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Background: Social phobia disrupts students in their academic career. The aim of this research work was to study this anxious disorder impact on the academic performance among students from the University of Parakou (UP). Study methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study with prospective data collection among 363 students recruited through systematic random sampling from April to June 2015 at the campus of the UP. A questionnaire including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Liebowitz social anxiety intensity evaluation scale and the ASSIST was used for data collection in compliance with recommended ethical principles. Results and Conclusion Social phobia prevalence among students from the campus of University of Parakou was 11. 6% [CI95% = 10. 9-21. 2]. Its intensity was moderate (66.7%), medium (23.4%), severe (7.1%) and very severe (4.8%) only among female students. Moreover, gender, rural or urban living environment and field of study were statistically associated with this social phobia which reduced academic performance by 57.1%, among the studied population. However, 42.9% were not influenced in any way. Addiction to alcoholic beverages (23.8%) and anxiolytics (9.5%) were used to overcome the disorder. Although the risk of dependency to these substances was low, adverse effects on their health and socio-professional future were to be taken seriously.

Despite the development of knowledge in diagnosis and therapeutic of epilepsy it remains to be cause of rejection and stigma. We aimed to study the knowledge, attitude and practice toward epilepsy and the stigma in a rural community. The cross-sectional study was carried out from 1st to 31st March 2011 in a rural community (Tourou) at Parakou in the northern Benin. It was a door-to-door survey and included 1 031 adults older than 15 years. The diagnosis of epilepsy was based on International League Against Epilepsy. The specific questionnaire was used and comprised 16 items which explored knowledge, attitude and practice toward epilepsy. Another questionnaire was developed to study stigma among epileptics. The associated factors to the misconception toward epilepsy have been studied. All adults have heard about epilepsy and knew the generalized tonic-clonic form of epilepsy and knew someone with epilepsy. Hereditary (98%) and witchcraft (97.9%) and social problems (65.9%) were mentioned as the most cause of epilepsy. Epilepsy was cited as contagious disease by 90.6% of respondents and the associated factors were the sex (p=0.005) and occupational status (0.024). The saliva (98.1%) and witness of the place of seizure (97.8%) were the frequently mentioned modes of transmission. 65% of all mentioned that epileptics can not get marriage and the main associated factors to this belief were the advanced age (p=0.008) and occupational status (0.004). 64.4% believed that children with epilepsy shouldn't be attend to school, age (0.004), ethnicity (0.047) and occupational status were the associated factors with this misconception. Despite 99.4% considered epilepsy as treatable disease only 12.7% would have referred epileptics to the hospital. All the seven epileptics considered themselves as victims of stigma and rejected by their family and the community. The misconceptions associated to the epilepsy can explain the stigma and the therapeutic gap in this rural community.

Background: Anxiety and depressive disorders can disturb the development of pregnancies. The goal was to study the prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression in expectant mothers followed in public maternity wards of Parakou in 2018. Population and methods: It was a crosssectional study which consisted in an exhaustive census and a consecutive recruitment of 835 expectant mothers from June 14th to September 14th, 2018. Data collection was realized through interview between the investigator and the respondent basing on a questionnaire in which were integrated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-3 (EPDS-3), EPDS and modular Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (IHLCS-2015) to assess respectively anxiety, depression and expectant mothers' socio-economic level. Results: The prevalences of anxiety and depression were respectively 44.91% and 35.33%. Many factors were associated with anxiety and depression. Low socio-economic level increased 6.7 times the risk of developing anxiety (OR = 6.70; IC 95% [2.83 -13.00]; p = 0.000) and 8.64 times the risk for the onset of depression (OR = 8.64; IC 95% [3.09 -17.18]; p = 0.000). Celibacy increased 2.67 times the risk of developing anxiety (OR = 2.67; IC 95% [1.19 -5.98]; p = 0.000) and 2.18 times the one of depression (OR = 2.18; IC 95% [1.07 -4.40]; p = 0.000). Low economic level and celibacy were the main psychosocial determinants of anxiety and depression in expectant mothers. Conclusion: The implementation of multidisciplinary action program centred on improving purchasing power would reduce the risk of anxiety and depression in expectant mothers.

Introduction: Maternal mortality is still very high in Benin. Being one of the methods of reducing this mortality, contraception is still very rarely used in Benin, particularly in Borgou district. The objective of this work was to evaluate the experience of using Jadelle contraceptive implants by women in the city of Parakou in the Borgou department. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, with retrospective and prospective data collection over the period from March 1 to July 31, 2016. Results: A total of 320 women were involved in the study. The mean age was 28.29 years, with extremes of 16 and 44 years. Socio-professionally, housewives predominated (56.88%). Sixty-eight point forty-four percent of women were educated and only 111 (34.69%) women had reached secondary school; married women were mostly represented. Obstetrically, multi-gestures were the most affected (43.75%). Birth spacing was the main reason for choosing Jadelle (48.13%). Majority of patients had their husbands consent to use Jadelle contraceptive method (85.31%). Sixty-eight point fifty-two percent of women had used this contraceptive method for 2 to 4 years. Jadelle had been chosen by the majority (78.75%) of the women, for its long duration of action and its easy use. The dropout rate for Jadelle was 35/320 (10.94%) after 3 years of use. The failure rate for this method was 0.31% (1/320). The satisfaction rate was 87.5%. Conclusion: Jadelle contraceptive implants are an important part of contraceptive methods in Parakou.