Service evaluation of a sole-session psychoeducational intervention to improve caregivers’ key illness beliefs after first episode psychosis (FEP)

Abstract Carers of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis are at an increased risk of developing their own physical and mental health problems. Psychoeducation has been found to improve carer wellbeing and reduce distress. However, few psychoeducation interventions have considered the resource constraints on mental health services and the impact that these can have on the implementation of any such interventions. The present service evaluation aimed to evaluate an abbreviated version (sole session) of a previously tested psychoeducation intervention (three sessions) that targets less adaptive illness beliefs (n = 17). Pre–post effect sizes reveal that all of the carers’ illness beliefs changed in the desired direction, with four out of the 10 illness beliefs associated with large to moderate improvements. When compared with the outcomes obtained in our evaluation of the more intensive, three-session version of the intervention, the between-group effects largely favoured the three-session version but were mostly small. Moderate to large effects in favour of the three-session version were found for two of the 10 illness beliefs. These findings support the further investigation of the sole session psychoeducation intervention as part of a randomised controlled trial. Key learning aims (1) To evaluate the impact of a sole-session psychoeducation intervention on illness beliefs. (2) To compare the outcomes of the sole-session psychoeducation intervention to the previous, more intensive (three-session) version of the same intervention. (3) To consider the value of research approaches to evaluating psychoeducation interventions for carers of people with psychosis.

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The Effect of Physiotherapy Group Intervention in Reducing Pain Disorders and Mental Health Symptoms among Syrian Refugees: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17249468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (24) ◽

pp. 9468

Author(s):

Wegdan Hasha ◽

Jannicke Igland ◽

Lars T. Fadnes ◽

Bernadette Kumar ◽

Jasmin Haj-Younes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Complex Interventions ◽

Control Group ◽

Syrian Refugees ◽

The Impact

Chronic pain is common among refugees, and often related to mental health problems. Its management, however, is often challenging. A randomized waitlist-controlled trial was designed to study the effect of group physiotherapy activity and awareness intervention (PAAI) on reducing pain disorders, and secondarily improving mental health, among Syrian refugees. A total of 101 adult Syrian refugees suffering from chronic pain were randomized to either the intervention group or the control group, which thereafter also received PAAI after a waiting period. Pain intensity measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) was the primary outcome. Scores from the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R 22) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were secondary outcomes. Intention-to-treat analyses (ITT) showed no effect of the intervention on either pain levels (regression coefficient [B {95% CI} of 0.03 {−0.91, 0.96}], IESR scores [4.8 {−3.7, 13.4}] or GHQ-12 scores [−0.4 {−3.1, 2.3}]). Yet, participants highly appreciated the intervention. Despite the negative findings, our study contributes to the evidence base necessary to plan targeted and effective health care services for refugees suffering from chronic pain and highlights the challenge of evaluating complex interventions adapted to a specific group.

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Diversion from custody: An update

BJPsych Advances ◽

10.1192/apt.bp.116.016113 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 375-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luke Birmingham ◽

Olusola Awonogun ◽

Howard Ryland

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Criminal Justice ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

List Type ◽

Mentally Disordered ◽

The Past ◽

Important Landmark ◽

Justice Process ◽

Criminal Justice Process ◽

The Impact

SummaryLiaison and diversion services are concerned with ensuring that individuals with mental health problems and related vulnerabilities who come into contact with the criminal justice system receive appropriate support and treatment. In the past 15 years there have been significant changes in policy, legislation and the broader landscape in community, custodial and hospital settings which have shaped these services. The Bradley Report, published in 2009, represents an important landmark in this field. Bradley made 82 recommendations, from interventions to improve identification of mental illness and vulnerable individuals at risk of offending to effecting speedier transfers of mentally disordered prisoners to hospital. Some progress has been made in achieving these recommendations, and further investment is promised, but at present only half of England is covered by liaison and diversion services.LEARNING OBJECTIVES•Appreciate how services have developed over the past 15 years to provide support and treatment and divert mentally disordered people from custody at all stages in the criminal justice process•Recognise how government policy has shaped the development of liaison and diversion services over the past 15 years•Understand the impact of the 2007 amendments to the Mental Health Act on the diversion of mentally disordered people from custody

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Protocol for an app-based affective control training for adolescents: proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15229.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 91

Author(s):

Susanne Schweizer ◽

Jovita T. Leung ◽

Rogier Kievit ◽

Maarten Speekenbrink ◽

William Trender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Health Problems ◽

Matching Task ◽

Double Blind ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

The Impact ◽

Proof Of Principle

Background: 75% of all mental health problems have their onset before the end of adolescence. Therefore, adolescence may be a particularly sensitive time period for preventing mental health problems. Affective control, the capacity to engage with goal relevant and inhibit distracting information in affective contexts, has been proposed as a potential target for prevention. In this study, we will explore the impact of improving adolescents’ affective control capacity on their mental health. Methods: The proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of an app-based affective control training (AC-Training) to a placebo training (P-Training) app. In total, 200 (~50% females) adolescents (11-19 years) will train for 14 days on their training app. The AC-Training will include three different n-back tasks: visuospatial, auditory and dual (i.e., including both modalities). These tasks require participants to flexibly engage and disengage with affective and neutral stimuli (i.e., faces and words). The P-Training will present participants with a perceptual matching task. The three versions of the P-Training tasks vary in the stimuli included (i.e., shapes, words and faces). The two training groups will be compared on gains in affective control, mental health, emotion regulation and self-regulation, immediately after training, one month and one year after training. Discussion: If, as predicted, the proposed study finds that AC-Training successfully improves affective control in adolescents, there would be significant potential benefits to adolescent mental health. As a free app, the training would also be scalable and easy to disseminate across a wide range of settings. Trial registration: The trial was registered on December 10th 2018 with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (Registration number: ISRCTN17213032).

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Protocol for an app-based affective control training for adolescents: proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15229.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 91 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susanne Schweizer ◽

Jovita T. Leung ◽

Rogier Kievit ◽

Maarten Speekenbrink ◽

William Trender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Health Problems ◽

Matching Task ◽

Double Blind ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

The Impact ◽

Proof Of Principle

Background: 75% of all mental health problems have their onset before the end of adolescence. Therefore, adolescence may be a particularly sensitive time period for preventing mental health problems. Affective control, the capacity to engage with goal relevant and inhibit distracting information in affective contexts, has been proposed as a potential target for prevention. In this study, we will explore the impact of improving adolescents’ affective control capacity on their mental health. Methods: The proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of an app-based affective control training (AffeCT) to a placebo training (P-Training) app. In total, 200 (~50% females) adolescents (11-19 years) will train for 14 days on their training app. The AffeCT will include three different n-back tasks: visuospatial, auditory and dual (i.e., including both modalities). These tasks require participants to flexibly engage and disengage with affective and neutral stimuli (i.e., faces and words). The P-Training will present participants with a perceptual matching task. The three versions of the P-Training tasks vary in the stimuli included (i.e., shapes, words and faces). The two training groups will be compared on gains in affective control, mental health, emotion regulation and self-regulation, immediately after training, one month and one year after training. Discussion: If, as predicted, the proposed study finds that AffeCT successfully improves affective control in adolescents, there would be significant potential benefits to adolescent mental health. As a free app, the training would also be scalable and easy to disseminate across a wide range of settings. Trial registration: The trial was registered on December 10th 2018 with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (Registration number: ISRCTN17213032).

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Text-Based Program Addressing the Mental Health of Soon-to-be and New Fathers (SMS4dads): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.8368 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Fletcher ◽

Chris May ◽

John Attia ◽

Craig Franklin Garfield ◽

Geoff Skinner

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Text Messaging ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Text Messages ◽

Online Information ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Mobile Phone Technology ◽

Self Confidence ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Recent estimates indicating that approximately 10% of fathers experience Paternal Perinatal Depression (PPND) and the increasing evidence of the impact of PPND on child development suggest that identifying and assisting distressed fathers is justified on public health grounds. However, addressing new fathers’ mental health needs requires overcoming men’s infrequent contact with perinatal health services and their reluctance to seek help. Text-based interventions delivering information and support have the potential to reach such groups in order to reduce the impact of paternal perinatal distress and to improve the wellbeing of their children. While programs utilising mobile phone technology have been developed for mothers, fathers have not been targeted. Since text messages can be delivered to individual mobile phones to be accessed at a time that is convenient, it may provide a novel channel for engaging with “hard-to-reach” fathers in a critical period of their parenting. OBJECTIVE The study will test the efficacy of SMS4dads, a text messaging program designed specifically for fathers including embedded links to online information and regular invitations (Mood Tracker) to monitor their mood, in order to reduce self-reported depression, anxiety and stress over the perinatal period. METHODS A total of 800 fathers-to-be or new fathers from within Australia will be recruited via the SMS4dads website and randomized to the intervention or control arm. The intervention arm will receive 14 texts per month addressing fathers’ physical and mental health, their relationship with their child, and coparenting with their partner. The control, SMS4health, delivers generic health promotion messages twice per month. Messages are timed according to the babies’ expected or actual date of birth and fathers can enroll from 16 weeks into the pregnancy until their infant is 12 weeks of age. Participants complete questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol at baseline and 24 weeks postenrolment. Measures of coparenting and parenting confidence are also completed at baseline and 24 weeks for postbirth enrolments. RESULTS Participant were recruited between October 2016 and September 2017. Follow-up data collection has commenced and will be completed in March 2018 with results expected in June 2018. CONCLUSIONS This study’s findings will assess the efficacy of a novel text-based program specifically targeting fathers in the perinatal period to improve their depression, anxiety and distress symptoms, coparenting quality, and parenting self-confidence. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000261415; https://www.anzctr.org.au/ Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370085 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wav55wII).

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Protocol for an App-Based Affective Control Training for Adolescents

10.21203/rs.2.126/v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Schweizer ◽

Jovita T. Leung ◽

Rogier Kievit ◽

Maarten Speekenbrink ◽

William R. Tender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Health Problems ◽

Matching Task ◽

Double Blind ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: 75% of all mental health problems have their onset before the end of adolescence. Adolescence, thus may be a particularly sensitive time period for preventing mental health problems. Affective control, the capacity to engage with goal relevant and inhibit distracting information in affective contexts, has been proposed as a potential target for prevention. In this study, we will explore the impact of improving adolescents’ affective control capacity on their mental health. Methods: The proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of an app-based affective control training (AC-Training) to a placebo training (P- Training) app. 200 (~50% females) adolescents (11-19 years) will train for 14 days on their training app. The AC-Training will include three different n-back tasks: visuospatial, auditory and dual (i.e., including both modalities). These tasks require participants to flexibly engage and disengage with affective and neutral stimuli (i.e., faces and words). The P-Training will present participants with a perceptual matching task. The three versions of the P-Training tasks vary in the stimuli included (i.e., shapes, words and faces). The two training groups will be compared on gains in affective control, mental health, emotion regulation and self-regulation, immediately after training, 1 month and 1 year after training. Discussion: If, as predicted, the proposed study finds that AC-Training successfully improves affective control in adolescents, there would be significant potential benefits to adolescent mental health. As a free app, the training would also be scalable and easy to disseminate across a wide range of settings. Trial registration: The trial was registered on December 10 2018 with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (Registration number: ISRCTN17213032, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17213032). Keywords: Mental health; Adolescence; Emotion regulation; Affective control; App-based training

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Towards individualised contraceptive counselling: clinical and reproductive factors associated with self-reported hormonal contraceptive-induced adverse mood symptoms

BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health ◽

10.1136/bmjsrh-2020-200658 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bmjsrh-2020-200658

Author(s):

Cecilia Lundin ◽

Anna Wikman ◽

Marie Bixo ◽

Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson ◽

Inger Sundström Poromaa

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Reproductive Factors ◽

Hormonal Contraceptive ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Contraceptive Counselling ◽

Mood Symptoms ◽

Increased Risk

ObjectiveThe study aim was to establish which demographic, clinical, reproductive and psychiatric factors are associated with self-reported hormonal contraceptive (HC)-induced adverse mood symptoms.Study designWe compiled baseline data from two Swedish studies: one cross-sectional study on combined oral contraceptive (COC)-induced adverse mood symptoms (n=118) and one randomised controlled trial on adverse mood symptoms on COC (n=184). Both included women eligible for COC use, aged over 18 years. All women answered a questionnaire on HC use and associated mood problems. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) was used to capture mood and anxiety disorders. Women who acknowledged HC-induced adverse mood symptoms, ongoing or previously (n=145), were compared with women without any such experience (n=157).ResultsCompared with women without self-reported HC-induced adverse mood symptoms, women with these symptoms were younger at HC start (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.83, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.95), had more often undergone induced abortion (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.57 to 7.23), more often suffered from an ongoing minor depressive disorder (n=12 vs n=0) and had more often experienced any previous mental health problem (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.59).ConclusionsIn line with previous research, this study suggests that women with previous or ongoing mental health problems and women who are younger at HC start are more likely to experience HC-induced adverse mood symptoms. Former and current mental health should be addressed at contraceptive counselling, and ongoing mental health disorders should be adequately treated.ImplicationsThis study adds valuable knowledge for identification of women susceptible to HC-induced adverse mood symptoms. It should facilitate the assessment of whether or not a woman has an increased risk of such symptoms, and thus enable clinicians to adopt a more personalised approach to contraceptive counselling.

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Mental health problems and correlates among 746 217 college students during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in China

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796020000931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

Author(s):

Z. Ma ◽

J. Zhao ◽

Y. Li ◽

D. Chen ◽

T. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

College Students ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Health Problems ◽

Senior Year ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Aims Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major public health concern all over the world. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population. This study aimed to assess the mental health problems and associated factors among a large sample of college students during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Methods This cross-sectional and nation-wide survey of college students was conducted in China from 3 to 10 February 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial factors, COVID-19 epidemic related factors and mental health problems. Acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Chinese versions of the impact of event scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Univariate and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with mental health problems. Results Among 821 218 students who participated in the survey, 746 217 (90.9%) were included for the analysis. In total, 414 604 (55.6%) of the students were female. About 45% of the participants had mental health problems. The prevalence rates of probable acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were 34.9%, 21.1% and 11.0%, respectively. COVID-19 epidemic factors that were associated with increased risk of mental health problems were having relatives or friends being infected (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72–2.33). Students with exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 ≥3 h/day were 2.13 times more likely than students with media exposure <1 h/day to have acute stress symptoms. Individuals with low perceived social support were 4.84–5.98 times more likely than individuals with high perceived social support to have anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, senior year and prior mental health problems were also significantly associated with anxiety or/and depressive symptoms. Conclusions In this large-scale survey of college students in China, acute stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple epidemic and psychosocial factors, such as family members being infected, massive media exposure, low social support, senior year and prior mental health problems were associated with increased risk of mental health problems. Psychosocial support and mental health services should be provided to those students at risk.

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Psychological Responses According to Gender during the Early Stage of COVID-19 in Spain

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073731 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3731

Author(s):

Lucía del Río-Casanova ◽

Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín ◽

Ana García-Dantas ◽

Anabel González-Vázquez ◽

Ania Justo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Linear Models ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Early Stage ◽

Psychological Responses ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Background: Current research has pointed out an increased risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in women compared to men, however the reason for this difference remains unclear. The aim of this research is to study early psychological responses to the pandemic in the Spanish general population, focusing on gender differences. Methods: Nine to 14 days after the declaration of a state of emergency an online survey was conducted assessing sociodemographic, health, behavioral and COVID-19-related variables. Mental health status was evaluated by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the Self-Care Scale (SCS). Results: The study included 3520 respondents: 2611 women and 909 men. Women scored significantly higher in DASS-21 and IES-R (p < 0.05) and were more likely to somatize, suffer from hypochondriasis, sleeping disturbances and claustrophobia (p < 0.05). Being a woman can be considered a risk factor for intrusive thoughts, avoidance mechanisms, stress and anxiety (Odd Ratio = 2.7/2.3/2.3/1.6). The risk of presenting posttraumatic symptoms and emotional distress was greater in women (Odd Ratio = 6.77/4.59). General linear models to predict IES-R and DASS-21 scores clarified which variables were gender specific, such as main concerns. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that at early stages of the pandemic, women mental health was more impacted and that both genders show different concerns. Gender perspective in secondary and tertiary prevention strategies must be taken into account when facing the distress associated with the pandemic.

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Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Physical and Mental Health of 5-12 Years Old Children from Parents’ Perspective: A cross-sectional Study

Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management ◽

10.24083/apjhm.v16i3.981 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 92-102

Author(s):

Isha Tajane ◽

Aamena Golwala ◽

Devanshi Nangia ◽

Isha Chavan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽

Crisis Recovery ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced children to spend increased amounts of time at home resulting in adverse effects on their physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Parents need to be aware about the changes in the mental and physical health of the children. Objectives: To identify the physical and mental health problems the children are facing because of the lockdown and to assess the awareness of such problems amongst the parents. Design: A cross sectional online survey was conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 on physical and mental health of the children from parents' perspectives. Setting: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Main Outcome Measure: Parent reported questionnaire. Results and conclusion: There were a significant increase in the number of hours spent on mobile phones, sitting, and sleeping during the lockdown as compared to before the lockdown whereas the number of hours spent on physical activity significantly decreased and also impacted their mental health. By taking part in the survey, the parents of the children became aware of the changes occurring in their child. These findings can guide immediate programmatic and policy efforts to preserve and promote child health during the COVID-19 outbreak and crisis recovery period, and to inform strategies to mitigate potential harm during future pandemics.

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