Sexual Harassment in Universities: Situational Analysis in Pakistan

The purpose of the study was to analyze "sexual harassment and its psychological effects on the students at the university level." The objectives of the study were to identify the awareness and the causes of sexual harassment among university students. The main purpose of the study was to identify the factors that caused the increasing rate of sexual harassment in educational institutions. The data was collected with a five-point Like rt scale that consisted of thirty-nine (39 statements). The statements were further divided into five (05) factors. The factors related to ethnicity and gender, awareness about sexual harassment act, causes of sexual harassment, reporting of sexual harassment, psychological impacts of sexual harassment. A sample of three hundred (300) students was randomly selected out of the whole population of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, from fifteen departments with equal ratios, male (150) and female (150) students were selected. The obtained scores were analyzed using different statistical methods. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used for statistical data analysis. The results show that at university, girls try to impress others with their styles and gestures. This research indicated that psychological effects on the students are notable as they suffered mental trauma, stress, and anxiety.

Correlates of Presence and Remission of Post-trauma Stress Disorder in Incarcerated Women: A Case-Control Study Design

Women in prison are vulnerable to post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD). However, little is known about the presence of PTSD in imprisoned women or of the natural course of that disorder. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for PTSD in incarcerated women and document correlations of remission. We conducted a retrospective case-control study in the Female Prison of Hunan Province, China. Participants were screened for PTSD and depression using the Chinese version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 5.0. Of the 2,322 women screened, 220 met the criterion for PTSD on admission. Remission (N = 142) and non-remission PTSD (N = 78) were then separated depending on current PTSD status. History of drug use (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28–0.66, p < 0.001) and violent offense (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.09, p < 0.001) were associated with the presence of PTSD. Positive associations with remission were found for longer length of sentence (61–120 vs. 13–60 months) (OR = 4.20, 95% CI: 1.50–11.75, p = 0.006), violent offense (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.12–5.60, p = 0.03), and comorbid depression (OR = 29.69, 95% CI: 3.50–251.78, p = 0.002); while a negative correlate was identified for past depression (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.11–0.53, p < 0.001). Although some incarcerated women with PTSD can spontaneously remit, this study suggested certain criminological and clinical risk factors are associated with the presence of PTSD and others with remission over time. Timely screening and effective intervention should be tailored for individuals with PTSD in prisons.

Abstract P205: Use Of A Noninvasive, Closed-loop, Allostatic, Neurotechnology Reduced Blood Pressure And Improved Sleep In Heterogeneous Cohort

Introduction: Elevated blood pressure is a major modifiable risk for cardiovascular disease. Disturbed central control of cardiovascular regulation due to trauma, stress, anxiety or other causes can lead to rise in blood pressure. High-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroencephalic mirroring (HIRREM®) is a noninvasive, closed-loop, allostatic, acoustic stimulation neurotechnology using software algorithms to identify specific brain frequencies, and translate them in real time into audible tones, to support self-optimization of brain rhythms. Objective: To evaluate the benefits of adding this nontraditional therapy on BP and symptoms of insomnia in subjects with normal or controlled BP, who are enrolled in an IRB-approved open label feasibility study evaluating HIRREM for diverse neuropsychological disorders. Methods: 236 participants (105 female), mean (SD) age 43.1 (16.5), received 15.7 (4.8) HIRREM sessions over 22.6 (18.2) days, (9.3 (3.4) days with sessions). Brachial BP and insomnia score (ISI) were collected before, and 14.0 (14.0) days after HIRREM completion. Paired t-tests were performed. Results: Before HIRREM, participants were divided in the following groups based on ACC/AHA 2017 BP guidelines, normal n=78, elevated n=36, stage 1 n=50, stage 2 n=57, stage 3 n=14 and crisis n=2. There were no changes in medications throughout the study duration. The use of HIRREM was associated with significant reduction in systolic BP (from 126.1 (19.0) to 123.5 (17.0) mmHg, p=0.007), and diastolic BP (from 75.3 (10.6) to 73.0 (9.0) mmHg, p<0.001), with no change in heart rate. Many participants moved to lower BP stage after V2 with the number of participants within normal BP at V2 increasing from 78 to 88. ISI score decreased from 13.2 (7.2) to 6.7 (5.6), p<0.0001. This change met the clinically meaningful drop in ISI of 6 points or more. Conclusion: These data provide evidence of significant benefits of adding a closed-loop therapy for blood pressure reduction and improving sleep. Further studies are indicated to better define the role of this promising intervention to improve sleep, depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular outcomes.

The Effectiveness of Self-Induced Unclassified Therapeutic Tremor for Decreasing Secondary Traumatic Stress among Social Workers

Secondary traumatic stress symptoms are marked by the emergence of traumatic memories experienced by otherpeople, rejection of the stimulus that triggers traumatic memories, and emotional turmoil. If left untreated, it maylower the quality of service and health of social workers. To lower secondary traumatic stress symptoms, it isnecessary to deliver psychological treatment that can be easily and independently done, is effective and cost-efficient, and universal. As such, Therapeutic Tremor Exercises through Self-Induction are consideredappropriate to respond to this need. This study aims to identify the effect of self-induced unclassified therapeutictremor exercises on reducing secondary traumatic stress levels. This study hypothesizes that there will bedifferences in secondary traumatic stress levels among social workers before and after samples are given self-induced therapeutic tremor exercises. Subjects consisted of female social workers (n = 5) who were indirectlyexposed to traumatic stories of victims for at least 2 hours a week. The study used a single-group pre-post designby comparing secondary trauma stress levels before and after the intervention. The intervention was a one-dayjoint training and 14-day independent training. Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test showed significant differences withZ = -2.023, p = .043, whereby secondary trauma stress levels prior to the intervention (M = 45.4) was higher thanafter the intervention (M = 26.2).