Publications

Objectives: To assess the association between students' financial loss and depressive symptoms during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether this association varied by countries having different levels of lockdown measures. Methods: This cross-sectional survey, conducted in spring 2020, included 91,871 students from 23 countries. Depressive symptoms were measured using the shortened Center for ...

Background Students are a vulnerable group for the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their mental health. This paper examined the cross-national variation in students' depressive symtoms and whether this can be related to the various protective measures implemented in response to the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods Student data stem from the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study, covering 26 ...

Incidence rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising among men who have sex with men (MSM). Since the rollout of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), promoting condom use to prevent the spread of STIs has become more challenging. Using a mixed-method design, we explored MSM PrEP users' attitudes toward STIs, condoms, and condom use with nonsteady partners to prevent STIs. We triangulated data from 22 in-depth interviews conducted ...

School has been demonstrated to be important for children's wellbeing and useful for the reintegration of armed conflict-affected children. However, little is known about the factors that can help stimulate the wellbeing of conflict-affected children in school. This study qualitatively explores the factors that contribute to the school-related subjective wellbeing of armed conflict-affected and displaced children in Nigeria. In this qualitative ...

De Covid-19-pandemie beïnvloedt de routinezorgprocessen voor chronische patiënten. Een beter begrip daarvan helpt om de weerbaarheid van het gezondheidssysteem te vergroten en dit adequaat voor te bereiden op volgende golven van de pandemie. Een kwalitatieve studie werd uitgevoerd in 16 eerstelijnspraktijken: 6 solo-, 4 monodisciplinaire en 7 multidisciplinaire praktijken. Aan de hand van semigestructureerde video-interviews werden 21 ...

The I-SHARE-1 study in 30 countries assessed sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adults. During COVID-19 measures, 32.3% of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% experienced partner violence, and 5.8% decreased casual partner condom use. Background There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this ...

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) has become an occupational health hazard in South African hospitals where healthcare workers (HCWs) are additionally confronted daily with HIV and its associated stigma, causing a syndemic. Early TB diagnosis and treatment are vital, but the uptake of these services through occupational healthcare units (OHUs) is low. The current study hypothesises that (1) the link between HIV and TB and (2) the perceived HIV ...

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many countries to issue far-reaching policy measures that may have led to increased substance use. Higher education students may have been disproportionally affected due to the rearrangement of educational life and their susceptibility to psychosocial distress and substance use. The current study examined associations between pandemic-related stressors, psychosocial distress, and self-reported alcohol, tobacco, and ...

The chronic illness trajectory and its outcomes are well explained by the concept of illness identity; the extent to which ill individuals have integrated their diagnosed chronic illness into their identity or sense of self. The capacity to measure illness identity in people living with HIV (PLHIV) is still relatively unexplored. However, this is potentially useful to help us understand how outcomes for PLHIV could be improved and sustained. ...

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were accountable for 24% of the total deaths in Cambodia, one of the low- and middle-income countries, where primary health care (PHC) settings generally do not perform well in the early detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of leading risk factors for CVDs, that is, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension (HT). Integrated care for T2D and HT in the Cambodian PHC system remains limited, with more than ...