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MARCH 2025 NEWSLETTER

SOURISH CHOUDHURY | Published on 4/3/2025


IN THIS EDITION 



OPEN MEETING ON APRIL 12TH

Connect with members globally during the monthly Open Meeting. The April meeting is on Saturday April 12 from  9 AM until 10 AM (New York time). Enter Zoom meeting 834 0892 3476 and Passcode 394366 or  Click Here . The Open Meeting occurs on the second Saturday each month except June, when we meet in person at the Rotary International Convention !


 REGISTRATION FOR ANNUAL MEETING IN CALGARY
Please Register for the annual meeting in Calgary using the following link : 

MUSIC MENDS MINDS ROTARY FELLOWSHIP
Join us for our May 10th  Open Membership Meeting at 9am (Eastern) on Zoom when our first 5-8 minutes we will host PDG Bonnie Sirower of the Music Mends Minds Rotary Fellowship. She leads Drum Circles in her region and can be found at the Fellowship booth in the House of Friendship at any Rotary International Convention! 

NEEDS ASSESSMENT  OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE USING CULTURALLY SENSITIVE COMMUNITY AND DIGITAL TOOLS IN A RURAL SCHOOL IN GUATEMALA

- Dr. Geetha Jayaram, Director RAGMHI

 

Demographics

Petén, Guatemala, has a population of 622,409 (2021), with 48% under 20 years old. The ethnic distribution is 30.2% Maya and 69.3% Ladina. The population is predominantly rural (60%), with significant challenges in providing basic services due to the dispersed nature of the population. The local population  faces high poverty rates (60.8% general poverty, 20.2% extreme poverty) and low literacy rates (82.9% for men, 80.3% for women).

Existing Infrastructure for Health and Mental Health

Petén has a limited healthcare infrastructure: 4 hospitals, 13 health centers, 114 health posts, and 23 community centers. Health posts are the primary providers for rural areas, but many lack staff, equipment, medications and other resources. Mental health services are scarce, with only 32.1% of healthcare areas providing  attention to mental health, and 42.9% having access to psychotropic medications. There is poor communication between healthcare providers and limited integration of mental health services across the board.

Barriers to Care

Barriers to healthcare in Petén include high maternal mortality rates, limited access to medical professionals (one physician per 5,000 inhabitants), and cultural inappropriateness of services. Mental health care faces critical l challenges such as stigma, lack of awareness, and insufficient infrastructure. Rural dispersion further complicates access to care, and many health posts and community centers require significant infrastructure improvements.

Thorough Assessments of need by the Vocational Technical Team (Drs. Jayaram, Velez, and Mazariegos; translator; local female Rotarians from the Rotary club of Tikal who were bilingual).

PHQ-9 Translation and Validation

The PHQ-9 survey was translated and validated, revealing that 46% of students had depressive symptoms, with 10% experiencing moderate to severe symptoms. The survey highlighted the need for early screening and identification of high-risk individuals beginning from the early teens.

RESULTS TABLE

RESEARCH REVIEW
- Dr. Larry Kubiak, DIRECTOR RAGMHI 


Modeling playtime
A mother’s interactions with her child can shape how the child plays with other children. In an issue of Developmental Psychology it was found that children whose mothers balance sensitivity and responsiveness in play were more likely to show the same skills with their friends. In addition, children who were assertive during play when their mothers were responsive were more likely to be assertive with new acquaintances.

Social support short-circuits suicidal ideation
In a recent issue of Psychological Services they found that people struggling with mental health symptoms are less likely to think about suicide if they have a social support network in place. Both US veterans and non-veterans were surveyed with the findings consistent across both groups.Their findings indicate that individuals with lower severity of mental health symptoms may benefit from strategies aimed at increasing perceived social support more than those with higher symptom severity.

Family proximity and community values
In the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology researchers surveyed people in the United States, Ghana and the Philippines and found that those who live near their relatives have a stronger sense of community and harsher attitudes toward transgressive behavior. They are more likely to engage in extreme pro group behavior, believe that people are fundamentally connected to others, identify themselves as more connected to and trusting of their community and neighbors and condemn antisocial behaviors.

Parental conflict and social media addiction
In the Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science research indicated that a poor relationship with parents during adolescence, characterized by low parental monitoring and lots of conflict, can contribute to the development of social media addiction in adulthood. Lower levels of parental monitoring when participants were 15 years of age were associated with greater use of chat sites which predicted increased social media involvement at age 25 and ultimately greater likelihood of social media addiction at age 30.

Mental exhaustion drives aggression
Prolonged mental fatigue can kick off changes in the brain’s frontal cortex and make people more aggressive and uncooperative according to research in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Single and loving it
Women are more at peace with being single than men according to a meta-analysis in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Across all measures, women reported a higher level of comfort being single than men. They were also less likely to want a romantic partner and were more satisfied with their lives in general. It was suggested that this greater happiness may reflect the greater likelihood of having supportive relationships beyond romantic ones. They also found that women find heterosexual romantic relationships less rewarding because they perform disproportionately more household chores and as their incomes approach men’s they have less economic incentive to marry.

ROTARY SOUTH ASIA INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE
- Rita Aggarwal, Chair Elect, RAGMHI. D3030

BANGALURU, INDIA - 23rd March 2025

A one -day event was organized on Peace by Rotary District 3192 at Bengaluru. It has been recognized that for fostering peace, some of the critical global issues that need to be addressed are mental and physical health, and environment. The slogan was “Healthier World, Greener Tomorrow”. Five District Chapters of the Rotary Action Group- Mental Health Initiatives, (RAGMHI) in India set up a booth to generate awareness on mental health and increase membership in Chapters. The five Chapters were from Districts 3030, 3192, 3055, 3011 and 3150. Chair D3192 Rupashree Venkat, Chair D3055 Mukesh Parmar, Chair Elect RAGMHI Rita Aggarwal worked hard for putting up the booth and manning it. Board Members of the local chapter D3192, Lalitha Panch, Parvati Anand, Rashmi Raj, Lakshmi Naveen, were active throughout. Posters on mental health, RAGMHI toolkits on projects, chapter formation and handouts were given to visitors. New members were enrolled in the local chapter 3192 and new chapter formations were encouraged. Rotarians from across India and District Governors past, present and future were interested. A huge crowd was witnessed and everyone agreed that mental health was a silent pandemic which needs to be taken up in all earnest. The event was a huge success.  

ACCELERATING ACTION FOR WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH AND EQUALITY
- Andrea Bhagwandeen, RAGMHI Member

International Women's Day (IWD), celebrated annually on 08th March, stands as a powerful global movement to honor the achievements of women and demand unwavering progress toward gender equality. In 2025, the theme "Accelerate Action" underscores the urgency of advancing gender parity, warning that at the current rate, full equality may not be realized until 2158. This is an unacceptable timeline - one that demands bold, immediate, and sustained efforts.

As Gloria Steinem, the world-renowned feminist, journalist, and activist, once stated, "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."; This year’s theme is not just a call to action but a rallying cry for justice, equity, and an end to the systemic issues that continue to plague women's mental health and well-being.

International Women’s Day 2025 and its theme, "Accelerate Action" serve as a call to break the cycle of gender-based oppression - whether it manifests as violence, discrimination, or psychological manipulation. The fight for gender equality is not just about equal opportunities; it is about dismantling the deeply ingrained systems that undermine women's mental health and well-being.

Now is the time for policymakers, healthcare professionals, educators, and individuals to prioritize women’s mental health. We must advocate for policies that protect against gender-based violence, push for mental health resources tailored to women's experiences, and work toward a world where emotional and psychological abuse are recognized, condemned, and eliminated.

The path to equality is long, but it does not have to be slow. Through intentional, determined, and united action, we can ensure that women’s voices are not just heard -but amplified. By confronting these critical issues head-on, we create a future where women are empowered, mental health is prioritized, and manipulation holds no power over those who stand strong together. The time for change is now — let’s accelerate it.

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