Disturbance Symptoms Research Articles

Therapeutic benefits of glycerol in dry eye disease

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most commonly diagnosed eye disorders, with a prevalence ranging from 5 to 50%, depending on the geographic location. DED is a multifactorial disorder of the tears and ocular surface, which results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is also accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the surface of the eye. Multiple therapeutic agents have been used to treat DED, with glycerol emerging as a promising component of ophthalmic preparations, due to its humectant, lubricant, demulcent, and osmoprotective properties. This review aims to evaluate the current evidence concerning the therapeutic benefits of glycerol in managing DED, focusing on its possible mechanisms of action, clinical efficacy, and potential advantages over other treatments.

Patterns in Children's Digital Media Use in Early Childhood and Family Factors: A Network Perspective

ABSTRACT Digital media use may be associated with adverse developmental outcomes and can be affected by individual, family, and sociodemographic factors. From a developmental perspective, this exploratory study investigates the relationships between maternal symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) and health orientation on digital media use in early childhood. Participants were 267 mothers of children up to 3 years of age and were divided into three subgroups: G1 (0–12 months of age; n = 84); G2 (13–24 months of age; n = 97); G3 (25–36 months of age; n = 86). According to comparative network analysis, maternal symptoms of CMD had a greater effect in G1 and were more strongly correlated with the context of use than with screen time. Health orientation on screen time has greater associations in G1 and reduces its correlations in G2 until it disconnects from the network in G3. Developmental differences in digital media use can be addressed when planning interventions.

"We Need Gentleness": Isolation, Loneliness, and Implications for Psychosocial Counseling Among People with HIV who are on Methadone Maintenance Treatment and Experience Common Mental Disorders in Vietnam.

The psychological experiences and needs of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who use methadone maintenance treatment and have common mental disorders in Hanoi, Vietnam remain unknown. Due to limited services for common mental disorders, optimal delivery methods for psychotherapy are also unknown. Accordingly, this qualitive study explored both symptoms of common mental disorders among this population and the preferred qualifications and characteristics of a mental health counselor. We interviewed patients, their family members and caretakers, clinic providers, and clinic directors to answer these questions. Feelings of loneliness, isolation, sadness, hopelessness, and a general lack of motivation were common among patient participants. Patient participants had no preference among counselor professional qualifications. Three key qualities‒gentleness, enthusiasm, and understanding ‒ emerged as preferred counselor characteristics. The results from this work will help inform the future tailoring of mental health interventions among a population with unique care needs in Hanoi as well as other populations of people with HIV with common mental disorders.

Perceptual link between inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) stressors and common mental symptoms in Ethiopian health workers: A qualitative study.

Despite the rising prevalence of common mental symptoms, information is scarce on how health workers make sense of symptoms of mental disorders and perceive a link with inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as work stressors to understand causation and produce useful knowledge for policy and professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how health workers perceive the link between inadequate WASH and common mental symptoms (CMSs) at hospitals in central and southern Ethiopian regions. We used an interpretive and descriptive phenomenological design guided by theoretical frameworks. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) and 10 in-depth interviews with health workers were conducted. We explored the perceived link with inadequate WASH after assessing health workers' conceptualization of common mental health symptoms. The interviews and FGDs were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Coding and categorizing were supported by MaxQDA software 2020. Thematic analysis was performed and themes were supported by participants' quotes when necessary. Four themes emerged from the data based on the guiding theoretical models relevant to the research questions. Most health workers believed and frequently suggested that inadequate water supply, functional hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and waste management services at the points of care increased the risk of occupational stress, job anxiety, and occupational depression symptoms. Many participants believed that inadequate WASH would cause them to experience negative professional quality of life including burnout, compassion dissatisfaction, and compassion fatigue at work despite believing that WASH problems cannot be solved at the individual level. Participants recurrently listed many individual, organizational, and system-level barriers to reducing and coping with inadequate WASH as stressors. Healthcare workers perceived inadequate WASH components as contributing to symptoms of common mental disorders and negatively impacting their professional quality of life. They faced multiple barriers at individual, organizational, and health system levels, which hindered their ability to manage work-related stress and seek mental health support. The findings suggest the implementation of integrated WASH and mental health services for healthcare workers, ranging from establishing individual-level interventions to increasing access to WASH around care areas through collaborative efforts with healthcare administration, broader health systems, water supplies, and sewerage services.

Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents.

To examine the associations between self-reported screen time and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 982 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years, enrolled in public schools in Jacarezinho (PR), Brazil. Screen time was assessed by the question "Considering a typical day, how much time do you spend watching TV, playing videogame, using computer or smartphone?" The DASS-21 questionnaire (short form) was used to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Crude and adjusted analyses (age, sex, and maternal level of education) between screen time and mental disorders symptoms were performed using general linear regression models, with Poisson distribution, with significance level at p<0.05. Higher depressive symptoms were observed in adolescents who reported screen time of 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.35, 95%CI 1.13-1.61) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.88, 95%CI 1.62-2.19), compared with their pairs with <2 hours/day. The same was observed for anxiety symptoms with screen time of 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.23, 95%CI 1.04-1.46) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.50, 95%CI 1.28-1.77); and stress, with 4-6 hours/day (PR 1.25, 95%CI 1.08-1.44) and ≥6 hours/day (PR 1.49, 95%CI 1.30-1.71), also compared with their pairs with <2 hours/day. Screen time was positively associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms in adolescents. Special attention should be given to those who spend more than four hours a day in front of a screen.

Nobiletin-rich kososan, a Kampo formula, prevents the onset of apathy-like behavior and neuroinflammation in sickness behavior mouse model induced by increasing doses of lipopolysaccharide.

Infectious diseases are often concomitant with symptoms of lassitude and emotional disturbances, including depression, the so-called sickness behavior. Kososan, a Kampo (traditional Japanese herbal) formula, has been clinically used for depressive mood, with demonstrated efficacy in stress-induced depressive-like behavior mouse models. Additionally, our previous study has shown that nobiletin-rich kososan (NKS) prevents aging-related depressive-like behaviors and neuroinflammation in mice. Here, we examined whether NKS alleviates depressive-like behavior and neuroinflammation in a mouse model of sickness behavior induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Repeated oral administration of NKS and the positive control antidepressant paroxetine (Paro) significantly prevented this behavior. NKS and Paro significantly increased the anti-inflammatory milieu in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC), as well as brain microglia, of LPS-injected mice. The expression of the vascular tight junction protein claudin-5 was also significantly increased by the treatment with NKS, but not with Paro, in the hippocampus and PFC of LPS-injected mice. In vitro analysis using brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) showed that incubation with 5% serum derived from mice orally administered NKS resulted in a significant increase in the expression of anti-inflammatory heme oxygenase 1 as well as autophagic flux markers. Moreover, the claudin-5 levels in BMVECs were also increased under LPS-stimulated conditions. These results suggest that NKS exerts prophylactic effects against the LPS-induced apathy-like behavior, partly mediated by the increase in the anti-inflammatory milieu and in the levels of tight junction proteins in the brain. This study provides scientific evidence supporting the potential efficacy of NKS in preventing post-infection depression.

The study protocol of a double-blind randomized controlled trial of EMDR and multifocal transcranial current stimulation (MtCS) as augmentation strategy in patients with fibromyalgia

BackgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized, widespread chronic pain disorder affecting 2.7% of the general population. In recent years, different studies have observed a strong association between FM and psychological trauma. Therefore, a trauma-focused psychotherapy, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), combined with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, such as multifocal transcranial current stimulation (MtCS), could be an innovative adjunctive treatment option. This double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) analyzes if EMDR therapy is effective in the reduction of pain symptoms in FM patients, and if its potential is boosted with the addition of MtCS.MethodsNinety-six patients with FM and a history of traumatic events will be randomly allocated to the treatment as usual (TAU) condition, EMDR + active-MtCS condition, or EMDR + sham-MtCS condition. Therapists and patients will be kept blind to MtCS conditions, and raters will be kept blind to both EMDR and MtCS. All patients will be evaluated at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up at 6 months after post-treatment. Evaluations will assess the following variables: sociodemographic data, pain, psychological trauma, sleep disturbance, anxiety and affective symptoms, wellbeing, self-care, emotional regulation, self-esteem, and cognitive functioning.DiscussionThis study will provide evidence of whether EMDR therapy is effective in reducing pain symptoms in FM patients, and whether the effect of EMDR can be enhanced by MtCS.Trial registration numberThis trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 2 August 2019, identifier: NCT04084795.

The Use of Melatoninergic Antidepressants for Stabilization of Remission in Depression Comorbid with Alcohol Abuse, Anxiety or Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and is associated with a significant increase in the risk of mental and somatic comorbidities. The chronobiological theory of the pathogenesis of depression explains the relationship between the symptoms of depression and disturbance of circadian rhythm regulation. Disrupted circadian rhythms are also observed in other disorders such as alcohol use disorder, anxiety disorders, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the use of medications with a melatoninergic mechanism of action in the treatment of depression comorbid with the aforementioned disorders. AIM: This review aims to systematically examine the evidence for the use of melatoninergic antidepressants (agomelatine and fluvoxamine) in the treatment of depression comorbid with alcohol abuse, anxiety disorders (including phobic anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders), or neuropsychiatric disorders (such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease). METHODS: This systematic review included experimental studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published in English and Russian, which examined the use of fluvoxamine and agomelatine in adult patients with recurrent depressive disorder (ICD-10) or major depressive disorder (DSM-5) comorbid with alcohol abuse, anxiety or neuropsychiatric disorders. The search was conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane Library and eLIBRARY scientific databases. The quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, which is used to evaluate the risk of systematic errors in clinical studies. The results were presented as a narrative synthesis and grouped by the comorbidities evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 20 articles were reviewed (with a pooled sample size of n=1,833 participants). The results suggest that melatoninergic antidepressants might help in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms, improve sleep, decrease alcohol cravings, and alleviate the severity of motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, the use of pharmacogenetic testing to select the medication and dosage may enhance its therapeutic effectiveness. CONCLUSION: The review demonstrates a significant lack of clinical data and guidelines on the use of melatoninergic medications for the treatment of depression comorbid with other disorders. In this regard, it is currently difficult to draw a definitive conclusion regarding the efficacy and safety of agomelatine and fluvoxamine in the treatment of these comorbidities. Available studies suggest an improvement in the clinical manifestations of the comorbidities. Future research directions might include the development and implementation of double-blind, randomized clinical trials to study the use of melatoninergic medications in patients with depression comorbid with other disorders.

Oral administration of ethinyl estradiol and the brain-selective estrogen prodrug DHED in a female common marmoset model of menopause: Effects on cognition, thermoregulation, and sleep.

Menopausal symptoms of sleep disturbances, cognitive deficits, and hot flashes are understudied, in part due to the lack of animal models in which they co-occur. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are valuable nonhuman primates for studying these symptoms, and we examined changes in cognition (reversal learning), sleep (48h/wk of sleep recorded by telemetry), and thermoregulation (nose temperature in response to mild external warming) in middle-aged, surgically-induced menopausal marmosets studied at baseline, during 3-week phases of ethinyl estradiol (EE2, 4μg/kg/day, p.o.) treatment and after EE2 withdrawal. We also assessed a brain-selective hormonal therapy devoid of estrogenic effects in peripheral tissues on the same measures (cognition, sleep, thermoregulation) after treatment with the estrogen prodrug 10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED, 100μg/kg/day, p.o) and DHED withdrawal. Reversal learning performance was improved with EE2 or DHED treatment relative to phases without hormone administration, as indicated by a faster reversal of the stimulus/reward contingencies. Both EE2 and DHED increased non-REM sleep and reduced nighttime awakenings relative to baseline, but to the detriment of REM sleep which was highest at baseline. Nasal temperature in response to mild external warming was highest, and overnight core body temperature lowest, in the DHED treatment phase compared to both the EE2 and baseline phases. These results suggest that low dose estradiol, delivered either peripherally or centrally via DHED, benefits selective aspects of cognition and sleep in a marmoset menopause model. DHED appears a promising therapeutic candidate for alleviating the cognitive and sleep disruptions associated with estrogen deficiency in primates.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police cadets' exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events during the Cadet Training Program.

Lifetime exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadets starting the Cadet Training Program (CTP) appear lower than exposures reported by serving RCMP, but the prevalence of PPTE exposures during the CTP remains unknown. The current study assessed PPTE exposures during the CTP and examined associations with mental disorders among RCMP cadets. Participants were cadets (n = 449, 24.7% women) from the larger RCMP Longitudinal Study who self-reported critical incidents, PPTE exposures, and mental health disorder symptoms at pretraining and predeployment. Most participants reported no exposures to a PPTE (n = 374, 83.3%) during the CTP. Participants who reported any PPTE exposure (n = 75, 16.7%; i.e., direct or indirect) most commonly reported serious transport accidents, physical assault, and sudden accidental death. The most common direct PPTEs (i.e., "happened to me") during the CTP were physical assault (n = 13), other unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experience (n = 11), and serious transportation accident (n = 8). The total number of PPTE types reported at predeployment was associated with increased odds of screening positive for any mental health disorder, aOR = 1.22, 95% CI [1.01, 1.49], p =.049, and positively associated with mental health disorder symptoms, ps <.001. These results provide the first assessment of PPTE exposureamong RCMP cadets during the CTP, indicating that 16.7% of cadets experience PPTEs directly or indirectly. The PPTEs reported by cadets may help inform additional opportunities to further increase safety during training.

Treatment decision-making process among postmenopausal women with pelvic organ prolapse before gynecological surgery: A qualitative study from Romania.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects quality of life of many women. This paper aims to identify the experience of postmenopausal women in treatment decision-making process about POP before gynecological surgery. The characteristics of twelve postmenopausal women with stage II, III and IV POP, such as age, body mass index (BMI), physical exercise, education, parity, abortions, comorbidities, previous surgical interventions, and smoker/nonsmoker were evaluated. Each woman was given a semi-structured interview consisted of open-ended questions describing different treatments for POP. Interviews were conducted from January 2022 from May 2022, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed. The mean age was 64 years and most women were obese (BMI ≥ 30, 66.66%) with associated hypertension (58.33%). After constant comparison of the data using qualitative descriptive design, 7 dominant themes were obtained, namely: lack of information about prolapse; the decisive moment for the choice of treatment; the most disturbing symptoms; sources of information on prolapse; decisions regarding the treatment; preferences for conservative treatment; and uncertainty about treatment options. Most of the postmenopausal women stated that treatment decision-making process was mainly influenced by the physician, while supervised pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training was seen as an alternative to surgical treatment (58.33%). Therefore, it is essential to inform in time such women about different treatment options, allowing to decide on their preferred treatment.

Kesehatan Mental Bagi Remaja: Workshop Mengenal dan Menjaga Kesehatan Mental Remaja

Adolescent mental health is an important aspect that is often overlooked, even though adolescence is a critical phase in emotional and social development. The Adolescent Mental Health Workshop held in Purwodadi Village aims to increase adolescents' understanding of the importance of maintaining mental balance amidst academic and social pressures. This activity involves delivering interactive materials on signs of mental health disorders, stress management strategies, and how to seek support when facing psychological problems. The workshop results showed that adolescents in Purwodadi Village experienced a significant increase in their awareness of the importance of mental health. They were better able to recognize early symptoms of mental disorders and understand the importance of seeking support from family, friends, or professionals. The positive response from adolescents and support from posyandu cadres showed that this activity successfully built awareness of the importance of mental health in everyday life.

Знатоки души человеческой: Фeдор Достоевский и Людмила Петрушевская

The article deals with the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Lyudmila Petrushevskaya from the point of view of two disciplines – psychology (addictology), and literary criticism. The paper explores the authors’ description of the symptoms of addiction, which manifests itself both in the consciousness, subconsciousness and behavior of literary heroes, as well as in their relationships, and the studies are reported by specific excerpts from the literary works. Based on the primary analysis of the text, it can be argued that Dostoyevsky already in the 19th century, in his works, described symptoms that were defined by psychology as a science only in the 20th century. Petrushevskaya often enters into an intertextual dialogue with Dostoevsky, describing gloomy heroes and hopelesslife. The study analyzes specific symptoms and their application based on Dostoyevsky’s Netochka Nezvanova (1849) and Petrushevskaya’s The Glitch (1999). The purpose of the work is to draw attention to writers as psychologists, and to the skill of their artistic and psychological depiction of the external symptoms of various mental disorders through their literary heroes. This goal is achieved: 1) by identifying specific symptoms of mental disorders (addiction) of the characters; 2) a comparative analysis of scientific psychological material and literary text; 3) by comparing the artistic depiction of specific symptoms of characters in the texts of certain authors.

The Choice of Anti-Inflammatory Influences the Elimination of Protein-Bound Uremic Toxins.

Pain is a frequent and disturbing symptom among hemodialysis patients. Protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) are related to cardiovascular and overall mortality, and they are difficult to remove with current hemodialysis treatments. The PBUT displacers, such as furosemide, tryptophan, or ibuprofen, may be promising new strategies for improving their clearance. This study aims to compare ibuprofen versus other analgesic drugs in PBUT removal. A prospective study was carried out in 23 patients. Patients underwent four dialysis sessions with routine dialysis parameters, except for analgesic drugs administered (lysine acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, dexketoprofen, and ibuprofen). The reduction ratios (RRs) of a wide range of molecular weight molecules were assessed, including total p-cresyl sulfate and total indoxyl-sulfate. There were no complications related to the administered drug, and pain was controlled independently of the drug. There were no differences in the RR of small-size and medium-sized molecules between all four study treatments. However, indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate RRs when ibuprofen was administered were significantly higher than lysine acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen, and dexketoprofen treatments. In conclusion, patients with pain may benefit from treatment with ibuprofen instead of lysine acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, or dexketoprofen, since in addition to improving pain, it increases the removal of PBUTs.

Feasibility of Hypnotherapy in Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance Management in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Disease

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to test the clinical feasibility of hypnotherapy in the management of fatigue and sleep disturbances among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the south of Iran. Forty patients aged 25–47 were enrolled, and 22 (19 females, 3 males) completed eight 50-minute sessions of hypnotherapy for 10 weeks. Patients were required to practice the hypnotherapy sessions at home throughout the week. Participants completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline and after the final hypnotherapy session. The mean MFI score was significantly reduced by 8.19 points following hypnotherapy (p < .05). The mean PSQI global score following hypnosis treatment significantly decreased from 7.4 ± 3.3 to 5.52 ± 3.12 (p < .05). Our results suggest that MS patients might benefit from hypnotherapy for controlling fatigue and sleep disturbance symptoms. Confirmative assessment is required in a randomized controlled trial after feasibility has been established.

Effect of Ethylene Oxide Exposure on Sleep Health: Using NHANES Data from 2015 to 2020.

Background/Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of ethylene oxide (EO) exposure on sleep health, focusing on sleep duration and quality. Methods: The study analyzed data from the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) 2015-2020 cycles, including 4268 participants aged 20 and older. EO exposure was measured using hemoglobin adducts of EO (HbEO), which serve as a reliable biomarker. Sleep health was assessed through self-reported questionnaires on sleep duration and quality. Participants were categorized based on sleep duration (<6 h, 6-9 h, >9 h) and symptoms of sleep disturbances. Statistical analyses employed survey-weighted logistic regression models to evaluate the associations between HbEO levels and sleep outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral factors. Moreover, to examine whether the impact of ethylene oxide exposure on sleep quality and sleep duration varies by sociodemographic characteristics, stratified analyses were conducted based on gender, age, marital status, and employment type. Results: According to the results, higher EO exposure was associated with shorter sleep durations and increased likelihood of sleep disturbances. Moreover, according to sub-group analysis by sex, men with higher exposure to EO, were likely to have short sleep duration, and women with higher exposure to EO had higher risk of daytime sleepiness and sleep problems. Conclusions: The findings suggest that EO exposure may negatively impact sleep health, emphasizing the need for stricter EO exposure regulations and public health interventions to reduce associated risks.

Promoting Psychological Health and Overall Wellness in Female Veterans With Military Sexual Trauma Through Complementary Health Interventions: A Quality Improvement Project.

Military sexual trauma (MST) has been associated with long-term negative outcomes such as increased rates of cardiovascular disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. While evidence supports the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic approaches as treatments for MST and related PTSD symptoms, these interventions have limited impact, attributed to perceived stigma with high dropout rates in female Veterans. Complementary and integrative health (CIH) interventions provide an alternative that may be more acceptable and can help transition Veterans into mental health treatments. Although evidence supports the utility of individual CIH interventions to be both effective and acceptable treatments for MST-related PTSD amongst female Veterans, there are limited evaluations of interventions that combine multiple CIH modalities, specifically in populations of at-risk female Veterans with histories of suicidal ideation or behavior. Thus, this quality improvement (QI) project aimed to assess the impact of a multimodal CIH intervention on mental and physical health symptoms specifically in female at-risk Veterans with MST. A total of 19 female Veterans with histories of MST and suicidal ideation and/or behavior who participated in an interventional programming in an urban VA in New York City were included in a secondary analysis for QI evaluation. These female Veterans comprised a subset of participants who previously engaged in a larger QI multimodal CIH intervention delivered over 4-week long in a cohort setting during which Veterans (both males and females) engaged in meditation and mindfulness, physical exercise, nutrition, and motivational curricula. Integrated as part of this programming, mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, PTSD, and stress/anxiety) and other factors related to suicide risk were assessed before and after program participation for all participants. Improvements across these symptoms pre- vs. post-program participation were examined. For this secondary analysis, a total of 73% of females with MST who participated in the multimodal CIH interventional programming had a prior history of suicidal ideation or behavior. These participants showed elevated levels of depression and sleep disturbance symptoms at baseline prior to engagement in the multimodal CIH interventions, with medium-to-large reductions in these symptoms following completion of the multimodal CIH programming (Cohen's d > 0.61 magnitude differences in symptom reduction pre vs. post). The results of this QI evaluation add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that CIH interventions can be effective in attenuating mental health symptom-related MST and particularly within female Veteran populations at-risk for suicide, underscoring the potential importance of investigating integration of multiple CIH interventions for treatment of at-risk populations in future clinical research studies.

Mental disorder diagnoses and symptoms and functional impairment in school-age children in the care of child protective services

BackgroundAbout 50 % of children in the care of child protective services present at least one mental disorder, but few studies have looked at whether there are differences in mental disorders or symptoms between children placed in out-of-home care (foster care and residential care) and their community peers. ObjectiveThis study documents the mental disorder diagnoses and symptoms among children in out-of-home care and their associations with children functional impairment. It also compares out-of-home care children with those from the community. Participants and settingThe sample was composed of children aged 5 to 12 years in foster care (n = 154), in residential care (n = 111), and from the community (n = 92). MethodsCaregivers reported the children's diagnoses and completed questionnaires on the children's symptoms. Results1) Proportionally more children in out-of-home care presented a mental disorder than did children from the community. Proportions were similar for those in foster care and those in residential care; 2) Children in out-of-home care presented more symptoms than those from the community for all the mental disorders considered and the children in residential care presented more symptoms than did those in foster care for about half of the disorders considered; 3) symptoms were strongly associated with functional impairment; and 4) the symptoms of RAD, ADHD, OCD, CD, and ODD proved significant predictors of functional impairment. ConclusionsThis study provides a picture of the mental disorders and symptoms among samples of school-age children in the care of child protective services and raises questions about the proportions of some of the diagnosis that children receive.

Burdens of sedentary behaviour and symptoms of mental health disorders and their associations among 297,354 school-going adolescents from 68 countries

Burdens of sedentary behaviour and symptoms of mental health disorders and their associations among 297,354 school-going adolescents from 68 countries

Key Components of Trauma-Informed Yoga Nidra.

Trauma exposure is universal to the human condition, with many affected individuals experiencing either posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or subthreshold manifestations. Both scenarios can become functionally debilitating and collectively lay a heavy burden on individuals and society. Yoga nidra is one adjunctive treatment of growing interest, holding potential for its ability to alleviate symptoms of trauma, including hypervigilance, sleep disturbances, and disembodiment. However, yoga nidra practices can have re-traumatizing side-effects if not delivered conscientiously. For instance, adverse reactions such as overwhelming flashbacks, emotional distress, and extended dissociation have been reported as a result of yoga nidra practice. To prevent harm and maximize yoga nidra's therapeutic potential, 10 key components of trauma-informed yoga nidra practice are presented: (1) safe(r) and comfortable environment; (2) personal autonomy, healthy boundaries, and consent; (3) skillful mindful awareness; (4) appropriate length and preparation; (5) adequate settling and externalization; (6) sleep permission; (7) self-chosen intention; (8) flexible rotation of consciousness and breath awareness; (9) embodied pairs of opposites; and (10) conscientious visualizations. These measures protect those living with trauma and have extended benefits for nonclinical populations as well. That said, some of these components may be adapted based on context, especially in settings where direct feedback is readily available and can be prioritized. Ultimately, thoughtful decisions must be made with the intention of optimizing the safety of and benefit to the practitioners under the facilitator's care.