SSM. Mental health最新文献

{"title":"Migrant integration policies, regional social disadvantage, ethnicity and psychosis risk: Findings from the EU-GEI study","authors":"Salome M. Xavier ,&nbsp;Hannah E. Jongsma ,&nbsp;Charlotte Gayer-Anderson ,&nbsp;Diego Quattrone ,&nbsp;Sophie Blackmore ,&nbsp;Ilaria Tarricone ,&nbsp;Pierre-Michel Llorca ,&nbsp;Eva Velthorst ,&nbsp;Robin M. Murray ,&nbsp;Peter B. Jones ,&nbsp;James B. Kirkbride ,&nbsp;Craig Morgan ,&nbsp;Jean-Paul Selten ,&nbsp;Els van der Ven ,&nbsp;Srividya N. Iyer","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Compared with individual-level factors, macro-level exposures have received less attention in research on the increased risk of psychosis among ethnic minorities. We aimed to investigate the impact of migrant integration policies and area-level social deprivation on higher incidence rates among ethnic minorities.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study, conducted between 2010 and 2015, analysed incidence data from five countries from the EUropean network of national schizophrenia networks studying Gene-Environment Interactions [EU-GEI]. The total population was multiplied by the duration of case-ascertainment to estimate person-years. Cases with a non-organic psychotic disorder were included. Exposures included population group (based on self/parental region of origin/self-ascribed ethnicity) and area-level exposures including country-level migrant integration policies and regional-level proxies of social deprivation (percentages of unemployment, low education, owner-occupied houses, single person-households). Negative binomial mixed-effects regression models were fitted to calculate the association between individual and area-level exposures and incidence of psychotic disorders.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study included 1933 individuals. Supportive migrant policies (IRR: 0.71; 95 % CI 0.68–0.73) and higher percentages of owner-occupied houses (IRR: 0.97; 95 % CI 0.96–0.97) were associated with lower incidence of psychosis. Higher percentages of unemployment (IRR: 1.08; 95 % CI 1.07–1.09) and single person-households (IRR: 1.10; 95 % CI 1.05–1.14) were associated with higher incidence of psychosis. Accounting for policies and area-level social deprivation markers reduced risk estimates among all migrant/ethnic minority groups, compared to the majority population.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This is the first study on the impact of migrant integration policies on psychosis incidence. Migrant integration policies and area-level social deprivation influenced psychosis risk in the overall and minority populations. These findings can inform policies and social epidemiological approaches to studying multi-level exposures in psychosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100530"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145108665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathways to child mental health: A structural equation model of economic deprivation, parenting, and internalizing problems","authors":"Leyla Ismayilova PhD ,&nbsp;Linyun Fu Ph.D. Candidate ,&nbsp;Kamran Salayev M.D., Ph.D. ,&nbsp;Shu-Hsiang Wang ,&nbsp;Emma Heidorn Ph.D. Candidate","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100528","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100528"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought, worry, and preparing for the future: The ethnopsychology of climate distress in Kilifi County, Kenya","authors":"Edna N. Bosire ,&nbsp;Syed Shabab Wahid ,&nbsp;Linda N. Khakali ,&nbsp;Benjamin Oestericher ,&nbsp;Felix Agoi ,&nbsp;Janeeta Shaukat ,&nbsp;Anthony Ngugi ,&nbsp;Rosebella Iseme-Ondiek ,&nbsp;Jasmit Shah ,&nbsp;Zul Merali ,&nbsp;Lukoye Atwoli ,&nbsp;Emily Mendenhall","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impacts of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) presents a chronic and intensifying disaster, with drought, flooding, and extreme heat, presenting unique challenges and profound disruptions. Growing evidence links such events to ecological grief, ecological anxiety, and solastalgia – negative affective states that reflects responses to climate change related destruction of nature, species, culturally significant or sacred spaces, and other ways of life. While this literature is expanding in the Global North, little is known about how communities in SSA perceive and respond to deteriorating or depleting natural ecosystems. This article explores the ethnopsychology of distress precipitated by environmental stressors and its local conceptualization amongst residents of Kilifi County, Kenya. We interviewed 30 community members to investigate how experiences of drought, flooding and other ecological changes are linked to mental health, physical health as well as socio-cultural lives. Given the intimate ties between people and their natural environments, climatic shocks disrupted not only livelihoods but also cultural and spiritual connections to land. Participants described feelings of distress, loss of identity, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety – often associated with economic pressures such as food insecurity. With sweeping and swiftly changing ecological symptoms, our findings underscore the need to situate ecological change at the center of mental and public health discussions. Despite the hardships, our interlocutors suggested that resilience may occur in the small measures such as planting drought resistant crops, drilling more boreholes and storing food strategically for future droughts to stave off hunger, fear, and grief. Coping strategies ranged from adaptive (communal support, food storage, religious practices) to maladaptive (substance use, labor migration), highlighting the urgent need for psychosocial and structural support in ecologically vulnerable settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100529"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145104732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foundations of the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation: Impact evaluation protocol","authors":"Nizam Abdu ,&nbsp;Caroline V. Robertson ,&nbsp;Justin Chapman ,&nbsp;Victoria J. Palmer ,&nbsp;Michelle Banfield ,&nbsp;Amanda J. Wheeler ,&nbsp;Amanda L. Neil","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation was established in 2021. Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council's Special Initiative in Mental Health, the Centre aims to foster innovation in mental health care. Central to this aim is embedding the voices of those with lived experience into all Centre structures and activities including leadership and co-design of research priorities for mental health research implementation and translation. This manuscript details the Centre's impact evaluation protocol. Comprised of two Streams, the impact evaluation aims to 1) evaluate the implementation of the Centre's National Roadmap for mental health care ecosystem regeneration across the mental health sector; and 2) describe the broader social value created by the Centre. This work is intended to inform future research and funding decisions across the mental health sector and bring about a paradigm shift in mental health research translation in Australia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100525"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental disorders, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases mediate the associations of psychosocial factors with well-being and ikigai: a population-based cohort study","authors":"Zui C. Narita ,&nbsp;Kosuke Inoue ,&nbsp;Rieko Kanehara ,&nbsp;Hiroaki Hori ,&nbsp;Hikaru Ihira ,&nbsp;Nobufumi Yasuda ,&nbsp;Isao Saito ,&nbsp;Tadahiro Kato ,&nbsp;Kazuhiko Arima ,&nbsp;Hiroki Nakashima ,&nbsp;Kozo Tanno ,&nbsp;Nobuyuki Takanashi ,&nbsp;Kazumasa Yamagishi ,&nbsp;Isao Muraki ,&nbsp;Taiki Yamaji ,&nbsp;Motoki Iwasaki ,&nbsp;Manami Inoue ,&nbsp;Atsushi Goto ,&nbsp;Shoichiro Tsugane ,&nbsp;Norie Sawada","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the role of psychosocial factors in well-being appears plausible, evidence is still limited in Asian populations, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We applied the g-formula to JPHC-NEXT data to examine the longitudinal association of social support, social trust, and social network (assessed via marital status, contact with relatives, contacts with friends, and group associations) at baseline with well-being and ikigai (purpose in life) at five-year follow-up. Causal mediation analysis was used to evaluate the total mediating role of three types of illnesses: mental disorders, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. We evaluated exposures, mediators, and outcomes at three distinct time points, carefully addressed confounding, and accounted for both exposure-mediator and mediator-mediator interactions. We included 46,480 participants in the well-being analysis and 46,482 participants in the ikigai analysis. The mean age was 61.9 ± 8.60 years, and 25,240 participants (54.3 %) were women. Psychosocial factors were consistently associated with an increased risk of diminished well-being. The adjusted RRs (95 % confidence intervals) were: low social trust, 2.49 (2.08–3.07); absence of contacts with relatives, 1.48 (1.26–1.76); and absence of group associations, 1.32 (1.16–1.51). Similar adjusted RRs were observed for diminished ikigai. Proportion mediated by three types of illnesses for the pathways to diminished well-being and ikigai was: low social trust, 9.0 % and 18.0 %; absence of contacts with relatives, 26.0 % and 27.0 %; and absence of group associations, 14.2 % and 31.1 %, respectively. Psychosocial factors may influence individuals’ illnesses, which, in turn, lead to well-being—a crucial outcome for both individuals and society as a whole.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100527"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric properties of the English-language difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-16 for 15-18-year-old adolescents in the Western Cape of South Africa","authors":"C. Ward Smith ,&nbsp;K. Sorsdahl ,&nbsp;J.R. Pozuelo ,&nbsp;C. van der Westhuizen","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Given that emotion regulation (ER) is associated with mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, among adolescents, it is vital to have psychometrically sound ER measures. However, validated ER measures for South African adolescents are scarce. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the psychometric properties of the English-language Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–16 (DERS-16) among South African adolescents in the Western Cape.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 474 students aged 15–18 years from 12 high schools in the Western Cape. The survey assessed sociodemographic characteristics, ER, depression and anxiety. Psychometric properties of the DERS-16 were assessed, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The DERS-16 displayed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.93), average test-retest reliability (r = 0.64), and strong convergent validity with both the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10; r = 0.72) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7; r = 0.69). A weaker but significant negative correlation was found with the ER Skills Questionnaire (ERSQ; r = −0.26). Exploratory factor analysis proposed a novel two-factor model with loadings ranging from 0.39 to 0.86. Confirmatory factor analysis provided additional support for the two-factor structure, with acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.89, RMSEA = 0.089).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The DERS-16 is a sound tool for measuring ER difficulties among older South African adolescents, thus addressing the gap in such measures for this setting. Given that ER is crucial for adolescent mental health, this research underscores the need for ongoing development and validation of ER tools tailored to South African adolescents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100522"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145026476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can lay health workers contribute to the prevention and management of adverse childhood experiences in low- and middle-income countries?","authors":"Subash Thapa ,&nbsp;Anila Khatiwada ,&nbsp;Kedir Y. Ahmed ,&nbsp;Julaine Allan","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Community-based mental health initiatives led by lay health workers (LHWs) across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have demonstrated some success in improving mental health outcomes for the general population. However, evidence is lacking on their effect on improving childhood mental health. There is potential to utilize this workforce to address the underlying causes of mental health burdens rooted in child maltreatment and familial dysfunction. Expanding the role of LHWs to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) offers a promising strategy for improving child and family mental health and well-being. LHWs can serve as first-line responders by identifying at-risk children and families and addressing the problems through parental education and support. However, the success of such interventions depends on providing adequate training and supervision to LHWs, as well as ensuring that a robust referral system exists at the primary health care level to address the mental health needs of affected children and families. LHWs, who are properly trained and supervised, can potentially play an important role in addressing ACEs and associated mental disorders in LMICs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100524"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Group-based Self-Help Plus, Problem Management Plus and pre-exposure prophylaxis to improve mental health and reduce HIV risk in survivors of rape in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A pilot and feasabilty randomised study","authors":"J. Nöthling ,&nbsp;S. Willan ,&nbsp;G. Gigaba ,&nbsp;E. Chirwa ,&nbsp;S. Mhlongo ,&nbsp;B. Myers ,&nbsp;B. Spooner ,&nbsp;S. Seedat ,&nbsp;C. Garcia-Moreno ,&nbsp;R. Jewkes ,&nbsp;N. Abrahams","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100513","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV are highly prevalent in South Africa and are significant public health problems. Rape is a risk factor for both HIV acquisition and adverse mental health outcomes. Post-rape interventions targeting HIV and mental health are needed to mitigate risk and aid recovery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Self-Help Plus (SH+) and Problem Management Plus (PM+) are lay counsellor-facilitated, group-based mental health interventions. We adapted them for KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and translated them into isiZulu. 106 women who had been raped were randomized, in groups of 8–10, to a post-rape mental health intervention group (RI) or to a rape-survivor waitlisted control (RC) group. Additionally, we included an intimate partner violence shelter intervention (SI) group (n = 38). All participants completed questionnaires at baseline, 3- and 6-months. The intervention groups completed SH+ and PM+ in the first 3 months after completing the baseline assessment. All HIV-negative women were offered once daily, oral Truvada as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The RI group showed a significant decline in depression at 3-months (β = −5.41, p = 0.017) and at 6-months (β = −10.23, p = 0.005) compared to the RC group. The SI group showed a significant decline in PTSD scores at 6-months (β = −3.5, p = 0.031). Both groups, RI (β = −4.91, p = 0.026) and SI (β = −3.5, p = 0.026), showed a significant decline in symptoms of complex PTSD (i.e., disturbances in self organization) at 3-months. 65 % of eligible participants (n = 85) in all groups took up PrEP with relatively high adherence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>In this pilot and feasibility trial, SH+ and PM + show promise in reducing depression, PTSD and cPTSD scores over time in women after rape and IPV. PrEP uptake was favorable, suggesting that after rape, many women are open to long-term HIV prophylaxis with PrEP, however uptake can be improved with additional measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100513"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parental childhood factors as mediators of multigenerational socioeconomic and psychosocial risks: A cohort study of three generations","authors":"Baojing Li ,&nbsp;Can Liu ,&nbsp;Ylva B. Almquist ,&nbsp;Ingrid Schoon ,&nbsp;Lisa Berg","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research has begun to unravel the mechanisms by which multiple factors in the parental generation link grandparental socioeconomic disadvantages to grandchild psychiatric disorders. This study aims to further disentangle such multigenerational mechanisms by exploring the role of parental childhood factors. We utilized a three-generational cohort study design with data from the Stockholm Birth Cohort Multigenerational Study. The sample included 2,708 individuals born in 1953 (parental generation, G1), their 5,416 parents (grandparental generation, G0), and 5,967 children (grandchild generation, G2). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we analyzed the mediating role of G1 protective factors during childhood (i.e., high family relationship quality, positive parenting styles, high educational performance, positive peer relationships) and G1 adult psychosocial disadvantages (i.e., single parenthood, psychiatric disorders, and criminality) in the association between G0 socioeconomic disadvantages (i.e., low income, non-employment, and overcrowding) and G2 psychiatric disorders (i.e., measured as hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders between ages 18 and 30). The association between G0 socioeconomic disadvantages and G2 psychiatric disorders was mediated through the paths from G1 childhood family relationship quality, peer relationships, and educational performance to G1 adult psychosocial disadvantages. Peer relationships and educational performance in childhood mattered more among G1 fathers, whereas family relationship quality in childhood played a more important role among G1 mothers. The findings indicate that parental childhood factors – specifically family relationship quality, peer relationships, and educational performance – serve as important resilience resources in disrupting the multigenerational transmission of disadvantages, with implications for mental health of future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100526"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methodological differences in measuring post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review of the global literature during the Covid-19 pandemic","authors":"Salma M. Abdalla ,&nbsp;Rebecca E. Voss ,&nbsp;Madison Pickerel ,&nbsp;Samuel B. Rosenberg ,&nbsp;Arman Rasool ,&nbsp;Mohammed Abba-Aji ,&nbsp;Catherine K. Ettman ,&nbsp;Sandro Galea","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The Covid-19 pandemic spurred an unprecedented rise in mental health research globally, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) emerging as a prominent concern. However, estimates of PTSD prevalence during the pandemic varied widely, raising questions about methodological consistency in how PTSD was measured and conceptualized during the pandemic. We systematically reviewed the global literature assessing PTSD prevalence during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on methodological differences in measurement, population sampling, and application of screening and diagnostic criteria.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six databases for peer-reviewed, English-language articles published between January 1, 2020, and July 12, 2024. Eligible studies assessed PTSD prevalence in general adult populations and explicitly linked PTSD assessment to the Covid-19 pandemic. We extracted data on study design, sampling strategy, PTSD measurement instruments, prevalence estimates, and whether included studies employed Criterion A in PTSD screening/diagnosis. Studies focusing exclusively on subpopulations (e.g., healthcare workers) were excluded.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 147 articles met inclusion criteria, with significant representation from Italy, China, and the United States. Eligible studies included 11 unique PTSD screening instruments with multiple cut-off scores. The most commonly used screening instruments were the PTSD Checklist (PCL; 41.5 %) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES; 29.9 %). PTSD prevalence estimates varied within and across countries and screening instruments. Use of Criterion A varied widely: 42.9 % of studies designated Covid-19 as the traumatic event, 44.9 % removed the Criterion A requirement, and 12.2 % required a non-pandemic qualifying trauma. Only 17 % of studies used representative sampling methods, and just 13 were longitudinal or serial cross-sectional. Among representative studies, PTSD prevalence still varied widely, from 1.2 % in China to 44.9 % in Italy.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This review reveals substantial methodological heterogeneity in PTSD prevalence assessments during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inconsistent use of diagnostic criteria, varied screening instruments and cutoffs, limited longitudinal data, and geographical bias all constrain cross-study comparability. Despite these challenges, most studies reported PTSD prevalence above pre-pandemic global estimates, supporting the classification of the Covid-19 pandemic as a mass traumatic event. Future global mental health surveillance efforts should prioritize standardized PTSD assessment, representative sampling, and longitudinal designs to better capture trends in the population mental health impacts of large-scale mass traumatic events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74861,"journal":{"name":"SSM. Mental health","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100521"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}