Frontiers in Psychiatry最新文献

Introduction: Mental disorders are a major global public health issue that affects millions of people. Since its creation, the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) has been employed worldwide in mental health literacy studies.

Methods: The study that is the subject of this paper, was divided into two phases: the first phase involved translating and adapting the MHLS survey questionnaire to the cultural background and the second phase concerned testing the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the MHLS-PL questionnaire on 212 nursing students.

Results: The Polish version of the MHLS-PL questionnaire consists of 33 items, and through confirmatory factor analysis, a single-factor model (Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.93) and a five-factor model (Cronbach's α coefficient ranged from 0.61 to 0.93) were identified. The mean total MHL score among the students under the study was 117.11 (SD = 16.70). With regard to the five-factor model, respondents obtained the highest score on the "Attitudes that promote recognition and appropriate help-seeking" subscale (M = 59.44, SD = 11.03) and the lowest score on the "Knowledge of risk factors and causes" subscale (M = 6.04, SD = 1.33). In the multivariable model, the independent predictors of the MHLS-PL scale were age, education level and interaction with persons diagnosed with mental disorders during the respondent's studies.

Conclusion: The study showed that the 33-item MHLS-PL scale, which includes five subscales, is a reliable and accurate instrument for assessing mental health literacy.

Background: The mental health of medical professionals has garnered increasing attention in recent years. This study aims to explore the relationships and interactions among workplace ostracism, work-family conflict, and sense of coherence (SOC) within this population.

Methods: From January 2022 to December 2023, a survey was conducted involving 527 medical staff from three diverse hospitals. The research utilized the Work-Family Conflict Scale, the Workplace Ostracism Scale, and the Sense of Coherence Scale. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed on the collected data. Additionally, mediation analysis was employed to assess indirect effects, utilizing bootstrap sampling to estimate confidence intervals for these mediated effects. Simple slope analysis was also conducted to interpret significant interaction effects within moderation models.

Results: A significant positive correlation was found between work-family conflict and workplace ostracism (correlation coefficient = 0.613; P < 0.001). Furthermore, sense of coherence partially mediates the relationship between work-family conflict and workplace ostracism (β = 0.330; P < 0.001). As levels of sense of coherence increase, the impact of work-family conflict on workplace ostracism diminishes progressively.

Conclusion: Work-family conflict is a significant positive predictor of workplace ostracism among medical staff; moreover, sense of coherence serves as a mediator in this relationship-an effect that is particularly pronounced among those with lower levels of sense of coherence.

The precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) remain poorly understood. Substantial evidence implicates immune-mediated mechanisms in the pathogenesis of this clinically heterogeneous and multifactorial disease. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge regarding the association between inflammation and depression, critically evaluates established approaches for modeling inflammation-induced depressive states in both rodents and humans, and assesses these models against standard validity criteria. The empirical link between depression and immune dysregulation is supported by several key lines of evidence: elevated circulating cytokine levels in MDD patients, the induction of depressive symptoms during therapeutic administration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the significant comorbidity of MDD with chronic inflammatory diseases, the anti-inflammatory properties of conventional antidepressants and the alleviation of depressive symptoms during anti-inflammatory therapy. Various immune activators are employed to model inflammation-associated depression. Experimental human models primarily utilize lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration or typhoid vaccination. Corresponding rodent models employ LPS, direct administration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, or immunization with BCG vaccine. In rodent models, the administration of classical antidepressants effectively attenuates the severity of depressive-like behaviors induced by LPS. The predictive validity of the LPS-induced depression model is further corroborated by the demonstrated antidepressant-like efficacy of the rapid-acting agent ketamine. Data on the effects of antidepressants within controlled experimental inflammatory models in humans remain scarce and the impact of novel rapid-acting agents like ketamine and psychedelics in this context remains entirely unexplored. Human experimental studies demonstrate high consistency and reproducibility regarding LPS dosing, experimental timelines, and symptom assessment. Conversely, rodent studies exhibit significant heterogeneity across these same parameters. A major limitation shared by most existing inflammatory models, in both humans and rodents, is their non-chronic nature and the development of tolerance with repeated inducer administration. A critical translational challenge lies in establishing the homology between behavioral outcomes in rodents and the clinical symptomatology of human depression. The development of refined inflammatory models of depression that more rigorously satisfy established validity criteria is imperative. Such models are crucial for elucidating the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the disorder and for facilitating the discovery of novel, effective pharmacotherapies.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the potential psychological mechanisms that may link childhood psychological maltreatment to loneliness among Chinese college students by testing a dual-path mediation model involving trust in others and positive coping styles.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 603 college students using self-report measures of childhood psychological maltreatment, trust in others, positive coping styles, and loneliness. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and structural equation modeling with bootstrapping.

Results: Childhood psychological maltreatment was positively correlated with loneliness and negatively correlated with trust in others and positive coping. Trust in others and positive coping styles were negatively correlated with loneliness. The structural equation model revealed significant indirect effects: childhood maltreatment was associated with loneliness both through reduced trust in others (indirect effect = 0.063, 12.07% of total effect) and through weakened positive coping styles (indirect effect = 0.084, 16.19% of total effect). The total indirect effect accounted for 28.26% of the total variance.

Conclusion: The findings support the proposed dual-path model, suggesting that the association between childhood psychological maltreatment and later loneliness may operate through eroded interpersonal trust and impaired development of adaptive coping strategies. This underscores the importance of integrated interventions targeting both trust reconstruction and coping skills training in mitigating the long-term impacts of early adversity.

Introduction: Involuntary psychiatric treatment (IPT) remains a controversial practice, raising clinical, ethical, and organizational concerns. In Italy, despite legal safeguards, substantial variability persists across regions, reflecting differences in clinical presentation, service organization, and staff attitudes. As part of the national multicenter project promoted by the Italian Society of Psychiatric Epidemiology (SIEP), this study reports findings from the Reggio Emilia site, exploring factors associated with IPT duration, renewal, and the use of mechanical restraint.

Methods: All adult patients admitted under IPT to the Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Unit of Reggio Emilia between March 2023 and March 2024 were included (N = 214). Data were collected with standardized SIEP forms and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The mean duration of IPT was 7.4 days (SD = 3.8). A history of prior IPT was strongly associated with renewal (37.7% vs. 11.9%, p < 0.001). First-ever contact and conversions from voluntary admission were not significant. Schizophrenia and delusional disorders were associated with longer hospitalizations (p < 0.01). Male patients were more often mechanically restrained (10.8% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.006), though duration did not differ by gender. Differences in IPT duration across validation settings were observed; however, post hoc analyses indicated that these were primarily driven by a small subgroup of cases validated in residual or atypical services, while emergency, inpatient, and community pathways showed broadly comparable durations.

Discussion: Overall, prior coercion history and organizational factors appeared to play a more prominent role than demographic characteristics in shaping IPT-related outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening community-based alternatives, early intervention strategies, and bias-aware staff training to reduce reliance on coercive practices.

Aim: The adverse health outcomes of schizophrenia (SZ) are largely driven by the high prevalence of other non-neurological diseases. In addition to accelerated brain aging, patients with SZ also exhibit signs of systemic aging. However, the potential causal or biological mechanisms between multisystem aging and schizophrenia remain unknown.

Methods: We obtained SZ-associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sets, aging gene data, and tissue-specific cis-expression quantitative trait locus (cis-eQTL) data of the cerebral cortex and other tissues from a previous two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS), GeneCards database, and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. We employed tissue-specific Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to elucidate the tissue-specific expression patterns of aging-related genes, and used the summary data-based MR (SMR) approach to obtain tissue aging-related genes associated with the risk of SZ development. We identified the potential aging-related pathways through which these tissue-specific cis-eQTLs may affect SZ using enrichment analyses. Finally, we explored the relationship between the identified crucial aging-related genes and predicted age difference (PAD) of the brain in our clinical patients.

Results: We found that the expression of tissue-specific aging genes, including synuclein alpha (SNCA), angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE), BRCA1 DNA repair-associated (BRCA1), MutL homolog 1 (MLH1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2), may affect SZ. The tissue-specific cis-eQTL may influence SZ through aging pathways. The brain PAD was significantly higher in the high-expression group of BRCA1 than in the low-expression group.

Conclusions: This study provides valuable clues to understand the link between SZ and multiorgan system aging and improves the current understanding of multiple tissue-specific aging-related genes with SZ.

Background: Most prevalent symptoms of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) are fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment, and pain. Comorbidities such as depression and anxiety are common. The diagnosis PCS is confirmed if symptoms persist for longer than 3 months and are not better explained by another medical condition. About half of the patients are still not fit for work after psychosomatic rehabilitation. From psychotherapeutic research, it is known that a relationship-based approach is decisive for treatment efficacy. Here, the patient's expectation that the treatment will help is one central pathway that contributes to symptom reduction and an increase in quality of life. Using positive expectations, respectively, the placebo effect in medical settings has already been proven to be beneficial.

Objective: Evaluation of two expectation-focused interventions for patients with PCS to optimize the rehabilitation process. The interventions aim to focus on positive expectations and imaginations. Thus, the project should lead to further improvement in the rehabilitation of patients with PCS.

Methods: The study implements a 3-arm, parallel group, longitudinal non-randomized controlled, sequential cohort design. The trial is designed to estimate the effect of 1) a 3-session psychotherapeutic expectation-focused integrative, manualized intervention, and 2) a brief intervention where patients are asked to write down their expectations on their own in a journal, compared to 3) a treatment-as-usual-only control condition (usual treatment in rehabilitation, no study intervention). Since the predominant symptoms in PCS patients vary a lot, the Work Ability Index (WAI) is considered as a proxy for earning capacity as primary outcomes.

Discussion: The analysis will provide insights into the extent to which the interventions improve PCS. This approach was chosen to enable a larger number of practitioners to provide more specific therapeutic support for patients with PCS. The study serves as proof of principle for further research and development of more effective therapies. It emphasizes the urgent need for interdisciplinary, integrative treatment and research to better understand and manage PCS.

Clinical trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register https://drks.de/search/en, DRKS00034671.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the functional connectivity characteristics of brain networks in secondary school students with depressive symptoms and to analyze the effects of exercise combined with virtual reality intervention on improving brain networks and emotional states, providing a neurobiological basis for early identification and precise intervention.

Methods: This study recruited 98 middle school students aged 13 to 18 as research subjects, including 50 in the subclinical depression (ScD) group and 48 in the healthy control (HC) group. The experimental intervention employed a 2×3 two-way mixed design analysis of variance (Two-way ANOVA). All exercise intervention groups underwent 15 minutes of moderate-intensity (50%-80% HRmax) power cycling training. The exercise intervention combined with virtual reality technology group completed their training in an immersive natural landscape environment. Resting-state EEG signals were recorded before and after the intervention, and emotional state changes were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The cerebral cortex was segmented into 78 regions based on the Schaefer template. Phase-locked value ( $PLV=\frac{1}{T}\left|{\sum }_{t=1}^T{e}^{i\left({\varphi }_i\right(t)-{\varphi }_j(t\left)\right)}\right|$ ) was used as a functional connectivity metric to quantify brain network synchrony in the theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. Statistical comparisons were performed using independent samples t-tests and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results: Exercise intervention combined with virtual reality technology significantly improved θ and α band SMN-DMN, DAN-SN connectivity, and DMN/DAN activity (p < 0.05), outperforming conventional exercise. β band SMN-DMN and CEN-DMN activity increased (p< 0.05). The exercise intervention combined with virtual reality technology significantly increased positive emotions (t = -22.351, p < 0.05) and reduced negative emotions (t = 27.257, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Depressive symptoms in adolescents are associated with multifrequency brain network dysregulation. Combining exercise intervention with virtual reality technology (VR-EI) optimizes key brain network connectivity and activity in the theta and alpha bands through multisensory stimulation. Its mood-enhancing effects surpass those of conventional exercise, offering a promising new strategy for personalized intervention in adolescent depression.

This descriptive article offers an inside perspective of the experience of writing a publishable paper by an autistic early-career researcher. From an external perspective, this experience might be described as involving hyperfocus, indecision about framing, and conflicting norms of academic writing. The article develops an inside perspective on such experiences. The author adopts a philosophical approach, using phenomenological reflection on breakdowns as a method to explicate what is implicitly given in experience. Reflection on three types of research breakdown in academic writing results in an inside description of the complexities of this particular experience by someone who is both autistic and an academic researcher.