An Exploratory Study on the Consequences and Contextual Factors of Intimate Partner Violence Among Immigrant and Canadian-Born Women.

An exploratory study on the consequences and contextual factors of intimate partner violence among immigrant and Canadian-born women.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

BMJ Open. 2012; 2(6):
Du Mont J, Forte T

To compare immigrant and Canadian-born women on the physical and psychological consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV), as well as examine important sociodemographic, health and social support and network factors that may shape their experiences of abuse.National, population-based, cross-sectional survey conducted in 2009.6859 women reported contact with a current or former partner in the previous 5 years, of whom 1480 reported having experienced emotional, financial, physical and/or sexual IPV. Of these women, 218 (15%) were immigrants and 1262 (85%) were Canadian-born.Immigrant women were less likely than Canadian-born women to report having experienced emotional abuse (15.3% vs 18.2%, p=0.04) and physical and/or sexual violence (5.1% vs 6.9%, p=0.04) from a current or former partner. There were no differences between immigrant and Canadian-born women in the physical and psychological consequences of physical and/or sexual IPV. However, compared with Canadian-born women, immigrant women reported lower levels of trust towards their neighbours (50.7% vs 41.5%, p=0.04) and people they work or go to school with (38.6% vs 27.5%, p=0.02), and were more likely to report having experienced discrimination based on ethnicity or culture (18.8% vs 6.8%, p<0.0001), race or skin colour (p=0.003) and language (10.1% vs 3.2%, p<0.0001). Immigrant women were less likely than Canadian-born women to report activity limitations (p=0.01) and medication use for sleep problems (14.1% vs 20.6%, p=0.05) and depression (11.5% vs 17.6%, p=0.05).Our exploratory study revealed no differences between immigrant and Canadian-born women in the physical and psychological consequences of IPV. Abused immigrant women's lower levels of trust for certain individuals and experiences of discrimination may have important implications for seeking help for IPV and underscores the need for IPV-related intervention and prevention services that are culturally sensitive and appropriate. HubMed – depression

Evolutionarily conserved differences in pallial and thalamic short-termsynaptic plasticity in striatum.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

J Physiol. 2012 Nov 12;
Ericsson J, Stephenson-Jones M, Kardamakis A, Robertson B, Silberberg G, Grillner S

The striatum of the basal ganglia is conserved throughout the vertebrate phylum. Tracing studies in lamprey have shown that its afferent inputs are organised in a manner similar to that of mammals. The main inputs arise from the thalamus and lateral pallium (the homologue of cortex) that represents the two principal excitatory glutamatergic inputs in mammals. The aim here was to characterise the pharmacology and synaptic dynamics of afferent fibers from the lateral pallium and thalamus onto identified striatal neurons to understand the processing taking place in the lamprey striatum. We used whole-cell current clamp recordings in acute slices of striatum with preserved fibers from the thalamus and lateral pallium, as well as tract tracing and immunohistochemistry. We show that the thalamus and lateral pallium produce monosynaptic excitatory glutamatergic input through NMDA and AMPA receptors. The synaptic input from the lateral pallium displayed short-term facilitation, unlike the thalamic input that instead displayed strong short-term synaptic depression. There was also an activity-dependent recruitment of intrastriatal oligosynaptic inhibition from both inputs. These results indicate that the two principal inputs undergo different activity dependent short-term synaptic plasticity in the lamprey striatum. The difference observed between thalamic and pallial (cortical) input is also observed in mammals, suggesting a conserved trait throughout vertebrate evolution.
HubMed – depression

Postnatal depression in mothers bringing infants to the emergency department.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Arch Dis Child. 2012 Nov 12;
Stock A, Chin L, Babl FE, Bevan CA, Donath S, Jordan B

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of postnatal depression (PND) in mothers of young infants presenting to the emergency department (ED). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational study of the prevalence of PND in mothers of infants aged 14 days to 6 months presenting with non-time-critical conditions to the ED of a large tertiary paediatric hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed PND by applying a self-administered validated screening tool, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Mothers of patients were approached before clinician consultation when a social worker was available on site. EPDS scores of 13 and above were considered ‘positive’. Univariate analysis was used to determine associations with demographic, maternal and child factors. RESULTS: 236 mothers were approached; 200 consented to participate in the study. Thirty-two mothers screened positively, with a prevalence rate of 16% (95% CI 11.2% to 21.8%). A positive screen was most strongly associated with history of depression (relative risk (RR) 4.8, 95% CI 2.3 to 10.1). Other associations were with single-parent status (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.4), Indigenous status (4.4, 95% CI 1.8 to 10.4) and ‘crying baby’ as the presenting problem (RR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 6.2). Fifty-three per cent of mothers had not completed a PND screen before coming to the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers of young infants coming to the ED regardless of infant’s presenting complaint have a high prevalence of PND determined using the EPDS. Many mothers were not screened for PND before coming to the ED. Clinical staff need to be aware of the condition, incorporate appropriate questioning into the consultation, and refer mothers to support services if necessary.
HubMed – depression

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