Frontiers in Psychiatry最新文献

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that abnormal attentional bias toward social threats at different processing stages is pivotal for the development and maintenance of social anxiety. However, the temporal property and the neural indicators of this bias are still open to clarification. The present study employed event-related potential (ERP) methodology to investigate the attentional bias toward social threats at the early preconscious and later controlled processing stages, along with associated electrocortical indicators.

Methods: Socially or non-socially negative words paired with neutral ones were presented subliminally and supraliminally in two dot-probe tasks, respectively. Twenty-six participants with high level of social anxiety (high SA) and twenty-four participants with low level of social anxiety (low SA) completed the tasks.

Results: The results revealed that, compared to the low SA group, the high SA group specifically showed a significant N2pc in response to subliminal socially negative words, and the amplitude tended to correlate with anxious severity. Additionally, the high SA group exhibited greater amplitudes of parietal P3 in response to incongruent probes than congruent ones following both subliminal and supraliminal socially negative words.

Conclusion: These results indicate that abnormal attentional bias of social anxiety includes both early preconscious attentional orienting to social threats and subsequent difficulty disengaging from conscious and unconscious social threats, as indexed by N2pc and parietal P3 components, respectively. Our study may hold clinical significance by providing electrophysiological markers for assessing the cognitive symptoms of social anxiety.

Siblings of autistic children are at increased risk of mental health problems. Lack of autism knowledge may contribute to this risk. We examined siblings' autism knowledge using the Sibling Knowledge Interview (SKI) conducted by clinicians before a sibling intervention. The sample comprised 28 siblings (61% boys; 39% girls) aged 8 to 12 years. All had a brother or sister with a clinically confirmed autism diagnosis. Audiotaped recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. We identified six main themes: (1) definition, including diagnostic label, localization, explanation, and etiology, (2) regulation-, behavior-, social-, and cognition-related challenges, (3) strengths, (4) health service and family-based interventions, (5) misconceptions, and (6) lack of knowledge. Siblings displayed some knowledge about the key aspects of autism but also expressed insecurity, lack of knowledge, confusion, and misconceptions. Siblings displayed a narrow vocabulary to describe their brother's or sister's autism diagnosis. Few siblings provided elaborate and rich answers. Several siblings provided vague descriptions. The youngest siblings had particularly few verbally rich answers and displayed limited knowledge. The findings indicate that siblings need more knowledge about their brother's or sister's autism diagnosis. Research is needed on how this information should be provided.

Background: Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability among adults in China. Social isolation in stroke survivors is a major public health concern across the globe. Social isolation is associated with social support, family resilience, and levels of personal hope, but how they interact to predict social isolation in the young and middle-aged stroke survivors remains unclear.

Methods: Using cross-sectional design and convenience sampling method, a survey was conducted among 461 young and middle-aged stroke survivors. Perceived social support scale, General isolation Scale, Chinese version of Family Resilience Assessment Scale and Herth hope index were adopted to assess patients' social, family and personal factors. SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 were used for descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling of the data.

Results: The young and middle-aged stroke survivors had a high level of social isolation(49.57 ± 5.84). In the mediating effects model, social support could influence social isolation directly (95% CI -0.250, -0.061) or indirectly through family resilience (95% CI -0.136, -0.062) or patient hope level (95% CI -0.078, -0.017). In addition, Family resilience and hope had a significant chain mediating effect between social support and social isolation (95% CI -0.029, -0.006).

Conclusions: Social support can have both direct and indirect effects on social isolation through the mediating factors of family resilience and hope. Clinicians and nurses can develop supportive interventions by taking integration of family and personal hope. On the one hand, resources can be directed to the individual patient, and on the other hand, the utilization of social support can be ensured by increasing family resilience and enhancing the coping capacity of family members and individuals.

Over the past few decades, our understanding of substance use disorders (SUD) has been reshaped by evidence from neuroscience, which suggests that SUD are characterized by specific neuromarkers that transcend traditional diagnostic boundaries and act as pre-diagnostic markers that could be targeted through preventive attempts. Connectivity-based neuromarkers or brain networks have emerged as a promising framework, providing new insights into the neurocognitive mechanisms of SUD. Utilizing this data-driven framework assists prevention and intervention developers in offering a non-judgmental insight for adolescents regarding the potential vulnerability of neurocognitive systems to continued substance use. Given the importance of such awareness, this paper proposes a neural network-informed approach based on research domain criteria (RDoC) to characterize the content of neuroscience-informed psychoeducation designed for SUD. Furthermore, we argue that various features related to content and structure need to be considered when developing such interventions delivered through digital platforms (e.g., apps and websites). Finally, we introduce a theory-driven app called "NIPA", developed with the aim of increasing adolescents' awareness and resilience to the effects of drugs and other emotional triggers on brain and cognitive functions.

Purpose: Digital health interventions (DHIs) offer scalable solutions for improving mental health care access in underserved settings. This study is part of a multi-phased project aimed at adapting a depression prevention DHI for Jordanian adolescents. It evaluated the feasibility, cultural acceptability, and effectiveness of the translated and culturally adapted DHI, named Al-Khaizuran, with comparisons to school-based group CBT.

Methods: A two-arm, single-blind randomized controlled trial with a mixed-methods design was conducted among 109 Jordanian adolescents aged 15-17 years experiencing mild to moderate depression. Participants were randomly assigned to either Al-Khaizuran DHI (n=55) or school-based group CBT (n=54). The adaptation of Al-Khaizuran DHI components was guided by the Ecological Validity Framework, while the procedural adaptation followed Barrera and Castro's Heuristic Framework, incorporating iterative refinement based on user feedback and contextual considerations.

Results: Al-Khaizuran DHI was found to be a culturally relevant and acceptable intervention for Jordanian adolescent. Over half of the participants reported that the intervention was effective, empowering, and easy to use, with 51% expressing satisfaction and willingness to recommend it. However, challenges such as limited access to personal devices, privacy concerns, and participants' reliance on shared family resources emerged as significant barriers to consistent engagement. Participants showed a preference for individualized, blended interventions, with a significant reduction in support for group CBT. No significant difference was found in depression scores between the two groups. However, the Al-Khaizuran DHI group demonstrated higher post-intervention resilience scores (p=0.026). Beliefs about the effectiveness of the intervention significantly predicted behavioral intention (p=0.022), while perceived difficulty was a barrier to adherence (p=0.015).

Conclusions: Al-Khaizuran DHI exemplifies the potential of culturally adapted digital interventions in bridging mental health care gaps in resource-limited settings. However, its effectiveness is contingent upon addressing barriers to access, enhancing program interactivity, and integrating hybrid support systems that combine digital tools with in-person guidance. Future implementations should consider strategies to actively engage parents to foster a supportive environment that promotes the well-being of adolescents.

Clinical trial registration: https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14751844, identifier ISRCTN14751844.

Introduction: Chronic, non-communicable inflammatory diseases (CIDs) affect a large portion of the population, imposing a significant morbidity, encompassing a substantial mortality. Thus, they are a major medical burden with a high unmet need. CIDs develop over the span of several years, and the risk of developing CIDs has been linked to genetic and environmental factors. Thus, modification of environmental factors is a promising approach for the prevention of CIDs. Among modifiable environmental factors that have been linked to the CID risk is nicotine dependence. However, for only few CIDs, compelling evidence suggests that nicotine dependence increases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis and asthma) or decreases (e.g., pemphigus) the CID risk. For most CIDs, there are inconsistent, scant, or no reports on the risk of CID associated with nicotine dependence.

Methods: To address this gap, we leveraged TriNetX, analyzing data from over 120 million electronic health records (EHRs). Using propensity score matching (PSM) to control for age, sex, ethnicity, and other CID risk factors, we contrasted the risk of developing any or any of the 38 CIDs in 881,192 EHRs from individuals with nicotine dependence to PSM-matched unexposed counterparts.

Results: The analytical pipeline was validated by demonstrating an increased risk of individuals exposed to nicotine dependence for subsequent diagnosis of myocardial infarction, malignant neoplasm of the lung, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Overall, 16.8% of individuals with nicotine dependence developed CIDs, compared to 9.6% of individuals not exposed to nicotine dependence (hazard ratio 2.12, confidence interval 2.10-2.14, p < 0.0001). Investigating single CIDs, nicotine dependence imposed increased risks for 23 of the 38 investigated diseases, i.e., dermatomyositis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and immune thrombocytopenic purpura. The sex-stratified analysis revealed few sex-specific differences in CID risk.

Discussion: Our study emphasizes the importance of preventive measures targeting nicotine addiction to reduce the global burden of CIDs.

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents characterized by persistent patterns of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness. ADHD persists for many into adulthood. While irritability is not a diagnostic symptom of ADHD, temper outbursts and irritable moods are common in individuals with ADHD. However, research on the association between irritability and ADHD symptoms in adolescents and young adults remains limited.

Method: Prior research has used linear regression models to examine longitudinal relations between ADHD and irritability symptoms. This method may be impacted by the potential presence of highly colinear variables. We utilized a hierarchical clustering technique to mitigate these collinearity issues and implemented a non-parametric machine learning (ML) model to predict the significance of symptom relations over time. Our data included adolescents (N=148, 54% ADHD) and young adults (N=124, 42% ADHD) diagnosed with ADHD and neurotypical (NT) individuals, evaluated in a longitudinal study.

Results: Results from the linear regression analysis indicate a significant association between irritability at time-point 1 (T1) and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms at time-point 2 (T2) in adolescent females (β=0.26, p-value < 0.001), and inattentiveness at T1 with irritability at T2 in young adult females (β=0.49, p-value < 0.05). Using a non-parametric-based approach, employing the Random Forest (RF) method, we found that among both adolescents and young adults, irritability in adolescent females significantly contributes to predicting impulsive symptoms in subsequent years, achieving a performance rate of 86%.

Conclusion: Our results corroborate and extend prior findings, allowing for an in-depth examination of longitudinal relations between irritability and ADHD symptoms, namely hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness, and the unique association between irritability and ADHD symptoms in females.

Background: Approximately one-third of depressed individuals receive treatment globally. The application rate of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating depression globally remains relatively low. The proposed study presents a pilot trial to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions at different levels in improving depression status in community populations.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted in two communities in Guangdong, China, with a follow-up period of 12 weeks. Participants will be randomly allocated to control or intervention groups. Participants in the control group will be assigned to routine care, while participants in the intervention group will receive TCM intervention measures. The participants in the intervention group will receive integrated traditional Chinese and Western treatment according to the symptom grading of depression severity. Primary outcome measurements include the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Secondary outcome measurements include the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Multiple Mental Health Literacy Scale (MMHL), the Short-Form 12 (SF-12), and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). The data will be collected at baseline (T1), 2 weeks after intervention (T2), 4 weeks after intervention (T3), 8 weeks after intervention (T4), and 12 weeks after intervention (T5).

Discussion: This study will provide an experimental basis for the effectiveness of hierarchical integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine (ITCWM) in improving the condition of patients with different degrees of depression. At the end of the study, it is expected for the experimental group to have an improvement in depressive symptoms and sleep quality and an enhancement in mental health awareness.

Clinical trial registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2300075169.

Introduction: Drawing on implicit belief theory, this study examines the relationship between growth mindset and psychological symptoms in adolescents from ethnic minority regions in China, with a focus on the mediating role of meaning in life. Understanding this mechanism can provide insights into protective factors that support adolescent mental health.

Methods: Study 1 employed a cross-sectional mediation model with 1,184 middle school students from Yunnan and Guangxi, using the Growth Mindset Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Study 2 adopted a longitudinal mediation model, tracking 618 students over eight months. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling were used to assess direct and indirect effects, controlling for socioeconomic status and age.

Results: Growth mindset was positively associated with meaning in life and negatively associated with psychological symptoms, including depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, and hostility. Longitudinal findings confirmed that growth mindset at T1 predicted lower psychological symptoms at T2, with meaning in life serving as a partial mediator. The mediation effects accounted for 21.55% to 43.33% of the total effect across different symptoms, indicating a cumulative impact over time.

Discussion: These findings highlight the protective role of growth mindset and the importance of meaning in life in adolescent mental health. The consistency of the mediation effect across cross-sectional and longitudinal models suggests that interventions promoting growth mindset and meaning-building strategies could have sustained mental health benefits. These insights have practical implications for school-based programs aimed at fostering resilience and psychological well-being in adolescents.