Background: Rural women in India are often confronted with situations that make it difficult for them to access formal mental health services such as inaccessibility, internalized stigma, believing that suffering is due to external causes and gender inequalities. These barriers delay receiving formal care for mental health and make these women resort to informal ways of coping such as community support and local faith healers. Methods: This study aimed to explore the informal coping strategies and beliefs around mental health among 100 rural women over the age of 18 years residing in Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Being a qualitative study, the method employed for the survey was focused group discussions and the participants were included through a convenience snowball sampling. The discussions were held in Hindi language for the ease of the participants and were recorded for analysis which was done through a thematic analysis approach. Results: The results highlighted six broad themes: (1) burden of responsibilities and emotional burnout, (2) physiological manifestations of psychological distress, (3) normalization of chronic stress, (4) psychological distress arising from marital conflict and gender-based adversity, (5) reliance on spiritual and informal coping strategies in place of formal mental healthcare, and (6) emotional suppression and silent tolerance. Conclusions: The findings suggest the urgent need to design culturally aligned psychotherapeutic interventions that focus on creating awareness through psychoeducation that could reduce stigma as well as helping rural women deal with their unmet mental health challenges.
Background: Young adults' extensive use of smartphones has resulted in several health concerns and one of which is Text Neck Syndrome. Prolonged neck flexion during smartphone use can lead to neck pain, disability and functional limitations. The study focused on determining the prevalence and knowledge regarding Text Neck Syndrome and identify predicting factors associated with the condition. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 240 undergraduate students selected using convenience method of sampling from four colleges in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. A standardized questionnaire with questions on demographics, participant behaviour and understanding of text neck syndrome was used to gather data. Two standardized tools neck disability index and the smartphone addiction scale-short version were used with prior permission to assess neck disability and smartphone addiction.8,9 Results: The results demonstrated that, prevalence of Text Neck Syndrome among the participants discovered to be 35.8% (95% CI:29.8%–42.3%) and 41.0% participants had smartphone addiction. Majority (71.7%) participants had adequate knowledge regarding Text Neck Syndrome and smartphone addiction was identified as a significant independent predictor of Text Neck Syndrome, with 2.2 times higher odds of developing the condition. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation found between smartphone addiction and neck disability. Conclusions: Text Neck Syndrome is a prevalent health issue among undergraduate students in Meghalaya, affecting more than one-third of the study population. Although most of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding text neck syndrome, the occurrence of the syndrome suggests the need of targeted educational, ergonomic and behavioural interventions among young adults.
Background: Insomnia is an important public health concern and may be particularly relevant among security personnel because of irregular work schedules, occupational demands, sustained vigilance, and inadequate rest. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of insomnia and its association with selected sociodemographic and health-related factors among security personnel in a tertiary care government hospital in south India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 security personnel. Sociodemographic characteristics, including age, gender, income, education, and marital status, and health-related characteristics, including body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension, were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Associations between insomnia and selected variables were examined using the chi-square test. Results: Sub-threshold insomnia was present in 32% of participants, while no cases of moderate or severe insomnia were identified. Significant associations were observed between insomnia and gender (p=0.019) and income level (p=0.020). No significant associations were observed with age, education, marital status, or metabolic health status. Self-reported Diabetes and Hypertension were present in 10% and 4% of participants, respectively, while 74% were classified as obese. Conclusions: Although moderate or severe insomnia was not observed, nearly one-third of security personnel had sub-threshold insomnia. Workplace-based sleep hygiene interventions may be beneficial, particularly among women and lower-income employees. Further studies incorporating objective sleep assessments and detailed evaluation of shift schedules are warranted.
Background: Digital devices have become very important in education. Students are increasingly spending their time on screen for education and other use. However, prolonged screen exposure has led to increasing complaints of digital eye strain, an emerging public health concern. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 165 undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care centre. A pilot studied; semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was entered in Microsoft excel and analysed. Results: The prevalence of digital eye strain among undergraduate medical students was found to be 52.7%. Most common symptom noted were Headache (68.5%), Itching (60.6%), tearing of eyes (58.1%). There was a significant association between the duration of mobile screen usage (>4 hours) and digital eye strain (p value=0.0303). Conclusions: Digital eye strain is a common health concern among medical students. Higher the hours of mobile screen use, greater is the risk of digital eye strain.
Mental health disorders are a major concern with millions of people living with mental illnesses, but only a small fraction of them have access to treatment due to stigma attached, lack of resources and trained personnel. Therefore, the inclusion of mental healthcare services in primary health care (PHC) is essential for improving its accessibility. The present review investigates the effectiveness, the different models, and the barriers in integrating mental health services into primary health care in India. The review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol using database like PubMed and Scopus between January 2016 and January 2026. The systematic search yielded 62 results, of which 23 were selected based on established inclusion criteria and were subsequently analyzed thematically. Successful integration of mental health services into primary healthcare was identified as including, but not limited to, task-sharing, use of digital technologies, use of telepsychiatry, and creating an improved policy-driven system. Task-sharing with lay personnel was found to greatly increase the identification and management of people with mental illnesses, while digital technology and telepsychiatry led to better access to mental health services, especially in rural areas. Barriers to implementing integrated mental health services included a lack of training, stigma, insufficient workforce, and limited infrastructure. Integrated mental health services into primary healthcare exist and demonstrate positive results, but to sustain successful implementation, the identified barriers to integration must be eliminated or mitigated to reduce the existing treatment gap for mental illness in India.
