In Colombia, over 9 million people have been impacted by armed conflict, creating a significant need for mental health services. This study aimed to culturally adapt and pilot test the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI), an evidence-based transdiagnostic mental health intervention, for conflict-affected Colombian youth aged 18-28 years.

The eight phases of the Assessment, Decision, Administration, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, and Testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework were used to culturally adapt the YRI for conflict-affected Colombian youth. The Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS) was used to track the adaptations made. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and analyzed throughout the adaptation process.

Data from the Assessment phase demonstrated a high need for mental health interventions among conflict-affected youth. The Testing phase revealed significant improvements in emotion regulation and functional impairment, suggesting the YRI is a promising intervention among conflict-affected Colombian youth. Qualitative data confirmed the intervention’s acceptability among youth and mental health providers.

The YRI was successfully adapted for conflict-affected Colombian youth. Future studies using randomized designs are needed to test the effectiveness of the YRI for improving mental health among larger samples of Colombian conflict-affected youth.

Early and collaborative interventions are desirable to prevent long-term sick leave and promote sustainable return-to-work (RTW). The aim of this study was to evaluate if the use of the Capacity Note – a brief intervention promoting early and structured communication between general practitioners (GPs), patients, and employers – had an impact on length of sick leave in patients with common mental disorders (CMDs) in primary healthcare.

In a pragmatic trial, GPs at eight primary healthcare centres were randomized to provide the intervention or control and recruited eligible patients: employed women and men, 18-64 years, who visited a GP due to CMD and became or were (<4 months) full- or part-time sick-listed. Patients in the intervention group (n=28) used the Capacity Note in addition to usual care. Patients in the control group (n=28) received usual care. Outcomes of interest were time until full RTW, sick leave status at end of follow-up (17 months), number of sick leave episodes during follow-up, and number of sick leave days at 6, 12, and 17 months of follow-up.

The proportion of patients with full RTW at the end of follow-up was 79.2% in the intervention group and 84.6% in the control group. Time until full RTW was 102 and 90 days (median) in intervention and control group, respectively. We found no statistically significant differences between the groups for any of the outcomes.

Despite efforts to increase the number of participants, the study ended up with a small sample. This prohibited us from drawing any final conclusions about the effect of the intervention. Obstacles to recruitment of patients and use of the intervention are discussed.

It is widely recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on the mental health of the general population, but epidemiological evidence is surprisingly sparse. We aimed to explore the association between serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and psychological distress – assessed by symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress – in the general adult population in southern Switzerland, a region widely affected by the pandemic. We also investigated whether this association varied over time and between pandemic waves from late 2020 through 2021.

We used data from 305 adults who participated in the Corona Immunitas Ticino prospective seroprevalence study in southern Switzerland, including results of the serological tests of SARS-CoV-2 infection collected in June 2021, and explored associations with depression, anxiety and stress scores as measured by the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale at three time points between December 2020 and August 2021, accounting for socio-demographic and health characteristics.

In our sample, 84.3% of the participants (mean age of 51.30 years, SD = ±.93) were seronegative at baseline. Seropositive (i.e., infected) participants had a decreasing probability of being depressed and anxious through the COVID-19 pandemic waves compared to the seronegative (non-infected) participants. Further, seropositivity at baseline was also associated with more rapid decline in depressive, anxiety and stress symptomatology, and younger age and the presence of chronic diseases were independently associated with mild anxiety (OR = .97; P = 0.013; 95% CI = 0.95, 0.99; OR = 3.47; P = 0.001; 95% CI = 1.71, 7.04) and stress (OR = .96; P = 0.003; 95% CI = .94, .99; OR = 2.56; P = 0.010; 95% CI = 1.25, 5.22).

Our results suggest that the MH consequences of the pandemic may not be due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection per se, but to fears associated with the risk of infection, and to the pandemic uncertainties.

To investigate the relationship between violence and the nutritional status of pregnant women, and whether mental health could be a mediator in this relationship.

Cross-sectional study. Violence and mental health status were investigated using the following questionnaires: World Health Organization Violence Against Women (WHO-VAW), Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Demographic, socioeconomic, obstetric, and lifestyle factors (smoking/alcohol consumption) were also investigated. The nutritional status of the women was assessed by the body mass index.

Data were collected from February 2021 to August 2022 in Araraquara city, Brazil.

Four hundred pregnant women recruited at 34 health units and the municipal maternity hospital.

Experience of violence was reported by 52.2% of the women and psychological violence in the last 12 months was the most prevalent type of domestic violence (19.5%). Approximately 43% of the women showed mental health changes and 59.7% had a risk of major depression. Women with mental health changes had an increased risk (OR=2.34) of obesity. Psychological violence in the last 12 months was associated with obesity (p=0.01) when mediated by mental health changes. The mediation effect was significant (β=0.708; 95%BCa CI=0.004-1.460), with mental health changes mediating 46.1% of the relationship between psychological violence and obesity.

The relationship between psychological violence and obesity during pregnancy was mediated by changes in mental health. This original study shows that nutritional status is not limited to biological factors and highlights the importance of social, mental, and psychological factors.

To describe and compare the prevalence of psychosocial and psychiatric disorders among veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a propensity-score-matched group of veterans without MS, and to identify sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with comorbid psychosocial and psychiatric problems among veterans with MS.

Data were linked and extracted from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System and the Corporate Data Warehouse. The total sample comprised 27,342 veterans in the VA healthcare system between January 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, who met eligibility criteria for an MS diagnosis (n=13,671) and 1:1 propensity-score-matched sample of veterans who did not have MS (n=13,671). MS diagnosis, substance use disorder (SUD), mental illness, and homelessness were defined using standard ICD-10 codes. Covariates included sex, age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and VA service-connected disability rating.

A higher prevalence of mental illness among veterans with MS (33%) was found compared with those without MS (31%). Multivariable logistic regression models indicated MS was negatively associated with diagnoses of alcohol use disorder, stimulant use disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder but positively associated with diagnoses of cannabis use disorder and major depressive disorder. MS was not significantly related to homelessness. Disparities in psychosocial and psychiatric disorders among veterans with MS are described.

This study provides novel insights regarding rates of homelessness, SUD, and mental illnesses among veterans with MS. Interdisciplinary approaches to identification and management of mental illness, SUD, and homelessness among veterans with MS are critically needed.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is beneficial for health, and reducing sedentary behavior (SB) is recommended in international guidelines. People with mental illnesses are at higher risk of preventable diseases than the general population, partly attributable to lower MVPA and higher SB. Self-determination theory provides a framework for understanding how motivation regulates behavior. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of different forms of motivation for physical activity (amotivation, controlled, autonomous) to MVPA and SB in people with mental illnesses.

Cross-sectional self-reported and accelerometer-derived MVPA and SB in people with a range of mental illnesses across four countries were pooled for analysis (Australia, Belgium, England, Uganda). Motivation for physical activity was measured using the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ). Regression analyses were used to investigate the association of MVPA and SB with amotivation, controlled, autonomous motivations, controlling for mental health and demographic variables.

Autonomous motivation was associated with 31% higher self-reported MVPA, and amotivation and controlled motivation were associated with 18% and 11% lower self-reported MVPA, respectively (n = 654). In contrast, controlled motivation was positively associated with SB (n = 189). Having physical comorbidities or an alcohol use disorder was associated with lower MVPA (n = 318). Sub-analyses with accelerometer-derived MVPA and SB (n = 139 and n = 145) did not reveal any associations with motivational forms.

Findings with an international sample support the universal relevance of motivation in promoting health-related behavior. Strategies for facilitating autonomous motivation should be utilized by health professionals seeking to support people with mental illnesses to become physically active.

The COVID pandemic has had deleterious effects on the mental health of the global population. Parents of children with CHD were particularly vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. A better understanding of the CHD parent experiences, needs, and concerns while navigating the healthcare system during a pandemic is needed.

Online survey responses from 71 parents of young children with CHD representing families across the United States of America and Canada were analysed. Qualitative data were collected one year into the COVID pandemic. Thematic analysis was used to examine responses to the open-ended question “What would you like healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses) to know about your experience of being a parent with a child with CHD during the COVID-19 pandemic?.”

Two major themes with subthemes and an umbrella theme emerged from the parents’ responses (1) Pandemic Parenting: The Emotional Toll of Hospital Visitation Restrictions, Dealing with Social Distancing, Feeling Isolated, Decision Making in Uncertainty, and Playing it Safe versus Returning to Normal and (2) Unmet Expectations of Care: Needing Information, Wanting Empathy, Requesting Respect, Questioning Care Quality, and the umbrella theme of: Our Lives were Turned Upside Down.

CHD parents describe a negative impact of healthcare-related challenges during the COVID pandemic. These findings may offer insight to how healthcare professionals can better support the mental health and care burden of CHD parents during future pandemics.

Climate anxiety has a negative impact on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of the vulnerable population. The goal is to assess many factors that affect mental health and psychological wellbeing, as well as how climate change affects mental health in Pakistan’s vulnerable population.

This study provides evidence-based insights on the long- and medium-term impacts of extreme weather events on mental health. To obtain information on these variables, this research uses a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional survey design with a multivariate regression model for empirical tests on a sample of parents and children with an impact on mental health from climate change anxiety.

Results indicate that individuals experience shock and climate change anxiety, and their effects on mental health and psychological wellbeing. Climate change can have detrimental effects on children’s mental health. (1) disaster risk health (2) children’s stress index (3) public health concerns, (4) climate change anxiety, (5) generalized anxiety disorder, and (6) major depression disorder, as reported by the children with mental health outcomes.

The findings of this study show that climate change has a stressful effect on mental health. The paper concludes with a discussion on strategies to address the anticipated mental health issues among children due to climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic created stressors to daily living, leading to increased mental health problems. It is important to assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, specifically anxiety.

The goal was to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic, clinical, and other correlates of likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among study subjects in Ghana.

This study employed a cross-sectional approach, using an online survey administered primarily through social media platforms. The survey questions included the GAD-7 scale, which was used to assess likely GAD in respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analysis.

Overall, 756 respondents completed the survey, mainly from Ashanti and Greater Accra, which were the hardest hit by COVID-19.

The prevalence of likely GAD in our sample was 7.6%. Gender, loss of job due to COVID-19, and seeking mental health counseling were independently associated with increased likelihood of GAD.

The findings suggest that women, those who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who sought mental health counseling were more likely to experience moderate to high anxiety symptoms as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Priority must be attached to psychological support measures for members of these groups.