scholarly journals A machine learning approach for predicting suicidal thoughts and behaviours among college students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Macalli ◽  
Marie Navarro ◽  
Massimiliano Orri ◽  
Marie Tournier ◽  
Rodolphe Thiébaut ◽  
...  

AbstractSuicidal thoughts and behaviours are prevalent among college students. Yet little is known about screening tools to identify students at higher risk. We aimed to develop a risk algorithm to identify the main predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among college students within one-year of baseline assessment. We used data collected in 2013–2019 from the French i-Share cohort, a longitudinal population-based study including 5066 volunteer students. To predict suicidal thoughts and behaviours at follow-up, we used random forests models with 70 potential predictors measured at baseline, including sociodemographic and familial characteristics, mental health and substance use. Model performance was measured using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), sensitivity, and positive predictive value. At follow-up, 17.4% of girls and 16.8% of boys reported suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The models achieved good predictive performance: AUC, 0.8; sensitivity, 79% for girls, 81% for boys; and positive predictive value, 40% for girls and 36% for boys. Among the 70 potential predictors, four showed the highest predictive power: 12-month suicidal thoughts, trait anxiety, depression symptoms, and self-esteem. We identified a parsimonious set of mental health indicators that accurately predicted one-year suicidal thoughts and behaviours in a community sample of college students.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Macalli ◽  
Marie Navarro ◽  
Massimiliano Orri ◽  
Marie Tournier ◽  
Rodolphe Thiébaut ◽  
...  

Abstract Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are prevalent among college students. Yet little is known about screening tools to identify students at higher risk. We aimed to develop a risk algorithm to identify the main predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students within one-year of baseline assessment. We used data collected in 2013–2019 from the French i-Share cohort, a longitudinal population-based study including 5066 volunteer students. To predict suicidal thoughts and behaviours at follow-up, we used random forests models with 70 potential predictors measured at baseline, including sociodemographic and familial characteristics, mental health and substance use. Model performance was measured using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), sensitivity, and positive predictive value. At follow-up, 17.4% of girls and 16.8% of boys reported suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The models achieved good predictive performance: AUC, 0.8; sensitivity, 79% for girls, 81% for boys; and positive predictive value, 40% for girls and 36% for boys. Among the 70 potential predictors, four showed the highest predictive power: 12-month suicidal thoughts, trait anxiety, depression symptoms, and self-esteem. We identified a parsimonious set of mental health indicators that accurately predicted one-year suicidal thoughts and behaviors in a community sample of college students.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afona Chernet ◽  
Nicole Probst-Hensch ◽  
Véronique Sydow ◽  
Daniel Henry Paris ◽  
Niklaus Daniel Labhardt

Abstract Objective:Eritrea tops the list of origin of asylum seekers in Switzerland. On their journey through the desert and across the Mediterranean Sea, refugees may be exposed to traumatizing experiences. The aim of this study is to assess the mental health status of Eritrean migrants in Switzerland upon arrival and one-year post-arrival, using standardized mental health screening tools. Results:At baseline, 107 refugees (11.2% female, median age 25) were interviewed: 52 (48.6%) screened positive for PTSD (score ≥30), 10.3% for anxiety (≥10) and 15.0% for depression (≥10); 17.8% scored as risk/hazardous drinkers (≥8). The majority (94.4%) had a high resilience score (≥65). For one-year follow-up, 48 asylum seekers could be reached. In interviews 18 (38%) of these reported imprisonment in a transit country and 28 (58%) that they had witnessed the death of a close person along the migration route. At the one year assessment, rates of risky/hazardous alcohol use remained unchanged, rates of positive PTSD screening tended to be lower (50.0% (24/48) at baseline vs 25.0% (12/48) at follow-up), as were rates of positive screening for anxiety (8.3% vs 4.2%) and depression (14.6 vs 6.3%).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tegan Cruwys ◽  
Catherine Haslam ◽  
S. Alex Haslam ◽  
Elyse Williams ◽  
Joanne Rathbone

Background. Decades of research indicate that when social connectedness is threatened, mental health is at risk. However, extant interventions to tackle loneliness have had only modest success, and none have been trialled under conditions of such threat.Method. 174 young people with depression and loneliness were randomised to one of two evidence-based treatments: cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H), an intervention designed to increase social group belonging. Depression, loneliness, and well-being outcomes were evaluated at one-year follow-up; COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were imposed partway through follow-up assessments. This provided a quasi-experimental test of the utility of each intervention in the presence (lockdown group) and absence (control group) of a threat to social connectedness. Results. At one-year follow-up, participants in lockdown reported significantly poorer wellbeing than controls who completed follow-up before lockdown, t(152)=2.41, p=.017. Although both CBT and G4H led to symptom improvement, the benefits of G4H were more robust following an unanticipated threat to social connectedness for depression (2(16)=31.35, p=.001), loneliness (2(8)=21.622, p=.006), and wellbeing (2(8)=22.938, p=.003). Limitations. Because the COVID-19 lockdown was unanticipated, this analysis represents an opportunistic use of available data. As a result, we could not measure the specific impact of restrictions on participants, such as reduced income, degree of isolation, or health-related anxieties.Conclusions. G4H delivered one year prior to COVID-19 lockdown offered greater protection than CBT against relapse of loneliness and depression symptoms. Implications are discussed with a focus on how these benefits might be extended to other life stressors and transitions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afona Chernet ◽  
Nicole Probst-Hensch ◽  
Véronique Sydow ◽  
Daniel H. Paris ◽  
Niklaus D. Labhardt

Abstract Objective Eritrea is the most frequent country of origin among asylum seekers in Switzerland. On their journey through the desert and across the Mediterranean Sea, Eritrea refugees are often exposed to traumatizing experiences. The aim of this study is to assess the mental health status and resilience of Eritrean migrants in Switzerland upon arrival and one-year post-arrival, using standardized mental health screening and resilience assessment tools. Results At baseline, 107 refugees (11.2% female, median age 25) were interviewed: 52 (48.6%) screened positive for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (score ≥ 30), 10.3% for anxiety (≥ 10) and 15.0% for depression (≥ 10); 17.8% scored as risk/hazardous drinkers (≥ 8). The majority (94.4%) had a high resilience score (≥ 65). For one-year follow-up, 48 asylum seekers could be reached. In interviews 18 (38%) of these reported imprisonment in a transit country and 28 (58%) that they had witnessed the death of a close person along the migration route. At the one year assessment, rates of risky/hazardous alcohol use remained unchanged, rates of positive PTSD screening tended to be lower (50.0% (24/48) at baseline vs 25.0% (12/48) at follow-up), as were rates of positive screening for anxiety (8.3% vs 4.2%) and depression (14.6 vs 6.3%).


Author(s):  
Luca Pingani ◽  
Sara Evans-Lacko ◽  
Sandra Coriani ◽  
Silvia Ferrari ◽  
Maria Filosa ◽  
...  

The primary aim is to describe the changes in the knowledge of mental health conditions, the attitudes toward the mentally ill, and the intended behaviour towards people with mental illness among the entire student population of the third year of a degree course in Psychology. A total of 570 students attended a seminar on stigma towards mental illness and were invited to complete an online survey which collected data on sociodemographic characteristics and three validated questionnaires evaluating different aspects of stigma at three different time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one year follow up). A total of 253 students (44.39%) completed the questionnaires at t0, t1, and t2. The mean age of the sample was 23.7 (SD = ±5.89), and 86.96% (n = 220) were females. Between t0 and t1, a statistically significant improvement was observed for all three outcomes, while the intended behaviour outcome was no longer significant between t1 and t2 (Z = −0.70; p = 0.48). Females and who participated live at the seminar maintained a significant knowledge of mental illness and a better attitude toward community mental health care. The effects of the seminar focused on reducing stigma tended to diminish over time at one year follow-up, particular in relation to intended behaviour.


1969 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40
Author(s):  
Murdo M. Dowds ◽  
James A. Kulik ◽  
Karl E. Scheibe

This study was designed to investigate the effect of participation in a mental hospital volunteer program on students' subsequent career plans and activities. Responses of the volunteers on follow-up questionnaires were compared with those of two control groups of college students not in the program. The number of volunteers planning careers in mental health professions increased significantly after participation in the program while the control groups showed little change in career plans. The volunteers also evaluated their summer's experience as highly important for their future vocational plans, and a high percentage planned to spend their next summer engaged in mental health activities. The program had only limited effects, however, on the academic-year behaviors of the volunteers.


2006 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Bradley ◽  
J Morgan ◽  
B Pentlow ◽  
A Roe

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study is to ascertain the accuracy of diagnostic ultrasound in the assessment of the occult abdominal and groin herniae. The authors have previously demonstrated its efficacy in diagnosing the type of clinical groin herniae but occult herniae provide a further diagnostic problem. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 113 consecutive patients were referred prospectively for ultrasound examinations with clinically suspected occult herniae. All positive scans were offered surgery whilst the negative results were offered further imaging or other diagnostic tests depending on the clinical criteria. The end point for negative scans was based on 18-month follow-up or resolution of symptoms. RESULTS Overall, 59 scans showed positive results for herniae and 56 of these had surgery. In the other three patients, two refused an operation, and one had no hernia detected at operation. In the remaining 57 scans, ultrasound offered alternative soft tissue diagnoses in 23 patients and surgical/endoscopic diagnoses accounted for a further 8 patients. CONCLUSIONS Ultrasound offered a diagnosis for the symptomology in 82 patients (70.6%) of which 59 were herniae. The positive predictive value for hernia is 98.3%. Twenty-six patients with no diagnosis or confirmation of herniae on follow-up showed symptom resolution in 22 cases, and four patients were treated by the pain clinic.


1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-172
Author(s):  
M. Prefontaine ◽  
G. J. O'Connell ◽  
E. Ryan ◽  
K. J. Murphy

Elevated CA-125 levels have been reported in some women with endometrial carcinoma. Current follow-up policy for these patients does not involve the use of tumor markers. CA-125 measurements were performed in 28 patients with a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, 14 clinically free of disease and 14 with known disease. Based on the sensitivity (0.64) and specificity (0.93) observed we constructed a model to estimate the predictive value of the assay as a marker in the follow-up of patients who have completed treatment. This model would involve a CA-125 assay every six months for five years in 100 patients with stage I and II disease. Despite the high statistical correlation between the clinical status of the patient and the CA-125 value observed in our study, the positive predictive value would be approximately 24% in such a follow-up protocol where a low prevalence of recurrent malignancy is expected.


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