Gender differences in factors associated with psychological distress among immigrants from low- and middle-income countries

Abstract Objective Despite the high rate of migration from low- and middle-income countries to high-income countries, there is still a lack of comprehensive studies of gender-specific differences in psychological distress in a diverse group of immigrants. We compared psychological distress between male and female immigrants from low- and middle-income countries living in Oslo, and identified factors associated with distress for men and women, separately. Method A cross-sectional survey with self-administered questionnaires was conducted among 1536 immigrants from low- and middle-income countries living in Oslo. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10) was used to measure psychological distress. Data on their sociodemographic characteristics, negative and traumatic life events, and social integration and possible discrimination in the Norwegian society were also collected. Results One-fourth of the study population was found to be psychologically distressed, with almost equal levels among men and women. Lack of salaried job and recent negative life events were independently associated with psychological distress for both genders. Furthermore, experience of denial of job and past traumatic experiences were other associated negative factors among men, while visits made by Norwegians appeared as a protective factor against distress among men. Older age, Middle East background, living without a partner, and experiencing denial of housing were other associated negative factors among women. Conclusion Our findings show that, except for adverse living conditions, there are gender differences with regard to factors associated with psychological distress among immigrants living in Oslo. Such gender issues are relevant for assisting immigrants in the integration process as well as for future research in migration and health.     

Can Social Support be Protective against Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents from 24 Low- and Middle-Income Countries?

Background: Adolescents are highly vulnerable to depressive symptoms worldwide partially because of limitedsocial supports. However, it still remains largely unknown regarding the associations between social support(s)and depressive symptoms among adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aimof this study aimed to explore the associations between different types of social support and depressive symptomsin adolescents from LMICs. Methods: Data were retrieved from the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS)in which 92,551 adolescents (50.6% females) were included with mean of 15.6 years. Depressive symptoms in thepast one month as the dependent variable were measured in combination with social support (was measured by“During the past 30 days, how often were most of the students in your school kind and helpful?”). Multivariablelogistic regression and meta-analysis of country-wise estimates were performed to investigate the associationsbetween social support and depressive symptoms, and the heterogeneity of the associations across the countries,respectively. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.9% of adolescents from LMICs. Peer supportand parental connectedness were two major factors that were significantly associated with depression symptomsin adolescents. However, the associations of peer support and parental connectedness with depressive symptomswere significant in males and females, respectively. The country-wise analysis indicated that varied inconsistency(small to large) across the associations of peer support and parental connectedness with depressive symptoms inadolescents. Conclusion: Results in this study provides multi-national evidence of the protective roles of socialsupport against depressive symptoms among adolescents. However, the association between social support anddepression symptoms may be moderated by sex and types of social support. Although we found that social support may be an important protective factor against depressive symptoms in adolescents from LMICs, specificallydesigned interventions should be implemented based on sex difference and country difference.     

Cortical specialisation to social stimuli from the first days to the second year of life: A rural Gambian cohort

Brain and nervous system development in human infants during the first 1000 days (conception to two years of age) is critical, and compromised development during this time (such as from under nutrition or poverty) can have life-long effects on physical growth and cognitive function. Cortical mapping of cognitive function during infancy is poorly understood in resource-poor settings due to the lack of transportable and low-cost neuroimaging methods. Having established a signature cortical response to social versus non-social visual and auditory stimuli in infants from 4 to 6 months of age in the UK, here we apply this functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) paradigm to investigate social responses in infants from the first postnatal days to the second year of life in two contrasting environments: rural Gambian and urban UK. Results reveal robust, localized, socially selective brain responses from 9 to 24 months of life to both the visual and auditory stimuli. In contrast at 0–2 months of age infants exhibit non-social auditory selectivity, an effect that persists until 4–8 months when we observe a transition to greater social stimulus selectivity. These findings reveal a robust developmental curve of cortical specialisation over the first two years of life.     

Gamma power in rural Pakistani children: Links to executive function and verbal ability

Children in low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of cognitive deficits due to environmental deprivation that compromises brain development. Despite the high prevalence of unrealized cognitive potential, very little is known about neural correlates of cognition in this population. We assessed resting EEG power and cognitive ability in 105 highly disadvantaged 48-month-old children in rural Pakistan. An increase in EEG power in gamma frequency bands (21–30 Hz and 31–45 Hz) was associated with better executive function. For girls, EEG gamma power also related to higher verbal IQ. This study identifies EEG gamma power as a neural marker of cognitive function in disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. Elevated gamma power may be a particularly important protective factor for girls, who may experience greater deprivation due to gender inequality.