Medicine
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/12
This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Relationship between childhood sexual abuse and suicidal behaviour in South Asian countries: A scoping review(Elsevier, 2022) Shoib, S.; Amanda, T.W.; Saeed, F.; Armiya’u, A.Y.; Patel, V.; Chandradasa, M.; de Berardis, D.Background: Sexual abuse is a global issue and happens in every culture and country. It is a risk factor for developing several mental disorders and suicide. While there are many studies on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and suicide, there are no reviews on this association from South Asia. Aims: A scoping review to explore the association between CSA and suicidal behaviour in South Asian countries. Method: A literature search was conducted with Databases PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2020 for articles related to child sexual abuse and suicidal behaviour. Studies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were included in the search. Results: Among 356 articles found, 45 publications were further evaluated based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, and 12 papers that reported quantitative outcomes of the association between CSA and suicidal experiences were included in the review. There were no eligible studies from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and the Maldives. Due to the limited number of publications and the heterogeneity of the studies, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Most studies indicated that CSA is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour or suicide later in life. Further, cultural barriers prevent the disclosure of CSA in Asian communities. Conclusions: There is an association between CSA and suicidal behaviour in South Asian countries. Future studies should target socio-cultural aspects to develop preventive programs for CSA and later suicide.Item The epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminths in Bihar state, India.(Public Library of Science, 2015) Greenland, K.; Dixon, R.; Khan, S. A.; Gunawardena, K.; Kihara, J. H.; Smith, J. L.; Drake, L.; Makkar, P.; Raman, S.; Singh, S.; Kumar, S.BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infect over a billion individuals worldwide. In India, 241 million children are estimated to need deworming to avert the negative consequences STH infections can have on child health and development. In February-April 2011, 17 million children in Bihar State were dewormed during a government-led school-based deworming campaign. Prior to programme implementation, a study was conducted to assess STH prevalence in the school-age population to direct the programme. The study also investigated risk factors for STH infections, including caste, literacy, and defecation and hygiene practices, in order to inform the development of complementary interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among children in 20 schools in Bihar. In addition to providing stool samples for identification of STH infections, children completed a short questionnaire detailing their usual defecation and hand-hygiene practices. Risk factors for STH infections were explored. RESULTS: In January-February 2011, 1279 school children aged four to seventeen provided stool samples and 1157 children also completed the questionnaire. Overall, 68% of children (10-86% across schools) were infected with one or more soil-transmitted helminth species. The prevalence of ascariasis, hookworm and trichuriasis was 52%, 42% and 5% respectively. The majority of children (95%) practiced open defecation and reported most frequently cleansing hands with soil (61%). Increasing age, lack of maternal literacy and certain castes were independently associated with hookworm infection. Absence of a hand-washing station at the schools was also independently associated with A. lumbricoides infection. CONCLUSIONS: STH prevalence in Bihar is high, and justifies mass deworming in school-aged children. Open defecation is common-place and hands are often cleansed using soil. The findings reported here can be used to help direct messaging appropriate to mothers with low levels of literacy and emphasise the importance of water and sanitation in the control of helminths and other diseases.