Health issues of female foreign domestic workers: a systematic review of the scientific and gray literature

Abstract

Background: Although the number of female foreign domestic workers (FDWs) is increasing worldwide, little is known about their health issues.

Objective: To systematically review the literature on health issues of female FDWs to ascertain the problems studied, identify limitations, and suggest future research and policy implications.

Methods: A systematic database (PubMed, EBSCO Host, and Google Scholar) and bibliographic search identified the English-language scientific and gray literature published during 1990–2012 addressing health issues of female FDWs living with the family of the employer, using qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. Studies in which female FDWs constituted less than half of the participants were excluded.

Results: The health issues studied and identified were adverse work conditions and associated health problems (such as physical, verbal, and sexual abuse at the workplace, caregiving tasks associated with musculoskeletal strain, and chemical exposure associated with respiratory difficulty), mental health (psychotic, neurotic, and mood disorders), infectious diseases (most of the studies were on intestinal parasitic infections), and health knowledge/attitudes/practices (most of the studies were in context of sexual and reproductive health). Most of the studies were medical record reviews or questionnaire-based surveys utilizing convenience sampling or qualitative interviews/focus group discussions.

Conclusion: Female FDWs face numerous health problems. Studies on representative, possibly longitudinal, samples of female FDWs focusing on specific health conditions are needed to better understand the epidemiology of such conditions. Concerted efforts through the governments of both labor-sending and host countries are required to improve the health, work conditions, and safety of this vulnerable group of women.     

Evaluating the role and effectiveness of co‐produced community‐based mental health interventions that aim to reduce suicide among adults: A systematic review

BackgroundSuicide is a major public health risk requiring targeted suicide prevention interventions. The principles of co‐production are compatible with tailoring suicide prevention interventions to meet an individual''s needs.AimsThis review aimed to evaluate the role and effectiveness of co‐produced community‐based suicide prevention interventions among adults.MethodsFour electronic databases (PsycInfo, CINAHL, MEDLINE and web of science) were systematically searched. A narrative synthesis was conducted.ResultsFrom 590 papers identified through searches, 14 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most included studies elicited the views and perspectives of stakeholders in a process of co‐design/co‐creation of community‐based suicide prevention interventions.ConclusionStakeholder involvement in the creation of community‐based suicide prevention interventions may improve engagement and give voice to those experiencing suicidal crisis. However, there is limited evaluation extending beyond the design of these interventions. Further research is needed to evaluate the long‐term outcomes of co‐produced community‐based suicide prevention interventions.Patient and Public InvolvementThis paper is a systematic review and did not directly involve patients and/or the public. However, the findings incorporate the views and perspectives of stakeholders as reported within the studies included in this review, and the findings may inform the future involvement of stakeholders in the design, development and delivery of community‐based suicide prevention interventions for adults.     

Immune response to hepatitis B vaccination among people with inflammatory bowel diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionThe response rate to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is low and varies markedly. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the response rate to HBV vaccination and identified the factors predictive of an immune response.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases, and reviewed the titles and abstracts of studies on the efficacy of HBV vaccination in IBD patients performed through July 2016. Anti-HBs levels > 10 IU/L was considered to be an effective immune response. The primary outcome measure was the response rate to HBV vaccination after series completion, and the secondary outcome was identification of factors at baseline predictive of an immune response.ResultsThirteen studies including 1688 patients were eligible for inclusion. Based on a random-effects model, the pooled rate of a response to HBV vaccination among patients with IBD was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 53–69). Young age (mean difference [MD]: −5.7; 95% CI: −8.46, −2.95) and vaccination during disease remission (relative risk [RR]: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.15–2.29) were associated with a positive response to HBV vaccination. In addition, no immunosuppressive therapy was predictive of an immune response compared to immunomodulatory (RR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08–1.63) or anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) (RR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.19–2.08) therapy.ConclusionsBased on this meta-analysis, only three of five IBD patients will show a serological response to HBV vaccination. Vaccination should be performed at the time of IBD diagnosis, during disease remission, or before starting immunosuppressive therapy.     

Violence,stigma and mental health among female sex workers in China: A structural equation modeling

Intimate partner violence is prevalent among female sex workers (FSWs) in China, and it is significantly associated with mental health problems among FSWs. However, limited studies have explored the mechanisms/process by which violence affects mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among partner violence, internalized stigma, and mental health problems among FSWs. Data were collected using a self-administered cross-sectional survey administered to 1,022 FSWs in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guangxi), China during 2008–2009. We used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Results indicated that violence perpetrated by either stable sexual partners or clients was directly and positively associated with mental health problems. Violence also had an indirect relation to mental health problems through stigma. Results highlight the need for interventions on counseling and care for FSWs who have experienced violence and for interventions to increase FSWs’ coping skills and empowerment strategies.     

Suicide and Organ Donors: Spillover Effects of Mental Health Insurance Mandates

This paper considers the effect of mental health insurance mandates on the supply of cadaveric donors. We find that enacting a mental health mandate decreases the count of organ donors from suicides and results are driven by female donors. Using a number of empirical specifications, we calculate that the mental health parity laws are responsible for an approximately 0.52% decrease in cadaveric donors. Additional regression results show that the mandates are not related to other types of organ donations, ruling out the possibility that the mandates are related to an overall trend in the supply of organ donations. The findings suggest that future policies aimed at reducing suicide in a large and significant way can potentially increase the inefficiency that currently exists in the organ donor market. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

吉林省野外作业电力工人心理健康状况及其影响因素

目的 了解吉林省野外作业电力工人的心理健康状况及其影响因素,为采取相应的干预措施提供参考依据。方法 于2016年1-6月采用随机整群抽样方法在吉林省电力公司所属电力线路施工队抽取23个队872名野外作业电力工人进行问卷调查。结果 吉林省872名野外作业电力工人中,有心理问题者270人（30.96%）,心理健康者602人（69.04%）;野外作业电力工人症状自评量表（SCL-90）躯体化、强迫症状、人际关系敏感、抑郁、焦虑、敌对、恐怖、偏执、精神病性因子得分和心理健康总分分别为（1.59±0.54）、（1.81±0.51）、（1.64±0.48）、（1.59±0.47）、（1.51±0.51）、（1.57±0.49）、（1.41±0.53）、（1.57±0.53）、（1.47±0.49）和（142.85±37.62）分,除人际关系敏感因子外,其他各因子及心理健康总分均高于中国常模（均P<0.05）;Meclean's工作紧张问卷中职业紧张因素、职业应对能力和工作满意感3个维度得分分别为（32.37±6.06）、（55.16±7.23）和（31.28±7.04）分,心理问题组3个维度得分均低于心理健康组（均P<0.001）;多元线性逐步回归分析结果显示,月均收入越低、吸烟、有工伤史和工作满意感较低的野外作业电力工人,其心理健康状况越差。结论 吉林省野外作业电力工人的心理健康状况较差,月均收入、是否吸烟、有无工伤史和工作满意感是野外作业电力工人心理健康状况的主要影响因素。     

Perspectives of rural health and human service practitioners following suicide prevention training programme in Australia: A thematic analysis

There are well‐established training programmes available to support health and human services professionals working with people vulnerable to suicide. However, little is known about involving people with lived experience in the delivery of suicide prevention training with communities with increased rates of suicide. The aim of this paper was to report on a formative dialogical evaluation that explored the views of health and human services workers with regard to a suicide prevention training programme in regional (including rural and remote areas) South Australia which included meaningful involvement of a person with lived experience in the development and delivery of the training. In 2015, eight suicide prevention training workshops were conducted with health and human services workers. All 248 participants lived and worked in South Australian regional communities. We interviewed a subsample of 24 participants across eight sites. A thematic analysis of the interviews identified five themes: Coproduction is key, It is okay to ask the question, Caring for my community, I can make a difference and Learning for future training. The overall meta‐theme was “Involvement of a person with lived experience in suicide prevention training supports regional communities to look out for people at risk of suicide.” This paper highlights the need for suicide prevention training and other workforce development programmes to include lived experience participation as a core component in development and delivery.     

A systematic review of effort‐reward imbalance among health workers

The purpose of this article is to systematically collate effort‐reward imbalance (ERI) rates among health workers internationally and to assess gender differences. The effort‐reward (ER) ratio ranges quite widely from 0.47 up to 1.32 and the ERI rate from 3.5% to 80.7%. Many studies suggested that health workers contribute more than they are rewarded, especially in Japan, Vietnam, Greece, and Germany—with ERI rates of 57.1%, 32.3%, 80.7%, and 22.8% to 27.6%, respectively. Institutions can utilize systems such as the new appraisal and reward system, which is based on performance rather than the traditional system, seniority, which creates a more competitive working climate and generates insecurity. Additionally, an increased workload and short stay patients are realities for workers in a health care environment, while the structure of human resources for health care remains inadequate. Gender differences within the ER ratio can be explained by the continued impact of traditional gender roles on attitudes and motivations that place more pressure to succeed for men rather than for women. This systematic review provides some valued evidence for public health strategies to improve the ER balance among health workers in general as well as between genders in particular. An innovative approach for managing human resources for health care is necessary to motivate and value contributions made by health workers.     

Exploring the Risk of Suicide in Real Time on Spanish Twitter: Observational Study

BackgroundSocial media is now a common context wherein people express their feelings in real time. These platforms are increasingly showing their potential to detect the mental health status of the population. Suicide prevention is a global health priority and efforts toward early detection are starting to develop, although there is a need for more robust research.ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the emotional content of Twitter posts in Spanish and their relationships with severity of the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet.MethodsTweets containing a specific lexicon relating to suicide were filtered through Twitter''s public application programming interface. Expert psychologists were trained to independently evaluate these tweets. Each tweet was evaluated by 3 experts. Tweets were filtered by experts according to their relevance to the risk of suicide. In the tweets, the experts evaluated: (1) the severity of the general risk of suicide and the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet (2) the emotional valence and intensity of 5 basic emotions; (3) relevant personality traits; and (4) other relevant risk variables such as helplessness, desire to escape, perceived social support, and intensity of suicidal ideation. Correlation and multivariate analyses were performed.ResultsOf 2509 tweets, 8.61% (n=216) were considered to indicate suicidality by most experts. Severity of the risk of suicide at the time was correlated with sadness (ρ=0.266; P<.001), joy (ρ=–0.234; P=.001), general risk (ρ=0.908; P<.001), and intensity of suicidal ideation (ρ=0.766; P<.001). The severity of risk at the time of the tweet was significantly higher in people who expressed feelings of defeat and rejection (P=.003), a desire to escape (P<.001), a lack of social support (P=.03), helplessness (P=.001), and daily recurrent thoughts (P=.007). In the multivariate analysis, the intensity of suicide ideation was a predictor for the severity of suicidal risk at the time (β=0.311; P=.001), as well as being a predictor for fear (β=–0.009; P=.01) and emotional valence (β=0.007; P=.009). The model explained 75% of the variance.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that it is possible to identify emotional content and other risk factors in suicidal tweets with a Spanish sample. Emotional analysis and, in particular, the detection of emotional variations may be key for real-time suicide prevention through social media.     

Human rights protections and HIV prevalence among MSM who sell sex: Cross-country comparisons from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Laws and policies can affect the HIV risk of key populations through a number of direct and indirect pathways. We investigated the association between HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex and language in the penal code protecting sexual minorities, including men who have sex with men (MSM), and sex workers. HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex was assessed through meta-analysis of published literature and country surveillance reports. Meta-regression was used to determine the association between HIV prevalence and protective laws for sexual minorities and sex workers. Sixty-six reports representing 28 countries and 31,924 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. Controlling for multiple study- and country-level variables, legal protection for sexual minorities was associated with a 10.9% (95% CI: 3.8–18.0%) and sex workers associated with a 7.0% (95% CI: 1.3–12.8%) decrease in country-level HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex. Laws that seek to actively protect sex workers and MSM may be necessary to decrease HIV risk for this key population.     

The use of participatory visual methods with community health workers: A systematic scoping review of the literature

With the need to design and evaluate Community Health Worker (CHW) programmes from a more human-centred perspective, researchers and programme managers are exploring the role of participatory visual methodologies (PVMs). This review identifies, maps, and assesses the quality of current literature that describes the use of PVMs with CHWs. It includes material from the grey literature and 10 major databases between 1978-2018. A Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative checklist was used to assess the overall quality of the included studies. 12 original studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies were located in North America (n?=?9) or sub-Saharan Africa (n?=?3), with photovoice (n?=?6) and digital storytelling (n?=?5) being the most commonly used forms of PVMs. The overall quality of the evidence described in these articles was high, but it was notable that seven studies did not fully report the ethical considerations of their work. The studies revealed that PVMs can help assist CHWs’ reflective practice and understanding of complex health issues, as well as identifying key issues in the community to potentially leverage social action.     

The efficacy of acupuncture on suicidal behavior: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundOne of the leading causes of death worldwide is suicide. Acupuncture has been reported to be related to clinical improvement of some risk factors for suicide including depression. Moreover, practitioner–patient communication is an important component of the acupuncture procedure, which may contribute to suicide risk reduction as a social contact. This systematic review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for suicidal behavior.MethodsA comprehensive search will be conducted in electronic medical databases including MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, PsycARTICLES, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals, Citation Information by NII, Koreanstudies Information Service System, Korea Citation Index, Research Information Sharing Service, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, and Korean Medical database. Interventional studies regardless of its design to assess the role of acupuncture on suicide prevention will be included. The validated measure of suicidal ideation including Beck scale for suicidal ideation will be considered as a primary outcome. The validated tools will be used to assess methodological quality of included studies according to its design (e.g., Cochrane Collaboration''s risk of bias tool-2). If sufficient homogeneous data from controlled clinical trials exist, a quantitative synthesis will be performed. According to the heterogeneity of included studies, either a random-effects or fixed-effects model will be used.DiscussionThe findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis will help to address the emerging major public health problem, suicide, in terms of evidence-based medicine.