Mental health science最新文献

Family caregivers' role in sending their mentally ill relatives to the mental health service (MHS) has been vital in the era of community mental healthcare. They are the determinants of where mentally ill relatives are sent for care. There is currently no evidence about the motivators of MHS use among these major stakeholders in the Bolgatanga municipality. This study, therefore, sought to explore the perceived utilization and the motivating factors for the utilization of MHS in the Bolgatanga municipality. A descriptive qualitative study design was employed to conduct the study in two health facilities (Presbyterian Psychiatric Hospital and the Upper East Regional Hospital). A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews among 19 purposively sampled participants consisting of 15 family caregivers of mentally ill relatives, two MHS providers, and two MHS administrators. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Two main themes emerged including perceived utilization of MHS by family caregivers and motivating factors for the utilization of MHS. The study showed that most participants sought MHS for their mentally ill relatives. The study further identified multilevel factors such as individual factors, interpersonal factors, organizational factors, and policy-level factors that motivated the utilization of MHS in the Bolgatanga municipality. There is a need to embark on activities that will further strengthen the factors that have been identified as motivators to encourage the continuous utilization of MHS in the municipality.

The prevalence of alcohol-use disorders is higher amongst adults experiencing homelessness (AEH) compared with domiciled adults. Greater exposure to heavy drinkers increases personal risk for heavy alcohol use. AEH spend substantial periods of time at shelters and report greater pressure to use alcohol when near shelter locations, as well as greater negative affect when near a shelter. It is unclear if the relationship between affect and (1) interacting with people and (2) being near someone AEH drank alcohol with before differs when AEH are at a shelter versus not. AEH reporting alcohol misuse (n = 72, M_age = 47, 85% male, 68% non-White) completed five daily smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments over 28 days. Generalized multilevel modeling revealed that when AEH were interacting with someone they drank with before, they had significantly lower positive affect when at a shelter (b = −0.17, p = 0.05) versus when not (b = 0.00, p = 0.99). AEH are likely to interact with previous drinking partners while at shelters. It may be important to deliver real-time treatment messages targeting affect in these moments, as well as deliver alcohol reduction/abstinence messages.

Catastrophizing is a transdiagnostic construct that has been suggested to precipitate and maintain a multiplicity of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, the underlying cognitive mechanisms that result in catastrophizing are unknown. Relating reinforcement learning model parameters to catastrophizing may allow us to further understand the process of catastrophizing. Using a modified four-armed bandit task, we aimed to investigate the relationship between reinforcement learning parameters and self-report catastrophizing questionnaire scores to gain a mechanistic understanding of how catastrophizing may alter learning. We recruited 211 participants to complete a computerized four-armed bandit task and tested the fit of six reinforcement learning models on our data, including two novel models which both incorporated a scaling factor related to a history of negative outcomes variable. We investigated the relationship between self-report catastrophizing scores and free parameters from the overall best-fitting model, along with the best-fitting model to include history, using Pearson's correlations. Subsequently, we reassessed these relationships using multiple regression analyses to evaluate whether any observed relationships were altered when relevant IQ and mental health covariates were applied. Model-agnostic analyses indicated there were effects of outcome history on reaction time and accuracy, and that the effects on accuracy related to catastrophizing. The overall model of best fit was the Standard Rescorla–Wagner Model and the best-fitting model to include history was a model in which learning rate was scaled by history of negative outcome. We found no effect of catastrophizing on the scaling by history of negative outcome parameter (r = 0.003, p = 0.679), the learning rate parameter (r = 0.026, p = 0.703), or the inverse temperature parameter (r = 0.086, p = 0.220). We were unable to relate catastrophizing to any of the reinforcement learning parameters we investigated. This implies that catastrophizing is not straightforwardly linked to any changes to learning after a series of negative outcomes are received. Future research could incorporate further exploration of the space of models which include a history parameter.

The contribution of companion animals to human mental wellbeing has received an increasing amount of scientific interest. Research findings concerning the nature of this relationship are however mixed. Variability in behavior and characteristics of the animal might explain this heterogeneity. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the association between companion animals and mental wellbeing in daily life and the role that animal characteristics play in this association, using an ecological momentary assessment approach. The sample will comprise of adult owners of a dog and/or a cat. Participants will start with a baseline assessment including demographic characteristics of the owner and the animal, as well as the C-BARQ or Fe-BARQ to assess general behavior of the animal. After the baseline assessment, a signal-contingent scheme with semi-random intervals will be used to examine human–animal interaction (HAI) in the natural setting of pet-owners' daily lives. Participants will complete up to ten short assessments per day over the course of 5 days, reporting on the presence of-, interaction with-, and behavior of the companion animal. They also report on stressful activities and events, and on their current positive and negative affect. Multilevel regression analysis will be used to investigate the relationship between HAI, animal characteristics and mental wellbeing. With this study we hope to provide insight into the type of animal, behavior of the animal and specific elements of interaction with an animal, and their potential associations with human wellbeing. The knowledge gathered in this study will add to unraveling mechanisms underlying HAI and help to identify in which contexts and under what conditions HAI can have the greatest impact.

Social rank theory states that achieving enhanced social rank is an essential biosocial goal for human beings, with individuals considering themselves to be high or low social rank on the basis of how they perceive that others view them. High social rank is associated with assertiveness, competence, and talent, whereas low social rank is associated with feelings of defeat and inferiority and submissive behavior. This theory has been applied to understand the etiology and psychopathology of eating disorders (EDs). The objective of this narrative systematic review was to summarize existing literature exploring perceptions of social rank and related constructs (e.g., submissiveness and inferiority) in EDs, to shed light on how individuals with EDs perceive their social rank, and to examine the relationship between perceived social rank and ED psychopathology. A systematic search of cross-sectional or longitudinal studies involving a clinical sample of individuals with EDs and using a validated measure of social rank or a related construct was conducted for studies published up to September 12, 2023 (PROSPERO, CRD42021227028). Five databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed) were systematically searched. Altogether, 1106 studies were included in the title and abstract screening. Seventeen studies (13 cross-sectional, 3 prospective cohort studies, and 1 ecological momentary assessment study) were included in the analysis and data extraction. The methodological quality of the studies was rated as generally good. There was evidence that individuals with EDs perceive their social rank as lower compared with healthy controls (N = 5 studies) and present features indicative of perceptions of low social rank (N = 9 studies). The perception of being of low social rank was significantly associated with more severe ED psychopathology (N = 10 studies). The findings of the review are discussed alongside limitations, implications for treatment models, and directions for future research.

The aims of this study were to (1) determine the impact of social media use on the dietary behaviors of young Australian adults, (2) explore the relationship between social media use and wellbeing, and (3) determine how social media influences dietary behaviors. Young Australian adults (18–25 years) were recruited by social media to complete an anonymous online survey (n = 107) and follow-up focus groups (n = 5). The cross-sectional survey collected demographic data, WHO-5 Wellbeing scores, and information about social media use and its impact on dietary behaviors. Focus groups explored salient findings in more detail. Participants altered their dietary habits due to social media (51%) and were inspired to make healthy choices they saw modeled (71%). However, participants who spent more time on social media had lower WHO-5 Wellbeing scores and were more likely to report social media had not had a positive impact on their diet (H = 10.38, p = 0.02, df = 3). Focus groups revealed that social media influenced attitudes, not behaviors; young adults trust credible social media creators; and food and nutrition literacy serve as a shield against misinformation. Further studies are needed to explore longitudinal impacts of social media use on wellbeing and dietary behaviors.

Use of Catha edulis is common among people living with schizophrenia. However, as is the case for most developing countries, the association of Catha edulis use and demographic variables to schizophrenia are not fully understood in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine Catha edulis use and demographic correlates of schizophrenia. Retrospective case-control study was conducted on 37 schizophrenia patients and 103 non schizophrenia patients. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured and pretested questionnaire. Associations between variable were determined using Mantel-Haenszel and Fisher's exact test. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated to see the strength of association at 0.05 levels of significance. Findings of the present study show that age 18 to 30 years old (OR = 2.6; p = 0.020), being single (OR = 4.25; p = 0.001), unemployment (OR = 3.82; p = 0.001) and Catha edulis usage (OR = 3.89; p = 0.001) were significantly correlated to schizophrenia.

Research suggests that a disproportionate number of female individuals being treated for an eating disorder (ED) also have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Alexithymia, or difficulty identifying and describing emotions, may mediate the relationship between ED and ASD. In this study, we explored the association of autistic traits with symptoms of alexithymia and eating pathology, as well as the potential mediating role of alexithymia. Two hundred and twenty-eight female participants aged 18 and older were recruited from online ED support platforms to complete an anonymous online survey via Qualtrics. The survey included three questionnaires: the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the 13-item Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. More than half (54.8%) of participants met the clinical threshold on the AQ. Participants with a positive screen on the AQ scale also reported more symptoms of alexithymia (92.6% of individuals with a positive AQ vs. 79.8% of those without), B = 9.02, p < 0.001. A positive AQ screen was also associated with significantly greater disordered eating symptoms, B = 4.26, p = 0.031. Alexithymia mediated this association, a × b = 1.98, p < 0.05. The results establish a strong positive relationship between autistic traits and alexithymia, supporting previous data and suggesting that autistic female individuals struggle to identify emotions. Additionally, alexithymia served as a mediator between autistic traits and disordered eating. Understanding this relationship may help inform the treatment of autistic female individuals who are also struggling with ED.

The technology described in this review is QbTest. This evaluation focuses on QbTest in the clinical assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with emphasis on studies designed to evaluate the performance of QbTest as a decision support tool, that is, the intended use, and studies designed to evaluate discriminatory ability as a diagnostic test. A literature search of publications was made until May 2023. For the first part, studies investigating QbTest as a decision support tool were included. For the second part, studies designed to evaluate QbTest as a stand-alone test were included if sufficient information for a weighted average calculation of discriminatory power was included in the publication. Eleven studies on participants with ADHD were included for which QbTest was used in the diagnostic procedures of the disorder. One prospective randomized controlled study designed to evaluate QbTest when used for its intended purpose demonstrated a reduced time to diagnosis and increased diagnostic confidence. Ten studies designed to evaluate QbTest as a diagnostic test were identified. QbTest performed well with a weighted average sensitivity of 0.89 and specificity of 0.87 across studies with normative controls. In the challenging group of population with differential diagnosis (participants referred to a secondary or tertiary clinical care level), QbTest performed with a weighted average of 0.79 and 0.71 for both sensitivity and specificity. When including only studies of robust sample size (each study arm ≥50), the weighted averages were 0.83 and 0.86 for specificity and sensitivity, respectively. The addition of a QbTest reduced the time to a diagnostic decision without compromising diagnostic accuracy in a randomized control trial. When QbTest was evaluated for discriminative ability, an overall satisfactory weighted average sensitivity and specificity was found. The intended use of QbTest is to be used as a support tool rather than a standalone test in the clinical assessment of ADHD.