Childhood friendships have been shown to impact mental health over the short-term, however, it is unclear whether these effects are sustained into young adulthood. We studied the prospective association between childhood friendships and psychological difficulties in young adulthood. Data come from 1103 French 22–35 year olds participating in the TEMPO study. Childhood friendships were ascertained in 1991 when participants were 4–16 years old. Psychological difficulties were measured in 2009 using the Adult Self-Report. Logistic regression models controlled for participants’ age, sex, childhood psychological difficulties and parental characteristics. Young adults who had no childhood friends had higher odds of psychological difficulties than those with at least one friend: (adjusted ORs: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.32–4.66, p=0.01 for high internalizing symptoms; 1.81; 95% CI: 0.94–3.54, p=0.08 for high externalizing symptoms). Social relations early in life may have consequences for adult psychological well-being.

Objectives Depression following pregnancy is common, but its extent and association with maternal morbidity in the first six months postpartum have not been well described in low resource settings such as rural Bangladesh. Methods We used data from a population-based, community trial of approximately 39,000 married rural Bangladeshi women aged 13-44 between 2001 and 2007 to examine the relation between women's reported morbidity symptoms from childbirth to three months postpartum, and subsequent depressive symptoms assessed at six months postpartum. We calculated crude and adjusted risk ratios for depressive symptoms following women's reports of reproductive, urinary, neurologic, nutrition and other illness measures constructed based on symptomatic reporting. Results In models adjusted for sociodemographic factors and co-morbidities, all postpartum illnesses were associated with an increased relative risk (RR, with 95% confidence intervals [CI] excluding 1) of depressive symptoms by six months postpartum. These morbidities included uterine prolapse (RR=1.20, 95% CI:1.04-1.39), urinary tract infection (RR=1.24, 95% CI:1.11-1.38), stress related incontinence (SRI) (RR 1.49, 95% 1.33-1.67), simultaneous SRI and continuously dripping urine (RR=1.60-2.96), headache (RR=1.20 (95% CI:1.12-1.28), convulsions (RR=1.67, 95%CI 1.36-2.06), night blindness (RR=1.33, 95% CI:1.19-1.49), anemia (RR=1.38, 95% CI:1.31-1.46), pneumonia (RR 1.24, 95% CI:1.12-1.37), gastroenteritis (RR=1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.31) and hepatobiliary disease (RR=2.10, 96% CI:1.69-2.60). Conclusions for Practice Illnesses during the first three postpartum months were risk factors for depressive symptoms, with the strongest associations noted for convulsions and hepatobiliary disease. Symptoms of depression may be of particular concern among women suffering from physical illnesses.

Coronavirus has spread worldwide with over 140 million cases and resulting in more than 3 million deaths between November 2019 to April 2021, threatening the socio-economic and psychosocial stability of many families and communities. There has been limited research to understand the consequences of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in West Africa, and whether such consequences differ by countries’ previous experience with Ebola. Using a media analysis of leading online news sources, this study identified the populations particularly vulnerable to the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, described the consequences of COVID-19 experienced by these populations, and reported on the solutions to address them. All articles from the selected news sources published between January 1 and June 30, 2020 on 6 West African countries were imported into Dedoose. A total of 4,388 news articles were coded for excerpts on vulnerable populations, only 285 excerpts of which mentioned the existing effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations or implemented solutions. News articles from countries with past experience with Ebola were more likely to mention the pandemic’s effects on vulnerable populations, especially on incarcerated people. Vulnerable groups were reported to have experienced a range of effects including economic disruptions, heightened domestic and sexual abuse, arbitrary arrests, health care inaccessibility, and educational challenges throughout the pandemic. With implications for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030 in West Africa, these countries should consider and focus more strategic efforts on vulnerable populations to overcome their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to achieve the SDG for 2030.

Synopsis Pregnant women in Ghana report skipping antenatal care and reconsidering facility delivery due to concerns about COVID‐19.