Tobacco withdrawal-induced changes in sensorimotor filtering as a predictor of smoking lapse in trauma-exposed individuals.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure of sensorimotor filtering thought to shield the processing of initial weaker auditory stimuli from interruption by a later startle response. Previous studies have shown smoking withdrawal to have a negative impact on sensorimotor filtering, particularly in individuals with psychopathology. Because tobacco use may alleviate sensory and sensorimotor filtering deficits, we examined whether smoking withdrawal-induced changes in PPI were associated with maintenance of smoking abstinence in trauma-exposed individuals with and without PTSD who were attempting to quit smoking. Thirty-eight individuals (n = 24 with current or past PTSD; 14 trauma-exposed healthy controls) made an acute biochemically-verified smoking cessation attempt supported by 8 days of contingency management (CM) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking. Participants completed a PPI task at the pre-quit baseline, 2 days post-quit, and 5 days post-quit. Post-quit changes in PPI were compared between those who remained abstinent for the first 8-days of the quit attempt and those who lapsed back to smoking. PPI changes induced by biochemically-verified smoking abstinence were associated with maintenance of abstinence across the 8-day CM/CBT-supported quit attempt. As compared to those who maintained tobacco abstinence, participants who lapsed to smoking had significantly lower PPI at 2 and 5 days post-quit relative to baseline. Thus, among trauma-exposed individuals, decreases in PPI during acute smoking cessation supported by CM/CBT are associated with lapse back to smoking. Interventions that improve PPI during early smoking abstinence may facilitate smoking cessation among such individuals who are at high risk for chronic, refractory tobacco use.

To what extent does white matter map to cognition in bipolar disorder? A systematic review of the evidence.

Cognitive impairment is a prominent feature of bipolar disorder (BD), however the neural substrates underpinning it remain unclear. Several studies have explored white matter as a correlate of cognitive functioning in BD cohorts, but mixed results and varied methodologies from one to another make inferences about this relationship difficult to draw. Here we sought to systematically synthesise the findings of these studies to more clearly explicate the nature and extent of relationships between white matter and cognition in BD and determine best practice methodologies and areas for future research in this area. Using PRISMA guidelines, we identified and systematically reviewed 37 relevant studies, all of which were cross-sectional by design. There was substantial methodological heterogeneity and variability in the clinical presentations of BD cohorts encapsulated within the studies we reviewed, which complicated our synthesis of the findings. Nonetheless, there was some evidence that cognition is related to both white matter macrostructure and microstructure in people with BD. In particular, multiple microstructural studies consistently reported that higher fractional anisotropy, both globally and in the corpus callosum, associated with better complex attention skills and executive functioning. However, several reports did not identify any associations at all, and in general, associations between WM and cognition tended to only be evident in studies utilising larger samples and post-hoc selection of WM regions of interest. Further research with increased statistical power and standardised methods are required moving forward.

Truthful yet misleading: Elementary second-order deception in school-age children and its sociocognitive correlates.

In highly competitive contexts, deceptive intentions might be transparent, so conveying only false information to the opponent can become a predictable strategy. In such situations, alternating between truths and lies (second-order lying behavior) represents a less foreseeable option. The current study investigated the development of 8- to 10-year-old children's elementary second-order deception in relation to their attribution of ignorance (first- and second-order ignorance) and executive functions (inhibitory control, shifting ability, and verbal working memory). An adapted version of the hide-and-seek paradigm was used to assess children's second-order lie-telling, in which children were asked to hide a coin in either of their hands. Unlike the standard paradigm, the opponent did not consistently look for the coin in the location indicated by the children, so children needed to switch between telling simple lies and truths (elementary second-order lies about the coin location) to successfully deceive the recipient. The results showed that older children were less likely to tell elementary second-order lies. However, across the sample, when children decided to lie, this ability was positively related to their second-order ignorance attribution and their verbal working memory. Moreover, we obtained preliminary evidence for the presence of a habituation effect in second-order lying, with children being more accurate and having less variability in their truthful-to-deceive responses (this being the more frequently elicited response) than when telling lies to deceive. Our findings could have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying children's ability to alternate between truths and lies to deceive.

A motivational approach to understanding problematic smartphone use and negative outcomes in university students.

Considering the rising integration of smartphones into classrooms, the purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and negative outcomes through the lens of self-determination theory. This study examined 1,039 students' reported academic motivation, PSU, anxiety, insomnia, and perceived stress. The first objective of this study was to examine how motivational orientations could predict PSU. Then, we examined how motivational orientations and PSU, when used as a mediating variable, could be modeled to predict negative student mental health outcomes (anxiety, insomnia, and perceived stress). As predicted, statistically significant results suggested that autonomous academic motivation was associated with less PSU (ß = -0.16), as well as less anxiety (ß = -0.12), insomnia (ß = -0.16), and stress (ß = -0.10). In contrast, higher levels of controlled academic motivation were associated with more PSU (ß = 0.37), as well as higher levels of anxiety (ß = 0.49) and insomnia (ß = 0.41). Amotivation was also positively related to PSU (ß = 0.17), anxiety (ß = 0.36), insomnia (ß = 0.62), and stress (ß = 0.22). All indirect effects (mediation effects) were statistically significant and in the predicted direction: the impact of autonomous motivation on negative outcomes was mediated by lower levels of PSU while controlled motivation and amotivation were mediated by higher levels of PSU. Overall, this study advanced the understanding of PSU in university classrooms by demonstrating a link with academic motivation and mental health outcomes.

Validity of the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 cross-cutting symptom measure as implemented in community mental health settings.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to validate the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM) as a screening tool for a wide variety of disorders within busy community outpatient mental health settings. METHOD: Participants (N = 851) were referred for coordinated specialty care services (mean age = 20.26 years (SD = 2.97); 82.5 % Caucasian, 7.5 % African American, 0.7 % Native American, 0.7 % Pacific Islander, 0.8 % Asian, 7.8 % Multiracial; 15.1 % Latinx; 53.1 % female, 45.5 % male, 1.4 % other gender). RESULTS: At optimal cut-score, specificity ranged from 57 to 77 % for depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains; sensitivity ranged from 63 to 72 %. Scores for depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains differed significantly by groups with and without diagnoses. Correlations among domains were larger where expected (r = 0.52, depression-suicidal ideation), and relatively smaller where expected (r = 0.28, suicidal ideation-inattention). Depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains evidenced incremental validity for their respective diagnoses (change in explained variance, 3-15 %). Psychometric features of CCSM were broadly supported. LIMITATIONS: Criterion measures did not have inter-rater reliabilities as this is generally prohibitive in clinic settings. CONCLUSION: The CCSM could provide a first step in screening for multiple disorders; however, it cannot replace structured interviews for making diagnoses related to these conditions.

Cognitive decline among older adults with depressive symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Whether the COVID-19 pandemic would induce accelerated cognitive decline in individuals with depressive symptoms is undetermined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cognitive function among older adults with depressive symptoms. METHODS: Data were from the Health and Retirement Study. The interval between wave 13 and wave 14 was defined as the prepandemic period, and the interval between wave 14 and wave 15 was defined as the pandemic period. Linear mixed models and modified Poisson regression models were employed to compare the differences in cognitive decline and incident dementia between participants with and without depressive symptoms before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: A total of 9304 participants were included. During the prepandemic period, no significant difference was observed in changes in cognitive scores between participants with and without depressive symptoms. During the pandemic period, an accelerated decline in cognitive scores was found between the two groups (global cognition: -0.25, 95 % CI: -0.41 to -0.08, P = 0.004; memory: -0.16, 95 % CI: -0.31 to -0.02, P = 0.030; executive function: -0.08, 95 % CI: -0.15 to -0.02, P = 0.014). Participants with depressive symptoms had a higher risk of developing dementia during the pandemic (RR: 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.17 to 1.88, P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: Causal relationship cannot be concluded due to the observational study design. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with depressive symptoms suffered more severe cognitive deterioration and had a higher risk of incident dementia during the pandemic, underscoring the need to provide cognitive monitoring and interventions for those with depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gender difference in association between clinical symptoms and alexithymia in chronic schizophrenia: A large sample study based on Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia, a prevalent social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, remains insufficiently studied. Though some studies propose a link between alexithymia and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia, this connection lacks consistent confirmation. Additionally, there is limited research on gender difference in alexithymia among schizophrenia patients. To fill this gap, our study aimed to conduct a large-sample survey of Chinese Han patients with chronic schizophrenia to explore whether there are gender differences between clinical symptoms and alexithymia. METHODS: We obtained sociodemographic characteristics of 987 schizophrenia patients, measured their clinical symptoms using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and assessed their self-reported alexithymia using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). RESULTS: In patients with chronic schizophrenia, the prevalence of alexithymia did not differ between genders (male: 35.51 % vs. female: 26.91 %, P = 0.018). Correlation and linear regression analyses revealed that PANSS scores and TAS-20 scores were widely correlated in both male and female patients. In particular, multiple linear regression analysis showed that the TAS total score was positively correlated with negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms in male patients, while it was positively correlated with negative symptoms and depressive symptoms in female patients. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the prevalence of alexithymia in patients with chronic schizophrenia does not differ between genders. Negative symptoms are related to the TAS-20 total score in both male and female patients, while cognitive symptoms are only related to the TAS-20 total score in male patients, and depressive symptoms are only related to the TAS-20 total score in female patients.

Social media and e-cigarette use: The mediating role of mental health conditions.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, youth social media use, youth e-cigarette use, and youth mental health conditions have become major public health concerns. We examined the role of mental health condition indicators in the link between youth social media use and e-cigarette use. METHODS: We used data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 23,445) to measure social media use by time spent, anxiety and depression symptoms by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, and past-30-day e-cigarette use. We applied the potential outcomes framework to examine the relationship between social media use and e-cigarette use mediated by mental health condition indicators. RESULTS: Mental health condition indicators mediated the relationship between social media use and e-cigarette use in a dose-response manner, with higher levels of social media use associated with higher odds of e-cigarette use. With mental health condition indicators as a mediator, those who used social media for 4+ hours/day or 3-4 h/day had significantly higher odds of e-cigarette use than those who used social media sometimes or never. In the sex-stratified analysis, we found that very often social media use was associated with higher odds of e-cigarette use for both males and females, compared to sometimes users (OR = 1.53, 95 % CI [1.18,1.96] for males; OR = 2.27, 95 % CI [1.76,2.92] for females). LIMITATIONS: Anxiety and depression symptoms were self-reported. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that anxiety and depression symptoms mediate the relationship between social media and e-cigarette use among youth and support the growing concern that frequent social media use may negatively affect youth health.

Depressive symptoms during deep transcranial magnetic stimulation or sham treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that depressive symptoms tend to improve concurrently with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), despite depression not being the primary target of intervention. Studies examining the temporal or mediational relationships of OCD and depressive symptoms have indicated a bidirectional relationship, as prior levels of OCD symptoms influenced subsequent levels of depression, and vice versa. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) has recently emerged as a treatment option for OCD. Whether dTMS affects depression symptoms similarly to CBT remains to be examined. METHODS: The current study employed a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to examine the relationship of OCD and depression symptoms in 94 treatment refractory patients, undergoing dTMS or sham treatment. RESULTS: Both OCD and depression symptoms improved significantly. However, a stable, cross-lagged relationship between the variables was not supported. Changes in one symptom domain could not be used to predict the other. LIMITATIONS: The present study was conducted in a treatment refractory population, meaning the present findings may not generalize to treatment naïve patients or those with less severe OCD symptoms. It is unclear whether the study was sufficiently powered to detect the effects of interest, and this concern also meant that examining the dTMS and sham groups independently was not feasible. CONCLUSIONS: When treating OCD with dTMS, depression symptoms appear likely to diminish but should be monitored throughout, and additional interventions applied if needed.

Anhedonia mediates the relationships between childhood trauma and symptom severity of PTSD and depression, but not of social anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma is a risk factor for developing multiple forms of psychopathology, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety. Yet, the mechanisms linking childhood trauma and these psychopathologies remain less clear. OBJECTIVE: Here we examined whether anhedonia, a reduced ability to experience pleasure, may mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and symptom severity of depression, PTSD, and social anxiety. METHODS: A total of 230 trauma-exposed participants aged 18-75 were assessed for lifetime trauma exposure, including general and childhood traumatic events, anhedonia, and symptoms of depression, PTSD, and social anxiety. RESULTS: Controlling for age, gender, and general lifetime trauma exposure, mediation analyses revealed a significant mediation effect of anhedonia for the relationship between childhood trauma and symptom severity of depression and PTSD, but not social anxiety. To better understand these significant mediation effects, we repeated the analyses separately for childhood abuse and neglect, and then for the various subtypes of each type of childhood trauma. Results showed a significant mediation effect of anhedonia on symptoms of both depression and PTSD in individuals who reported high emotional and sexual abuse levels. F Anhedonia was also found to mediate the relationship between both emotional and physical neglect and symptoms of depression and PTSD. CONCLUSION: These findings refine our understanding of the ways in which childhood traumatic experiences may be associated with different mental health problems by increasing anhedonia. Anhedonia may be an important treatment target in survivors of childhood abuse and neglect.

Global Meditation Practices: A Literature Review.

Research has shown that meditation is beneficial for chronic pain, stress, and many physical and mental conditions. The definition of meditation has many forms, is culturally influenced, and is practiced globally. This literature review seeks to report current literature on meditation related to therapeutic outcomes and create a globally informed definition of meditation for health-related purposes. From a western perspective, mindfulness-based stress relief (MBSR) is widely researched. Therefore, 15 studies from peer-reviewed research from 2015 and 2020 were used to examine various forms of meditation and describe a broader range of meditation practices other than MBSR. The different forms of meditation are: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Portugal), Active Engagement (Portugal), Adapted Mindfulness Program (Brazil), Adapted Mindfulness Program (Brazil), Cognitively-based Compassionate Training, Loving-kindness (United States, US), Mantra Meditation (US), Mindfulness-based stress reduction (US), Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (South Korea), Osho (India), Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (Italy), Transcendental Meditation (Italy), Spiritual/Secular (US), Sufi (Pakistan), and Vipassana (Australia). The review was completed using a literature search method, and all meditation approaches report positive therapeutic outcomes for all participants (n = 768). This outcome enabled the creation of a broader therapeutic definition of meditation that can be applied in clinical practice.

Quick and Easy Health-Promoting, Mood-Boosting Wellness Activities for Nursing Students.

The nursing profession not only is fulfilling but can also be stressful and exhausting. Rewarding students for making time for wellness activities meets the personal health and well-being competencies found in Domain 10.1 of the new Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. In this article, I provide instructions and rationale for nurse educators to include quick and easy, health-promoting, mood-boosting wellness activities in their classes for all nursing degree levels. My goal is to motivate nurse educators to teach nursing students the importance of self-care to foster well-being so that they may flourish emotionally and physically.

The Epidemiology of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders Among Elite Athletes and the Evolution of Mental Health Literacy.

Within elite sport, epidemiological evidence is needed concerning the incidence and prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders in relation to athlete demographic factors such as (dis)ability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientations, and different genders. Mental health promotion campaigns are often based on mental health literacy strategies. Such strategies aim to increase knowledge of mental health symptoms and disorders, address aspects of self- and public stigma, and promote help-seeking behaviors. Sporting organizations need to take responsibility to ensure that policies, practices, and services reflect organizational values concerning mental health. Organizational mental health literacy ensures that information is culturally competent and responsive, easy to find, straightforward, and offers simple, legitimate opportunities to access support.

Media's Effect on Athletes' Mental Health.

This article explores the athlete's relationship with both traditional and social (digital) media and describes athletes' media obligations and the pressures of media attention. It explains the difference in the representation of diverse groups, and the potential positive and negative outcomes of the media on an athlete's mental health. The article will review the emergence of social media, its limitless reach, and ways in which it diverges from traditional media coverage of athletic performance. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of ways that athletes' multidsciplinary medical teams may become advocates for healthy and supportive interactions between athletes and media.

Substance Misuse in Elite Athletes: Early Detection, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment.

Sports medicine physicians and athletic trainers regularly encounter athletes who misuse substances that put them at risk for adverse health, social, interpersonal, academic, psychological, and performance effects. The three most encountered substances are alcohol (binge drinking), cannabis (marijuana), and tobacco/nicotine vaping. Early detection using self-report screening instruments, adverse consequences questionnaires, and urine testing are reviewed. Brief interventions that involve personalized feedback, goal setting, support system involvement, psychoeducation, contingency management, and/or motivational interviewing are highlighted. Lack of response to brief intervention or progression to a substance use disorder should prompt the consideration of referral to a substance specialty level of care.

Mental Health of Elite Sport Coaches and Entourage.

There is growing understanding of the extent of mental health problems, and related mental health needs, among elite athletes. However, far less attention has been paid to mental health among elite coaches and high-performance support staff, the latter including strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, sport psychologists, and other allied health workers in the daily training environment (high-performance support staff are referred to collectively as "entourage" throughout this article). The scarcity of research examining mental health among elite coaches and entourage warrants urgent attention, particularly given these individuals share similar performance demands and role-related stressors as elite athletes. This article reviews the available literature on this topic, including (1) an empirical study conducted by the authors with a sample of coaches and entourage from Australia's national high-performance sport system and (2) a case example to illustrate sport-specific and general risk factors that are likely to impact mental health in elite sporting environments. Avenues for supporting mental health among coaches and entourage are discussed.

A Systematic Review of Barriers to Formal Supports for Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence in Spanish-Speaking Countries in Latin America.

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Latin America (LA)'s Spanish-speaking countries have demonstrated great need for formal services, including medical, legal, and mental health supports. However, women's rates of formal help-seeking for IPV in the Americas remain extremely low. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand barriers to women's help-seeking for IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries. Five electronic databases were searched with search terms in English and Spanish related to IPV, help-seeking, and barriers. Articles were included in the review if they were published in peer-reviewed journals; original empirical research; published in English or Spanish; and had participants who were women exposed to IPV or service providers who worked with IPV-exposed women; and were conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. 19 manuscripts were synthesized. Inductive thematic analysis of barriers to formal help-seeking for IPV identified in the articles resulted in five key themes: intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, organization-specific barriers, systemic barriers, and cultural barriers. Findings demonstrate the need to consider culture as a driving force in why women face extensive barriers to help-seeking across the social ecology. Suggestions for interventions at each level of the social ecology to better support women exposed to IPV in LA's Spanish-speaking countries are discussed.

Child Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Rejection Sensitivity: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review.

Theoretical and empirical evidence has suggested that child maltreatment victimization is associated with rejection sensitivity. However, empirical evidence on this association is inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to examine the overall association between child maltreatment and rejection sensitivity, and to investigate variables that may affect the strength of this association. Studies eligible for inclusion were searched in the databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, MEDLINE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure after which relevant studies were coded. Studies were synthesized in advanced three-level meta-analytic models in R. A total of 16 studies (N = 5,335 participants) yielding 41 effect sizes were included. Results showed that child maltreatment is significantly and positively related to rejection sensitivity (mean r = 0.230; p < .001), and to a small extent. Furthermore, this association is stronger for emotional abuse (r = 0.275) than for physical abuse (r = 0.157). It is not affected by the mean age and gender distribution of primary study samples nor by sample type (community sample versus clinical sample). It is concluded that child maltreatment is a risk factor for developing rejection sensitivity later in life. Therefore, interventions for rejection sensitivity should consider potential trauma resulting from prior child maltreatment experiences.

Understanding the Public Health Role, Motivations, and Perceptions of Community Health Workers Deployed to Low-Income Housing in Richmond, Virginia.

BACKGROUND: For the US health indicators to improve to the level of other developed countries, the use of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in vulnerable populations has been indicated as a possible long-term intervention. There are few models of long-term deployment of CHWs as part of the district level public health system in the US. METHOD: In this study we interviewed CHWs who served as neighborhood-integrated health district staff assigned to low-income housing in Richmond, Virginia for 10 years. Qualitative analyses of their taped and transcribed interviews resulted in 5 themes from the interviews. The themes were Activities, Satisfaction, Strengths, Facilitation/Resources and Challenges. We highlighted quotes from the CHWs interviews for themes and summarized the findings from each theme. RESULTS: CHWs carried out a variety of activities daily and these were described. The CHWs were generally satisfied with their job because it enabled them to assist others. The strength of their communities was resilience, and the resources they needed more included physical resources, human resources, political support, and more comprehensive programming. Their client's challenges include transportation, mental health, and physical safety and the CHWs challenge to effectively carrying out their work with clients was trust by community members. CONCLUSION: The information garnered from the CHWs would be useful in designing CHW programs at other health districts.

Education, Training, and Support Across the Continuum of Recovery for Caregivers of Persons with Disorders of Consciousness.

Evolving knowledge highlights the deleterious effects of caregiving on the emotional, psychosocial, and financial well-being of caregivers of persons with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Current practice guidelines and minimal competency recommendations emphasize the importance of identifying and addressing DoC caregiver needs. This article serves as a dissemination tool to enhance communication between providers and caregivers. Essential components of education and training are outlined for each level of care. Addressing caregiver needs may mitigate the level of perceived burden, reduce the risk of burnout, and increase care proficiency and likelihood of community discharge, thus potentially reducing long-term costs of care for this population.