Effective Mental Health Services Research Articles

The trajectories and associations of sleep disturbance symptoms with suicidal ideation in adolescents: A three-wave longitudinal study

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the developmental trajectories of sleep disturbance symptoms and examine whether specific trajectory memberships of sleep disturbance symptoms could prospectively predict suicidal ideation (SI) among a large sample of Chinese adolescents over one year. MethodsA three-wave longitudinal study was conducted from April 2021 to June 2022, with a sample of 19,095 adolescents from Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, China (51.2% males; mean age = 12.4 ± 1.6 years at baseline). Socio-demographics (at baseline), SI, sleep disturbance symptoms (at each assessment), depressive symptoms (at the last follow-up), and negative life events (at two follow-ups) were assessed. Data were analyzed employing Growth Mixture Modeling and binary logistic regressions. ResultsThe Growth Mixture Modeling identified four trajectories of sleep disturbance symptoms over one year: resistant group (76.2%), delayed-dysfunction group (8.8%), recovery group (7.4%), and chronic-dysfunction group (7.6%). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that adolescents in the group of delayed-dysfunction (OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 2.51-3.27) and chronic-dysfunction (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.84-2.47) exhibited higher risks of developing SI compared to those in the resistant group, even after controlling for socio-demographics, negative life events, depressive symptoms, and baseline SI. ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of identifying individuals at higher risks of sleep disturbance and providing personalized and effective mental health services to reduce the incidence of SI.

Implementing Effective School-Based Mental Health Services: A Guide for School Counselors

Across the United States, the number of children with mental health conditions has continued to rise. However, access and utilization of mental health services vary greatly. School-based mental health complements comprehensive school counseling and provides an opportunity for K–12 students to receive needed treatment they may not otherwise have access to. School counselors are well positioned to support the development, implementation, and sustainability of effective school-based mental health programming. We provide an overview of implementation science and case examples that detail the school counselor’s role in this work.

Qualitative assessment of psychosocial factors influencing adolescents living with HIV in targeted health facilities in Kwara state Nigeria

BackgroundThere is growing concern about the rising prevalence of HIV infection among adolescents worldwide and the various challenges that accompany living with HIV among this population. This study investigated the social and psychological factors influencing adolescents living with HIV in selected treatment health facilities in Kwara State, Nigeria.MethodsStudy adopted qualitative data collection method with six focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted across three health facilities, three sessions each for both males and females. Discussions were conducted in English and Yoruba languages, audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Content analysis was performed using MAXQDA Analytic Pro 2020.ResultsA total of 44 participants, comprising 24 males and 20 females aged 10 to 19, participated in the FGDs. More than ninety percent of the adolescents had not disclosed their HIV status to anyone beyond the health care providers, their parents/caregivers, and a few immediate family members. Keeping their HIV status private helped mitigate stigma and discrimination. Common immediate reactions to status disclosure to the adolescents included sadness, hopelessness, and bitterness. However, Operation Triple Zero program, which offered peer-to-peer learning and effective mental health services has been very effective and helpful. Also, sexual risk behavior is still high among sexually active adolescents despite their HIV-positive status.ConclusionAdolescents living with HIV face numerous social and psychological challenges, including sadness about their HIV-positive status. This exposes them to various mental health disorders. However, Operation Triple Zero has been acknowledged as the most effective platform for meeting their psychosocial needs.

7Cups’ Support Services: A Critical Examination of the Risks and Ethical Concerns

This critical examination scrutinizes the risks and ethical concerns surrounding 7Cups, an online platform providing emotional support to individuals globally. Through firsthand experience and scientific analysis, this report highlights several issues within 7Cups’ support services, including the facilitation of gender transition in teens, shortcomings in group chat room moderation, and inadequacies in listener training. Concerns arise regarding the potential harm caused by hasty recommendations for gender transition without proper evaluation, the lack of supervision in group chat rooms leading to ineffective support, and the absence of accountability and oversight for listeners, potentially resulting in harmful advice. The report underscores the need for a more personalized and comprehensive approach to emotional support, prioritizing ethical principles, and ensuring the safety and effectiveness of mental health services provided by platforms like 7Cups.

Mental health of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans: Review of population studies

Introduction: The mental health of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) populations emerged as an important concern in the wake of difficult CAF deployments in the 1990s. This article is the first comprehensive summary of findings from subsequent surveys of mental health and well-being in CAF Veterans, undertaken to inform mental health service renewals by CAF Health Services and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Methods: Epidemiological findings in journal publications and government reports were summarized from four cross-sectional national surveys: a survey of Veterans participating in VAC programs in 1999 and three surveys of health and well-being representative of whole populations of Veterans in 2003, 2010, and 2013. Results: Although most Veterans had good mental health, many had mental health problems that affected functioning, well-being, and service utilization. Recent Veterans had a higher prevalence of mental health problems than the general Canadian population, earlier-era Veterans, and possibly the serving population. There were associations between mental health conditions and difficult adjustment to civilian life, physical health, and multiple socio-demographic factors. Mental health problems were key drivers of disability. Comparisons with other studies were complicated by methodological, era, and cultural differences. Discussion: The survey findings support ongoing multifactorial approaches to optimizing mental health and well-being in CAF Veterans, including strong military-to-civilian transition support and access to effective mental and physical health services. Studies underway of transitioning members and families in the peri-release period of the military-to-civilian transition and longitudinal studies of mental health in Veterans will address important knowledge gaps.

The Effect of Dance on the Mental Health of University Students

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of dance on college students' mental health. First, the relationship between dance and mental health, as well as the current situation and problems of college students' mental health were summarized through a literature review. Second, a pre and post-test design was used to conduct a dance intervention with a certain number of college students, collect data through the Mental Health Assessment Scale, and analyze the data using statistical analysis software. The results of the study show that dance intervention has a significant positive effect on college students' mental health, which can effectively reduce psychological stress and enhance emotional regulation. In addition, the study also found that there is variability in the effect of dance intervention, with some differences in the effect of intervention among students from different backgrounds, and that dance preference has a close relationship with mental health improvement. This study provides theoretical basis and practical guidance for the application of dance in the field of mental health, which is of great significance for enhancing the effectiveness of mental health services.

Perspectives, Treatment Goals, and Approaches of Prevention-Specialist Mental Health Professionals in Working With Clients Attracted to Children.

The provision of effective mental health services to individuals attracted to children is rapidly expanding. However, these services have not yet been integrated into general mental healthcare systems and are mainly offered by organizations that predominantly provide services to child sexual abuse perpetrators. Little is known about the perspective, treatment goals, and approaches employed by prevention-specialist mental health professionals when working with clients attracted to children. To address this gap, we used purposive sampling to recruit 10 practitioners who had experience of working in prevention settings with clients attracted to children. After conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzing data through interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified three main themes and four subthemes within the data. While most participants believed that attraction to minors is unmodifiable or doubted the possibility of modifiability, this belief did not necessarily manifest in their practice. Participants stressed the importance of finding safe alternatives for clients and highlighted the significance of accessing evidence-based information on alternative sexual outlets, such as sex dolls. One overarching theme that emerged across all themes and within participants' accounts was the concern of escalation, indicating a fear that pedophilic fantasies or alternative sexual outlets such as sex dolls could potentially lead to sexual offenses. The findings shed light on the approach of prevention-specialist mental health professionals in working with clients attracted to children and may be used to inform future intervention plans to facilitate service provision to this population.

Patterns of Self-Reported Mental Health Symptoms and Treatment among People Booked into a Large Metropolitan County Jail.

The Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) is one of the most well-known and frequently used tools to conduct routine mental health screening at jail intake. In prior research, the BJMHS results typically have been evaluated overall (i.e., yes/no positive screen). However, there is heterogeneity in symptom presentation and treatment histories among people with serious mental illness, and there are potential consequences of this heterogeneity for mental health administration and policy in jails. We conducted a latent class analysis of BJMHS item-level results using administrative data for 37,998 people booked into a southeastern, metropolitan, U.S. county jail over a 3.5-year period. A 4-class solution provided the best fitting and most interpretable model. The largest class (89.5%) comprised people unlikely to report symptoms or treatment histories (limited symptoms). The next class comprised people who were unlikely to report ongoing symptoms but reported medication and hospitalization (managed symptoms). The third class (2.5%) included people likely to report feeling useless/sinful, prior hospitalization, and current psychiatric medication (depressive symptoms). The fourth class (1.0%) comprised people likely to report thought control, paranoia, feeling useless/sinful, medication, and hospitalization (psychotic symptoms). Controlling for sociodemographic and booking characteristics, people in the managed, depressive, and psychotic symptoms classes had significantly longer jail stays compared to those in the limited symptoms class. People in the managed and depressive symptoms classes were at heightened risk of re-arrest compared to the limited symptoms class. Findings can inform case prioritization and the allocation of resources to support efficient and effective jail-based mental health services.

Applying the extension for community healthcare outcomes (ECHO) model to promote collaborative and effective school mental health services.

School staff increasingly seek to implement evidence-based school mental health services to promote student mental health. However, barriers to accessing programming and support mean that implementing these programs is difficult. Popular strategies to address these challenges, like one time professional development, often fail to be effective or sustainable. This study used mixed methods to evaluate how a set of training activities-sequential online learning modules combined with interprofessional telementoring, following the extension for community healthcare outcomes (ECHO) model-influenced provision of school mental health services. School counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers (n = 46) participated in training activities, which included nine, cohort-based ECHO sessions and 12 modules. We used a concurrent mixed methods design in which quantitative (implementation data and pre-post surveys) and qualitative (posttraining focus groups with a subset of participants, n = 11) data were used to evaluate training. Quantitative results indicated statistically significant pre-post improvements in participants' clinical self-efficacy (d = .83) and knowledge of evidence-based practices (d = .37). Qualitative data corroborated quantitative results. Post training, focus groups described positive reactions, learning, and behavior change, particularly with respect to equitable service provision and interprofessional teaming. ECHO appeared to facilitate the application of evidence-based strategies to real-life practice and improved participants' understanding of effective coordination of services. Taken together, findings suggest that group-based telementoring may be a high-impact strategy for supporting the implementation of effective, culturally specific, and collaborative school mental health services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Principles and elements of patient-centredness in mental health services: a thematic analysis of a systematic review of reviews

IntroductionMental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, are widespread globally and necessitate effective solutions. The patient-centred approach has been identified as a viable and effective method for addressing these challenges....

Using Progress Feedback to Enhance Treatment Outcomes: A Narrative Review.

We face increasing demand for greater access to effective routine mental health services, including telehealth. However, treatment outcomes in routine clinical practice are only about half the size of those reported in controlled trials. Progress feedback, defined as the ongoing monitoring of patients' treatment response with standardized measures, is an evidence-based practice that continues to be under-utilized in routine care. The aim of the current review is to provide a summary of the current evidence base for the use of progress feedback, its mechanisms of action and considerations for successful implementation. We reviewed ten available meta-analyses, which report small to medium overall effect sizes. The results suggest that adding feedback to a wide range of psychological and psychiatric interventions (ranging from primary care to hospitalization and crisis care) tends to enhance the effectiveness of these interventions. The strongest evidence is for patients with common mental health problems compared to those with very severe disorders. Effect sizes for not-on-track cases, a subgroup of cases that are not progressing well, are found to be somewhat stronger, especially when clinical support tools are added to the feedback. Systematic reviews and recent studies suggest potential mechanisms of action for progress feedback include focusing the clinician's attention, altering clinician expectations, providing new information, and enhancing patient-centered communication. Promising approaches to strengthen progress feedback interventions include advanced systems with signaling technology, clinical problem-solving tools, and a broader spectrum of outcome and progress measures. An overview of methodological and implementation challenges is provided, as well as suggestions for addressing these issues in future studies. We conclude that while feedback has modest effects, it is a small and affordable intervention that can potentially improve outcomes in psychological interventions. Further research into mechanisms of action and effective implementation strategies is needed.

Twelve-month prevalence, persistence, severity, and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in Qatar's national mental health study.

To estimate 12-month prevalence, persistence, severity, and treatment of mental disorders and socio-demographic correlates in Qatar. We conducted the first national population-based telephone survey of Arab adults between 2019 and 2022 using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and estimated 12-month DSM-5 mood and anxiety disorders and their persistence (the proportion of lifetime cases who continue to meet 12-month criteria). The 12-month prevalence of any disorder was 21.1% (10.4% mild, 38.7% moderate, and 50.9% severe) and was associated with: younger age, female, previously married, and with persistence of any disorder. Persistence was 74.7% (64.0% mood and 75.6% anxiety) and was significantly associated with secondary education or lower. Minimally adequate treatment received among those with any 12-month mental disorder was 10.6% (74.6% in healthcare and 64.6% non-healthcare sectors). Severity and the number of disorders significantly associated with each other and with treatment received (χ2=7.24, p=0.027) including adequate treatment within the mental health specialty sector (χ2=21.42, p<0.001). Multimorbidity and sociodemographics were associated with 12-month mental disorder. Treatment adequacy in Qatar are comparable to high-income countries. Low treatment contact indicate need for population-wide mental health literacy programes in addition to more accessible and effective mental health services.

A Qualitative Study on the Conceptualisation of Mental Health Amongst South Korean Migrants to Australia

An increase in global awareness of the mental health needs of migrant communities, and recognition of the underutilisation of support services by these communities, has prompted calls for culturally appropriate and competent interventions to address their needs. Providing such culturally effective treatment and mental health services, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) subgroups, requires understanding their perspectives on mental health. This research was led by a migrant from South Korea, living, studying, and working in Australia, and explored how South Korean migrants to Australia talk about mental health and what they need to support their mental health. A qualitative study was conducted via telephone or online web-conferencing using semi-structured interviews. A critical realist approach facilitated consideration and understanding of themes addressing participant perspectives of what promoted South Korean migrants’ mental health in the Australian context. All interviews were thematically analysed, and three major themes centred around (shifting) cultural norms were identified. These were increasing individualism (e.g., through self-discovery); the expression of individually new-found norms; and issues around belonging in society. The purpose of this article is to translate these findings into counselling practice and community initiatives to provide practitioners with greater insights into concepts this population group has identified as impacting their mental health.

"What Works" to Support LGBTQ+ Young People's Mental Health: An Intersectional Youth Rights Approach.

Despite overwhelming international evidence of elevated rates of poor mental health in LGBTQ+ youth compared to their cis-heterosexual peers, we know relatively little about effective mental health services for this population group. This study aims to produce the first early intervention model of "what works" to support LGBTQ+ youth with emerging mental health problems. Utilizing a mixed method case study, we collected data across 12 UK mental health service case study sites that involved: (a) interviews with young people, parents, and mental health practitioners (n = 93); (b) documentary analysis; (c) nonparticipant observation. The data analysis strategy was theoretical using the "explanation-building" analytical technique. Our analysis suggests an intersectional youth rights approach with 13 principles that must be enacted to provide good mental health services as advocated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and World Health Organization. This approach should address the multiple forms of marginalization and stigmatization that LGBTQ+ youth may experience, enable informed independent decision-making, and uphold the right to freedom of safe self-expression. A rights-based approach to mental health services for LGBTQ+ young people is not prominent. This needs to change if we are to tackle this mental health inequality and improve the mental well-being of LGBTQ+ youth worldwide.

Factors influencing mental health service delivery during public health emergencies: a scoping review protocol.

Unforeseeable public health emergencies (PHEs) profoundly impact psychological well-being and disrupt mental health care provision in affected regions. To enhance preparedness for future emergencies, it is crucial to understand the effectiveness of mental health services, their underlying mechanisms, the populations they are tailored to, and their appropriateness across distinct emergencies. The aim of this scoping review will be to explore how mental health services have responded to PHEs, focusing on their effectiveness as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation. Following the five-stage Arksey-O'Malley guidance, as updated further by Westphaln and colleagues, this mixed-methods scoping review will search academic and grey literature. Publications related to mental health interventions and supports delivered during PHEs will be considered for inclusion. The interventions and supports are operationally defined as any adaptations to mental health service provision at the international, national, regional or community level as a consequence of PHEs. The "Four Ss" framework will be utilised to provide structure for the evidence synthesis and inform categorisation of interventions and supports delivered during PHEs. Any research methodology will be considered for inclusion. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full texts of publications against eligibility criteria. The gathered data will be depicted in accordance with the Four Ss" framework through the utilisation of descriptive/analytical statistics and supplemented by narrative exploration of findings. Considering the diverse research methodologies and the varied applicability of services in different contexts of PHEs, this review will offer insights into the type, effectiveness, and implementation barriers and facilitators of mental health interventions and supports delivered during PHEs. By employing the "Four Ss" framework, the review will guide decision-making bodies in identifying effective and practical aspects of mental health system operations during emergencies.

Effectiveness of Mental Health Services for Improving Minors’ Behavior in Community Corrections Using Online Platforms

Abstract The use of a network platform for the online correction of minors helps to optimize the correction effect. In this paper, we build a network platform for minor community correction, employ TAN Bayes to measure the corrective mental state, and utilize support vector machines to extract corrective content and identify relationships between it after text preprocessing. Next, the feature values are obtained by reducing the number of dimensions using probability matrix decomposition. The gradient descent method is then used to optimize the matrix. The feature matrix is then created, and the improved PMF is added to the ConvMF model. Finally, the Gray Wolf algorithm is used to improve the corrective content recommendation. After the platform construction was completed, the effect of applying this paper’s platform to two corrected minors was analyzed, and it was found that in the group of minors’ community correctional subjects, the correctional content recommended by the three different types of this paper’s platforms would all have different impacts in different dimensions compared to the whole. Before beginning corrective action using this article’s online platform, Case A’s evaluation on the 10 questions averaged 93.41 points, indicating a poor corrective psychological state and a high risk of mental health. After six months of online correction on this paper’s online platform, the psychological state improved significantly, with an average of 48.3 points on the posttest and a reduction of more than 40 points on each topic item. Compared to before the start of correction, the psychological risk has significantly decreased. Case B scored an average of 93.92 points on the 10-topic item pre-test, indicating an unacceptable mental health status that necessitates immediate intervention. After six months of online correction, On this paper’s online platform, the average posttest score was 47.69, with an average decrease of 46.23 points for each item, and significant results were achieved. This paper provides useful exploration for optimizing the method of community correction for minors and improving its effectiveness for minors.

The Application of Big Data Technology in Teaching College Students’ Mental Health Education in Colleges and Universities

Abstract Advances in big data technology herald a new era for mental health education in higher education, offering novel solutions to age-old challenges in student psychological care. This paper investigates how big data’s analytical capabilities can surpass traditional, one-size-fits-all mental health assessments by leveraging detailed student data for personalized care. We applied data mining techniques to the mental health data of 1,200 students from College G, creating a rich database of psychological patterns and a mental health information exchange platform. The analysis led to the identification of 500 instances of psychological distress with an accuracy of 79.5% and unveiled patterns linking academic stress and adjustment difficulties to mental health issues. Our research underscores big data’s role in enhancing mental health interventions, providing the groundwork for more individualized and effective mental health services in academic settings.

Psychological interventions for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties aged 5-12 years: An evidence review.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), children and families face a multitude of risk factors for mental health and well-being. These risks are even further exacerbated in humanitarian emergencies. However, access to effective mental health services in such settings is severely limited, leading to a large mental health treatment gap. Middle childhood (5-12years) is a crucial period for human development during which symptoms of emotional distress often emerge, with one in three mental disorders developing prior to age 14. However, there is little evidence of effective psychological interventions for children in this developmental stage, and suitable for implementation within LMICs and humanitarian emergencies. We conducted this evidence review to inform the development of a new intervention package based on existing best practice for this age group, drawing insights from both global and LMIC resources. Our review synthesizes the findings of 52 intervention studies from LMICs and humanitarian settings; 53 existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering both LMICs and high-income countries, and 15 technical guidelines. Overall, there is limited high-quality evidence from which to draw recommendations for this age group; however, some promising intervention approaches were identified for children experiencing externalizing and internalizing symptoms, traumatic stress and a combination of difficulties. Several effective interventions utilize cognitive-behavioral techniques for children, in either group or individual format, and incorporate caregiver skills training into treatment, although the findings are mixed. Most evaluated interventions use specialists as delivery agents and are lengthy, which poses challenges for scale-up in settings where financial and human resources are scarce. These findings will inform the development of new psychological interventions for children in this age group with emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Teachers’ Perspectives on Behavioral and Emotional Problems among School-going Adolescents in Kashmir: Examining the Risk Correlates of Behavioral and Emotional Problems

ABSTRACT Background: Political violence in Kashmir was a common occurrence. The phenomenon had occurred often and repeatedly in an unmanageable fashion. It had consequential implications for each member of society including children and adolescents. Aim: The study aimed to analyze the teachers’ perspective on mental health problems of adolescents in Kashmir. In Kashmir’s precarious circumstances, school-going adolescents were exceptionally vulnerable to mental health issues. Addressing unrecognized mental health issues among school-going adolescents established an important rationale for corresponding further deterioration. Methods: The study used the standardized tools of the Rutter’s Children Behavior Questionnaire (RCBQ-B) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Cluster sampling was employed in the study. About 45 schoolteachers rated the behaviors of 160 school-going adolescents of Kashmir from numerous schools. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as t-test and one-way analysis of variance and correlation. Results: We found that behavioral and emotional problems (BEPs) rose significantly, most notably indications of BEPs with risk factors. Across the socioeconomic status, age, adolescence type, and education, the results found an upward trend of 47% prevalence rate of mental health problems among adolescents with 45% as peer problems, 39% hyperactivity, 34% conduct, and 9% emotional problems. Conclusion: An increasing number of adolescents in prevailing situations in Kashmir suffered from mental health problems. The study findings reveal that there is a need to create effective mental health services and interventions for school-going adolescents in Kashmir.

기초정신건강복지센터 제공 사업에 대한 중장노년층의 인식

Objective : From September 1st to 30th 2023, an online survey was conducted on middle-aged and older people's nationwide. Total of 161 surveys were used as data and frequency analysis, Pearson chi-square test were performed using SPSS 25.0 program. Methods : From September 1st to 30th 2023, an online survey was conducted on middle-aged and older people's nationwide. Total of 161 surveys were used as data and frequency analysis, Pearson chi-square test were performed using SPSS 25.0 program. Results : As a result of the study, 'Don't know' showed the highest proportion in all projects except disaster health service support work. As a result of analyzing the level of awareness of the projects of the basic mental health welfare center according to general characteristics, the projects of the basic mental health welfare center, which showed a significant differences in the level of awareness depending on gender, age, residential area, marital status, child status, religion, highest academic qualification, type of occupation, family monthly income, family and relative experiences of mental illness, experience using the mental health welfare center. Among them, in the case of experience using the mental health welfare center, there was a exceptional difference in the level of perception in all projects. Conclusion : Active promotion of the projects and education on the use of mental health services should be conducted to raise the level of middle-aged and older people's awareness of the projects provided by the basic mental health welfare center and to provide effective mental health services for the public.