‘The phoenix that always rises from the ashes’: an exploratory qualitative study of the experiences of an initiative informed by principles of psychological first aid following the Beirut blast

Putting Adolescent Health at the Heart of Pediatrics

The Authors Reply

Health Care Reform and Adolescents—An Agenda for the Lifespan: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Background: It has been recognized that body fatness and mental disorders have association, however very limited evidence have proved that physical fitness and mental health have association. Relationship between physical fitness and mental health in young adults has not been fully proved. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between physical fitness, body fatness, and mental health in young adults.Methods: A total of 149 (97 males and 52 females) college students were included. Physical fitness (sit-ups, push-ups, 1 mile run/walk), and body mass index (BMI) was measured, and psychological questionnaires including life satisfaction, self-efficacy, the beck depression inventory (BDI), and adult self report (ASR) were administered. The levels of physical fitness and BMI were classified into tertile groups and were analyzed.Results: Female participants with the highest tertile of BMI had highest ASR score (p<0.05). Participants with highest level of physical fitness showed higher level of self-efficacy in both males and females (p<0.05). In both male and female, physical fitness was a significant predictor for self-efficacy (Male: β=0.35, p<0.05, Female: β =0.31, p<0.05).Conclusions: In conclusion, physical fitness and body fatness were associated with mental health. Especially, physical fitness, independent of BMI, was proved as significant indicator for mental health in young adults.

Young adults (YAs) have high rates of serious mental health conditions and historically low rates of mental health treatment engagement. YAs have historically been understudied within psychiatric rehabilitation, but more recently, multidisciplinary team- and community-based approaches informed by assertive community treatment have become popular. Much can be learned from YAs enrolled in YA-specific teams to understand how YA-specific teams support YA recovery. A research team with several YAs with lived/living mental health experience conducted and analyzed interviews with YAs (n = 22) enrolled in YA-specific team-based services. The research team used reflexive thematic analysis. Self-discovery was central in YA team-based service experiences. The YA team fostered discovery by (a) supporting YA self-reflection within mutually respectful YA client-team member relationships made possible through the YA team; (b) blending and balancing YA development, lived experience, and clinical expertise; and (c) providing flexible, tailored services and activities in the community and clinic. Supporting YAs in building their sense of self is central in engaging YAs. YA mental health providers and policymakers in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation can use discovery practice concepts to describe how and why adult mental health care can successfully be different for YAs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Young adults face specific challenges, potentially impacting engagement with chronic pain self-management and coping. This project aims to explore the experiences of young adults with chronic pain to determine facilitators and barriers to self-management, identify coping strategies and understand how they map onto the COM-B model. A qualitative study was conducted with 14 adults aged 19-30 (10 females, 4 males) experiencing chronic pain in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis was used and three themes were developed: (1) Pivotal role of self-advocacy and diagnosis; (2) Understanding of chronic pain is essential for self-management; (3) Coping through compassion. This study provided insights regarding self-management and coping strategies and several practical implications are provided for healthcare and employment settings. Healthcare professionals should provide young adults with information regarding their chronic pain. Support from employers must also be improved to aid self-management.

Background: A considerable proportion of young adults are affected by psychological distress at any time and an important fraction of them may develop mental disorders. Use of novel approaches for the analysis of data from multiple psychological scales might facilitate the identification of key indicators of mental health.Aims: The aim of current study was to examine the relationship between multiple risk factors for mental illness, using a network analysis perspective.Methods: A sample of 334 young Colombian adults (mean age = 21.7) were evaluated with validated scales measuring several psychosocial factors previously associated with mental health (e.g. worry, sleep problems, suicidal ideation, childhood abuse, alcohol related-problems and personality traits). A total of 24 nodes were included in the network analysis and topology, centrality, and stability of the networks were studied.Results: Specific nodes that occupied critical positions in the network were identified, with worry, perceived distress and low energy being the most central nodes.Conclusions: Our explorative findings suggest that a network analysis might identify risk factors that have a central role in the multiple dimensions of emotional health in young adults. These novel analyses could have important applications for the understanding of the psychological functioning affecting mental health.

BackgroundPeople with mental health conditions have been identified as particularly vulnerable to poor mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, why this population have faced these adverse effects, how they have experienced them and how they have coped remains under-explored.AimsTo explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of people with existing mental health conditions, and to identify coping strategies for positive mental health.MethodsSemi-structured qualitative interviews with 22 people with mental health conditions. Participants were purposively recruited via social media, study newsletters and third sector mental health organisations. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants were aged 23–70 (mean age 43), predominantly female (59.1%) and of white ethnicity (68.2%). Fifty percent were unable to work due to illness and the most frequently reported mental health condition was depression. Five pandemic-related factors contributed to deteriorating mental health: (i) feeling safe but isolated at home; (ii) disruption to mental health services; (iii) cancelled plans and changed routines; (iv) uncertainty and lack of control; (v) rolling media coverage. Five coping strategies were identified for maintaining mental health: (i) previous experience of adversity; (ii) social comparison and accountability; (iii) engaging in hobbies and activities; (iv) staying connected with others; (v) perceived social support.ConclusionsChallenges were identified as a direct result of the pandemic and people with severe mental illnesses were particularly negatively affected. However, some found this period a time of respite, drew upon reserves of resilience and adapted their coping strategies to maintain positive well-being.

Emotional eating (EmE) is one of the most common eating behaviors maladaptive among young adults, however, in the Peruvian context, it remains unexplored. The aim of the study was to determine the association between negative EmE, sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, and mental and physical health in young adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 400 young Peruvian adults living in three regions of Peru (coast, jungle, and highlands). An online survey was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, anxiety, hypertension, and negative EmE. In addition, self-reported anthropometric data were collected to calculate body mass index (BMI). Approximately 55.8% of women presented negative EmE. Logistic regression analysis revealed that participants aged 30-39 years were less likely to have negative EmE in both female and male gender, OR; 0.24, 95% CI; 0.08-0.66, p<0.01 and OR; 0.40, 95% CI; 0.16-0.97, p<0.05, respectively. Perform physical activity 3 to 4 times 5.22 (95% CI: 1.31-20.78), 1 to 2 times a week 5.77 (95% CI: 1.91-17.44), and never 15.18 (95% CI: 3.90-59.00) were associated with negative EmE. Moreover, sleeping less than 7 hours per day (OR; 2.26, 95% CI; 1.04-4.90), depressive symptoms (OR = 6.29, 95% CI: 1.27-31.19), anxiety (OR = 14.13, 95% CI: 2.46-80. 97, p<0.01), hypertension (OR = 7.58, 95% CI: 1.24-46.17), and BMI ≥25 (overweight/obese) (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.66-3.41) were associated with negative EmE. The findings show that there is an association between negative EmE, sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, and mental and physical health in young adults.

Resilience in the city? Evidence from the Determinants of young Adult Social wellbeing and Health (DASH) longitudinal study of diverse young adults

The current study aimed to determine the role of psychological experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and COVID-19-related grief and worry) on young adult physical and mental health functioning as measured by health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, this cross-sectional study examined psychological predictors of physical and mental health functioning among young adults (age 18 to 30 years) from April 13 to September 5, 2020. Pre-existing depression diagnoses (beta = -0.124, P < .001), current depression symptoms (beta = -0.298, P < .001), and COVID-19-related worry (beta = -0.142, P < .001) significantly predicted poorer physical health functioning. Current depression and anxiety symptoms (beta = -0.342 and beta = -0.268), loneliness (beta = -0.135), and COVID-19-related grief (beta = -0.180) predicted lower self-reported mental health functioning (P < .001). Black (beta = -0.072) and Hispanic/Latinx participants (beta = -0.082) were more likely to indicate poorer physical health functioning (P < .01) relative to White participants, whereas women reported poorer mental health relative to men (beta = -0.047, P < .05). This study identifies potential negative impacts of pandemic-related psychological experiences for young adults' health during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to consider mental health symptomatology, COVID-19-related experiences, race, and gender when designing efforts to address long-term implications on health.

The Journal of Adolescent Health's Editor-In-Chief's Annual Reflection: A Year of COVID, Coping, and Creativity

The Association Between Employment Status and Mental Health in Young Adults: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Korea

Introduction: Adults who reach middle age with optimal levels of three physiologic factors – blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose – have lower rates of CVD mortality compared to those with one or more of these risk factors in the non-optimal range. The American Heart Association has identified four healthy lifestyle components – BMI, smoking, diet, and physical activity – important for preserving optimal cardiovascular health as people age. However, which lifestyle components in adolescence are most strongly associated with physiologic markers of cardiovascular health in adulthood is unclear. The purpose of this study was to quantify associations between lifestyle components measured in adolescence and optimal physiologic cardiovascular health in young adulthood. Methods: Analyses included 9,697 young adults, age 24-32 years in 2007-2008, who participated in Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We defined optimal physiologic cardiovascular heath as untreated blood pressure &lt;120/80 mmHg, untreated fasting blood glucose &lt;100 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1C &lt; 5.7%, untreated total cholesterol in the bottom 7 (women) or 6 (men) deciles for the study population, and absence of diabetes or CVD as measured at Wave IV. We used logistic regression models to estimate the odds of having optimal physiologic cardiovascular health in young adulthood according to BMI category, smoking status, and physical activity patterns measured during Waves I and II when participants were ages 11-20 years. Dietary data were not available. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, educational attainment, and income in young adulthood. Results: Few young adults (16%, 1,592 of 9,697) had optimal physiologic cardiovascular health. Young adults who had been normal-weighted in adolescence were more likely to have optimal physiologic cardiovascular health (18.4%, 1,382 of 7,206) compared to those who had been overweight (9.4%, 142 of 1,429) or obese (6.9%, 68 of 1,062). In models adjusted for young adult sociodemographic factors, participants who had been overweight or obese as adolescents were less than half as likely as those who had been normal-weighted to have optimal physiologic cardiovascular health in young adulthood (overweight odds ratio (OR) 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.61; obese OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.28-0.57). Adolescent tobacco smoking and physical activity were not associated with young adult cardiovascular health. Conclusions: Maintaining a healthy weight in adolescence may be the most important lifestyle factor for reaching young adulthood with optimal physiologic cardiovascular health. Overweight and obese adolescents should be encouraged to achieve a healthy weight through adherence to diet and physical activity goals.

BackgroundFamily social support, as a form of social capital, contributes to social health disparities at different age of life. In a life-course epidemiological perspective, the aims of our study were to examine the association between self-reported family social environment during childhood and self-reported health in young adulthood and to assess the role of family functioning during childhood as a potential mediating factor in explaining the association between family breakup in childhood and self-reported health in young adulthood.MethodsWe analyzed data from the first wave of the Health, Inequalities and Social Ruptures Survey (SIRS), a longitudinal health and socio-epidemiological survey of a random sample of 3000 households initiated in the Paris metropolitan area in 2005. Sample-weighted logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between the quality of family social environment in childhood and self-rated health (overall health, physical health and psychological well-being) in young adults (n = 1006). We used structural equation model to explore the mediating role of the quality of family functioning in childhood in the association between family breakup in childhood and self-rated health in young adulthood.ResultsThe multivariate results support an association between a negative family social environment in childhood and poor self-perceived health in adulthood. The association found between parental separation or divorce in childhood and poor self-perceived health in adulthood was mediated by parent-child relationships and by having witnessed interparental violence during childhood.ConclusionThese results argue for interventions that enhance family cohesion, particularly after family disruptions during childhood, to promote health in young adulthood.