Associations between Adolescent Psychosocial Factors and Disengagement from Education and Employment in Young Adulthood among Individuals with Common Mental Health Problems.

Transition to adulthood can be a challenging developmental task for adolescents with common mental health problems and is linked to adverse outcomes such as 'not in education, employment or training' (NEET). This study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescent psychosocial factors (e.g., self-esteem, aspirations, bullying, physical activity) and later NEET status among individuals with common mental health problems (i.e., depression and anxiety). A secondary data analysis of the Next Steps cohort study was completed using waves 2 and 8. Psychosocial factors, mental health, and background characteristics were captured when participants were aged 15-16 years (wave 2) while still in compulsory education. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire was used to identify adolescents with common mental health problems. The study population consisted of 2224 participants (females 66.8%) of which 1473 (66.2%) were aged 15 years and 751 (33.8%) were aged 16 years in wave 2. The outcome was NEET status at ages 25-26 years (wave 8). The results showed that after adjusting for background characteristics, adolescent self-esteem, locus of control, bullying, physical activity, job aspirations, and attitudes to school predicted NEET status. Educational aspirations, substance use, and behavioural problems were not significantly associated with NEET status. These findings provide new insights into the role of adolescent psychosocial factors in the context of education and employment outcomes for youth at risk and highlight the necessity of targeted mental health support to improve life chances.

TimelinePTC: Development of a unified interface for pathways to care collection, visualization, and collaboration in first episode psychosis.

This paper presents TimelinePTC, a web-based tool developed to improve the collection and analysis of Pathways to Care (PTC) data in first episode psychosis (FEP) research. Accurately measuring the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is essential for effective FEP treatment, requiring detailed understanding of the patient's journey to care. However, traditional PTC data collection methods, mainly manual and paper-based, are time-consuming and often fail to capture the full complexity of care pathways. TimelinePTC addresses these limitations by providing a digital platform for collaborative, real-time data entry and visualization, thereby enhancing data accuracy and collection efficiency. Initially created for the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) program in New Haven, Connecticut, its design allows for straightforward adaptation to other healthcare contexts, facilitated by its open-source codebase. The tool significantly simplifies the data collection process, making it more efficient and user-friendly. It automates the conversion of collected data into a format ready for analysis, reducing manual transcription errors and saving time. By enabling more detailed and consistent data collection, TimelinePTC has the potential to improve healthcare access research, supporting the development of targeted interventions to reduce DUP and improve patient outcomes.

The impact of early detection (ED) campaigns on care presentations: Beyond DUP reduction.

We examined the effects of an early detection (ED) campaign (Mindmap), that successfully shortened the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), on patient presentation profiles at two receiving coordinated specialty care (CSC) services. Data were collected between 2015 and 2019 during a test of ED delivered at one CSC (STEP, n = 147) compared to usual detection at another CSC (PREP, n = 63). Regression models were used to test the effects of ED and DUP on presentation. Before the launch of ED, there were no differences in presentation between STEP and PREP. However, the ED changed the profile of presentations to STEP such that patients were admitted with better negative and total symptoms scores, but worse GAF current and GAF social and with a greater decline in function over the prior year (GAF-Δ). Site-by-time interaction effects were not significant. During the campaign years, STEP vs. PREP recruited patients with better negative and total symptoms, GAF role, and pre-morbid adjustment scores but with worse positive symptoms, GAF current, and GAF-Δ. Nonetheless, mediation analysis revealed that DUP reduction accounted for very little (<8 %) of these differences in presentation. Early detection campaigns while successfully reducing access delays, can have salutary effects on presentation independent of DUP reduction.

Investigation of the relationships between eating attitudes, body image and depression among Turkish university students.

INTRODUCTION: Eating disorders are one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and have become a growing problem nowadays. Research shows that eating disorders are mostly widespread in industrialized societies where beauty is associated with thinness. This study investigates the relationships between eating attitudes, body image and depression among Turkish university students aged 18 to 25. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised of 221 female and 80 male university students from four different universities located in Istanbul and Ankara. Demographic Information Form, Body Image Scale, Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40) and Beck Depression Inventory were used to collect data. Height and weight of the participants were also collected to measure Body Mass Index (BMI) of the individuals. RESULTS: This study found that 55 (18.3%) students had abnormal eating attitudes, 115 (38.2%) students had negative body image and 102 (33.9%) students showed moderate and severe levels of depression. Body image was negatively correlated with eating attitude and depression in underweight individuals when grouped according to their BMI. Being underweight was significantly higher in females. Females also had more negative body image and higher depression levels. Individuals with abnormal eating attitudes had higher depression levels. BMI and gender did not lead to any significant difference in the eating attitudes of the students. CONCLUSION: This study has contributed to the literature on the relationships between eating attitudes, body image and depression among Turkish university students between the ages of 18 and 25. It has further drawn attention to the importance of eating disorders in Turkey and being aware of the relationships among eating attitudes, body image, depression, and BMI. Results of the study are discussed in detail and in consideration of cultural context.