Bolanle Adeyemi Ola

Substance use among children and adolescents is a significant public health concern, with early initiation linked to adverse mental health, developmental, and longer-term health outcomes. In the South Pacific, substance use is shaped by distinct socio-cultural, economic, geographic, and structural conditions, including traditional practices such as betel nut use and the challenges of delivering services across island communities. Although research has examined substance use among young people in the region, the literature remains heterogeneous and fragmented. No comprehensive synthesis has yet focused specifically on children and adolescents across South Pacific nations. This systematic review will synthesise evidence on the prevalence, patterns, and determinants of substance use and SUDs among children and adolescents in South Pacific countries. Searches will be conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library for publications from 2000 to 2026. Grey literature in region-focused repositories will also be searched. Observational studies reporting quantitative data on substance use among people aged 10–18 years will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen studies, extract data, and assess methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. If sufficiently comparable data are available, meta-analysis will be conducted using random-effects models; otherwise, findings will be synthesised narratively.

Background: This review examines the prevalence of substance abuse and related disorders in South Pacific nations. Methods: The review focused on data included in reports published since 2000 from countries like Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and French Polynesia, excluding Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and American Samoa. Prevalence studies indexed in Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Cochrane were screened and retrieved. Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools were used to assess included studies. Results: Ten studies with diverse methods, such as national surveys, were analysed. Results show high variability in prevalence across countries, sexes, and ethnicities. Notably, tobacco and betel nut use are prevalent. Indigenous populations and men face higher SUD burdens. Discussion: inconsistencies in study methods and reliance on self-reporting limit direct comparison. Data on co-occurring disorders and polysubstance use are limited, highlighting research gaps. The review emphasises the need for culturally sensitive, standardised research to monitor emerging trends like synthetic drug use. Policy suggestions call for targeted interventions and improved surveillance to reduce disparities and support vulnerable populations in Pacific Island communities.

Mental health disorders impose a significant global burden, affecting over 970 million people worldwide, with a disproportionate impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where approximately 85% of individuals with severe mental illness receive no effective care [1,2]. Sub-Saharan Africa exemplifies this crisis, with mental health conditions contributing nearly 20% of the total disease burden, […]

The South African Journal of Psychiatry publishes topical content in psychiatry for clinical practice and academic pursuits, including work in the subspecialty areas of psychiatry.

Socio‐ecological factors are major determinants of poor mental health across the life span. These factors can lead to health inequalities, which refer to differences in the health of individuals or groups (Kirkbride et al., 2024). Health inequity “is a specific type of health inequality that denotes an unjust, avoidable, systematic and unnecessary difference in health” (Arcaya, Arcaya, & Subramanian, 2015). Among several intersecting social adversities, inequity is one of the most pervasive contributors to poor mental health across all regions (Venkatapuram & Marmot, 2023). Structural inequity creates institutional power structures that marginalise large sections of the population and concentrate resources in the hands of a small minority (Shim, Kho, & Murray‐García, 2018). The world is now more prosperous than it has ever been, yet the world is witnessing more within country inequality with the vast majority of the world's resources in the hands of a small minority of individuals or regions (United Nations, 2020).

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with sleep quality in healthcare students and to determine whether depressive and anxiety symptoms may explain some of the associations between sleep quality and self-rated health. Study design: This is a cross-sectional study at wave one. Methods: A total of 637 healthcare students were recruited via a stratified random sampling method in Hangzhou, China. The Sleep Quality Questionnaire (SQQ) and the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) were used to assess sleep quality and depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Self-rated health was assessed via a self-developed questionnaire of both physical and psychological health. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of sleep quality on self-rated health through depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: Students engaged in part-time employment (p = 0.022), with poor perceived employment prospects (p = 0.009), and who did not participate in recreational sports (p = 0.008) had worse sleep quality. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant total effect of sleep quality on self-rated health (b = 0.592, p < 0.001), a significant direct effect of both sleep quality and depressive and anxiety symptoms on self-rated health (b = 0.277, 95% CI: 0.032–0.522), and a significant indirect effect of sleep quality on self-rated health through depressive and anxiety symptoms (b = 0.315, 95% CI: 0.174–0.457). Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms partially explain the association between sleep quality and self-rated health. Intervening upon sleep quality, depressive, and anxiety symptoms may bolster the self-rated health of healthcare students.

Introduction: Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and is associated with a wide range of psychiatric morbidities. The study aimed at determining the profile of psychiatric morbidity among cancer patients. Methods: In this descriptive study, 130 patients with different types of cancer were selected by systematic random selection and were interviewed. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, medical comorbidity, duration of the cancer, and duration of treatment was obtained. Psychological distress was assessed using the GHQ-12. The MINI was used to establish the presence or absence of any psychiatric diagnosis, Information on the receipt of formal psychiatric treatment was also obtained. Associated factors and predictors of “any mental disorder” (AMD) were determined. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.0 Results: Prevalence of psychological distress was 63.8%, adjustment disorder 20.0%, anxiety disorder 29.2%, major depression 36.2%, delirium 6.9%, psychosis 2.3%, mania 0.8%, 12-month alcohol use disorder 3.8%, 12-month tobacco use disorder 0.8%, 12-month opioid use disorder 1.6%, 12-month cannabis use disorder 0.8%. In all, 66.9% had Any Mental Health Problems. The most common medical comorbidity was hypertension (36.2%) and diabetes (23.1%). Predictors of AMD were long duration of cancer OR = 6.27, 95% CI (1.22-12.1), duration of cancer treatment above 6 months OR = 5.04, 95% CI (1.97-12.92); and the presence of any medical comorbidity OR = 2.53, 95% CI (1.04-6.19). Conclusion: Cancer is associated with significant psychiatric morbidity, necessitating a collaborative Consultation-Liaison Psychiatric Service in cancer care.

This study examined e-books utilisations and students' academic achievement in universities in Lagos State: implication for educational planners. With the use of descriptive survey research methodologies, this study was driven by three research questions and three null hypotheses. All six of Lagos State's traditional universities make up the study's population. Three institutions were chosen using a straightforward random sampling method. Additionally, 150 final-year students from each of the studied institutions were chosen using a practical selection approach, resulting in 450 respondents from the three universities chosen for the study. A well-structured questionnaire titled "E-Book Utilisation and Students' Academic Achievement in Universities" was used to gather data (IEBSAAU). The test-retest reliability approach was used to validate the instrument, and it was determined to be reliable with a reliability coefficient of 0.79. The statistical technique Chi-Square was used to gather data. The findings showed significant relationship in the use of electronic books with X² = (4, N = 450) = 246.462, P =.000; a significant relationship between computer literacy with X² = (4, N = 450) = 206.431 , P =.000; a significant relationship between students ‘perception on the use of electronic books for academic progress with X² = (4, N = 450) = 262.109 , P =.000 and student academic achievement. It is recommended that: E-book library should be set up and maintained in every university of study to boost interest and enlightens students and teachers on the importance of e-books to teaching and learning.

Substance use among Nigerian adolescents has increased significantly in the past decade, highlighting the need to implement evidence-based, effective prevention programs as one strategy to help reverse this trend. This study aimed to identify profiles of adolescent substance use and parenting and school correlates of these profiles to inform preventive interventions. Latent class analysis identified four distinct use patterns in 2,004 adolescents (46% male; M = 14.8 years) attending public and private schools in Lagos. Low levels of use distinguished the Low Use class (92.1% of the sample), while use of alcohol, cigarettes, and codeine defined the Alcohol Use class (2.9%). Moderate to high use of tramadol and codeine without a prescription differentiated the Nonmedical Use class (2.8%), and high use of most substances defined the High Use class (2.1%). Males, older youth, and private school students engaged in the riskiest substance use. Students in the Low Use class compared to students in the High Use class were more likely to attend public schools and had parents who solicited less information from them but were more disapproving of substance use. Students in the Low Use class relative to students in the Alcohol Use class also were more likely to attend public schools and had parents who solicited less information but knew more about their child’s activities. These findings suggest that tailored preventive interventions with parents and adolescents could be useful and that more research is needed to understand how the private school context confers risk for substance use.