Background:Surpassing the global and Bangladesh averages, Jhenaidah, a southwestern region in Bangladesh, remains one of the most prone districts for suicidal ideation and suicide rates. However, despite the higher prevalence, there is no psychometric measure available to assess the degree of suicidal ideation in this region. The present study aimed to validate the Bangla version of the Suicidal Ideation Scale (B-SIS) in Jhenaidah. Methods:We recruited 300 participants (male 50.87% and female 45.13%) via purposive sampling from six sub-districts, with an overall mean age of 23.26 (SD = 2.96). We used the B-SIS, the World Health Organisation-5 Well-being Index and the Symptom Rating Scale. Results:The scale yielded a one-factor structure with 55.58% of the total variance supported by multiple indices in confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.061, CFI = 0.981, TLI = 0.971, SRMR = 0.035). The intraclass correlation coefficient (two-way random-effects model, absolute agreement) for average measures was 0.90 (95% CI, [0.84, 0.95]; F[29, 551] = 10.11; p < .001), indicating high score stability across administrations. The scale also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, reliability and construct validity. Conclusions:The psychometric properties suggest that the B-SIS is a suitable measure to assess suicidal ideation in Jhenaidah. The study is expected to advance scholarly work in suicidology by taking Jhenaidah into account.

Suicide remains a major public health concern globally, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Bangladesh, as an LMIC, reports rising rates of suicide-related deaths each year. While this increase is observed across both rural and urban areas, people in rural regions appear to contribute disproportionately to the growing suicide rates. This disparity is largely attributed to the limited access to mental healthcare services, heightened stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, and low levels of mental health literacy, collectively hindering timely intervention for mitigating suicide risk. Against this backdrop, this article explores the feasibility of implementing a Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) within community settings across Bangladesh to mitigate suicide risk. SPI is a brief, structured intervention that includes identifying warning signs, coping strategies, social supports, and professional resources to be utilized during suicidal crises. As a cost-effective approach, SPI can be administered by both professionals and paraprofessionals, making it suitable for integration at various levels of the healthcare system. The adaptability of the intervention holds promise for promoting increased collaboration among stakeholders and extending mental health support into underserved communities. Amidst the severe shortage of mental health professionals in Bangladesh, SPI may offer a practical and scalable strategy for addressing suicidal crises, particularly in community-based settings. The viewpoint concludes by discussing potential challenges that may undermine the successful implementation of SPI, including contextual and systemic barriers, and provides recommendations for promoting an evidence-based, low-cost, sustainable, and culturally appropriate suicide prevention model in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND:Mental health issues among Bangladeshi children and adolescents are increasing due to sociocultural factors. Despite its importance, in-depth research is scarce. This study addresses the gap by exploring mental health issues, risk factors and barriers to accessing care in rural and urban Bangladesh through qualitative methods. METHODS:We conducted semi-structured interviews with 38 participants across both rural and urban areas, including 12 in-depth interviews with children and adolescents, 10 key informant interviews with caregivers and 2 focus group discussions with community representatives, educators and healthcare providers. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes. In addition to the interviews, we utilized observational data and yearly records from ADD International Bangladesh, a community-based mental health organization, to provide contextual depth and triangulate findings. RESULTS:The findings revealed three themes: mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and substance abuse; risk factors including device overuse, family conflicts and substance availability; and barriers to care such as lack of services, low mental health literacy and stigma from religious and societal beliefs. CONCLUSIONS:The study provides an in-depth understanding of mental health issues, risk factors and barriers to care in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. The findings enhance the understanding of the mental health status of young people and can inform policy development and the formation of suitable psychosocial interventions.

Persons with disabilities face numerous barriers that affect their well-being, yet no validated Bangla tool exists to assess subjective well-being in this population. This study validated the Bangla WHO-5 Well-being Index among 518 adults with disabilities from rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Reliability and validity were examined using Classical Test Theory and Rasch analysis. The scale demonstrated a unidimensional structure with good model fit (CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06). Internal consistency was acceptable (alpha = 0.63), and test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.87). Convergent and divergent validity were supported. Rasch analysis showed acceptable item fit and strong item and person separation reliability. Findings suggest that the Bangla WHO-5 is a valid and reliable measure of subjective well-being among persons with disabilities.

BackgroundSuicidal ideation is a pressing mental health concern among university students, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, where academic pressure, research-related stress, and limited support systems heighten the risk. While mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety are known predictors, the role of academic research involvement-particularly thesis engagement, supervision, and institutional support-remains underexplored and is examined in this study.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 508 university students and recent graduates in Bangladesh using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression to examine associations between suicidal ideation and psychological, academic, and institutional factors, while QGIS was used to conduct geospatial analysis.ResultsThe prevalence of past-year suicidal ideation was 14.0%. In the adjusted model, anxiety (AOR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.12-5.17) and insomnia (AOR = 3.29, 95% CI: 1.24-8.73) were significantly associated, while students not engaged in thesis work (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.16-0.88) and not interested in publishing their theses (AOR = 3.450, 95% CI: 1.047-11.371) had higher odds of suicidal ideation. Among students engaged in thesis work, unadjusted analyses revealed significant associations between suicidal ideation and intention to publish thesis work, poor supervisor availability, unclear academic guidance, lack of publication support, and perceptions of a non-supportive institutional research environment.ConclusionMental health challenges and academic exclusion-particularly non-thesis status and inadequate supervisory or institutional support-are key contributors to suicidal ideation. Universities should adopt inclusive research policies, enhance mental health services, and strengthen mentorship systems to reduce suicide risk and promote student well-being, especially in resource-constrained academic environments like Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND:Mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and insomnia, are increasingly prevalent among university students and graduates, especially those involved in academic research. The impact of research-related characteristics on mental health remains underexplored. AIM:We examined this relationship using machine learning alongside traditional statistical analyses and GIS mapping. METHODS:Data from 508 university students and graduates were collected, and encompassed socio-demographics, academic information, research related information, and mental health outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, while spatial analysis was conducted using QGIS and machine learning models were developed with Python with Google Colab. RESULTS:High prevalence rates of depression (39.8%), anxiety (29.3%), and insomnia (12.2%) emerged. Feature selection highlighted research experience (excluding thesis), research courses during the bachelor's program, and interest in a research-related career as significant predictors of mental health outcomes. CatBoost modeling performed best in accuracy and precision of risk prediction of mental health conditions. Support Vector Machine model performed well in predicting depression, while Random Forest showed consistent low log loss, indicating better calibration across mental health issues. GIS mapping revealed no significant regional heterogeneity in mental health outcomes. Research-related factors, such as research experience and academic pressures, significantly impact the mental health of university students and graduates. CONCLUSIONS:Machine learning models may enable institutions to more effectively identify at-risk students and provide personalized support to foster a supportive research environment, ultimately improving both mental health outcomes and academic success.

BACKGROUND:The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of people across the world, including those with disabilities in Bangladesh. However, very little research exists that has explored the mental health problems experienced by persons with disabilities in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of common mental health problems in persons with disabilities in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. METHODS:A cross-sectional survey using the Bangla Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (BDASS-21) with sociodemographic was conducted among 950 participants with varying types of disabilities in Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Gazipur. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used to measure the effects. RESULTS:The prevalence of moderate to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress among participants was 67.6%, 72.6%, and 49.5%, respectively. Urban participants exhibited significantly higher levels of depression (76.6% in Dhaka), anxiety (86.1% in Dhaka), and stress (32.1% in Dhaka) compared to their rural counterparts (depression: 86.16%, anxiety: 91.07%, stress: 97.77% in Gazipur). Gender differences were observed in anxiety, with females reporting higher anxiety levels than males (p<0.05). Age and geographical location were significantly associated with stress (p<0.042 and p<0.001, respectively), with those reporting higher anxiety also experiencing greater stress (p<0.001). Specific disabilities, such as visual disabilities, were linked to higher stress levels, while depression and anxiety did not show significant associations with demographic factors or disability type. CONCLUSION:Results highlight the prevalence of common mental health problems among persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. The findings can contribute to the development of appropriate public health intervention plans taking into consideration persons with disabilities, especially during emergencies.

The landscape of academic publishing has evolved dramatically, leading to a surge in publications and journals. The ‘publish or perish’ culture has resulted in undesirable practices, such as many researchers publishing in predatory journals due to institutional pressures and lack of awareness. While numerous studies have investigated knowledge of predatory journals, overall research literacy has remained underexplored. This study is the first to assess research literacy comprehensively, incorporating GIS and machine learning techniques alongside traditional statistical analyses. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey method with a questionnaire collecting information on socio-demographics, academic information, research training and experience, and research literacy. Traditional statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, while machine learning models were developed with Python and Google Colab. Supervised classification algorithms and mapping with R statistical software’s ‘bangladesh’ package. The findings revealed that over half of the participants had poor research literacy. Significant predictors of higher research literacy included satisfaction with research courses at university education, research course taken outside university , and research-related professional engagement. Machine learning analysis identified that taking research courses outside of university was the most impactful factor for research literacy, while researchers within family members had minimal influence. The Random Forest and CatBoost models performed strongly in predicting literacy, achieving accuracy rates of 73.04% and 71.57%, respectively, and precision values of 73.29% and 71.69%, respectively, with low log loss values of 0.57 and 0.56. GIS-based spatial analyses revealed regional disparities in research literacy (χ²=9.234, p = 0.236), with certain divisions exhibiting a higher prevalence of lower literacy. This study highlights that a substantial portion of the participants lack research literacy, which is associated with multiple factors. The findings suggest the need for intervention programs to enhance research practices and awareness among students and professionals, fostering a culture of academic excellence.

One of the core features of mental health is psychological well-being, which includes enjoyment, pleasure, happiness, fulfillment, and resilience. Assessing psychological well-being might be a useful indicator in determining the effectiveness of a research study or the appropriateness of a clinical intervention. The gender and sexually diverse people (GSDP), including men who have sex with men (MSM), male sex workers (MSW), and transgender women (hijra), are subject to widespread stigma and discrimination in Bangladesh that imposes a great mental health burden by compromising their mental health and well-being. The Bangla WHO-5 Well-being Index may be considered a promising and useful instrument for assessing the well-being of GSDP. However, the psychometric properties of the Bangla WHO-5 Well-being Index on GSDP have never been explored in Bangladesh. Data were collected from 229 GSDP, including self-identified gay men, during their screening for enrollment in a Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pilot intervention. The WHO-5 Well-being Index (WHO-5) was administered between February 2022 and August 2022. Confirmatory factor analysis, along with reliability and validity assessments of the WHO-5, were conducted using IBM SPSS software version 24 and AMOS 18. The scale showed very good results with regard to internal consistency, where Cronbach’s alpha value was found to be 0.856. With regard to divergent validity, the scale manifested a significant negative correlation with depression (r= -0.753, p < 0.01), anxiety (r= -0.614, p < 0.01), and stress (r= -0.702, p < 0.01) subscales of the Bangla Depression Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) scale. Convergent validity was supported by Average Variance Extracted (0.64) and Composite Reliability (0.89) values. The single-factor structure of the scale was confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis (χ2 = 8.244, χ2/df = 1.648, GFI = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.053, TLI = 0.986, CFI = 0.993, and SRMR = 0.0218). Findings of the present analysis indicate that the Bangla WHO-5 Well-being Index is a valid and reliable instrument to assess psychological well-being among GSDP in Bangladesh and is comparable with the original version of the scale in terms of psychometric properties.

The Caring for Carers (C4C) project aims to assess the effectiveness and acceptability of an online, group-based supervision program for mental health practitioners working with displaced communities in Bangladesh and in Türkiye and Northwest Syria. This paper highlights the integration of Rohingya perspectives to ensure responsiveness to the unique needs of displaced populations through the supervision program. Adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, the project engaged Rohingya community members in every phase to ensure the program’s relevance to local needs. A Rohingya Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed to integrate Rohingya perspectives and conducted in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus group discussions (FGD) with two female MHPSS service users and five male community members, respectively. As recommended by Kiger and Varpio (2020), thematic analysis was employed within a constructivist framework that acknowledged cultural variations in mental health perceptions. The C4C project employed several strategies to engage community members and integrate their perspectives. Stakeholder consultations involved MHPSS service users and community members, the RAC conducted workshops for supervisors, and engaged regularly with the project team providing insights on cultural and practical challenges and collaborating to adapt supervision program materials. FGD and IDI with service users and community members provided a first glimpse into the community’s needs, and experiences, whereas the advisory committee provided lived experiences, meaning of displacement, and ancestral background. The project team invested in a respectful relationship with the advisory committee, working collaboratively to reflect on each other’s perspectives through regular meetings and adding content and strategies to the supervision processes. Voices from the community informed the supervision program by elucidating contextual markers, cultural and situational understanding, appreciation, curiosity, experiential information, historical background, and perspectives on mental health needs as well as services. Incorporating strategies and perspectives from the community, we aimed to provide a framework of community engagement termed as PEACE (Participation, Expertise, Agency, Connection, and Empowerment) along with enabling and challenging factors. Involving mental health service users and community members for which the services have been developed is a crucial stage to ensure mental health services are culturally sensitive. This is even more important for those representing forcefully displaced communities amid limited or no opportunities to contribute to the development and delivery of these services. Often, the voices of these communities are less sought raising concerns over the suitability and acceptability of the services. Community-based participatory initiatives help to include the voices of refugee or displaced communities in research and clinical practice. We aimed to collaborate with with Rohingya refugee community members living in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh to ensure mental health services adequately capture their needs. A Rohingya Advisory Community (RAC) was formed in an effort to understand their needs and opinions to be able to provide culturally sensitive mental health services. Researchers initiated and continued discussions with the RAC for over 2 years. The RAC engaged in several activities such as workshops and presentations to help design a program to support Bangladeshi mental health practitioners to provide mental health care taking the cultural into account. Based on the discussion, we aimed to share a framework- PEACE, to guide meaningful participation in low-and-middle income countries. PEACE stands for Participation, respecting community Expertise, promoting Agency, building genuine Connections, towards Empowerment. In addition, we also discussed potential challenges such as lack of trust and resources, human rights violations to foster meaningful participation. Finally, we emphasized that models of participation from Western countries must be guided by the knowledge of community people who have better cultural, social, and political understanding.

Objectives Incidents of suicide remain a major public health concern worldwide, including in Bangladesh. Scholarly research in Bangladesh has primarily focused on factors contributing to the high prevalence of suicide and suicide attempts among students. However, there is limited research on the community-level factors contributing to suicide, particularly in Jhenaidah, a southeastern region in Bangladesh with a higher prevalence of suicide thoughts and behaviours. Therefore, this study aims to explore the factors responsible for the disproportionate rates of suicides and attempts in Jhenaidah.Design We used an exploratory qualitative study design.Participants A total of 48 participants (Male 29 and Female 19) were purposively recruited from six subdivisions of Jhenaidah. Participants who attempted suicide, their family members, community representatives and healthcare providers comprised the sample.Methods We conducted a semistructured in-depth interview with a purposively selected participant. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis with the inductive method was used.Results Qualitative data analysis led to the emergence of six major contributing factors, each yielding at least one category and subcategory. These factors are broadly associated with interpersonal relationships, physiological and psychological complaints, a range of socioeconomic issues, educational and moral issues, and knowledge and accessibility of methods for suicide.Conclusions Results highlight the intricacies of various factors for the disproportionate rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in Jhenaidah and reinforce the importance of implementing a biopsychosocial perspective on suicide prevention. The results also contribute to the global understanding of suicide through the exploration of indigenous factors.

Indigenous peoples across the world are at disproportionate risk of mental health problems. Colonial hegemony, cultural infiltration, language loss, land grabbing, limited access to healthcare services, including mental health, and geographical isolation - all in synergy - contribute to the heightened risk of developing mental health problems. Epistemic injustice, apparently unrelated, yet another major determinant - can also contribute to the higher prevalence of mental health problems among Indigenous peoples. Systemic exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous people from the generation, dissemination, and validation of knowledge - the central concept of epistemic injustice - provides an opportunity to reflect on the disproportionate rates of mental health problems. If epistemic injustice is left unaddressed, the impetus for Indigenous peoples to participate in conventional health practices would be greatly impeded. In this article, I present the case of Bangladesh, where the conventional mental healthcare system has historically been ignorant of the inclusion of Indigenous people's perspectives and lived experiences, eventually perpetuating epistemic injustice. Finally, I provide a framework to address epistemic injustices to reform mental healthcare in Bangladesh that can inform a system equipped with equitability, accessibility, cultural sensitivity, human rights, social justice, and collaborative alliance - key tenets of global mental health.

Being a frequent malignant tumor of the genitourinary system, Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA) has a poor prognosis. This study focused on identifying and validating prognostic biomarkers utilizing methylation, transcriptomics, and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (TCGA BLCA) cohort. The impact of altered differentially methylated hallmark pathway genes was subjected to clustering analysis to observe changes in the transcriptional landscape on BLCA patients and identify two subtypes of patients from the TCGA BLCA population where Subtype 2 was associated with the worst prognosis with a p-value of 0.00032. Differential expression and enrichment analysis showed that subtype 2 was enriched in immune-responsive and cancer-progressive pathways, whereas subtype 1 was enriched in biosynthetic pathways. Following, regression and network analyses revealed Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), Fos-related antigen 1 (FOSL1), Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (NFE2), ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 4D (ARL4D), SH3 domain containing ring finger 2 (SH3RF2), and Cadherin 3 (CDH3) genes to be the most significant prognostic gene markers. These genes were used to construct a risk model that separated the BLCA patients into high and low-risk groups. The risk model was also validated in an external dataset by performing survival analysis between high and low-risk groups with a p-value < 0.001 and the result showed the high group was significantly associated with poor prognosis compared to the low group. Single-cell analyses revealed the elevated level of these genes in the tumor microenvironment and associated with immune response. High-grade patients also tend to have a high expression of these genes compared to low-grade patients. In conclusion, this research developed a six-gene signature that is pertinent to the prediction of overall survival (OS) and might contribute to the advancement of precision medicine in the management of bladder cancer.

Indigenous people worldwide are at increased risk of mental health problems compared with non-Indigenous people. Longstanding impacts of colonisation, systematic exclusion from rights and subsequent discrimination, and lack of access to quality education and healthcare, including mental healthcare, have been identified as contributory factors to these disproportionate mental health problems. With limited access, Indigenous people are less likely to seek healthcare, owing to the insufficient number of healthcare professionals representing Indigenous communities. In the face of growing numbers of mental health problems in Indigenous people in Bangladesh, this paper sheds light on the inadequate number of mental health professionals, particularly from Indigenous communities, and the potential impacts of this on the well-being of Indigenous people, and considers ways to increase representation of Indigenous mental health professionals. The aim is to ensure that the mental health system in Bangladesh is inclusive and embraces the country's diversity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a major public health challenge across the world, including in Bangladesh. Little scholarly work has explored the mental health experiences of persons with disabilities in rural areas of Bangladesh during the pandemic. A qualitative case study was conducted in the rural areas of Narayanganj, Gazipur, and Narsingdi. A total of 13 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with persons with disabilities and 13 key informant interviews (KIIs) with different stakeholders and caregivers were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed five major themes: lockdown-induced mental health problems, including fear of infection, symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep disturbance, suicidal ideation, and domestic violence; perceived attitude towards mental health issues, including stigma and discrimination; perceived vulnerability was observed in relation to gender, age, and type of disability; barriers to seeking mental health care including distance, financial burden, and indifference towards mental health care; and finally, availability of mental health care which reaffirms a lack of mental health care in rural areas. The findings highlight the importance of integrating mental health into the primary healthcare system with a focus on persons with disabilities to minimise mental health repercussions during times of emergency.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified a coding single nucleotide polymorphism, MYNN rs10936599, at chromosome 3q. MYNN gene encodes myoneurin protein, which has been associated with several cancer pathogenesis and disease development processes. However, there needed to be a more detailed characterization of this polymorphism's (and other coding and non-coding polymorphisms) structural, functional, and molecular impact. The current study addressed this gap and analyzed different properties of rs10936599 and non-coding SNPs of MYNN via a thorough computational method. The variant, rs10936599, was predicted functionally deleterious by nine functionality prediction approaches, like SIFT, PolyPhen-2, and REVEL, etc. Following that, structural modifications were estimated through the HOPE server and Mutation3D. Moreover, the mutation was found in a conserved and active residue, according to ConSurf and CPORT. Further, the secondary structures were predicted, followed by tertiary structures, and there was a significant deviation between the native and variant models. Similarly, molecular simulation also showed considerable differences in the dynamic pattern of the wildtype and mutant structures. Molecular docking revealed that the variant binds with better docking scores with ligand NOTCH2. In addition to that, non-coding SNPs located at the MYNN locus were retrieved from the ENSEMBL database. These were found to disrupt the transcription factor binding regulatory regions; nonetheless, only two affect miRNA target sites. Again, eight non-coding variants were detected in the testes with normalized expression, whereas HaploReg v4.1 unveiled annotations for non-coding variants. In summary, in silico comprehensive characterization of coding and non-coding single nucleotide polymorphisms of MYNN gene will assist researchers to work on MYNN gene and establish their association with certain types of cancers.

There was a general gap on coronavirus disease (COVID) 19 related mental health concerns and coping data from the peak period of pandemic. With the aim of ensuring evidence informed service delivery, this study explored mental health needs, coping mechanisms and preferred service modalities of the front-line healthcare workers (FLHWs), COVID 19 patients and family members of both patients and FLHWs. Sixty-three participants were included in this cross-sectional study which was conducted at the period from July 2020 to December 2020. The FLHWs and patients were recruited using purposive sampling from a COVID 19 dedicated hospital in Narayanganj while the family members were selected through the contact detailed shared by the FLHWs and the patients. Three mental health professionals conducted the interviews over the phone using a semi-structured qualitative interview guide. The findings of the study were presented in three broad categories, namely a) concerns around psychosocial health and wellbeing, b) coping with COVID 19 and its impacts and c) preferred modalities for psychosocial service delivery. The results showed that, low mood was most common (68.3%) followed by irritability and anger (65.1%) and concerns about the future (61.9%) among the participants. A very high number of participants (74%) reported an increase in religious activity and faith. As strategies to cope with the pandemic crisis, the participants most commonly reported engagement in entertainment (27%), taking care of relationships (21%) and engagement in spirituality (17%). The most preferred modality of service was self-help materials (49%; online videos, booklets, posters/leaflets) followed by webinars (12%) and online counselling (10%). However, to enable evidence informed service delivery during any severe pandemic such as COVID 19, the mental health needs of FLHWS and their family members must be addressed. Bang J Psychiatry 2023;37(2):38-45