Articles

The Effects of Air Quality on Mental Health, and A Comparative Study of Teenagers Aged 12-18 During January and February in Lampang, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya, and Bangkok

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Nowadays, populations around the world are suffering from mental health issues, especially depression, and the number is estimated to increase every year. Not only depression issues but also air pollution that is surging. Air pollution has been shown to affect people’s respiratory systems and may even have an impact on mental health, leading to various diseases, for instance depression and Alzheimer’s disease. These disorders tend to occur in people of all age groups and in all countries and regions. Interestingly, each area has different air qualities, which raises concern of its impact on mental health. To investigate this issue, a cross-sectional survey was performed focusing on teenagers aged 12-18 in three different provinces in Thailand to compare the effect of air quality on mental health. This survey used a questionnaire consisting of 34 questions to collect data from 629 individuals participating in this research. The data analysis was performed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program. Our results display the mean score of mental health and air quality as 2.62 and 3.02, respectively, which states that there is an average rate of these 2 variables. Furthermore, the one-way ANOVA test comparing mental health levels in 3 residents shows no significant difference (p-value = 0.225), however, one-way ANOVA comparing the air quality shows a significant difference between the 3 provinces (p-value less than 0.001). We also conducted a t-test to compare the 2 variables between pupils who have underlying medical conditions and pupils who don’t have them. Unfortunately, we found no significant difference for mental health in pupils with and without medical conditions (p-value = 0.75) and for air quality in pupils with and without medical conditions (p-value = 0.52). Nevertheless, the correlation analysis obtained an r-value of 0.30, which indicates that the survey produced a weak positive correlation between mental health and air quality. This type of study is rarely conducted in Thailand, which means there will need to be more studies in this field. Regarding this research, it is apparent that air quality has an effect on mental health, so an open mind of caring for ourselves and others about this issue would be practical.

The Study on the Effect of Owning Pets, Dogs or Cats, On the Rates of Stress and Depression in Thailand

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Several studies have reported that pets can help people decrease their stress and depression. This encourages people to own either cats or dogs to help their mental health. This research aims to find the effectiveness of pets owning on the rate of stress and depression between petting dogs and cats. This research may help people who struggle with mental health. If this research confirms that dogs and cats have an impact on stress and depression, this may help people decide whether to own dogs or cats. On the other hand, if owning dogs or cats doesn’t have a correlation, people may need to see other ways or may discuss other factors that would come after buying a cat such as time, price, and pet’s behavior. Thus, we conducted a survey consisting of 33 questions. We had 26 pilot responders, revealing 0.819 for pet owners and 0.899 for non-pet owners. Our results from one-way ANOVA (F-test) show no correlation between dog owners, cat owners, and non-pet owners for their stress and depression rates (p-value = 0.333). This suggests that owning pets is not the main factor that could help people to step away from stress and depression.

Herbal Interventions as Promising Therapeutic for Alleviating Depression: A Comprehensive Review

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Depression is a global mental health challenge with significant social and economic burdens. While conventional pharmacological treatments have been the cornerstone in depression management, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative and complementary herbal therapies. Herbal interventions have emerged as promising therapeutic approaches for depression treatment. Both clinical and preclinical research has shown that individuals with depression often experience simultaneous activation of neuro-inflammatory response within immune system and heightened activity in hypothalamus pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of  neuroendocrine system. These two systems interact with each other bidirectionally through neural, immunological and humoral mechanisms. This review article provides an outline of the current progress of research on herbal interventions, emphasizing their potential as emerging therapeutics for depression. It discusses the mechanisms of action, safety profiles, and evidence from clinical studies supporting the use of various herbal remedies. Herbal interventions and traditional Chinese formulations hold promise as a valuable adjunct or alternative to conventional treatments, offering new avenues for the comprehensive care of individuals with depression.

Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health from a Psychological Perspective: A Review of the Contemporary Literature

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Social media has become deeply embedded in society, with most individuals spending several hours on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter each day. While social media provides opportunities for connection, entertainment, and information, increasing research indicates use can negatively impact mental health. This paper reviews literature examining the psychological effects of social media on wellbeing. Key areas explored include social comparison and its links to depression and anxiety, exposure to idealized self-representation and impacts on body image, online harassment and cyberbullying, associations between social media addiction and mental distress, fear of missing out (FOMO), and sleep issues. The complex bi-directional relationship between social media and mental health is discussed, acknowledging both potential benefits and drawbacks. Recommendations are provided for individuals aiming to use social media in a psychologically healthy way, as well as areas needing further research. Ultimately, moderate usage paired with conscious digital habits may allow society to harness social media’s upsides while minimizing its risks to well-being.

The Correlation between Study Behavior and Depression among Thai and International High School Students in Bangkok

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Depression significantly impacts people’s behavior and relationships with their loved ones by negatively influencing their emotions and actions. In Bangkok, there is an increasing prevalence of depression among Thai and international high school students due to variances in study habits. Thus, we conducted cross-sectional survey research to determine the correlation between study behavior and depression in Thai high school students. An online questionnaire was employed in this study to gather information on the study habits, including time management, of Thai and international students. To determine if study habits among Thai and international students are associated with depression, we employed the standard deviation, Ttest, and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. According to the information we have obtained, we have discovered that Thai high school students are more likely than international students to experience depression, which strongly shows that their academic curriculum is significantly more strenuous and stressful (p-value of 5.58). The outcomes of this study should aid in advancements in education and mental health research by promoting therapies, educational practices, and interventions by analyzing teenage problems, academic stress, and mental health.

The Relationship between Intensity of Gadget Use with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Students in Metro, Lampung, Indonesia

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The number of gadget users (smartphones) globally is increasing yearly. Gadgets are also used as learning media and entertainment for students, so the possibility of negative impacts from using gadgets cannot be avoided. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the intensity of gadget use and depression, anxiety, and stress in students. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 461 students recruited using a multistage random sampling technique, from six public high schools (SMAN) in Metro, Lampung, Indonesia, from February to May 2023. The instruments used were the gadget usage intensity questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)—analysis with a Chi-Square correlation test. The results of the study show that there is a significant relationship between the intensity of gadget use and depression (ρ-value < 0.001), anxiety (ρ-value < 0.001), and stress (ρ-value < 0.001). This study concludes that the intensity of using gadgets is related to depression, anxiety and stress in high school students in Metro City, Lampung, Indonesia. It is recommended that schools carry out outreach and education to students to be wiser in using gadgets and to follow up on respondents who experience health problems with depression, anxiety, and stress by coordinating with parents so that they can receive further treatment at health care facilities.

A Questionnaire Based Study to Evaluate the Prevalence of Mental Stress among Undergraduates in an Engineering College in South Gujarat, India

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Background: In the last few years, there has been an increase in mental stress and consequently mental illness and suicide rates worldwide. Young adults entering college are one of the most vulnerable population due to the major transition from teenage to adulthood. This study evaluates the prevalence of mental stress among the engineering college students.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey conducted in an engineering college after obtaining approval from the institutional ethical board and the Dean of the college. The questionnaire was distributed online via Google form links using a non-probability sampling approach. The questionnaire contained two parts – first part contained questions regarding the demographic details of the students and the second part contained ten multiple-choice questions to assess the mental health of students. The questions were inspired from the questionnaires available online from previous studies on similar topics as well as by patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) which is used for screening and diagnosing individuals with anxiety, stress and depression. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze and report results.

Results: A total of 246 completely filled questionnaires were evaluated. The age range of study population was from 17 to 26 years with mean age being 20.85 ± 3.16 years. 61.79% were male. Approximately half of the study population showed some symptoms of mental stress and depression such as little interest in doing things, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, change in eating habits and being fidgety or slow. 48.78% students felt bad about themselves and 19.51% had thoughts of self-harm several days a week. Majority of the students believed that mental health awareness programs will be beneficial for their psychological well-being.

Conclusion: The prevalence of stress among the engineering college students was quite high. Various measures such as awareness, counseling, and mentorship program, as well as reducing their academic burden may help them to cope with stress in a better way.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Pregnant Women in Preventing Postpartum Depression

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Postpartum depression is a harmful depression risk; if not treated properly, it can have bad consequences for both mother and child. Hence, efforts are needed to prevent postpartum depression in pregnant women. This article aims to describe and find out the effect of self-help psychological intervention on the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women in preventing postpartum depression. This article was quantitative research with a quasi-experimental model. The study population was 155 pregnant women in the Darussalam Public Health Center working area in Aceh Besar, 2021. The sample was 74 respondents, with 37 in the intervention group and 37 in the control group. Data was collected using The Knowledge about Postpartum Depression Questionnaire (KPPD-Q) and Attitudes Toward Postpartum questionnaires. This study found that the self-help psychological intervention significantly affects the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women (p-value = 0.000 <0.05). Also, there were significant differences in knowledge and attitudes between the intervention. This study concluded that Self-help Psychological interventions could ascend pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes toward preventing postpartum depression. Respondents' age, education level, and gestational age are the driving factors for increasing knowledge and attitudes.

The Effect of Depression on Motivation to Study

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To obtain information about the correlation between depression and motivation to study and identify any correlation between the questions in the survey to gain more insight into the studying habits and reasons for secondary students’ motivations

Methods: a cross-sectional survey with a structured questionnaire was selected to use for data collection. Recruitment was on a voluntary basis, all participants were randomly selected and in similar age groups; however, there were varieties in gender and school systems. To test whether two variables correlate, we conduct a cross-sectional survey study. Our questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, all which have been approved by 3 experts. The sampling participants were chosen from a range of schools throughout the Bangkok province, including government schools, private schools, and international schools. The sampling participants were in grade 10-12. A total of 180 students participated in the study and completed the survey. The Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 28.0 (SPSS) was used to determine the correlation between depression and achievement motivation in the responses. It revealed that there is a negative correlation between depression and motivation to study, r(180)=-.567, p<.001.

The general trend illustrates that the traits most commonly attributed to depression cause a general decline in intrinsic motivation, more specifically, motivation to study. Furthermore, there is a clear increasing trend in depression amongst Thai teens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial to continue monitoring statistics regarding motivation as the data could be significant in designing policies regarding mental health and used for parents to understand their children more completely as well.

 

Sleeping Disorders as a Symptom of Depression

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Recently, people pay less attention to their sleep since there are a lot of stimulants to keep them awake more than sleeping. According to many reports, the results have shown that many are facing a serious condition, which is sleeping disorder.  This condition is related to sleep and affects the ability to sleep well on a regular basis. It is a serious problem that if left untreated, the condition can lead to many more severe problems. There is a significant correlation between sleeping disorder and depression which is called “bidirectional relationship”. The studies show that sleeping disorders are a “symptom” of almost all types of depression such as Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder and so forth. On the other hand, depression itself can also be a cause of sleeping disorders. In addition, the studies show chronic sleep deprivation can cause the changes in Serotonin, which is the brain’s neurotransmitter, and will have a chance to lead to depression greater than acute sleep deprivation. As a result, people should raise awareness in sleeping and usually examine their sleep. To have less chance of depression, a person requires a healthy sleep period and effective care.