Search Results (1,969)

The aim of this paper was to evaluate health, psychological distress, and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic among Danish adults with and without a history of mental illness. Data were drawn from three online surveys conducted in May 2020 (n = 3134), January 2021 (n = 1170), and January 2022 (n = 1174) as part of the Danish contribution to the Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT). The prevalence of mental and physical health issues, psychological distress (stress, sleep problems, loneliness, and boredom) and levels of functioning (self-care, interpersonal relationships, hobbies/leisure, and work/education) were evaluated at four different time points stratified by history of mental illness. Findings indicated that physical health was not differentially affected between people with and without prior mental illness. However, mental health declined significantly more among respondents with a history of mental illness. While levels of stress did not differ between the two groups, boredom was more pronounced in May 2020 among those with prior mental illness. Loneliness was significantly higher in this group in January 2021. Sleep disturbances were more pronounced for respondents with former mental illness during the whole period. A decline in functioning was observed in people both with and without a former mental illness. It seemed a little more pronounced for people with mental illness but seldom reached statistical significance. For all measures of health, distress, and functioning, 10–20% of respondents reported improvements in health, distress, and functioning during the pandemic, with stress showing the most improvement—one third of participants reported feeling less stressed. In most of the parameters measured, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to decrease with time. However, the effects were not uniform, and more investigations are needed to understand the whole picture. Full article

Background: Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition that usually begins in adolescence and often progresses to become a chronic and disabling illness. Difficulties in communication and anomalous language are considered core elements of the disorder. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of semantic deficits in individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting that these deficits may constitute a core feature of the disorder. However, research in this area remains limited, particularly among individuals at high risk of developing the disorder. The central hypothesis of this study is that individuals with schizophrenia exhibit semantic processing deficits, even when cognitive function, psychopathology, and medication are controlled for. We also hypothesize that similar, albeit milder, deficits can be observed in individuals at high risk of developing the condition. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 155 participants divided into three groups: 46 with schizophrenia, 42 at high risk due to factors like substance use and high psychopathology, and 67 controls matched by sex, age, and education. Semantic processing was assessed using the semantic relations subtest from the BETA, controlling for medication and cognitive performance as possible confounding factors. Results: the results revealed significant differences among the three groups (F = 28.543; p < 0.001); the schizophrenia group performed poorly, followed by the high-risk group, and then the control group, which showed no deficits. Error patterns were also analyzed to assess group differences, revealing that the schizophrenia group had the lowest scores and the most specific deficits. These findings highlight the relevance of semantic evaluation in schizophrenia and, more importantly, in individuals at high risk of developing the disorder, as such deficits may serve as early biomarkers. Additionally, significant correlations were found between semantic performance and variables such as medication (r = −0.342; p = 0.020), cognition (r = −0.259; p = 0.001), and psychopathology (r = −0.566; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This emphasizes the need to control these factors to avoid misinterpreting semantic deficits in both schizophrenia and high-risk groups. The present research is not without limitations; for example, the study design does not allow for conclusions of causality but rather of correlation. Full article

Public stigma toward psychological help-seeking is a critical barrier to mental health service utilization, particularly among university students in culturally conservative and academically demanding disciplines such as law. In China, where Confucian values emphasize social conformity and face preservation, law students may internalize societal narratives that associate mental illness with personal weakness, deterring them from accessing psychological services. This study translated and examined the psychometric properties of the Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH) among Chinese law students. A total of 1257 undergraduate law students from five universities in China participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on a randomly selected subsample (n = 628) to examine the scale’s factor structure, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a second subsample (n = 629). Results supported a unidimensional factor structure with strong internal consistency (α = 0.82). CFA yielded a good model fit (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.95). Significant negative correlations with help-seeking attitudes (r = −0.37, p < 0.001) supported discriminant validity. While further validation is warranted, the Chinese SSRPH appears suitable for assessing perceived public stigma in legal education contexts and may inform future research and program design in stigma reduction and mental health promotion. Full article

Care-experienced young people often face considerable challenges due to a personal history of trauma and disruption and have a higher risk of homelessness, mental ill health, and involvement with the criminal justice system. A stubborn trend of achieving fewer qualifications than non-care-experienced peers persists, with greater likelihood of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Accessible and sustainable pre-employment programmes should be a priority for national initiatives designed to generate improved outcomes for vulnerable youth. The I-CAN (Initiating and Supporting Care Leavers into Apprenticeships in Nursing) programme offers young people in England (aged 18–30) a person-focussed pathway to training and employment. However, robust research is needed to evidence the effectiveness of this type of small-scale and short-term funded programme. The current paper reports qualitative findings from a pilot study exploring the perceptions and experiences of (N = 27) young people who attended the 8-week I-CAN programme delivered at a Higher Education Institution. Data were collected from four focus groups and thematically analysed. The findings captured young people’s personal trajectories and exposed underpinning processes as well as unique, shared, and intersectional factors that can either facilitate or impede progression to education, employment and training. Crucially, care-experienced young people are not a homogenous group and capturing their authentic, diverse voices in evaluation research is essential for not only assessing if a programme works but for whom, and why. Furthermore, findings can help to inform meaningful strategies and socially valid interventions to support care-experienced young people navigate the transition ‘cliff edge’. Full article

Background: To identify the mental health care needs of resettled refugees, researchers have studied the perspectives of mental health service providers but have paid limited attention to the perspectives of individuals who work directly in resettlement agencies or in agencies that exclusively provide services to promote refugees’ self-sufficiency and integration—the refugee resettlement workforce—who routinely provide support, make referrals, and coordinate mental health care. To better inform programming and service delivery, this qualitative case study focuses on the perspectives of the resettlement workforce. Methods: Focus group interviews conducted with 48 refugee resettlement workforce members were analyzed for their perspectives on refugee mental health needs and care. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that their perspectives centered on barriers to (i.e., resettlement challenges, notions about mental illness, stigma associated with mental illness, inadequate access to mental health care, and limited technology literacy) and facilitators of (i.e., promoting mental health literacy, addressing stigma, providing specific and targeted training, mental health coordination, allies, and building programming capacity) refugee mental health care. A set of recommendations to minimize barriers and promote facilitators is presented. Conclusions: These findings corroborate previous research and inform the practices, programs, and policies that should be developed and implemented to support refugees’ mental health wellbeing, self-sufficiency, and community integration post-resettlement. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental illness, accelerated cognitive decline, and deepened social inequalities. In low and middle-income countries (LMIC) such as Panama, it is unclear as to whether, and to what extent, the pandemic lockdowns affected cognitive, mental, and physical health of older adults. This study investigated changes in cognitive function, mental health, and physical health in a sample of Panamanian older adults assessed before and during the pandemic, and examined whether sociodemographic variables were associated with cognition and mental health. Participants completed in-person interviews between 2018 and early 2020 and a follow-up telephone interview between February and May 2021. Repeated measures analyses showed no significant changes in cognitive function or depression; however, participants reported fewer chronic illnesses. Linear regression analysis indicated that higher cognitive function during the pandemic was associated with younger age, higher education, and having sufficient income. An attrition analysis compared participants who completed both interviews to those who were lost to follow-up, revealing that participants who dropped out of the study had lower socioeconomic status and greater impairment at baseline. These findings highlight the need for targeted support for vulnerable older adults during public health crises. Full article

Background/Objectives: Family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia often face considerable psychological and physical strain due to the complexity of caregiving. Although psychoeducation has demonstrated benefits in alleviating this burden, its provision via telenursing remains underexplored in Saudi Arabia. This study evaluated the effect of a psychoeducational program delivered via telenursing on reducing caregiver burden. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used with 60 caregivers from a tertiary mental health hospital in northern Saudi Arabia, who were divided equally into intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in a structured four-week psychoeducational program via Zoom, while the control group received routine care. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS), a validated tool designed to measure the objective and subjective burden experienced by family members caring for individuals with mental illness. The FBIS was administered before and three months after the intervention. The statistical analysis included independent and paired t-tests and ANOVA. Results: The pre-intervention scores showed no significant differences, confirming baseline equivalence. The post-intervention scores showed a significant reduction in burden among the intervention group (p < 0.001), while no meaningful change occurred in the control group. Additionally, a lower burden was associated with higher education, sufficient income (i.e., the caregiver’s perception of being able to meet essential household expenses without financial strain), strong family support, and absence of caregiver illness. Conclusions: These findings suggest that psychoeducation through telenursing is an effective strategy for reducing caregiver burden and improving support accessibility, particularly for those in remote areas. Full article

Workplace violence (WV) is a ubiquitous risk in healthcare settings where it has been associated with physical and mental health problems. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the violence experienced by healthcare workers (HCWs) and the presence of eating disorders (EDs). During routine health surveillance, 1215 HCWs were questioned about their experience of WV and the short version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-QS) was used to assess their eating behaviors. Sleep quality, stress, and the presence of common mental illnesses and metabolic disorders were also evaluated. HCWs who had experienced one or more assaults in the previous year had a significantly higher EDE score than their colleagues. In a multivariate model, WV doubled the risk of EDs (odds ratio 2.33, confidence intervals 95% 1.30; 4.18, p < 0.01). A very significant association was observed between common mental disorders and EDs (OR 1.13, CI 95% 1.04; 1.23, p < 0.01), while low sleep quality almost reached a significant level (OR 1.09, CI 95% 0.99; 1.20). The higher frequency of EDs among workers subjected to violence may result from maladaptive coping mechanisms used when stress and mental health problems caused by WV lead to compensatory overeating. However, reverse causation, where WV is induced by stigmatization, cannot be ruled out. Because of the considerable impact EDs have on physical and mental health, productivity, and patient care, healthcare organizations should adopt programs designed to prevent these disorders in HCWs. Full article

Social media platforms have emerged as valuable sources for mental health research, enabling the detection of conditions such as depression through analyses of user-generated posts. This manuscript offers practical, step-by-step guidance for applying machine learning and deep learning methods to mental health detection on social media. Key topics include strategies for handling heterogeneous and imbalanced datasets, advanced text preprocessing, robust model evaluation, and the use of appropriate metrics beyond accuracy. Real-world examples illustrate each stage of the process, and an emphasis is placed on transparency, reproducibility, and ethical best practices. While the present work focuses on text-based analysis, we discuss the limitations of this approach—including label inconsistency and a lack of clinical validation—and highlight the need for future research to integrate multimodal signals and gold-standard psychometric assessments. By sharing these frameworks and lessons, this manuscript aims to support the development of more reliable, generalizable, and ethically responsible models for mental health detection and early intervention. Full article

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental health condition resulting from exposure to traumatic events. It is associated with long-term neurobiological changes and disturbances in emotional regulation. Understanding the sociodemographic profiles, biomarkers, and emotional control in patients with PTSD helps to better comprehend the impact of the disorder on the body and its clinical course. An analysis of biomarkers such as Interleukin-18 (IL-18), Inositol-Requiring Enzyme 1 (IRE1), Phosphorylated Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (pERK), and Activating Transcription Factor–6 (ATF-6) in PTSD patients with varying durations of illness (≤5 years and >5 years) and a control group without PTSD revealed significant differences. Patients with recently diagnosed PTSD (≤5 years) showed markedly elevated levels of inflammatory and cellular stress markers, indicating an intense neuroinflammatory response during the acute phase of the disorder. In the chronic PTSD group (>5 years), the levels of these biomarkers were lower than in the recently diagnosed group, but still significantly higher than in the control group. An opposite trend was observed regarding the suppression of negative emotions, as measured by the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS): individuals with chronic PTSD exhibited a significantly greater suppression of anger, depression, and anxiety than those with recent PTSD or healthy controls. Correlations between biomarkers were strongest in individuals with chronic PTSD, suggesting a persistent neuroinflammatory dysfunction. However, the relationships between biomarkers and emotional suppression varied depending on the stage of PTSD. These findings highlight the critical role of PTSD duration in shaping the neurobiological and emotional mechanisms of the disorder, which may have important implications for therapeutic strategies and patient monitoring. Full article

Background/Objectives: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are chronic autoimmune conditions that impact the physical and psychological well-being of pediatric patients. While previous studies have shown a high prevalence of mental health challenges among youth with chronic conditions, the prevalence of mental health issues in Canadian pediatric patients with JIA and IBD remains unclear. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of documented mental health disorders and related medication use of youth with JIA or IBD at a tertiary care centre. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of youths aged 12–17 diagnosed with JIA or IBD at McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) to understand the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive–compulsive disorders (OCD), eating disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD), adolescent adjustment disorder, suicide attempt/suicide ideation, self-harm behaviour, substance use disorder, and attention deficit disorders (ADD). Results: We reviewed 429 patient charts, including 303 patients with IBD and 126 with JIA. Our findings identified 90 IBD patients and 20 JIA patients who had one or more documented mental health conditions. Proportionately, there was a higher prevalence of mental health conditions among IBD patients (30%) compared to JIA patients (16%). The most frequently observed conditions in both IBD and JIA patients were GAD (63%, 50%), ADD (33%, 35%), and MDD (29%, 15%). Conclusions: These findings highlight the critical need for early mental health screening and integrated care approaches that address both medical and psychosocial needs in adolescents with chronic illnesses. Future research should incorporate prospective study designs, include diverse geographic and demographic populations, and explore targeted interventions to improve mental and physical health outcomes in this vulnerable group. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) encompass a wide range of heart and vascular conditions and remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychotherapeutic approach that integrates acceptance, mindfulness, and commitment to value-based actions. This systematic review aims to explore the current evidence on the potential role of ACT interventions in supporting psychological well-being among individuals with CVDs. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. A search of the literature was conducted through Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and PsycINFO databases. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: The reviewed studies suggest that ACT may promote psychological flexibility, emotion regulation, and self-care behaviors in patients with CVDs. Reported outcomes include improved mindfulness, reduced distress, and enhanced quality of life. However, the evidence base is limited in both size and methodological rigor, with included studies varying in design and population. Conclusions: While preliminary findings indicate that ACT shows promise in addressing psychological aspects of CVDs, the current evidence remains insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. Further high-quality, large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and clinical applicability of ACT in cardiovascular populations. Full article

Physical challenges such as illness, injury, and disability significantly alter women’s relationships with their bodies, disrupting established notions of functionality and self-worth. This study re-examines the Holistic Model of Positive Body Image and Outdoor Physical Activity through secondary analysis focusing on women with illness, injury, and disability. From the original sample of N = 553 female participants, open-ended survey responses were identified from n = 84 participants (15.2%) who self-disclosed as having illness, injury, or disability to examine how outdoor settings facilitate positive body image. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the study revealed three key mechanisms: (1) personalized redefinition of functionality transcending standardized metrics, (2) therapeutic engagement with natural environments fostering embodied acceptance, and (3) cyclical reinforcement between physical capability and psychological wellbeing. The findings confirm the model’s utility while indicating necessary adaptations to address the fluctuating nature of body functionality. The adapted model emphasizes how outdoor recreational activities create contexts for reimagining body-self relationships across the spectrum of physical experiences—from temporary recovery to ongoing adaptation of persistent conditions—with implications for rehabilitation professionals, outdoor educators, and healthcare providers. Full article

Background: University academics are often the first points of contact for students experiencing mental health problems (MHPs) because of the pre-existing relationship between academics and students. Aim: The aim of this review is to explore the experience of university academics who have supported students with MHPs. Methods: This systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidance. Searches were conducted using six databases and were limited to peer-reviewed studies published in the English language between 2013 and 2023. Results: Thematic analyses identified three major themes: academics’ perceptions of mental health problems among students, the role of academics in supporting students and the academics’ perceived barriers to supporting students. Conclusions: Universities need to acknowledge the vulnerability of students’ mental health and prepare to respond appropriately. Improving the mental health literacy of university academics, and providing clarity about roles and mechanisms to support the mental health of university students will be crucial to achieve this. Full article

Tobacco use disorder remains a leading cause of preventable mortality, with nicotine playing a central role in the development and maintenance of dependence, mainly through its action on α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Smoking cessation treatments must address both physiological withdrawal and the affective disturbances (such as anxiety, irritability, and mood lability) which often facilitate relapses. This review compares two pharmacotherapies used in smoking cessation, varenicline and cytisinicline (cytisine), with particular focus on their impact on emotional regulation, psychological symptoms, and neuropsychiatric safety. Varenicline, a high-affinity partial agonist at α4β2 nAChRs, has demonstrated superior efficacy in maintaining abstinence and is well-supported by robust clinical data, including in psychiatric populations. However, its use may be limited by adverse effects such as nausea and sleep disorders. Cytisinicline, a structurally similar but less potent partial agonist, has recently gained renewed interest due to its lower cost, favorable tolerability profile, and comparable effectiveness in the general population. Although less extensively studied in patients with serious mental illness, preliminary data suggest cytisinicline may offer a better side effect profile, particularly regarding sleep disturbances and emotional reactivity. Both agents appear to ameliorate withdrawal-related affective symptoms without significantly increasing psychiatric risk. Ultimately, pharmacotherapy choice should be guided by individual clinical features, mental health status, treatment tolerability, and resource availability. Further research is needed to establish cytisinicline’s efficacy and safety across diverse clinical contexts, particularly among individuals with severe psychiatric comorbidities. Full article