Objective: COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and has become a global pandemic. This situation can cause psychological distress among people, especially health care workers. This study aimed to determine depression and anxiety levels among Iranian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: In this cross sectional study, we designed an online survey of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires. The survey link was sent to 500 medical clerks and interns studying at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).
Results: A total of 64.6% of the students completed the survey. The prevalence of mild to severe anxiety and depression among them was 38.1% and 27.6%, respectively. Anxiety and changes in sleep patterns were the most common symptoms. Higher levels of anxiety were related to female gender, lower grade point average (GPA), and experience of COVID-19 symptoms. Students with lower GPA and prior experience of COVID-19 symptoms were more likely to feel depressed.
Conclusion: Depression and anxiety did not significantly differ among Iranian medical students before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Somatic symptoms of depression are more common during this pandemic and need particular attention in future similar situations. A higher GPA is related to lower anxiety and depression among medical students.
Associations among parenting styles, parental authority beliefs, and adolescent—parent conflict were examined in 426 mothers of middle adolescents from 3 cities in Iran. Consistent with past research, mothers judged parental authority as less legitimate for personal than for conventional or prudential issues. Poorer, less educated mothers were more authoritarian in their parenting, and more authoritarian and less authoritative parenting and poorer maternal mental health were uniquely associated with more frequent and more intense conflicts. Conflicts were more frequent among mothers who evaluated parental authority as less legitimate for prudential issues and more legitimate for personal issues, particularly among mothers of boys. Despite broad variation in mothers’ education and social class, conflicts reflected concerns about drawing boundaries between mothers’ legitimate authority and adolescents’ personal jurisdiction.
Aim
Depression has been recognized as one of the disorders associated with cardiac interventions such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of sulforaphane in treatment of depression induced by cardiac interventions.
Methods
After initial screening, 66 patients with previous history of at least one cardiac intervention and current mild to moderate depression were randomly assigned to two parallel groups receiving either sulforaphane (n = 33) or placebo (n = 33) for six successive weeks. Efficacy was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM‐D) at baseline and week 2, 4, and 6. Safety of the treatments was checked during the trial period.
Results
Sixty participants completed the clinical trial (n = 30 in each group). Baseline demographic and clinical parameters were all similar among groups. Repeated measures analysis indicated that the sulforaphane group exhibited greater improvement in HAM‐D scores throughout the trial (P < 0.001). Response to treatment (≥50% reduction in the HAM‐D score) rate was higher in the sulforaphane group at trial endpoint (30% vs 6.67%, P = 0.042). Remission (HAM‐D score ≤ 7) rate was also higher in the sulforaphane group; however, the difference was not significant (23.33% vs 3.33%, P = 0.052). Finally, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of frequency of side effects.
Conclusions
Sulforaphane could safely improve depressive symptoms induced by cardiac interventions. Further clinical trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow‐up periods are warranted to confirm our results.
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