Browsing by Author "Ainamani, Herbert E."

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    Gender differences in response to warrelated trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder – a study among the Congolese refugees in Uganda
    (BMC psychiatry, 2020) Ainamani, Herbert E.; Elbert, Thomas; Kani Olema, David; Hecker, Tobias
    The wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo have left indelible marks on the mental health and functioning of the Congolese civilians that sought refuge in Uganda. Even though it is clear that civilians who are exposed to potentially traumatizing events in war and conflict areas develop trauma-related mental health problems, scholarly information on gender differences on exposure to different war-related traumatic events, their conditional risks to developing PTSD and whether the cumulative exposure to traumatic events affects men and women differently is still scanty. Methods: In total, 325 (n=143males, n = 182 females) Congolese refugees who lived in Nakivale, a refugee settlement in the Southwestern part of Uganda were interviewed within a year after their arrival. Assessment included exposure to war-related traumatic events, and DSM-IV PTSD symptom severity. Results: Our main findings were that refugees were highly exposed to war-related traumatic events with experiencing dangerous flight as the most common event for both men (97%) and women (97%). The overall high prevalence of PTSD differed among women (94%) and men (84%). The highest conditional prevalence of PTSD in women was associated with experiencing rape. The dose-response effect differed significantly between men and women with women showing higher PTSD symptom severity when experiencing low and moderate levels of potentially traumatizing event types. Conclusion: In conflict areas, civilians are highly exposed to different types of war-related traumatic events that expose them to high levels of PTSD symptoms, particularly women. Interventions focused at reducing mental health problems resulting from war should take the context of gender into consideration.
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    Participation in gardening activity and its association with improved mental health among family caregivers of people with dementia in rural Uganda
    (Preventive medicine reports, 2021) Ainamani, Herbert E.; Bamwerinde, Wilson M.; Rukundo, Godfrey Z.; Tumwesigire, Sam; Kalibwani, Rebecca M.; Bikaitwaho, Evard M.; Tsai, Alexander C.
    Evidence from high-income settings suggests that gardening is associated with reductions in depression,anxiety,and stress. The benefits of gardening are less well understood by mental health practitioners andresearchers from low- and middle-income countries. Our study estimated the association between participation in gardening and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among caregivers of people living with dementia in rural, southwestern Uganda. In a cross-sectional study, we interviewed 242 family caregivers of people with dementia to elicit their gardening activities; symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales); and caregiving burden (Zarit Burden Interview).Linear multivariable regression models estimated the association between participation in gardening and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Out of 242participants, 131(54%) caregivers were involved in gardening. Severe to extremely severe symptoms of depression were less prevalent among those who were involved in gardening compared with those who were not (0 [0%] vs. 105 [95%], P < 0.001), as were severe to extremely severe symptoms of anxiety(36 [27%] vs.110 [99%], P < 0.001) and stress (2 [2%] vs. 94 [85%], P < 0.001).In regression models adjusting for covariates,we foundstatistically significantassociations betweenparticipation in gardening and symptoms of depression (b = -18.4; 95% CI,20.5 to −16.3), anxiety (b = -16.6; 95% CI, −18.6 to –14.6), and stress (b = -18.6; 95% CI, −20.6 to –16.6).Caregivers of people with dementia who participate in gardening have lower symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Gardening interventions in this at-risk population may ameliorate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.