Search

Background: Japanese people sleep less compared to other countries around the world. Using a large nationally representative survey in 2019 and 2022, we investigated whether sleep duration and nonrestorative sleep (NRS) among Japanese people have improved or worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were drawn from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions, a nationwide cross-sectional sample based on self-administered questionnaires. We analyzed 426,510 people in 2019 and 375,578 people in 2022 aged ≥20 living in the community. The generalized estimating equations of the multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence of NRS by survey year. Potential confounders included gender, age, marital status, family size, housing tenure, equivalent household expenditures, education, employment status, illness under treatment, lifestyle behaviors (i.e., smoking, drinking, dietary, and fitness habits), mental health, and sleep duration. Results: Among the study participants, 35.7% slept less than 6 hours and 20.9% had NRS. Regarding sleep duration, the prevalence of sleep duration of less than 6 hours was significantly lower in 2022 than in 2019 for both men and women. By gender and age, the prevalence of short sleep duration (

BackgroundSmall-member households are increasing worldwide. However, most previous studies have focused on older people and living alone. Using the latest national survey data, we investigated a dose–response relationship between household size and serious psychological distress (SPD).MethodsWe analyzed data from the 2019 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan. The study participants were 405,560 community-dwelling adults aged 20 or older. Household size was classified into 5 or more, 3 or 4, two, and one (i.e., living alone). SPD was defined as ≥13 points based on the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale. We used multivariable logistic regressions and included age, education, equivalent household expenditures, housing tenure, employment contract, smoking, and illness under treatment as covariates.ResultsAfter stratified analyses by age and gender, a dose–response relationship between smaller household size and more common SPD was significant for younger, but not for older people (p-trend was

Objective and methodsMental health problems among adults are a growing public health concern, and middle-income countries such as South Africa are disproportionally affected. Using a large scale nationally representative weighted survey, we assessed the prevalence of probable depression, probable anxiety, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and explored associations between probable depression, probable anxiety, ACEs, socio-economic status, and demographic characteristics.ResultsNationally, 25.7, 17.8, and 23.6% of respondents, respectively, reported scores of ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), indicating probable depression or probable anxiety, and an ACE score of ≥4 (high exposure). Overall probable depression prevalence across South Africa varied from 14.7 to 38.8%. Both probable depression and probable anxiety were more frequently reported among adults who were: retired and older (>65 years of age), and widowed, divorced, or separated; living in metropolitan areas; and only had primary school education. In a multivariable adjusted logistic regression, the likelihood of reporting probable depression or probable anxiety was also found to increase with each standard deviation increase in the ACE score (p < 0.001), independent of other socio-demographic determinants.ConclusionThe prevalence of probable depression among respondents in South Africa varies significantly across the nine provinces. Furthermore, higher ACE score and several socio-demographic determinants were associated with a higher likelihood of probable depression and probable anxiety. Adult mental health services are urgently needed to identify groups of the population vulnerable to mental health problems for better targeting of interventions. Given the range of probable depression prevalence across the country, provincial level plans and resources should also reflect the burden of mental health problems in that province.

This paper outlines a regional and socio-demographic overview of languages and dialects used most often in and outside the home and on social media in the Netherlands based on a large-scale national representative survey by Statistics Netherlands conducted in 2019 among 7,652 people aged 15 years or older. 149 different languages/dialects were reported to be spoken at home, in other places or used for writing messages on social media. For 25 percent of the people surveyed, Dutch is not dominating at home: 8.2 percent speak another language than Dutch; 10.2 percent a regional language (Low Saxon 4.8 percent; Limburgish 3.4 percent, and Frisian 2.0 percent), and 5.3 percent dialect. The five most widely spoken other languages are English (1.6 percent), Turkish (0.9 percent), Moroccan Arabic/Berber (0.8 percent), Chinese/Mandarin (0.4 percent) and Polish (0.4 percent). 83 percent mostly use Dutch to write messages on social media with English following (35 percent). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective and Methods: South Africans were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic hardships. As a result, mental health within this region may have worsened. Therefore, using large scale nationally representative data, we repeated the cross-sectional panel study to investigate mental health risk post COVID-19 to explore mental health and multimorbidity and to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and comorbid health conditions in South African adults (aged 18 years and older)., Results: Post-pandemic, 26.2, 17.0, and 14.8% of the South African respondents reported being probably depressed, anxious and had suffered high exposure to early life adversity, respectively. Nationally, the prevalence of mental health across the country remained alarmingly high when compared to Panel 1. The prevalence of multimorbidity (2 or more chronic morbidities) among the South African population was reported at 13.9%, and those with 2 or more morbidities were found to have increased odds of early adversity, irrespective of differing socio-demographics. Furthermore, early adversity was also associated with multimorbidity partly via mental health., Conclusion: This repeated cross-sectional national study reiterated that the prevalence of mental health across South African adults aged 18 years and older is widespread. Mental health remains worryingly high post-pandemic where more than a quarter of respondents are probably depressed, nearly one in every five respondents are anxious, and 14.8% reported high exposure ACEs. Public health interventions need to be upscaled with efforts to reduce the incidence of early adversity that may have the ability to lower adverse health outcomes and mental ill-health in adulthood., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Craig, Mapanga, Mtintsilana, Dlamini and Norris.)

The history of gambling in post-socialist countries is noticeably different from that of other countries in Europe. The goal of this study was therefore twofold: Firstly, to systematically review all European epidemiological studies related to excessive gambling in the general adult population, and secondly, to provide an overview of the state of gambling in Hungary based on the first ever nationwide representative survey, setting the results against the backdrop of the earlier European studies. A systematic review was carried out of European gambling studies which focus on a representative adult general population. Hungarian data was obtained from the National Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary general adult population survey ( N = 2,710). Pathological gambling was measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen. Lifetime prevalence of excessive gambling (problem and pathological gambling) in the general adult population of European countries varies between 1.1% (Italy and Spain) and 6.5% (Estonia). In Hungary, the prevalence of problem gambling is 1.9%, with pathological gambling at 1.4%. The socio-demographic characteristics of the results are similar to those of other European countries. Using epidemiological data from the general adult populations of two post-socialist nations, it was possible to compare the results with data from 12 other European countries. Based on the data available, the extremely rapid liberation of the gambling market in the post-socialist countries has led to a similarly swift escalation in associated gambling problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Earlier results concerning alcohol consumption of bereaved persons are contradictory. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between bereavement and alcohol consumption accounting for time and gender differences on a nationally representative sample from Hungary ("Hungarostudy Epidemiological Panel Survey", N = 4457) Methods Drinking characteristics of mourning persons (alcohol consumption, dependence symptoms, and harmful consequences of alcohol use) in the first three years of grief were examined among persons between 18-75 years using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Results Men bereaved for one year scored higher on two dimensions of AUDIT (dependence symptoms and harmful alcohol use), while men bereaved for two years scored higher on all three dimensions of AUDIT compared to the non-bereaved. The rate of men clinically at-risk concerning alcohol consumption among the non-bereaved is 12.9%, and among men bereaved for one year is 18.4% (a non-significant difference), while 29.8% (p < 0.001, OR = 2,781) among men bereaved for two years. However, men bereaved for three years did not differ from the non-bereaved in their drinking habits. In case of bereaved women, again no difference was found with respect to alcohol use compared to the non-bereaved. Conclusion Among bereaved men, the risk of alcohol related problems tends to be higher, which can be shown both among men bereaved for one year as well as men bereaved for two years. Considering the higher morbidity and mortality rates of bereaved men, alcohol consumption might play a mediator role. These facts draw attention to the importance of prevention, early recognition, and effective therapy of hazardous drinking in bereaved men.