Trauma and psychotic experiences: transnational data from the World Mental Health Survey

BackgroundTraumatic events are associated with increased risk of psychotic experiences, but it is unclear whether this association is explained by mental disorders prior to psychotic experience onset.AimsTo investigate the associations between traumatic events and subsequent psychotic experience onset after adjusting for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental disorders.MethodWe assessed 29 traumatic event types and psychotic experiences from the World Mental Health surveys and examined the associations of traumatic events with subsequent psychotic experience onset with and without adjustments for mental disorders.ResultsRespondents with any traumatic events had three times the odds of other respondents of subsequently developing psychotic experiences (OR=3.1, 95% CI 2.7–3.7), with variability in strength of association across traumatic event types. These associations persisted after adjustment for mental disorders.ConclusionsExposure to traumatic events predicts subsequent onset of psychotic experiences even after adjusting for comorbid mental disorders.

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Psychotic experiences and general medical conditions: a cross-national analysis based on 28 002 respondents from 16 countries in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291718000363 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (16) ◽

pp. 2730-2739 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kate M. Scott ◽

Sukanta Saha ◽

Carmen C.W. Lim ◽

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola ◽

Ali Al-Hamzawi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Severe Headache ◽

Medical Conditions ◽

Psychotic Experiences ◽

World Mental Health ◽

Wide Range ◽

Comorbid Mental Disorders ◽

Subsequent Onset

AbstractBackgroundPrevious work has identified associations between psychotic experiences (PEs) and general medical conditions (GMCs), but their temporal direction remains unclear as does the extent to which they are independent of comorbid mental disorders.MethodsIn total, 28 002 adults in 16 countries from the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys were assessed for PEs, GMCs and 21 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders. Discrete-time survival analyses were used to estimate the associations between PEs and GMCs with various adjustments.ResultsAfter adjustment for comorbid mental disorders, temporally prior PEs were significantly associated with subsequent onset of 8/12 GMCs (arthritis, back or neck pain, frequent or severe headache, other chronic pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and peptic ulcer) with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–1.5] to 1.9 (95% CI 1.4–2.4). In contrast, only three GMCs (frequent or severe headache, other chronic pain and asthma) were significantly associated with subsequent onset of PEs after adjustment for comorbid GMCs and mental disorders, with ORs ranging from 1.5 (95% CI 1.2–1.9) to 1.7 (95% CI 1.2–2.4).ConclusionsPEs were associated with the subsequent onset of a wide range of GMCs, independent of comorbid mental disorders. There were also associations between some medical conditions (particularly those involving chronic pain) and subsequent PEs. Although these findings will need to be confirmed in prospective studies, clinicians should be aware that psychotic symptoms may be risk markers for a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Whether PEs are causal risk factors will require further research.

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Childhood adversities and mental disorders in first-year college students: results from the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291721004980 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Mathilde M. Husky ◽

Ekaterina Sadikova ◽

Sue Lee ◽

Jordi Alonso ◽

Randy P. Auerbach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

College Student ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Type Number ◽

Childhood Adversities ◽

World Mental Health ◽

The World ◽

International College ◽

Role Impairment

Abstract Background This study investigates associations of several dimensions of childhood adversities (CAs) with lifetime mental disorders, 12-month disorder persistence, and impairment among incoming college students. Methods Data come from the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS). Web-based surveys conducted in nine countries (n = 20 427) assessed lifetime and 12-month mental disorders, 12-month role impairment, and seven types of CAs occurring before the age of 18: parental psychopathology, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, bullying victimization, and dating violence. Poisson regressions estimated associations using three dimensions of CA exposure: type, number, and frequency. Results Overall, 75.8% of students reported exposure to at least one CA. In multivariate regression models, lifetime onset and 12-month mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders were all associated with either the type, number, or frequency of CAs. In contrast, none of these associations was significant when predicting disorder persistence. Of the three CA dimensions examined, only frequency was associated with severe role impairment among students with 12-month disorders. Population-attributable risk simulations suggest that 18.7–57.5% of 12-month disorders and 16.3% of severe role impairment among those with disorders were associated with these CAs. Conclusion CAs are associated with an elevated risk of onset and impairment among 12-month cases of diverse mental disorders but are not involved in disorder persistence. Future research on the associations of CAs with psychopathology should include fine-grained assessments of CA exposure and attempt to trace out modifiable intervention targets linked to mechanisms of associations with lifetime psychopathology and burden of 12-month mental disorders.

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Twelve-month prevalence, severity, and treatment of common mental disorders in communities in Japan: preliminary finding from the World Mental Health Japan Survey 2002-2003

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences ◽

10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01397.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

pp. 441-452 ◽

Cited By ~ 225

Author(s):

NORITO KAWAKAMI ◽

TADASHI TAKESHIMA ◽

YUTAKA ONO ◽

HIDENORI UDA ◽

YUKIHIRO HATA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Preliminary Finding ◽

World Mental Health ◽

The World

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Obesity and mental disorders in the general population: results from the world mental health surveys

International Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1038/sj.ijo.0803701 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 192-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 225

Author(s):

K M Scott ◽

R Bruffaerts ◽

G E Simon ◽

J Alonso ◽

M Angermeyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

General Population ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Health Surveys ◽

World Mental Health ◽

The World

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Mental disorders among adults with asthma: results from the World Mental Health Survey

General Hospital Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2006.12.006 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 123-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 160

Author(s):

Kate M. Scott ◽

Michael Von Korff ◽

Johan Ormel ◽

Ming-yuan Zhang ◽

Ronny Bruffaerts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Health Survey ◽

World Mental Health ◽

World Mental Health Survey ◽

The World ◽

Mental Health Survey

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Neighbourhood characteristics and mental disorders in three Chinese cities: multilevel models from the World Mental Health Surveys

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017679 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. e017679 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho ◽

Laura Sampson ◽

Silvia S Martins ◽

Shui Yu ◽

Yueqin Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Marital Status ◽

Health Surveys ◽

Chinese Cities ◽

Lower Odds ◽

Individual Level ◽

World Mental Health ◽

The World ◽

Neighbourhood Level

ObjectivesThe rapid growth of urban areas in China in the past few decades has introduced profound changes in family structure and income distribution that could plausibly affect mental health. Although multilevel studies of the influence of area-level socioeconomic factors on mental health have become more common in other parts of the world, a study of this sort has not been carried out in Chinese cities. Our objectives were to examine the associations of two key neighbourhood-level variables—median income and percentage of married individuals living in the neighbourhood—with mental disorders net of individual-level income and marital status in three Chinese cities.SettingHousehold interviews in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, PRC, as part of the cross-sectional World Mental Health Surveys.Participants4072 men and women aged 18–88 years.Primary and secondary outcome measuresLifetime and past-year internalising and externalising mental disorders.ResultsEach one-point increase in neighbourhood-level percentage of married residents was associated with a 1% lower odds of lifetime (p=0.024) and 2% lower odds of past-year (p=0.008) individual-level externalising disorder, net of individual-level marital status. When split into tertiles, individuals living in neighbourhoods in the top tertile of percentage of married residents had 54% lower odds of a past-year externalising disorder (OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.87) compared with those in the bottom tertile. Neighbourhood-level marital status was not statistically associated with either lifetime or past-year internalising disorders. Neighbourhood-level income was not statistically associated with odds of either internalising or externalising disorders.ConclusionsThe proportion of married residents in respondents’ neighbourhoods was significantly inversely associated with having externalising mental disorders in this sample of Chinese cities. Possible mechanisms for this finding are discussed and related to social causation, social selection and social control theories. Future work should examine these relationships longitudinally.

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Development of Chinese mental health first aid guidelines for assisting a person affected by a traumatic event: a Delphi expert consensus study

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03606-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yan Wang ◽

Wenjing Li ◽

Shurong Lu ◽

Anthony F. Jorm ◽

Brian Oldenburg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

English Language ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

First Aid ◽

Expert Consensus ◽

Mental Health First Aid ◽

Chinese Translation ◽

Increased Risk ◽

English Speaking

Abstract Background People who experience traumatic events have an increased risk of developing a range of mental disorders. Appropriate early support from people in a person’s social network may help to prevent the onset of a mental disorder or minimize its severity. Mental health first aid guidelines for assisting people who have experienced traumatic events have been developed for high-income English-speaking countries. However, they may not be appropriate for use in China due to cultural and health care system differences. The aim of this study was to develop culturally appropriate guidelines for people providing mental health first aid to people affected by traumatic events in China. Methods A Delphi expert consensus study was conducted with two panels of experts in mainland China. Experts recruited to the panels included 32 professionals with expertise in the treatment of people affected by traumatic events and 31 people with lived experience of trauma or their carers. Panel members were sent a Chinese translation of the questionnaire used for developing English-language mental health first aid guidelines. This contained 168 items describing how to help people experiencing a potentially traumatic event. Panelists were asked to rate the importance of each statement for inclusion in the Chinese guidelines. They were also encouraged to suggest any additional statements that were not included in the original questionnaire. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the adapted guidelines if they were endorsed by at least 80% of each panel as very important or important. Results Consensus was achieved after three survey rounds on 134 statements for inclusion in the adapted guidelines for China, with 127 adopted from the guidelines for English-speaking countries and 7 new items from the comments of panelists. Conclusions While many of the statements are similar to the guidelines for English-speaking countries, the panelists adapted the guidelines to China’s context, including more detailed actions on how to discuss trauma and to help the person. These guidelines will be used to form the basis of a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course for China, aimed at educating the public in providing support and advice to a person who is experiencing a potentially traumatic event. Further research is needed to investigate the use of the guidelines by the Chinese public and the implementation of MHFA training in appropriate settings in China.

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