Mental health science最新文献

More than 20 years ago, it has been suggested that some people are so obsessed with eating healthily that this may even be considered a new type of disordered eating, so-called orthorexia nervosa (ON; Bratman, 1997; Bratman & Knight, 2000). Features of ON that most experts in the field agree upon are that persons (1) have a subjective definition of healthy or “pure” eating based on a dietary theory or set of beliefs; (2) have a strong preoccupation with their eating behavior and self-imposed rigid rules which include spending an excessive amount of time for planning, obtaining, preparing, or eating the food; and (3) that these behaviors lead to a nutritionally unbalanced diet that negatively affects physical and mental health (Donini et al., 2022).

Although this agreement exists, the concept of ON is still controversially discussed among scientists and clinicians. Specifically, while there are persons who are noticeably obsessed with eating healthily, it is unclear whether this can also result in a condition that is clinically relevant, that is, needs to be treated medically or psychotherapeutically, and if there is such a condition, if it is a condition that is distinct from established eating disorders. For example, it has been argued that such cases can rarely been found and that most cases who show clinically relevant orthorexic tendencies would also fulfill the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (Bhattacharya et al., 2022; Meule & Voderholzer, 2021). Because of this, it is all the more important that there are standardized and psychometrically sound assessment methods for orthorexic symptomatology to learn more about the prevalence and correlates of ON and its overlaps with and distinctiveness from other eating disorders.

Bratman and Knight (2000) described 10 tentative criteria for ON, which were intended as a self-test, that is, readers should decide for themselves whether each criterion applied to them or not. Although not developed as standardized, scientific measures, it has since been used in studies on ON as a self-report questionnaire with some researchers denoting it as Bratman's Orthorexia Test (BOT; Missbach et al., 2017). Yet, Missbach et al. (2017) also advised against using the BOT because of unknown psychometric properties and inconsistent use (e.g., different response scales and scoring) across studies.

The first standardized questionnaire that was developed for research purposes was the ORTO–15 (Donini et al., 2005). The ORTO–15 has since been used in numerous studies and has been translated in numerous languages (Oberle & Noebel, 2023). However, most of these studies consistently showed that the ORTO–15 is an unreliable and invalid measure. That is, internal reliability usually is unacceptable and one-factor models of all 15 items usually have poor model fit

Terror management theory posits that validation of worldview and self-esteem are primary defense mechanisms in keeping mortal concerns at bay, although potentially leading to the devaluation of others. Self-compassion is considered a more inclusive defense mechanism. Drawing on preliminary research, we extended a previous investigation regarding the buffering role of self-compassion within the Terror management theory paradigm. We embedded within a dot-probe task a continuous death priming together with abstract and concrete threat images. We confirmed among 126 university students that following death priming, self-compassion facilitated attentional attraction toward concrete threat and avoidance of abstract threat. These findings demonstrate the contribution of self-compassion in coping simultaneously with different types of attentional threat and has potential to spawn future innovative research.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, mental health burden of university members sharply increased. Specific interventions to address pandemic-related psychological distress did not yet exist. Current studies show that digital interventions reduce this burden, the investigation of changes in resilience as an outcome is lacking in these studies though. We therefore developed and evaluated the internet- and mobile-based intervention “bounce” to foster resilience, reduce perceived stress, and psychological symptom burden among university members during the pandemic. The 8-week, unguided internet- and mobile-based intervention consists of one mandatory module promoting resilience and six optional modules on pandemic-related topics. The study was designed as a one-arm, longitudinal pilot study with a baseline and postintervention assessment and self-reported resilience, perceived stress, and psychological symptom burden as outcome measures. The use and acceptance of the intervention modules were recorded and analyzed. A total of 798 individuals were given access to the intervention (n = 70 employees, n = 728 students, M = 26.05 years, 71.8% women). Of these, 273 participants (34%) completed the postassessment. On average, participants logged on to the intervention platform four times and completed an average of 1.90 (SD = 1.64) modules. The intervention as a whole and all modules were well accepted by participants. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a significant increase in resilience (t = −4.69, p < 0.001, d = 0.23) and a significant reduction in perceived stress (t = 6.50, p < 0.001, d = 0.32), and psychological symptom burden (t = 3.59, p < 0.001, d = 0.18) from baseline to postintervention. This study demonstrates that digital interventions can be easily developed and used as means to reduce mental health burden in large populations during a pandemic. The need for randomized controlled trials with follow-up assessments to examine longer-term effects and revisions of the intervention to increase effectiveness and use are discussed.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) comprise many dimensions of abuse and neglect in early development. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that often begins in childhood. In this review, we investigated the associations between ACEs and ADHD in children. Specifically, the focus is to determine the extent of the relationship between ACE type, cumulative number, and ADHD severity. Furthermore, this study explored all aspects of the bidirectional nature of this relationship including how children with ADHD may experience greater ACEs and the potential contribution of confounding and mediating variables including comorbid conditions and resilience. Selected studies were published between January 2015 and January 2023 on PsychInfo, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. Selected studies included: (1) The main age group of the study was children; (2) The children had to have been diagnosed with or have parent-reported ADHD; and (3) The research must include ACE. Case studies and those not meeting the inclusion criteria were excluded from this review. Ultimately, 43 studies met the inclusion criteria, were included in this review, and were evaluated using the appropriate risk of bias assessment tools. These studies supported a positive association between ACEs and ADHD including cumulative quantity and select types of ACEs increasing ADHD severity. Previous literature has primarily utilized observational methodologies which prevent researchers from establishing if there are causal associations and if there is a temporal order to ACEs and ADHD development. This review also provides implications for future research.

Mounting evidence highlights the high prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among correctional workers. The current analysis draws on survey response data to present a social profile of correctional workers in the province of Manitoba (n = 580), Canada, who screened positive for PTSD (n = 196). We examined demographic information, professional history information, and adverse work exposure experiences, as well as treatment and support patterns. The analysis was not intended to identify correlates of PTSD development among correctional workers, but did identify the characteristics, professional and personal situations, and treatment experiences of correctional workers who screened positive for PTSD. The results highlight the multidimensional nature of work stressors, the pronounced problem of work–life conflict, and variations in seeking supports and treatments. Generally, participants screening positive for PTSD reported higher exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events, higher environmental or occupational stressors at work, and many had prior work experience as public safety personnel. Correctional workers who screened positive for PTSD appeared more likely to access mental health supports. Promoting proactive support seeking for mental health treatment may help to mitigate the severity, frequency, stigma, and length of mental health challenges among correctional workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly everyone, however experiences and perceptions of COVID have been different across rural and urban areas in the United States, including effects on mental health. The purpose of the current study is to examine changes in levels of reported anxiety and depression within rural and urban populations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we used a repeated cross-sectional study design including adults (age 18 or older) who were sampled in 2019 and 2020. We examined the relationship between worsening mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety) and rurality, controlling for individual's demographic and health-related measures. Individuals living in an urban area were more likely to report worsening anxiety (28.8% vs. 23.0% p < 0.001) and use of mental health services (10.4% vs. 8.1% p = 0.054) in the previous 12 months than their rural counterparts. No significant differences were detected in the likelihood of reporting worsening depression, when comparing those living in rural versus urban areas. We found that individuals living in urban areas were more likely to report worsening anxiety than those living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Urban areas were affected earlier and more severely as early epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, which may have contributed to worsening anxiety among these populations as compared to rural populations. Additionally, our findings may reflect urban and rural population differences in the perception and/or enforcement of COVID-19 policies such as lockdown and social distancing policies.

Universal evidence-based prevention and promotion programs lack in availability and scalability for child and adolescent mental health in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper describes the process of applying the theory of change to plan, develop, and pilot a mental health literacy intervention in Czech schools. The process of using theory of change to develop a complex intervention for mental health literacy is described across three stages: formative development, piloting, and evaluation. The application of evidence-based intervention was discussed within 64 diverse stakeholder meetings and tested over 2 years of piloting. The resulting theory of change map is described in the context of consideration for modifications, revisions, and recommendations for successful implementation of the developed intervention. Continued monitoring and evaluation and a formal evaluation of the effectiveness of mental health literacy curriculum within the region will be essential before scale-up.

The Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) is a widely used tool to assess mental well-being and life satisfaction in various populations. However, the psychometric properties of the WEMWBS in Arabic-speaking populations have not been established. This study aimed to validate and assess the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the WEMWBS among adolescents. A rigorous translation process was conducted, and the scale was administered to 470 participants aged 13–18 years in Qatar. The data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency, and validity assessments. The results showed that the Arabic version of the WEMWBS had a unidimensional structure, with high factor loadings and good internal consistency. The findings suggest that the Arabic version of the WEMWBS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing mental well-being and life satisfaction among Arabic-speaking adolescents. These results can facilitate the use of the Arabic WEMWBS scale in different mental well-being studies that include Arabic-speaking populations.

Emerging evidence on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic suggests that children are experiencing a deterioration in mental health, namely, an increase in anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity symptoms. To address this rising issue, preventive strategies and mental health interventions need to be evaluated to help children in their school setting. Recent studies have suggested that art-based interventions could increase children's well-being and be easily implemented in schools. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of an emotion-based directed drawing intervention, compared to a mandala drawing intervention, on elementary school children's (n = 165) mental health, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. An experimental design was used to compare the effects of the two interventions on primary school students' anxiety, depression, and inattention symptoms. All drawing activities were led by an online facilitator, while children and teachers attended school in-person. Mixed analyses of variance revealed a significant effect of time on students' levels of anxiety. Post hoc sensitivity analyses indicated that children from both groups reported lower levels of anxiety pre- to postintervention. Results from this study showed that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, both emotion-based and mandala drawing interventions could improve certain mental health aspects of elementary school children, by reducing their anxiety levels. Informal evidence indicates that implementing these interventions online and remotely through a videoconferencing platform is feasible and well received by children and their teachers. Nevertheless, future studies should include an inactive control group, explore the acceptability of the intervention, and use longitudinal methods to better document if the positive impacts on mental health can be maintained through time.

As the prevalence of childhood and adolescent anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns continues to rise, there has been an unprecedented increase in support of mind–body practices like yoga, dance, meditation, mindfulness, aerobic exercise, and more—in part driven by the mental health burden imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a growing body of evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of mind–body approaches, gaps in funding for and empirical research on mechanistic underpinnings, methodology development to assess multicomponent therapeutic practices, dissemination and implementation, and diversity in researchers, practitioners, and recipients remain. As a consequence, the neurobiological impacts of mind–body techniques are not well understood nor broadly accepted as standard forms of care by clinicians and insurers—often being considered as “alternative” rather than “complementary” or “integrative.” In this commentary, we summarize work from our labs and others highlighting the promise of mind–body approaches for improving mental health in youth, in line with the National Institute of Mental Health's strategic plan to address health disparities. We offer a potential framework for implementation and research—the Expressive Therapies Continuum. We also propose solutions to key research and policy gaps, that by could have positive public health impacts for those who are struggling and to prevent emergence of psychiatric illness, especially in developing youth.