Mental health science最新文献

Statistical process control (SPC) was recently introduced as a method for detecting person-specific warning signals for mental ill-health. Such warning signals occur when a person's repeatedly assessed emotions exceed a control limit. This control limit should in principle be based on the same person's emotions in a healthy period. As such data are often unavailable, this preregistered study investigated whether general population data can be used instead to estimate control limits. We used data from the HowNutsAreTheDutch study, in which adults from the general population (N = 746) rated their emotions three times a day for 1 month. Based on these data, we computed control limits according to the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and Shewhart SPC methods. Next, we investigated how often young adults with versus without persistent mental health problems from the TRAILS TRANS-ID study (N = 100)–who rated their emotions daily for 6 months–reported scores beyond these general population-based control limits. Generally, warning signals occurred more often in young adults with persistent mental health problems compared to healthy young adults (p < 0.05). The predictive performance of SPC did not consistently improve when control limits were conditioned on individuals' age, sex, and depressive symptoms, nor differ between methods (EWMA vs. Shewhart). The different emotions that were monitored, however, affected SPC performance, so that for most settings, warning signs in feeling tired and upset were worse for detecting mental-ill health compared to warning signs in other emotions (e.g., feeling nervous, relaxed, etc.).  It follows that warning signs in individual's emotions can perhaps be monitored using relatively generic norms, derived from the general population, opening up new avenues for research and low-threshold clinical application.

Nursing leadership continue to grapple with the pre-existing social, physical, spiritual, and emotional toll experienced by the nursing workforce, further exacerbated by the pandemic. The three-fold purpose of this current quantitative study was to measure the impact of the pandemic on nurses’ levels of burnout, moral injury, and resilience; measure levels of compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress; and identify protective factors against burnout and moral injury that could bolster resilience. An electronic survey was created using three validated instruments and sent to nurses in one US state. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Survey response rate was 5.5%. Respondents reported high levels of burnout and moral injury, and reduced levels of resilience. Protective factors included age, experience, education, and religion, with the older, more experienced, and educated nurse who identified as Christian being found to represent the most protected group. Multipronged strategies are needed to support, sustain, and recover nurses’ mental health across demographics to meet current and future workforce needs.

Cognitive biases are thought to contribute to depression/anxiety. In addition to self-reported measures, cognitive tasks could potentially be integrated with clinical practice as more precise measures of cognitive biases. In a large online study we explored the individual-level association between depression/anxiety symptoms and performance on (1) reward bias, (2) negative affective priming, and (3) change blindness tasks. Participants completed tasks alongside depression/anxiety symptom questionnaires. We used regression analyses to test for associations between task performance and questionnaire scores. We conducted a replication study of the change blindness task, and performed a mega-analysis of the two studies. Faster reaction time in the change blindness task was associated with higher depression score (B = −27, p = 0.034) in the first study (N = 545) and higher depression and anxiety scores (depression: B = −15, p = 0.045; anxiety: B = −17, p = 0.022) in the replication study (N = 616). These effects were significant in the mega-analysis but did not withstand adjusting for age in either the original and replication studies or the mega-analysis. We found no association between depression/anxiety and reward bias (N = 504) and negative affective priming (N = 539). Our results provide preliminary evidence that individuals with more severe depressive/anxious symptoms may be faster at identifying changes in the change blindness task. Contrary to previous findings, neither reward bias nor negative affective priming was associated with depression/anxiety.

Past research has shown that the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (dlPFC) are implicated in both emotional processing as well as cognitive processing,^1,2,3 in addition to working memory^{4, 5}. Exactly how these disparate processes interact with one another within the dlPFC is less understood. To explore this, we designed a task that looked at working memory performance during fMRI under both emotional and nonemotional conditions, and tested it in this preliminary report. Participants were asked to complete three tasks (letters, neutral images, emotional images) of the Sternberg Sorting Task under one of two trial conditions (sort or maintain). Regions of interest consisted of the left and right dlPFC as defined by brain masks based on NeuroSynth⁶. Results showed a significant main effect of the ‘sort’ condition on reaction speed for all three trial types, as well as a main effect of task type (letters) on accuracy. In addition, a significant interaction was found between trial type (sort) and task type (letters), but not for either of the picture tasks. Although preliminary, these results reveal a discrepancy between BOLD signal and behavioral data, with no significant difference in BOLD activity during image trials being displayed, despite longer response times for every condition. While these initial results show that the dlPFC is implicated in nonemotional cognitive processing, more research is needed to explain the lack of BOLD activation seen here for similar emotionally valanced tasks, possibly indicating the involvement of other brain networks.

Females have higher disordered eating behavior (DEB) prevalence versus males in the general population, but no data exist in adolescents with hypertension (HTN). Our objective was to determine the association of sex and gender with DEB prevalence in adolescents with HTN disorders. This was a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cross-sectional study of adolescents aged 11–18 years with HTN disorders. We excluded patients with diabetes mellitus, kidney failure/transplantation, or gastrostomy tube dependence. We collected data via abstraction and surveys, including the SCOFF questionnaire. Our exposures were self-reported sex and gender, and our outcome was SCOFF ≥ 2/5. We used bivariate generalized linear models. Of 74 participants, 61% identified as male, and 39% identified as female. DEB prevalence was 28%: 20% in males and 41% in females by sex and gender. Females had double the DEB risk versus males by sex (risk ratio [RR]: 2.07, 95% confidence level [CL]: 0.9996–4.28) and gender (RR: 2.02, 95% CL: 0.98–4.18), but both p > 0.05. Among adolescents with HTN disorders, while females had double the risk of screening positive for DEB versus males by sex and gender, the results were not statistically significant. Adolescents with HTN may benefit from routine DEB screening, especially those that identify as female, but larger studies are needed.

To estimate the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) among undergraduate students in a public university in Ghana; to identify the factors associated with EDs and to explore the relationship between sociodemographics and developing EDs. A cross-sectional design was employed to obtain data from 1101 students using the total enumeration sampling method. Information on sociodemographics was obtained and anthropometric measurements were self-reported. The Eating Attitude Test was modified to obtain the prevalence rate. The factors associated with EDs and the relationship between sociodemographics and EDs were also assessed using a chi-square statistical test. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between sociodemographic variables and ED risk. A total of 1101 students participated in the study with a mean age of 21.87 ± 2.94, ranging from 16 to 43 years. About 7% of the students were found to have EDs, with the majority being female young adults. Factors found to influence EDs were peer/family pressure, stress, and body dissatisfaction. The association between psychological factors and EDs was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Gender (p = 0.011), course of study (p = 0.001), and level of study (p = 0.010) were sociodemographic variables associated with an increased likelihood of developing EDs. This study found the prevalence of EDs to be relatively higher than that estimated for Africa and non-Western countries and almost as high as that of the Western world. This calls for urgent steps to be taken, including creating awareness and increasing nutrition education to reduce the incidence, if not completely nip it in the bud. Sociocultural factors and body image preferences were identified as core factors underlying susceptibility to EDs and hence will inform and guide intervention activities. This study will address literature gaps and provide baseline data on the prevalence rate of EDs in Ghana and Africa at large. Information from the study will aid dietitians/nutritionists in developing interventions suitable for persons with EDs. Most importantly, this study will refer individuals who may have EDs to seek the necessary assistance from qualified health professionals like doctors, dietitians, and psychologists.

The influence of alcohol use on later neurocognitive functioning is well researched, yet few studies have investigated whether neurocognition post-drinking initiation in adolescence predicts changes in later alcohol use. The objective of this study was to investigate neurocognitive task performance during maximum alcohol use in late adolescence as predictors of drinking behaviors 3–7 years later. Analyses (n = 105) were conducted on a longitudinal data set involving adolescents (12–13 years old) who were followed for 16 years. Time 1 (T1) was defined as the individuals' maximum drinking year within the first 10 study years and Time 2 (T2) was the first available data entry 3–7 years after T1. Four hierarchical linear regression models predicting follow-up alcohol use were estimated: drinking days, average drinks per drinking day, peak drinks, and binge episodes. All models included inhibition/cognitive flexibility, visuospatial ability, verbal memory, working memory, and their interactions with sex, while covarying for age at T1, follow-up duration, and controlling for T1 drinking. Better visuospatial ability at T1 predicted decreases in later binge episodes at T2 (β = −0.19, p = 0.048, partial r² = 0.039). While better inhibition/cognitive flexibility at T1 predicted increases in follow-up drinks per drinking day at T2 (β = 0.18, p = 0.016, partial r² = 0.057). Findings suggest specific neurocognitive abilities during maximum drinking in late adolescence are useful as predictors of change in later drinking quantity per occasion and could potentially inform intervention research targeting this age group.

Research on borderline personality disorder (BPD) in clinical populations is extensive, and its impact on nonclinical populations is developing importance. The present study examined whether the presence of borderline personality features in nonclinical young adults is associated with identity disturbance, considering the potential mediating roles of anxiety and deliberate self-harm (DSH). A total of 162 participants completed an online survey incorporating four measures: the Borderline Symptoms List-23, Beck Anxiety Inventory, DSH Inventory, and the Self-Concept and Identity Measure. A parallel indirect effects analysis indicated that the indirect effects of BPD features on identity disturbance via anxiety and DSH were not significant. However, BPD features remained a significant predictor of identity disturbance, even after controlling for the influence of anxiety and DSH factors (direct effect).

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a transdiagnostic, comprehensive, integrative, evidence-based treatment intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, and perinatal PTSD. PTSD can arise from an experience of pregnancy or birth related trauma. Despite this, there is limited availability and access to EMDR therapy within the United Kingdom National Health Service. EMDR is a psychotherapeutic intervention which is usually delivered by highly specialist mental health professionals. However, with such a robust protocol, it is appropriate to consider if other health professionals should be trained to deliver EMDR. Humanitarian trauma capacity-building projects in a global context have shown that task shifting can assist with addressing unmet mental health therapy needs. Midwives are highly skilled graduates working in the perinatal period who understand that women's emotional health is as important as their physical health. Therefore, it was proposed that EMDR knowledge and skills could be efficiently task shifted to midwives. The aim and objectives were to train midwives to deliver modified EMDR scripted protocols and techniques and explore qualitative and quantitative outcomes of a bespoke EMDR for midwives (EMDR-m) educational programme. The online training was delivered to the midwives over 4 days with clinical practicums incorporated throughout. Pre and post-tests demonstrated an increase in their EMDR knowledge, skills and confidence. EMDR Group Supervision provided by three experienced EMDR Accredited Practitioners was mandatory for 6 weeks post-training and ongoing one-to-one supervision was made available. Midwives scored the course 9.6/10 (range 8–10) and described it as ‘amazing’ and ‘invaluable’. Challenges for the future include ring-fenced time and an appropriate space to deliver the therapy. Those midwives who completed the training have progressed to deliver early EMDR-m interventions in a perinatal mental health research study in their own Health and Social Care Trust (reported elsewhere).

Across the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry, dance—broadly and heterogeneously defined across cultures and movement styles—has been investigated for a range of potential benefits in healthy and clinical populations. There is a growing body of literature investigating the potential for dance, and in particular social forms of dance, to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. Given widespread availability through community providers, social dance and movement could be an accessible, non-invasive, and affordable approach to the prevention and treatment of mood disorders, including depression. However, the existing literature is heterogenous, and there is a lack of methodological cohesiveness and systematization in the field of dance for mental health research. In this narrative review, we propose a novel classification system for social dance mental health research, which encompasses solo dance, partner dance, group dance, dance movement therapy, and cooperative movement. We review the existing literature examining the effects of social dance and movement in the context of low mood and depression and identify future research directions for building a solid evidence base for the application of social dance and movement in the prevention and treatment of mood disorders.