Important Mental Health Problem Research Articles

2D:4D ratio, alexithymia, impulsivity, aggression, and ADHD in men with opioid and methamphetamine use disorders: A comparative analysis with healthy controls

Substance use disorder is an important mental health problem with increasing frequency. This study aims to investigate the 2D:4D ratio, Dr-I values (right-left differences), alexithymia, aggression, impulsivity, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in male patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), opioid use disorder (OUD), and healthy controls. The study included a total of 57 male patients diagnosed with OUD, 42 male patients diagnosed with MUD, and 72 healthy male controls. The study indicated that the OUD and MUD patients were significantly different from the healthy controls in terms of the 2D:4D ratio, alexithymia, impulsivity, aggression, and ADHD. Compared to healthy controls, 2D:4D ratios, and Dr-I values were lower in OUD and MUD patients. OUD and MUD patients had higher scores of alexithymia, impulsivity, aggression, and ADHD compared to healthy controls. There were statistically significant negative correlations between the right-hand 2D:4D ratios and the ADHD, impulsivity, alexithymia and aggression scores and a significant negative correlation between Dr-I scores and the impulsivity scores of MUD and OUD patients. These findings contribute to the existing literature examining the complex relationship between prenatal testosterone exposure, substance use disorders and related psychological traits.

Evaluation of the Relationship between Stress Level During Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression as the Pandemic Ends

Pregnancy is a life process that progresses with biological, physiological, and psychosocial changes. Especially the challenging factors during the pandemic caused pregnant women to experience more stress than expected. Postpartum depression is one of the important mental health problems that follow giving birth. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between postpartum depression and stress levels during the pregnancy, in a period in which the effects of the pandemic decreased. Our study was conducted on 102 persons with a mean age of 25.8±4.5. The data collection process was carried out using a survey under the supervision of the researchers. The survey consisted of two-stages. In the first stage, the sociodemographic characteristics of the people were questioned, and the Pregnancy Stress Assessment Scale (PSAS) was applied. In the second stage, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was applied. PSAS mean score was 97.0±23.7 and SPDS mean score was 8.07±5.55. Pregnant women who have chronic diseases had a higher stress level (p=0.011). EPDS mean score was significantly higher in the group whose pregnancy ended in abortion (p=0.001). The pandemic has been a source of great concern for women in the postpartum period. However, we think these worries must have been decreased with the normalization process. In our study, no relationship was found between postpartum depression and stress level of pregnancy. It was observed that the postpartum psychological state was mostly affected by the postnatal health conditions of the mother and the baby. Closely monitoring the mother's mental health after birth and supporting the mother from medical personnel will help the mother to protect her mental health.

Use of Mobile Applications in Smoking, Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders

Currently, technology and mobile health applications are developing and being applied in different fields every day. Especially the use of mobile technology in many health fields offers various opportunities for the use of mobile applications in smoking, alcohol and substance use disorders, which is an important public mental health problem. The aim of this review study was to examine 16 mobile applications designed for the treatment and monitoring of smoking, alcohol and substance use. It was concluded that self-monitoring, notification and warning systems, location services, peer and expert support services were frequently used in the analyzed mobile applications. As a result of the studies, the use of mobile applications as a preventive intervention in the prevention of addiction and as an additional treatment option in addiction treatment is promising. However, this situation brings along various harms, risks and obstacles. This review of the relevant literature provides a critical update of mobile applications used in smoking, alcohol and substance use disorders. This review is expected to be an important guide for mental health professionals and mobile application designers working on addiction.

Mediating Role of PERMA Wellbeing in the Relationship between Insomnia and Psychological Distress among Nursing College Students.

Psychological distress is an important mental health problem in college students. Insomnia may be a major factor contributing to psychological distress. This study aimed to explore the indirect relationship between insomnia and psychological distress through the five PERMA wellbeing variables (i.e., positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning in life, and achievement) among nursing college students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in China using an online survey design. Mediation analyses were examined using the PROCESS macro version 4.1 for SPSS 27.0. A total of 1741 nursing college students completed the online survey. Insomnia was positively associated with psychological distress (p < 0.01, r = 0.673), while negative associations were detected between PERMA wellbeing variables and insomnia (p < 0.01, r range = -0.176 and -0.272), as well as psychological distress (p < 0.01, r range = -0.196 and -0.386). The association between insomnia and psychological distress was partially mediated by the participants' positive emotions (indirect effect = 0.137, SE = 0.024, 95% CI boot = [0.094, 0.188]), engagement (indirect effect = -0.033, SE = 0.010, 95% CI boot = [-0.054, -0.017]), and meaning in life (indirect effect = 0.027, SE = 0.014, 95% CI boot = [0.001, 0.055]) but not their relationships or achievement of the PERMA wellbeing variables. The findings of this study suggest that the PERMA wellbeing variables, especially positive emotions, engagement, and meaning in life, could be potential mechanisms by which insomnia is associated with psychological distress. The mediating roles of PERMA wellbeing variables between insomnia and psychological distress could be incorporated into the health management of university administrations to promote the health and wellbeing of nursing college students.

Emotional Disorders, Dispositional Mindfulness, and Mediating Role of Acceptance in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students

‘For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is, let it rain.’ ( Longfellow, 1906 ) Mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and stress, affect a sizable proportion of university students. Yet, little is known regarding the incidence of mental health issues among Indian university students. These mental health issues are generally caused by a range of factors, including academic demands, interpersonal connections ( Steptoe, 2007 ), future prospects, competitive exams, peer pressure, and professional considerations ( Beiter et al., 2015 ). One of the most important mental health problems impacting a large population across India and the world is depression, leading to physical diseases, suicidal thoughts, and suicide, among other negative outcomes ( Gururaj et al., 2016 ). According to the NCRB Report, 2021, the two age groups most susceptible to suicide were between 18 and 30 and 30 and 44. Suicide rates in both age categories were 34.5% and 31.7%, respectively. Family issues (3,233 victims), romantic relationships (1,495 victims), and illness (1,408 victims) were the three leading factors in suicides below 18 years of age, while the victims that were either students or unemployed made up 8.0% (13,089 victims) and 8.4% (13,714 victims) of all suicides, respectively. The objectives of this study were to understand and add to the body of knowledge on the role of mindfulness concerning depression, anxiety, and stress amongst university students; the role of mindfulness concerning avoidant behaviours amongst university students; and the mediating role of acceptance in the relationship between mindfulness and depression, anxiety, and stress amongst university students. The results of the study revealed that depression, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness are all strongly and negatively connected. The study discovered a strong correlation between experiential avoidance and depression, anxiety, and stress (psychological distress). Mindfulness had a considerable impact on the mediator, experiential avoidance, which was postulated.

Risk and Protective Factors in Ecuadorian Adolescent Survivors of Suicide.

Suicide is one of the main causes of death among the adolescent population, which is why it is considered an important mental-health problem. In addition to this situation, for each suicide, the group of people who survive it (known as suicide survivors) can present serious emotional affectations, becoming a population at risk for this problem. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of suicide-survivor status on risk factors and protective factors for suicide. A total of 440 adolescents with a mean age of 15.78 (SD = 1.74) participated, who were divided according to survivor status, identified as the SV group (79 cases), and non-survivors, identified as the NSV group-adolescents that did not have experience or contact with a suicide attempt (361 cases). A questionnaire of sociodemographic characterization and risk conditions, the Alexian Brother Urge to Self-Injure (ABUSI), the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Cognitive and Affective Empathy Test (TECA) were applied. Descriptive statistics, mean difference for independent samples, contingency tables, X2 statistic, Fisher's exact statistic, and Cohen's d coefficient were used. The results show significant differences between SV and NSV participants in risk and protective factors regarding the presence of a greater adoption of perspective and emotional understanding. On the other hand, NSV adolescents presented higher scores of perceived social supports regarding risk factors, and there was a higher proportion of a history of suicide attempt, severity/hospitalization, impulse to self-harm, and level of suicidal risk in the SV group. The need to incorporate forms of suicide prevention with the survivor population is discussed, increasing the possibilities of postvention.

A smartphone application of “Family Connections” to increase the use of skills and improve psychological symptoms in relatives of people with borderline personality disorder: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe literature reveals that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an important public mental health problem that affects both the patients and their families. Moreover, studies indicate a high prevalence of psychological symptoms and burden in relatives of people with BPD. Therefore, it is necessary to develop useful and accessible interventions specifically addressed to the caregivers. Smartphone interventions with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI) offer several potential advantages in this regard. The aims of our study are to test the effectiveness of a combined intervention supported by a smartphone app versus the same intervention supported by a paper-based manual, studying the feasibility and acceptance of both conditions and evaluating the perceptions and opinions of families about both interventions. This paper contains the study protocol. MethodThe design of this study protocol is a randomized controlled trial. A minimum of 116 relatives will be randomly assigned to two conditions: Treatment as usual (TAU) (N = 58) or Treatment as usual + EMI (TAU+EMI) (N = 58), with TAU being the Family Connection program. The primary outcome will be the Burden Assessment Scale. Secondary outcomes will include psychological symptoms, mastery and empowerment, and resilience. Outcomes will be assessed from pre-treatment to post-treatment (3 months). Statistical analyses will be performed using Student's t-tests, mixed models (ANCOVA) and intention-to-treat analysis. DiscussionThe results of this study will provide a basis for future EMA- and EMI-based application interventions for family members of people with BPD and family members of people with other mental disorders who could benefit from the skills taught.

Use of psychotropic medication in incident juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients from 2000 to 2014: a case-control cohort study.

To explore the use of psychotropic medications in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) compared to population controls. Using register data from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and the National Population Registry, we collected all incident JIA patients with index dates from 2000 to 2014 (n=4,180) and three population comparators for each case (n=12,512). For these individuals, we obtained information on their psychotropic medication from the registry on prescriptions, which includes all purchases of prescription medicines in pharmacies. The study populationwas followed from their index dates until 31 December 2015. The data were analysed using generalised linear models. The mean age (SD) of the JIA patients at disease onset was 8.3 (4.8) years, and 14.8 (6.4) years at the end of the follow-up period. During the follow-up years, 566 (13%) of the JIA patients had purchased some psychotropic drug from a pharmacy, whereas the number in the control group was 1,294 (10%; p<0.001). Antidepressants were the most purchased drugs in both groups. Further analysis by gender showed that females with JIA used antidepressants more often than males with JIA. The use of psychotropic medication, particularly antidepressants, was more common in patients with JIA compared to comparators in the general population. This reflects the presence of clinically important mental health problems in JIA patients and the need for multiprofessional collaboration in patient care.

The relationship between shame and internet addiction among university students: the mediating role of experiential avoidance

ABSTRACT Internet addiction is an important mental health problem among university students. This study aimed to examine the relationship between shame and Internet addiction and investigate the mediating role of experiential avoidance in undergraduate students. A total of 307 undergraduate students (210 females and 97 males) were recruited. Shame was examined using the Self-conscious Affect-3 Test. Experiential avoidance was evaluated using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-ӀӀ (AAQ-II). Internet addiction was assessed using the Young Internet Addiction test (IAT). Findings revealed significant associations between shame, experiential avoidance, and Internet addiction. In addition, the results of structural equation modelling demonstrated the mediating role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between shame and Internet addiction. The results suggest that the experts working on Internet addiction consider the shame and experiential avoidance. Early discovery and intervention of shame and experiential avoidance can be incorporated into programmes intending to reduce the risk of Internet addiction.

Association Between Perceived Stress and Prenatal Depressive Symptoms: Moderating Effect of Social Support

PurposePrenatal depressive symptoms are an important mental health problem during pregnancy. We aimed to explore the moderating role of social support on the association between perceived stress and prenatal depressive symptoms.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at an obstetrics clinic. A total of 1846 women completed a self-administered questionnaire, with a response rate of 91.8%.ResultsOf the 1846 participants, 28.2% reported prenatal depressive symptoms (Edinburgh postnatal depression scale score ≥ 9). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, gestational age, exercise, and passive smoking, both perceived stress (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.210, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.178–1.242) and social support (AOR: 0.950, 95% CI: 0.932–0.968) were associated with prenatal depressive symptoms. Moreover, social support had a moderating effect on the association between perceived stress and prenatal depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and pregnant women with low social support were more likely to be affected by stress and experience prenatal depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur study suggests that higher social support reduces the impact of stress on pregnant women, which in turn, decreases the risk of prenatal depressive symptoms. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving social support should be considered for the prevention and treatment of prenatal depressive symptoms.

Role of Mental Health in understanding and Preventing Suicide

Suicide is an important mental health problem in our society, as it is in most of the world’s developednations. It’s an affliction that robs us of some of our community’s most active leaders. It is a most troublingtype of mental disease to imagine, a mental disorder in which the victim’s pain and fear causes him to preferdeath to his misery. Suicide is widespread. Most communities have earlier treated suicide as a felony andhave instituted laws to restrict the act and prosecute those who attempt it whereas the notion have changedand now individuals who try or commit suicide are frequently viewed as depressed or mentally unstable.This Covid(Corona virus) pandemic had made the situation worse because many people are taking helpfrom professionals for the first time due to severe increase of anxiety and stress. During this lockdownperiod many have developed suicidal tendencies and seeking physicians’ help. After the suicide of famousbollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput many are talking about the mental health awareness. In this presentpaper we will analyze the problem of suicide, mental health care laws and suicide regulation and somestrategies for suicide prevention.

Low back pain in adolescents and association with sociodemographic factors, electronic devices, physical activity and mental health

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of low back pain and to analyze the association with the individual, sociodemographic variables, electronic devices, habitual practice of physical activity, and mental health problems. MethodsCross‐sectional study with 1,628 students in public schools in the city of Bauru, SP, Brazil. The following data were collected: 1. demographic and socioeconomic aspects; 2. Use of electronic devices; 3. habitual physical activity level (Baecke); 3. mental health (SDQ). 4. low back pain (Nordic Questionnaire). Descriptive analyzes and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used. ResultsThe overall prevalence of low back pain was 46.7% (95% CI: 44.27 to 49.11); men showed a prevalence of 42.0% (95% CI: 36.63 to 43.41) and women 58.0% (95% CI: 49.73 to 56.51), a statistically significant difference. The variables associated with pain in the low back region were: female gender (PR = 1.70), daily TV use for more than 3hours (PR = 1.17), use of laptop computer (PR = 1.40), use of the cell phone in the supine position (PR = 1.23), use of the cell phone in semi‐supine position (PR = 1.49), daily cell phone use for more than 3hours (PR = 1.36), use of tablet (PR = 1.67), daily tablet use for more than above 3hours (PR = 1.46), and clinically important mental health problems (PR = 2.62). ConclusionThere is a high prevalence of low back pain in high school students and striking association with female sex, electronic devices, and mental health problems.

Diminished cognitive control in Internet gaming disorder: A multimodal approach with magnetic resonance imaging and real-time heart rate variability

ObjectiveRecently, the addiction to online games, classified as Internet gaming disorder (IGD) on DSM-V, has emerged as an important mental health problem. The loss of control over gaming in IGD is associated with diminished cognitive control. This study aimed to link the neurobiological mechanism reflected by brain imaging and the diminished cognitive control reflected by heart rate variability (HRV) measurements during real-time gameplay. MethodsHRV was assessed in 33 young males with IGD and 29 controls while playing their favorite games. Seed-based functional connectivity (FC) was evaluated in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsal striatum. Associations between HRV and alterations in FC were tested. ResultsIndividuals with IGD showed a reduction of high-frequency HRV during real-time gaming, which is correlated with self-reported severity of IGD. Subjects with IGD showed decreased FC between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right inferior frontal gyrus, corresponding to the cognitive control network. They showed decreased FC between the right anterior cingulate cortex and the superior parietal lobule. They also showed increased FC between the left dorsal putamen and the postcentral gyrus, corresponding to the sensorimotor network. Game-related high-frequency HRV was correlated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-inferior frontal gyrus connectivity. ConclusionThe diminished cognitive control reflected by HRV measurements during real-time gameplay was associated with FC alterations, involving a weak FC in the cognitive control network. Individuals with IGD may have less cognitive control, particularly when playing games, and consequently end up playing games in a habitual manner rather than in a goal-oriented manner.

Prevalence of internet addiction in healthcare professionals: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Internet addition is becoming increasingly recognised as an important mental health problem. This study examined prevalence of internet addiction in healthcare professionals. Systematic literature review was undertaken of June 4, 2020 with goal to identify studies that evaluated prevalence of internet addiction or problematic internet use in medical professionals. Reported associations with other mental health symptoms were also considered. Prevalence of internet addiction was studied in medical residents only (n = 770; three studies), faculty members only (n = 69; one study), nurses only (n = 564; one study) and mixed samples of medical professionals (n = 415; three studies). Pooled prevalence rate of internet addiction in 1,818 healthcare professionals was 9.7% (95% confidence interval: 5.8%-13.6%). Internet addiction was associated with greater mental symptom burden and fatigue of healthcare workers. Internet addiction is present in healthcare professionals, however, to a lesser extent than in medical students suggesting that increasing clinical responsibilities and increasing age can be important moderators of risk for internet addiction. Internet addiction is associated with greater burden of unfavourable mental health outcomes of healthcare professionals. Further studies exploring global burden of internet addiction in healthcare professionals and possible impact of internet addiction on work performance of healthcare professionals are encouraged.

Non-suicidal self-injury in developing countries: A review.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) may be understood as a physical and behavioral expression of emotional distress. Over the past 70 years, it has been variably formulated as a type of emotional reaction to various stressors. NSSI has complex goals, sometimes implicit, but overall it serves as a transient psychological relief. Many believe that NSSI is a maladaptive behavior and is not related to suicide, with the primary differentiating factor between suicide and NSSI being the 'intention' to die. NSSI is an important mental health problem in current modern societies, and it is part of a trend in current psychiatric and mental health practice to medicalize maladaptive behaviors or psychological distress. To review the prevalence, associated factors, purpose, and psychological and social significance of NSSI in developing countries. This article is a narrative review. However, of the total 1,094 articles, 13 articles were included to derive information on the prevalence and methods of NSSI in the developing country. NSSI rates are very variable, ranging from 11.5% to as high as 33.8%, depending on the nature of the sample and study design, but data show an increasing trend globally, including in developing countries. The recent emerging data does not support the notion that it is common in developed Western countries, though the meaning, context and reason for NSSI might differ in developing and developed countries. NSSI is almost equally prevalent in both developing and developed countries.

A meta-analysis: Internet mindfulness-based interventions for stress management in the general population.

Background:Psychological stress was an important mental health problem among the general population and warrant research to inform strategies for effective prevention. iMBIs provide a possibility to offer easily accessible, efficacious, convenient, and low-cost interventions on a wide scale. However, the efficacy of iMBIs in the general population remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effects of iMBIs for stress reduction in the general population.Methods:A systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang Data databases was performed up to April 10, 2019. The overall effect sizes of the iMBIs on stress, depression, anxiety, and mindfulness were recorded by the metric of Hedges’ g with 95% confidence interval (CI), Z-value, and P value.Results:Sixteen eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis. The overall results indicated that iMBIs had small to moderate effects on stress (Hedges’ g = −0.393) and mindfulness (Hedges’ g = −0.316) compared with the control group. Results from subgroup analyses revealed that the type of sample and delivery mode had a greater impact on heterogeneity across the studies. Meta-regression found that the overall effect might be moderated by guidance for iMBIs.Conclusion:The present meta-analysis suggested that iMBIs had small to moderate effects in reducing stress and improving mindfulness of the general population in comparison with the control group. Future research is needed to explore how iMBIs are remolded to improve adherence and suit specific individuals.

Classification of pure conduct disorder from healthy controls based on indices of brain networks during resting state.

Conduct disorder (CD) is an important mental health problem in childhood and adolescence. There is presently a trend of revealing neural mechanisms using measures of brain networks. This study goes further by presenting a classification scheme to distinguish subjects with CD from typically developing healthy subjects based on measures of small-world networks. In this study, small-world networks were constructed, and feature data were generated for both the CD and healthy control (HC) groups. Two methods of feature selection, including the F-score and feature projection with singular value decomposition (SVD), were used to extract the feature data. Furthermore, and importantly, the classification performances were compared between the results from the two methods of feature selection. The selected feature data by SVD were employed to train three classifiers-least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), naive Bayes and K-nearest neighbour (KNN)-for CD classification. Cross-validation results from 36 subjects showed that CD patients can be separated from HC with a sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy of 88.89%, 100% and 94.44%, respectively, by using the LS-SVM classifier. These findings suggest that the combination of the LS-SVM classifier with SVD can achieve a higher degree of accuracy for CD diagnosis than the naive Bayes and KNN classifiers. Graphical abstract.

The review of prospective studies on mental health and the quality of life of physicians and medical students

Psychosocial determinants play a significant role in shaping mental health and the quality of life of workers, including physicians. The results of the presented review indicate that mental health problems of physicians are particularly manifested by chronic fatigue syndrome and burnout syndrome, and are related to chronic stress exposure at the workplace. Moreover, published data suggest that the most important mental health problems of medical students and young doctors include alcohol addiction and risky alcohol consumption, depression, and potential suicidal ideation. The studies on mental health and the quality of life of physicians, including their determinants, as presented in this paper, were mostly conducted on the basis of prospective observations that enable the tracking of changes over time. Med Pr. 2020;71(4):483-91.

Sleep Disorders in Late-Life Depression

Depression is an important mental health problem in developed societies, and as many as 50%-90% of patients with depression complain of sleep disorders. In the elderly, sleep disorders comorbid depressive disorders are getting worse. Late-life Depression (LLD) is often not detected because the symptoms are less specific than younger age. It even provides an independent risk factor impact on suicide ideas and behaviour. Causative risk factors of sleep disorders in Late-life Depression are biological and non-biological factors that form the basic of pharmacological and non- pharmacological management.

Subthreshold depression in adolescence: Gender differences in prevalence, clinical features, and associated factors

BackgroundSubthreshold depression (SD) is an important mental health problem in adolescence given its high prevalence, comorbidity, and functional impairment. However, currently little is known about gender differences of SD in adolescence. The aim of this study was to examine gender differences in prevalence, clinical features, and associated factors in adolescents with subthreshold depressive episode (SDE). MethodsThe participants were 2,022 adolescents between 9th and 11th grades (49.5% girls, 15.2 years average age) recruited from eight state-subsidized schools located in the northern part of Santiago, Chile. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depressive symptoms. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used. ResultsThe prevalence of SDE and major depressive episode were 16.5% (95% CI: 14.9-18.2) and 17.7% (95% CI: 16.1-19.4), respectively. Both mental health problems were more prevalent in females (p < 0.001). With regard to SDE, girls displayed a higher rate of depressive mood and sleep problems, while boys had greater anhedonia, problems related with concentration, and psychomotor retardation/agitation. High levels of dysfunctional thoughts and perceived social support were associated with SDE in females and males. Social problem solving and emotion regulation had a differentiated impact on SDE depending on gender. ConclusionDepressive symptoms and SDE were found to be common health problems among adolescents in Chile. SDE had major gender differences in terms of prevalence, clinical features, and associated factors. These differences should be considered in the development of preventive and early interventions.