International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction最新文献

The evaluation and management of methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP) is an area of study with a paucity of large-scale, longitudinal data. Methamphetamine use has soared in popularity worldwide in the past decade, leading to a surge in individuals experiencing its neurotoxic effects. Current evidence suggests that methamphetamine causes neurodegeneration and psychosis through VMAT2 inhibition which raises dopamine and GABA levels in the brain’s dopaminergic pathways, leading to oxidative stress and inflammation. Differentiating MAP from primary psychotic disorders is challenging; high rates of persistent psychosis leading to a diagnosis of primary psychotic disorder and an absence of an etiologic differentiation amongst the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria further complicate the diagnostic process. Once a diagnosis of methamphetamine-associated psychosis is made, benzodiazepines have been shown to provide temporary relief; in addition, depending on the severity and impact of psychotic symptoms, antipsychotics may be indicated both short and long terms for ongoing symptom management. Robust data for these treatments is limited and primarily draws on animal studies or case reports. Further research is needed to codify MAP treatment standards of care.

This study examined the mediated moderating effect of ethnic identity through associated body dissatisfaction on the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Data from the sixth year of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Survey conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute were used for analysis. The participants were 424 multicultural adolescents (218 boys, 206 girls; mean age = 14.99 years, SD = 0.33). Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 27 and PROCESS Macro 4.2, AMOS22. The results showed that body dissatisfaction partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Further, ethnic identity significantly moderated the relationship between acculturative stress and bodily dissatisfaction. Finally, the moderated mediating effect of ethnic identity on depression, through the effect of acculturative stress on body dissatisfaction, was significant. These results suggest that efforts to improve ethnic identity are needed to prevent depression in multicultural adolescents.

Stigma facilitates negative outcomes for those with substance use disorders (SUDs), such as restricted healthcare access, job loss, and social ostracization. Many professionals advocate for reducing stigmatizing language in their conduct. However, there remains a notable degree of stigmatizing language in self-report measures. Thus, I aimed to examine psychometric changes from replacing stigmatizing language in self-report measures and test if these changes affect the respondents’ stigmatizing beliefs. I conducted a randomly assigned double-masked experiment with undergraduates (n = 125; M_age = 19.18, SD = 1.05; 62% female; 58% White), Reddit users (n = 224; M_age = 31.28, SD = 9.21; 58% male; 82% White), and Buddhist Recovery Network members (n = 136; M_age = 50.48, SD = 11.50; 61% male; 94% White). The participants completed either the original version of the Addictions Belief Inventory consisting of stigmatizing terms (e.g., drug abuser) or a modified version consisting of non-stigmatizing terms (e.g., those with SUDs). I found no changes to the psychometric properties when I compared the factor structures, distributions, and construct validities. There was a minor reduction in one subscale’s internal consistency and a large change in the mean scores, which varied by sample type. Removing stigmatizing language did not change the measure’s psychometric properties notably. However, I found that removing stigmatizing language reduces stigmatizing beliefs and that this reduction was substantial, especially for those who have no history of SUDs, such as some undergraduates or Reddit users. These findings support an ongoing effort to reduce stigmatizing language among professionals and academics.

Background

Experience of trauma is a risk factor for increased alcohol use. Childbirth can be psychologically traumatic but there is minimal research investigating whether psychological birth trauma (PBT) is a risk factor for increased maternal drinking or what factors are associated with alcohol use in mothers who have and who have not experienced PBT.

Method

An online observational survey of mothers with (n = 291) and without (n = 230) experience of PBT. Participants self-reported alcohol use and completed measures of alcohol harm, drinking motives, trauma (general and birth related) and mental health. Free text options were included to complement quantitative data.

Results

Irrespective of PBT status, stronger endorsement of negative reinforcement drinking motives (e.g. coping) predicted higher alcohol use and hazardous drinking. However, children’s age influenced this relationship. In mothers with a history of PBT, negative reinforcement drinking motives predicted weekly alcohol use and alcohol harm as their children grew older. In mothers without PBT, positive reinforcement drinking motives predicted greater weekly alcohol use as children grew older, but negative drinking motives predicted reduced drinking. Multiple aspects of the parental role influenced drinking (e.g. coping-based motives) and non-drinking (e.g. child well-being motives) behaviour. Changes in motives from pre-motherhood to motherhood focused around a shift from positive to negative reinforcement drinking motives. Mothers with PBT reported mental health symptoms as both a reason to drink and not to drink alcohol.

Conclusion

This study provides novel evidence on maternal alcohol use, and how PBT may influence drinking behaviour in mothers. Importantly, PBT may be a type of trauma which is associated with a delayed risk for maladaptive alcohol use and risk of alcohol harm. This evidence can facilitate more research aimed at understanding this important public health issue and can inform alcohol interventions tailored to the needs of mothers which consider the long-lasting impact of birth experience.

The present study aimed to use a novel method (i.e., network analysis) to examine if the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has its unidimensional structure supported across different subgroups, including gender groups, continent groups, and age groups. Participants from five continents (n = 545 in Africa; n = 27,910 in Americas; n = 4640 in Asia; n = 88,835 in Europe; and n = 1633 in Oceania) completed the IGDS9-SF. The IGDS9-SF items showed a positively correlated network with moderate-to-high predictability (mean of R² = 0.338, SD = 0.068). Moreover, the network analysis results suggested that the IGDS9-SF is very likely to have a one-factor model. This one-factor model was further found to be invariant across gender groups (men vs. women), continent groups (Africa, Americas, Asian, Europe, and Oceania), and age groups (minor aged under 18 years, young adults aged between 18 and 30 years, and adults aged 30 years or above).

The Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana scale (PBSM) was initially developed using samples of university students in USA. A community sample of Spanish young adults was recruited to provide the Spanish full-length and short versions of the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Cannabis use (S-PBSC; S-PBSC-SF). We followed a rigorous item-selection process to select the most relevant items from the original 50-item pool developed by Pedersen et al. (2016), on the basis of evidence of reliability, evidence of validity according to the internal structure (factor loadings, invariance across genders and university status, and differential item functioning [DIF]), and evidence of validity based on the relationships between S-PBSC scores and cannabis outcomes. Our findings support a 31-item unidimensional measure and a 13-item short form with excellent fit and internal consistency, invariant across genders and college status and free of DIF. Both the S-PBSC and S-PBSC-SF scores were associated with reduced cannabis use and consequences.

This commentary highlights two cross-cultural issues identified from our global mental health (GMH) research, RECOLLECT (Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing) 2: self-enhancement and ingroup biases. Self-enhancement is a tendency to maintain and express unrealistically positive self-views. Ingroup biases are differences in one’s evaluation of others belonging to the same social group. These biases are discussed in the context of GMH research using self-report measures across cultures. GMH, a field evolving since its Lancet series introduction in 2007, aims to advance mental health equity and human rights. Despite a 16.5-fold increase in annual GMH studies from 2007 to 2016, cross-cultural understanding remains underdeveloped. We discuss the impact of individualism versus collectivism on self-enhancement and ingroup biases. GMH research using concepts, outcomes, and methods aligned with individualism may give advantages to people and services oriented to individualism. GMH research needs to address these biases arising from cross-cultural differences to achieve its aim.

The field of psychedelics is in an important era, with a significant focus on the potential role of psychedelic compounds in the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. In 2022, a scientific research conference was held in Toronto to bring together stakeholders from a variety of disciplines and to promote dialogue and collaboration. This Special Issue includes 8 papers based on presentations from the conference, which showcase the breadth of topics that were brought forward. Included are both quantitative and qualitative works, as well as two letters to the editors which further advance these important conversations. These articles not only present the current state of research into psychedelics, but also present viewpoints about their impacts on underrepresented communities, the need to recognize the history of these compounds that extends beyond this new Western “renaissance,” and the complexities of integrating psychedelics into mainstream medicine. This Special Issue serves as both an exploration of a much-discussed topic and a reminder that collaboration can advance the field in order to harness its potential impact.

Sensory processing is a fundamental aspect of human experience, and varies significantly between individuals, potentially affecting individual functioning, behaviour, and mental health. This study investigated the associations between sensory processing and psychopathology in a sample of the general population. Participants responded to a general psychiatric screening tool (DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult) and to the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) questionnaire. The sample comprised 1108 young adults (77.25% females, mean age 22.6). Data were analysed using item response theory and Bayesian network analyses, revealing specific associations between sensory profiles and psychopathological dimensions. Specifically, we detected associations between the low registration sensory profile and the dimensions of psychosis, substance use, and mania. Sensation seeking was associated with mania. Sensory sensitivity was related to depression and mania, while sensation avoiding was inversely correlated with mania. These findings suggest that reduced external sensory awareness may be linked to a predisposition to psychosis, while a multifaceted sensory processing pattern may indicate vulnerability to mood disorders. Assessing sensory processing could yield crucial insights into individual susceptibilities to mental disorders and help identify targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies

The prevalence of online gambling and the potential for related harm necessitate predictive models for early detection of problem gambling. The present study expands upon prior research by incorporating a cross-country approach to predict self-reported problem gambling using player-tracking data in an online casino setting. Utilizing a secondary dataset comprising 1743 British, Canadian, and Spanish online casino gamblers (39% female; mean age = 42.4 years; 27.4% scoring 8 + on the Problem Gambling Severity Index), the present study examined the association between demographic, behavioral, and monetary intensity variables with self-reported problem gambling, employing a hierarchical logistic regression model. The study also tested the efficacy of five different machine learning models to predict self-reported problem gambling among online casino gamblers from different countries. The findings indicated that behavioral variables, such as taking self-exclusions, frequent in-session monetary depositing, and account depletion, were paramount in predicting self-reported problem gambling over monetary intensity variables. The study also demonstrated that while machine learning models can effectively predict problem gambling across different countries without country-specific training data, incorporating such data improved the overall model performance. This suggests that specific behavioral patterns are universal, yet nuanced differences across countries exist that can improve prediction models.