression model was applied. Results: Around one-tenth (9%) of pregnant adolescents had depression. Regression analysis indicated that substance use, religion, autonomy, considering attempting suicide, premarital relationship, violence, dowry, adverse pregnancy outcome, menstrual problem, and parental pressure for the child immediately after marriage were significantly associated with depression. Conclusions: This study confirms the pre-existing annotation that teen pregnancy is linked with depression. Findings indicate that Adolescent mothers experiencing violence, and a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes are at increased risk of developing depression. These study findings call for an urgent need to address depression among adolescent mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "CoviSainik Program" was implemented in collaboration with the Ambuja Cement Foundation and Community Medicine Department in rural districts of eight states of India from May to December 2021 to create a cadre of volunteers. The aim of the present paper is to describe the program and evaluate it so that the findings can be the guiding tool for policymakers to replicate a similar program. Material and Method: A cross-sectional, mixed-method – concurrent study design was adopted to evaluate the program for its short-term outcomes such as gain in the basic knowledge of COVID-19 amongst master trainers and their feedback and program output viz – the proportion of volunteers trained and their profile by census sampling. Motivational factors, experiences of volunteers, and outcomes of COVID-19 work in their villages were explored by purposive with maximum diversity sampling with 62 online in-depth interviews and 8 online focus group discussions (FGDs). Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the pre-test (12.8 ± 5.6) and post-test (25.9 ± 9.3) scores of the Master Training Program evaluation test. Out of 6534 trained volunteers, 5901 worked as volunteers, and amongst those, 47.1%, 35.1%, and 17.8% worked for ≤3 months, 3 to 6 months, and ≥6 months, respectively, in their villages. The major themes generated for motivational factors to join the program were altruism, savior nature, generating awareness, and concern for others. The major outcomes generated by trained volunteers COVID-19 vaccination were in raising awareness on COVID-19 appropriate behavior and early identification of COVID-19 cases in their villages. Conclusion: The "CoviSainik Program" was successful in creating cadres of trained volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single parent adoption (SPA) is a relatively new construct worldwide and in India. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, has laid down criteria for adoption in general and SPA in particular, in conjunction with the Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children), 2015. There is scant literature on this topic of SPA, more so in India, that looks into the various psychological nuances of SPA from a mental health professional's (MHP) perspective. This review paper aims to assess SPA from the perspective of a MHP that will focus on its various legal nuances as well as the psychological connotations attached to it. For this, a search strategy was employed that included a thorough literature search from two databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) with relevant keywords related to the topic. The various legal issues pertaining to SPA in the current scenario, the psychological issues and challenges faced by single parents, the behavioral outcomes of adoptees who are adopted by single parents, and ways to deal with the various obstacles of SPA are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper presents a cross-sectional longitudinal study on the relationship between sleep and work-related impairment of rational features and psychological management among construction workers. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire surveys were conducted to the construction workers at the workplace. Impairments in rational features and psychological control were not associated with sleep duration or rotating shift schedules. The link between sleep disorder and psychological management was also transient, as a sleep disorder may be related to immediate and future impairments in psychological management Results: The findings indicated that thirteen per cent of the variance in the disturbed rational feature at the initial stage [F(6, 382) =11.77, p=0.01] and 24% of the variance in the unsettled rational feature at the final stage [F(6, 168) =11.55, p=0.01] were determined by the multiple hierarchical regression and psychological management has 11% of the variance at the initial stage and 9% of the conflict in unsettled psychological management at the final stage [F(7, 179) =3.71, p=0.01]. Conclusion: Sound sleep is an integral part of human health. Construction workers are often required to undergo accelerated training after being hired, resulting in inadequate sleep and subsequently impacting their psychological well-being. The study recommends that construction workers focus more on optimal sleep quality and quantity, as sleep disturbances could affect psychological well-being, decrease performance, and increase risks in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year of 1947 is the defining moment in history of the Indian subcontinent, when the British left and created Pakistan and India. These new states emerged carrying huge human suffering as violence forced millions of people to migrate. Even after 64 years, the experiences of partition continue to affect not only the survivors, but also the socio-political structures. This paper explores different currents in psychosocial sequelae of forced migration from a social violence perspective and focuses specifically on the post-migration experiences. It begins with the analysis of direct encounters of partition process and gradually takes the debate into wider sociological context. The struggles of remembrance and forgetfulness, socio-cultural norms aggravating the existing pain, counter-productive relief efforts, and the problematics of creating a social memory are some of the key aspects that will be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), which incorporated the WHO DOTS strategy was introduced in India in the mid-1990s. An operational research project was conducted between 1996 and 1998 to assess the needs and perspectives of patients and providers in two chest clinics in Delhi, Moti Nagar and Nehru Nagar, during the introduction of the new strategy. This paper reports on the findings of the project, concentrating on information collected from 40 in-depth interviews with patient defaulters and from non-participant observations in clinics and directly observed treatment centres. In Moti Nagar chest clinic, 117 of 1786 (6.5%) patients and 195 of 1890 (10%) patients in Nehru Nagar left care before their treatment was complete. It was argued that the reasons for default stem from a poor correlation between patient and programme needs and priorities, and from particular characteristics of the disease and its treatment. Patient needs that were not met by the health system included convenient clinic timings, arrangements for the provision for treatment in the event of a family emergency and provision for complicated cases like alcoholics. The problems facing the provider were poor interpersonal communication with the health staff, lack of attention and support at the clinic, difficulty for patients to re-enter the system if they missed treatment and, in certain areas, long distances to the clinic. Problems related to diseases were inability of the staff to deal with drug side-effects, and patients' conception of equating well-being with cure. Simple, practical measures could improve the provision of tuberculosis (TB) treatment: more flexible hours, allowances for poor patients to reach the clinics and training health care staff for respectful communication and monitoring drug side-effects. The findings indicate a need to rethink the label of 'defaulter' often given to the patients. The important areas for future operational research is also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]