Mental health awareness initiatives and expansion in the concept breadth of mental health disorders have been suggested as potential contributors to the increased prevalence of mental disorders and help-seeking in younger people. Consistent with positive effects of mental health awareness campaigns, this study explored whether younger people show greater accuracy at recognising mental health disorders from written vignettes, lower mental health stigma and appropriate help-seeking recommendations.
Participants (n = 134 participants <40 years and n = 105 participants ≥40 years of age) were randomised to see three vignettes (Schizophrenia, social anxiety and grief) depicting a ‘young’ character (in their 20 s) or an ‘older’ character (in their 50 s). After each vignette, they were asked whether the character had a mental health disorder, whether they should seek help and questions focused on mental health stigma. They were also asked questions about their own mental health.
Younger participants were more likely to identify a mental health problem and recommend help-seeking for social anxiety and grief than older participants. There were no differences for Schizophrenia. Younger people showed greater stigma towards the vignettes depicting Schizophrenia and social anxiety and rated their own mental health significantly worse than older participants.
Results are consistent with better sensitivity, but lower specificity in the recognition of mental disorders in younger people. Perceptions of whether distressing experiences are considered a mental health disorder that requires professional help (but not the severity of the experiences themselves) may be different in younger compared to older age groups.
Long/Post-COVID patients are in urgent need of specialized treatment. Forest bathing has shown to promote health and well-being, and thus may be an appropriate treatment option. This pilot study aimed to investigate both the feasibility of a two-week audio-guided and mindfulness-based forest bathing intervention and pre-to-post symptom changes in Long/Post-COVID patients.
A repeated-measures design was employed to collect self-reported data on Long/Post-COVID symptoms, fatigue, well-being and stress-coping strategies from moderately affected Long/Post-COVID patients (N = 46, N = 36 included; recruited through media) prior to and following participation in the forest bathing program. Pulse rate was monitored through smartwatches. Feasibility was assessed by analysis of dropout rates.
The dropout rate was 22 % due to physical and environmental conditions. We observed decreased overall Long/Post-COVID symptoms (p < .001) and fatigue (p < .001), increased well-being (p < .001) and a more adaptive use of stress-coping strategies (p < .01) over time. Participants` pulse rate fell within the normal range after a forest “walk” (p < .001).
Our results suggest that further research on audio-guided and mindfulness-based forest bathing is warranted, since this approach may offer a feasible and cost-effective method for the complementary treatment of moderate Long/Post-COVID.
Resilience in children has received considerable interest from research bodies, policymakers, practitioners, and education bodies due to its potential impact on well-being, as well as physical and mental health. To support and cultivate resilience, appropriate measurement is important. However, numerous definitions and measures of resilience exist. To provide clarity, this paper offers a systematic review of measures used to assess resilience in children.
Systematic search conducted in Medline, ERIC, ProQuest Central, Scopus, PsychINFO, and Web of Science. Keywords included ‘resilien* and measure* and child*’. Eligible studies: assessed children aged 0–12 years, of all abilities; and, contained a measure to assess resilience, inclusive of parent, teacher, and/or child-report measures.
From 24,902 studies retrieved, 86 studies were included, identifying 54 measures for assessing resilience. 28 measures identified as proposing to measure resilience construct as their primary goal, whilst 27 were identified as proxy measures assessing constructs relating to resilience. Overall, 34 % of articles reported on both reliability and validity, with 20 % reporting neither of these.
While there is a range of measures used to assess resilience in children, there is a lack of consensus regarding what constructs and domains represent resilience. A large proportion had minimal or no psychometrics reported, highlighting the limitations of this area. This is an important starting point for consolidating how resilience is defined and measured within research.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an international, early intervention, public education program that teaches participants to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges. Until now, all evaluations on MHFA courses in the United States have been performed externally, which have limits in generalizability and the ability to address insights in a timely manner. Additionally, few evaluations have assessed the newest versions of MHFA courses. Therefore, this evaluation aimed to understand key outcomes and participant responses to Adult and Youth MHFA courses in a nationwide sample, spanning nearly a year of real-world implementation.
An internal, mixed methods program evaluation was performed on the second edition of the in-person versions of Adult and Youth MHFA. Pre- and post-course evaluation data from 3,586 Adult and 2,314 Youth MHFA participants trained between October 2022 and July 2023 were used in this evaluation. Key quantitative constructs, such as mental health literacy, intentions to perform MHFA skills, and confidence to use MHFA skills, were analyzed using paired sample t tests. Rapid thematic analysis methods were used to analyze participants' qualitative responses to the course.
Significant increases in mental health literacy, intentions, and confidence were observed in both Adult and Youth MHFA participants from pre- to post-course. Qualitative analyses revealed key themes in participant responses, including the helpfulness of the activities, materials, and the MHFA action plan. Adjustments to materials, the length or pace of the course, and other specifics were noted as opportunities for improvement. These findings will be used to inform the future practice, implementation, and revisions of MHFA.
Completion of Adult or Youth MHFA by adults in the United States led to improvements in mental health literacy and intentions and confidence to assist someone in need. Both programs may benefit from implementation and content-related changes to enhance participant experience.
The high burden of perinatal mental health (PMH) conditions has spurred international efforts to integrate PMH services into primary healthcare (PHC). Despite the existence of evidence-based PMH interventions endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), there is lack of guidance frameworks for the effective and sustainable integration of these interventions into PHC systems to make them fair and responsive to women and infant needs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
We propose the "Implementation Framework for Integration into the Primary Healthcare System" (IF-IPHS) – a systematic approach to guide integration of PMH interventions into PHC settings.
Our approach is based on contemporary, empirically-derived frameworks and WHO guidelines on PMH, emphasising the significance of implementation science and health system thinking. The implementation framework for integration into the PHC system consists of two iterative phases: (I) Adaptation: involves modifying and pilot-testing of established PMH interventions to meet target population needs, guided by human-centred design. (II) Adoption: focuses on development of policies and resource allocation mechanisms through mobilization and stakeholder engagement for sustained integration of PMH intervention across all healthcare system components.
The IF-IPHS is designed to assist and empower health system stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, practitioners, researchers, funders) in LMICs. It offers practical guidance for systematically integrating effective PMH interventions into PHC systems through context-specific adaption process and adoption strategies, taking a holistic approach beyond mere clinical and programmatic considerations. It can also serve as a flexible roadmap for integrating various health interventions beyond PMH within PHC systems.
Unidentified childhood mental health difficulties increase the risk of mental disorder in adulthood. Improving mental health literacy for supporting children (MHLSC) of adults can improve early identification. There is limited use of validated measures to evaluate MHLSC programs. This systematic review aimed to identify measures of MHLSC, the components of MHLSC they assess, and their psychometric properties.
A research protocol was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42022352615. A systematic review was conducted according to COSMIN guidelines. The review included studies published in peer reviewed journals, concerning development, adaptation, or validation of a measure of MHLSC associated with primary school children. Study identification was through a comprehensive literature search in Medline, PsychINFO and EMBASE (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Web of Science, last conducted June 2024. The COSMIN risk of bias checklist was used, and each reported measurement property outcome was assessed against COMSIN criteria for good measurement properties. The COSMIN-modified GRADE approach was used to assess overall quality of evidence.
From 399 records, Twelve studies from ten reports were included in the review, with ten self-report questionnaires identified. Studies were primarily conducted in the USA, with predominantly female populations. The quality of evidence for measurement property outcomes ranged from high to very low. Attitudinal components of MHLSC were assessed more frequently than knowledge components.
Findings indicate a lack of comprehensive and valid measures of MHLSC. There is a need for a comprehensive measure of MHLSC, including knowledge components, specific to children aged 5–12 years, to accurately assess MHLSC.