Mental Health Characteristics Research Articles

Mental and physical health characteristics of older and younger adults receiving medication for opioid use disorder

BackgroundMethadone is an effective and widely used medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Within in the United States (US), older adults represent an increasing proportion of those receiving MOUD, yet little is known about characteristics of older individuals in these programs.ObjectivesTo evaluate mental and physical health characteristics of younger and older adults receiving MOUD and test whether age moderates the relation between physical and mental health variables.MethodsData for this secondary analysis are drawn from a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of individuals seeking methadone dosing as part of MOUD at four opioid treatment programs in two regions of the US. Descriptive statistics and correlational and moderation analyses examined outcomes of pain severity, pain interference, self-rated health, physical activity, depression, and anxiety across younger (18-49) and older (50+ years) participants.ResultsAnalyses included 469 participants (mean [range] age, 41.01 [20–70] years). Older participants reported higher pain severity and interference, less physical activity, and worse self-rated health than those in the younger age group (ps < 0.05). Associations between mental and physical health variables were generally weak-to-moderate in the older age group (r = 0.26 to r = 0.44, p < 0.01), and weak in the younger age group, although age did not moderate associations.ConclusionClinically significant mental and physical health variables are associated among individuals receiving methadone for MOUD, with older adults facing unique challenges.Clinical implicationsOpioid use treatment should include not only pain management but also assessment and treatment of depression and anxiety and optimization of other health behaviors (e.g., physical activity) across age groups. Pain management and health promotion are particularly relevant targets for aging individuals receiving MOUD.

Analysis on the Enlightenment Effect of Sesame Street on Children's Personality Exploration and Self-identity

Abstract: In recent years, with the progress of social economy and the development of education, children's mental health has increasingly become the focus of attention. As an important medium of children's education, TV programs are very popular with children, and have a profound significance in the shaping of children's health. American television program Sesame Street as a popular children's program, from the plot content, role setting, theme selection, present form, etc., conforms to the preschool childrens acceptance preferences, and successfully utilizes the medium for the key period of childrens mental development, accurately grasps the mental health characteristics of preschool childrens love of imitation. The program plays a good enlightening role in guiding children to discover their own personality and construct the self identity. The concept of "personality exploration and self-identity" is related to "self". In the pursuit of personality and self-positioning, children are guided to establish self-awareness, cultivate self-management ability and self-respect feelings. This paper mainly analyzes the enlightenment effect of Sesame Street on children's personality exploration and self-identity. The program promotes children to establish confidence, form self-identity, constitute the supporting conditions of mental health, for children to lay a solid foundation, and promote the formation of children's mental health and sound personality. At the same time, as a successful TV program that is deeply loved by children and has the significance of health education, it provides examples and references for creating more high-quality children's TV programs.

A perceived community typology in older Korean Americans: implications for mental health.

The aims of this study were to identify a community typology in older Korean Americans and to examine how the typology is associated with feelings of loneliness and mental distress. We hypothesized that distinct community groups would be identified and that they would be differentially associated with mental health and background characteristics. Data were drawn from a survey with older Korean Americans aged 60 and older, collected during 2017-2018 in diverse locations (n = 2138). To identify a community typology, a series of latent profile analyses (LPA) were conducted using 15 community-related variables in three domains (neighbourhood characteristics, social cohesion, ethnic attachment). Based on model evaluation criteria, an LPA model with five community groups was identified as the best fit. The five groups were identified as "safe/integrated" (10%), "safe/distant" (10%), "moderate integration" (38%), "marginal" (31%), and "vulnerable" (11%). After examining descriptive characteristics of the identified groups, regression models of loneliness and mental distress were estimated. Using the safe/integrated group as reference, the marginal and vulnerable groups were consistently associated with elevated feelings of loneliness and mental distress. The results suggest the need to understand community profiles and their relationships with health/well-being among older immigrants.

MENEBAR BENIH PENCEGAHAN GANGGUAN MENTAL: PEMBINAAN GENERASI MUDA HINDU DALAM PENGUATAN KESEHATAN MENTAL DI PURA BHUANA PUJA

The young generation of Hindus is faced with various challenges and complexities in life that can have an impact on mental health. Problems often faced by Hindu teenagers include academic demands, social pressure, cyberbullying, and identity crises. There are still many gaps in access to mental health services, especially in the pasraman environment. Starting from this problem, activities were held to develop the Hindu Young Generation in Strengthening Mental Health at Pura Bhuana Puja to increase awareness of Hindu teenagers about the importance of mental health and provide a basic understanding of mental health so that teenagers can be aware of their mental condition and what to do when they are indicated to be experiencing problems. mentally. This socialization uses lecture, discussion and game methods. The material presented includes understanding mental health, characteristics of healthy and unhealthy mental health, factors that cause psychological disorders, how to cultivate love within yourself, and how to overcome mental disorders. The results of this socialization are that participants gain an understanding of mental health and how to maintain it, are able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy mental health, know the factors that can cause psychological disorders, get tips for cultivating self-love, and get tips for overcoming mental disorders.

The Effect of Digital Problem Solving Therapy on Quality of Life in Pregnant Women Who Are Victims of Domestic Violence

Aim: This study aims to determine the effect of digital problem-solving therapy (DPST) on the quality of life (QOL) of pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence. Methods: The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with two groups: an intervention group receiving digital problem-solving therapy and a control group receiving standard care. The study took place over three months at the National Commission on Violence Against Women service centers and referral hospitals in Bekasi City, West Java. The intervention involved four sessions per month focusing on psychological well-being and QOL. A total of 100 pregnant women participated, meeting the criteria of being over three months pregnant, having experienced domestic violence, owning a smartphone, and living with their husbands. Results: The results showed a statistically significant increase in QOL scores within the intervention group after the therapy, with a t-score of 13.76 and a p-value of 0.001. Additionally, the intervention group exhibited a larger improvement in QOL at post-test compared to the control group (ß = 8.20, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Digital problem-solving therapy significantly improves the quality of life of pregnant women experiencing domestic violence. Future studies should explore the effectiveness of this intervention among more diverse research groups, focusing on participants with varied mental health and psychological characteristics.

Correlates of sleep variability in a mobile EEG-based volunteer study

Variable sleep patterns are a risk factor for disease, but the reasons some people express greater within-individual variability of sleep characteristics remains poorly understood. In our study, we leverage BSETS, a novel mobile EEG-based dataset in which 1901 nights in total were recorded from 267 extensively phenotyped participants to identify factors related to demographics, mental health, personality, chronotype and sleep characteristics which predict variability in sleep, including detailed sleep macrostructure metrics. Young age, late chronotype, and napping emerged as robust correlates of increased sleep variability. Correlations with other characteristics (such as student status, personality, mental health and co-sleeping) generally disappeared after controlling for age. We critically examine the utility of controlling the correlates of sleep variability for the means of sleep variables. Our research shows that age and sleep habits affecting the amount of sleep pressure at night are the most important factors underlying sleep variability, with a smaller role of other psychosocial variables. The avoidance of daytime naps emerges as the most promising modifiable behavior associated with increased sleep regularity.

Drug overdose deaths among homeless veterans in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

With an epidemic of drug overdoses, contemporary research is needed to examine drug overdose deaths among homeless populations. This study measured rates, types and correlates of drug overdose deaths occurring over a 5-year study period among veterans experiencing homelessness (VEH) and non-homeless veterans (NHV) in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system. Retrospective cohort study. USA. A total of 6 128 921 veterans. We followed 399 125 VEH and 5 729 796 NHV between 2017 and 2021 using linked administrative VA and National Death Index data. Multivariable Cox regression models were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for homelessness as a predictor of time-to-occurrence of overdose deaths with 95% confidence interval (CIs), sequentially controlling for demographic, medical, substance use and mental health characteristics. Among overdose deaths, 8653 [93.7%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 93.2-94.2%] were unintentional and 5378 (57.8%, 95% CI = 56.8-58.8%) involved opioids. The overdose-specific mortality rate (per 100 000 person-years) was 227.3 among VEH and 23.2 among NHV (HR = 9.76, 95% CI = 9.36, 10.16), with rates 7-14 times higher among VEH than NHV, depending on the drug involved. In fully adjusted models, homelessness was associated with greater risk of drug overdose death (HR = 3.33, 95% CI = 3.18, 3.49), with the greatest risk involving psychostimulants (HR = 4.19), followed by antiepileptic/sedative/hypnotic drugs (HR = 3.69), synthetic opioids (HR = 3.50) and natural and semi-synthetic opioids (HR = 2.79). US veterans experiencing homelessness appear to have three times the risk for drug overdose deaths than non-homeless veterans. There may be specific risks associated with psychostimulant, antiepileptic, sedative and hypnotic drugs in this population that deserve greater attention.

Karakteristik Kesehatan Mental Remaja Dalam Perilaku Self Harm

Self-harm is known as self-harm is a mental health phenomenon in which a person uses physical pain to cope with emotional stress. The study aims to understand the characteristics of adolescent mental health with self-harm behavior, as well as to find out how adolescents can reduce self-harm behavior. This study applies a descriptive qualitative method. This study involved three informants with the initials DA, MAT, and FR. The informants in this study were adolescents aged 18-19 years who committed self-harm when facing problems. The determination of informants used a purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques were obtained from observation, interviews, and documentation and were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman method. The characteristics of mental health possessed by adolescents with self-harm behavior in Village X tended more towards unhealthy mental characteristics. The results of the study showed adolescent behavior such as losing self-control in managing emotions, withdrawing from their environment, having feelings of shame and guilt, and difficulty concentrating in their social and school environments. In line with the opinions of experts regarding the characteristics of mental health which refer to an unhealthy mentality (ill mentality). However, even so, teenagers have tried to stop their self-harming behavior with other more positive activities such as exercising, writing and listening to music to please their hearts and minds.

Food for Thought: Mental Health, Psychological Well-Being, Social Engagement and Campus Service Utilization of Students Experiencing Food Insecurity at a Large Atlantic Canadian University

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence and associated mental health characteristics of food insecure (FI) students at an Atlantic Canadian University. Based on data from the National College Health Assessment-third revision (NCHA-III, 2023) (N = 1694; mean age = 26.6; 63.2% female), FI prevalence was 46.6%, with higher rates for male, international, and undergraduate students, and those from low-income families. Food Insecure students were more likely to report “serious” psychological distress, a state of ’languishing,’ a greater frequency of all forms of suicidality, and use of the university’s food bank and mental health services. Concomitant social issues were also more likely for FI students in terms of lacking companionship, feeling left out and isolated from others, experiencing problems/challenges with family and peers, and indicating less agreement that they belonged at their university, and that their health/well-being was a priority on campus. Recommendations on how institutions can address the issue are considered.

Sociodemographic, mental health, education, employment and income characteristics of adults with obsessive–compulsive disorder who accessed secondary health services in Aotearoa | New Zealand

ABSTRACT Little is known about New Zealanders who experience obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Using population-level data for people aged 18–64 years, we identified a cohort of 5559 people who accessed secondary health services and had a diagnosis of OCD. We explored their characteristics in comparison to people without OCD. The rate of OCD per 10,000 people differed by ethnicity (European, 24.7; Māori, 13.4; Pacific Peoples, 5.6; Asian, 5.9). We observed variation in OCD rates by the geographic divisions of the public healthcare provider Health NZ which persisted following standardisation for age, sex, ethnicity and urban vs rural residence (Northern, 14.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 13.7–15.2; Te Manawa Taki, 10.9; CI 10.0–11.8; Central, 19.7, CI 18.5–20.8; Te Waipounamu, 27.4, CI 26.2–28.7). These disparities suggest inequity of access to healthcare. Individuals in this cohort typically had at least one co-occurring mental health or related condition (78.8%) and were less likely to have at least level 4 educational qualifications (equivalent to first year of an undergraduate degree) (adjusted rate ratio (ARR) 0.94; CI 0.90–0.97), to be employed (ARR 0.69; CI 0.66–0.72) and to belong to a higher income bracket ($40,000 or higher, ARR 0.57; CI 0.53–0.62). These findings suggest wider support needs. What we already know Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that is characterised by repetitive intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviours and has a twelve-month prevalence of around 1–2% in adults. In clinic-based studies, most individuals with OCD have other mental health and related conditions and, to a lesser degree, this is also observed in community surveys. OCD is typically first experienced as a child, adolescent or young adult and can severely impact an individual’s ability to engage in education and employment. What this article adds Using the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a national collection of linked health and non-health data, we explored the characteristics of working-age adults with OCD who had accessed public secondary health services in Aotearoa | New Zealand (NZ). There were marked differences in the rates of OCD for geographic areas corresponding to the regional divisions of Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora, and, as previously described, by ethnicity. These findings suggest inequity of access to healthcare and merit further investigation. In comparison to other working-age adults, people in the study cohort were moderately less likely to have achieved higher level educational qualifications, and they were markedly less likely to be employed and to belong to a higher income bracket. Accessing public secondary health services is likely to be a proxy for more severe and/or complex psychological disability and many people in this cohort had other mental health and related conditions. Therefore, the characteristics of this cohort cannot be generalised to the entire group of people who experience OCD in NZ.

The associations between self-rated autistic traits, social camouflaging, and mental health outcomes in Taiwanese anime, comics and games (ACG) doujin creators: an exploratory study

BackgroundDoujin (どうじん) is a Japanese term referring to a circle where people share the same interests, usually something that belongs to the Anime, Comics, and Games (ACG) subculture. Individuals who belong to it and create related works, known as ACG doujin creators, are usually described as socially awkward and at potential risk of isolation. In such a context, they may theoretically exhibit higher autistic traits and manifest camouflaging tendencies, which may consequently be associated with their mental health. Nonetheless, the impact of autistic traits and camouflaging on mental health in this subculture remains significantly underexplored.MethodsWe recruited 183 Taiwanese ACG doujin creators (age ranges from 18 to 41, 146 female and 37 male) via social networking platforms. Participants completed Chinese online surveys assessing socio-demographic information, doujin activities, past psychiatric history, the 35-item Version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-35), Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q-Ch), the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Linear regression analysis was employed to examine the associations between the aforementioned scales.ResultsOur findings revealed that among ACG doujin creators, descriptively higher level of AQ-35 and CAT-Q-Ch than previous studies were found. Moreover, we observed a positive association between camouflaging behaviours and most AQ-35 subscales, with the exception of the mindreading subscale. Additionally, we identified that both camouflaging and autistic traits were significantly linked to higher PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores.ConclusionsThrough this study, we gained insight into the distinctive characteristics of autistic traits, camouflaging behaviours, and mental health among Taiwanese ACG doujin creators, as the associations between the factors mentioned above are divergent compared to previous research. This topic demonstrated that camouflaging is also associated with adverse mental health in a subculture group.

The influence of sociodemographic, tobacco use, and mental health characteristics on treatment adherence among adults enrolled in a community-based tobacco cessation program

BackgroundWhile counseling and pharmacological interventions are known to facilitate smoking cessation, poor adherence can impact their effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to identify personal and clinical factors that influenced adherence to smoking cessation treatment among socioeconomically disadvantaged adult Oklahomans enrolled in a publicly available tobacco treatment program and observational research study. MethodsAdult participants (N = 442) were enrolled in a community-based tobacco treatment program. Logistic regression models identified sociodemographic, mental health, and substance use characteristics associated with treatment adherence. Adherence was measured by counseling session attendance and weeks of moderate/high medication adherence assessed via the Medication Adherence Questionnaire. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 with p < 0.05. ResultsParticipants (mean age of 53, 55 % female, and 42.3 % racially minoritized, smoked 16 (SD = 10) cigarettes/day for 30 years on average (SD = 15), and 44.8 % reported depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CESD] score ≥ 10). Self-efficacy, White race, increasing age, and years of smoking were positively associated with counseling adherence, while menthol use, being uninsured, and depression predicted lower counseling adherence. Medication adherence was lower among individuals who used menthol cigarettes, lived with someone who smoked, and had higher levels of expired carbon monoxide. ConclusionsThis study highlights key factors that influenced adherence to smoking cessation treatment in a socioeconomically disadvantaged population. Tailored interventions are needed to address social, behavioral, and environmental factors, such as living situations and mental health, in smoking cessation interventions to enhance treatment outcomes for underserved populations. Future tobacco cessation programs should consider these factors to improve adherence and, ultimately, success rates.

ECO-MIND: enhancing pro-environmental behaviours and mental health through nature contact for urban youth – a research protocol for a multi-country study using geographic ecological momentary assessment and mental models

IntroductionUrban youth are experiencing increasing mental health problems due to diverse personal, social and environmental concerns. Youths’ detachment from natural environments, including green and blue spaces, may intensify such issues...

LOTUS: Protocol for a double-blind placebo controlled randomized trial of hemp-derived cannabidiol for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.

As cannabis legalization continues to spread across the United States, average Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations in recreational products have significantly increased, and no prior study has evaluated effective treatments to reduce cannabis use among high potency cannabis users. Some research has found that the non-intoxicating cannabinoid cannabidiol reduces cannabis use and cannabis use disorder-related symptoms, such as affective disturbance and withdrawal. Results of these studies are promising but limited to synthetic or isolated forms of cannabidiol. Conduct a placebo-controlled randomized control trial comparing the effects of hemp-derived cannabidiol on reducing Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol use in concentrate users with cannabis use disorder. Design. Double-blind, three-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial. Setting. University in the Denver-Boulder, CO, USA area. Study population. Community members who are heavy, stable cannabis concentrate users that meet criteria for at least moderate cannabis use disorder and are seeking to decrease or stop cannabis use. Data. Self-report demographics, substance use, and mental health characteristics, blood and urine based biomarkers and anthropometrics. Outcomes. Affective, physiological, and physical withdrawal symptoms, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol use. Analysis. Three-group ANOVAs and χ2 tests will be used to compare baseline variables between groups. Characteristics that differ between groups will be evaluated as potential covariates in subsequent analyses. A multilevel modeling framework will be used for primary outcome analysis to account for the repeated observations nested within participants over time. Pairwise post-hoc simple effects tests will be conducted to confirm patterns of differences. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06107062.

Disorders of cervical maturation under wartime stressful conditions

Pregnancy itself is a prerequisite for stress reactions. Even in the physiological course, pregnancy has a certain impact on a woman’s psyche, and some authors even consider it as a crisis situation or a “period of psychological uncertainty”. Women have different types of reactions to pregnancy: from the absence of any psychological problems to neurotic personality development.All the hardships of wartime affect not only the mother’s organism and her psychological state, but also the state of the unborn fetus, which is programmed with certain physical and mental health characteristics for the rest of its life.To prevent these negative effects, pregnant women during the pregravid period and gestation should take preventive measures aimed at strengthening the organism’s defense reactions in adverse conditions. These include a rational nutritious diet, determination of a woman’s personality type by a perinatal psychologist and appropriate psychological practices, and sufficient supplementation of important vitamins and minerals with antioxidant and other protective properties.Pregnancy under the influence of prolonged chronic stress can be complicated not only by purely obstetric and perinatal problems, but also by disorders of the formation of the labour dominant and preparatory processes in the cervix. As a result, this can lead to miscarriage due to the development of tokophobia as a psychological component of these disorders.Cervical maturation before childbirth is a multifactorial process that includes numerous elements, complex processes at the psychological, systemic, tissue, cellular, gene and molecular levels. Comprehensive preparation of a woman’s organism for childbirth in conditions of chronic stress and certain tokophobia (a woman’s fear of childbirth and uncertainty of the future for her and her child during the war) is not only about preventing stressful effects during pregnancy (magnesium complexes with B vitamins – up to the 36th week), conducting a complex of psychoprophylactic therapy and psychophysiological preparation for childbirth from the 37th week, but also in local impact on the cervical state, taking into account changes in connective tissue and correction of the infectious factor at the same time of pregnancy. For this purpose it is advisable and reasonable to prescribe vaginal suppositories based on hyaluronic acid (HA) to accelerate preparatory changes in the cervical tissues by stimulating the synthesis of its own HA and with antibacterial effects due to a complex of plant extracts.

Differential prevalence of psychiatric disorders and mental health characteristics associated with lifetime suicide attempts in the Asian American and Pacific Islander adult population

BackgroundAsian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults are an understudied group in terms of their mental health and mental healthcare needs. This has been complicated by the difficulty of recruiting adequate national samples of AAPI adults for research. ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze national data to examine the lifetime prevalence of major psychiatric disorders among AAPI adults relative to non-AAPI adults, as well as to identify and compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with lifetime suicide attempts among AAPI and non-AAPI adults. MethodsCross-sectional data on 36,109 adults, including 1801 AAPI adults, from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), were analyzed with a series of chi-square and logistic regression analyses. ResultsWe found a significantly lower lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders in the AAPI versus the non-AAPI population nationally, including 2% of AAPI adults reporting lifetime suicide attempts as compared to about 5% of non-AAPI adults. Female sex and a history of major depressive disorder diagnosis were associated with lifetime suicide attempts in the AAPI and non-AAPI populations. Several unique factors were associated with having a history of suicide attempts in only the AAPI population, including a military service history and a diagnosis of panic disorder. DiscussionOur analysis demonstrated the significant sectors of the AAPI population that merit research, support, and intervention, including the AAPI veteran population. This study identifies several characteristics among AAPI adults that may make them particularly vulnerable to psychiatric problems and suicide risk, which may inform targeted prevention and efforts to provide culturally competent care to this population.

Health Promoting Behaviors among Reproductive Age Women in Serbia: The Results from a National Health Survey.

Certain lifestyle characteristics, such as dietary patterns, physical activity, and maintenance of recommended body weight, low-risk alcohol consumption and non-smoking are associated with the lower likelihood for the development of chronic-non communicable disease in the general population. These lifestyles are called health promoting behaviors (HPBs). We aimed to examine the prevalence of the HPBs among the women of reproductive age in Serbia and the factors associated with the compliance with four or more of these behaviors. The study was the secondary analysis of the data from the National Health survey in Serbia from 2019 that examined social, health status, mental health (using PHQ-8) and lifestyle characteristics of the general population in Serbia. The prevalence of compliance with four or more HPBs was 22%. Among the HPBs the most frequent was a non-risky alcohol consumption reported by 2585 participants (99.2%), followed by normal weight (2018-69.2%) and non-smoking (1469-69%), daily fruit and vegetables intake (969-33.2%) and sufficient aerobic PA (216-7.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis with four or more HPBs as an outcome variable showed that the association of compliance with four or more HPBs with tertiary education (OR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32-2.76) use of prescription medications (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.44-0.87) and score on PHQ-8 (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.79-0.98). There is a need for deeper promotion of health-related behaviors among all educational and vocational groups, including health promotion activities at the primary health care level, which is available to the entire population.

Assessment of sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics of transgender adults seen at a Midwest tertiary medical center.

The National Academy of Medicine has formally identified transgender adults as an understudied population in critical need of health research. While national surveys, like the US Transgender survey, have characterized higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidality and socioeconomic need in the transgender community, studies have not examined the impact of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on mental health related outcomes. To describe the sociodemographic and mental health characteristics of transgender adults seen at a large Midwest transgender clinic and to determine factors associated with self-reported mental health conditions. Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study of new transgender patients 18 years and older seen at a large Midwest transgender clinic between December 2019 and June 2022. A total of 482 charts were reviewed. During their initial evaluation, 11.6% (56/482) reported having a history of suicide attempt and 81.3% (392/482) reported a mental health diagnosis with the most common being depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Multivariable logistic regression results show no single factor was significantly associated with mental health diagnosis after adjusting for the effect of age and race. Patients who were new to gender affirming hormone therapy (54%, 254/468) are 2.0 (95% CI 1.4-2.9) times more likely to report having a mental health care provider than patients who were seen for continuation of therapy (46%, 214/468). Ten records with race not disclosed, 3 records with gender identity "other" and 2 records with gender identity not disclosed were excluded from analysis. This study reinforces the finding that transgender adults have an increased lifetime prevalence of mental health conditions. The higher prevalence of mental health conditions in our clinic was not associated with sociodemographic factors included in the study. Furthermore, transgender patients are less likely to have seen mental healthcare providers after initiation of gender affirming hormone therapy.

Moving Beyond Referrals: Addressing Multilevel Barriers to Substance Use Treatment Engagement Through Police-Led Recovery Management Check-Ups.

The opioid epidemic in the United States (US) has prompted innovative responses from law enforcement agencies including specialized units to refer overdose survivors to substance use treatment following an overdose. However, traditional law enforcement outreach does not address the multilevel barriers to treatment engagement that lead to repeat overdose-related calls for service. The current evaluation explored the process components and outcomes of a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) initiative within a local law enforcement agency in the Southeast US. COAP funding supported a police-led recovery management team (RMT) to connect overdose survivors to substance use treatment. The RMT also utilized recovery management check-ups (RMCs) to provide sustained support to enhance substance use treatment engagement beyond the initial treatment referral. A mixed-methods approach was employed to examine participant demographic, substance use, mental health, treatment, and criminal justice characteristics (N = 65) and explore perceptions of programmatic strengths and potential areas for improvement (N = 15). The quantitative and qualitative analyses were informed by the Recovery Capital Model. Quantitative analysis revealed that the RMT connected many participants with various support services, notably including housing assistance and health insurance. Qualitative findings highlight program effectiveness in improving social, community, and personal recovery capital. These findings contribute to expanding research on police-led post-overdose initiatives and suggest that police-led RMCs can address multilevel barriers to treatment engagement and minimize law enforcement stigma.

A cross-sectional evaluation of city firefighters' exposure to potentially traumatic events during opioid overdose responses and mental health

Firefighters often serve as emergency medical services providers and face repeated exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) while participating in opioid overdose responses (OORs), which may impact their mental health. A survey of 173 firefighters who had participated in an OOR in the previous 6 months was used to assess exposure to PTEs during such events, job stress, mental health symptoms, and resources used to address mental health symptoms. Most firefighters (97%) reported experiencing one or more PTEs while responding to an opioid overdose in the past 6 months. Associations between PTEs and mental health are reported. For example, there was a higher prevalence of high job stress (22.7% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.014) and meeting the screening definition of PTSD (15.4% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.047), depression (33.1% vs. 6.1%, p = 0.022), and anxiety (33.1% vs. 6.1%, p = 0.022) among those who experienced a needlestick injury during an OOR than those who did not experience a needlestick injury during an OOR. Seeking social support is recommended following PTEs; mental health care should be sought when symptoms interfere with personal, social, or occupational functioning. This survey identified important firefighter mental health characteristics which will assist fire departments in determining the appropriate mental health training, support, and services.