Understanding Somatic Symptoms Associated with South Korean Adolescent Suicidal Ideation, Depression, and Social Anxiety

Korea’s suicide rate has increased steadily in recent years and it has become the leading cause of death among Korean youth. This paper aims to propose suicide risk identification strategies for South Korean youth by identifying profiles of suicide risk alongside reported somatic complaints. For several reasons, somatic complaints are more commonly reported than mental health concerns in Korea, where somatic complaints are likely to be representative of larger mental health worries. Nationally representative data of Korean first-year middle school students were used to identify mental health profiles by examining reported suicidal ideation, depression, and social anxiety and the prediction effect of reported somatic symptoms within these profiles. Results indicated that female students reported a greater level of suicidal ideation, depression, and social anxiety compared to male students. Each gender (females and males) exhibited five different mental health profile groups, which ranged from low risk to high risk. Somatic symptoms (sleep, stomach ache, tiredness, breathing, appetite, headache, fever, nausea) significantly predicted each profile group, with sleep issues serving as the strongest predictor for risk across both genders and all groups. Therefore, for mental health professionals working with Korean youth, it is encouraged to identify and recognize somatic complaints as potentially representative of mental health concerns and suicidality risk.

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The role of loneliness as a mediator between autism features and mental health among autistic young adults

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320967789 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136236132096778

Author(s):

Hillary K Schiltz ◽

Alana J McVey ◽

Bridget Dolan Wozniak ◽

Angela D Haendel ◽

Rachel Stanley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Social Contact ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Health Concerns ◽

Autistic Adults ◽

Mental Health Concerns ◽

Social Loneliness

Autistic adults commonly experience anxiety and depression. These mental health concerns are often tied to social experiences, such that mental well-being can be supported by social connection and deteriorated by loneliness. The mediating role of social and emotional loneliness (i.e. social isolation and lack of emotional attachment, respectively) between autism features and mental health has yet to be empirically tested among autistic adults. Here, 69 autistic young adults completed self-report questionnaires assessing social contact (Friendship Questionnaire), autism features (Autism Quotient), mental health (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory), and loneliness (Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults). Positive associations emerged between autism features, social loneliness, family loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. In addition, more social contact was related to less social and family loneliness and less social anxiety but was not related to depression. Mediation analyses indicated significant indirect effects of social contact and autism features on mental health through social loneliness. Indirect effects partially held substituting family loneliness for social loneliness and did not hold using romantic loneliness. In light of these results, the scientific and clinical implications of the role of loneliness for autistic young adults are discussed and recommendations provided. Lay abstract Autistic adults commonly experience mental health concerns including social anxiety and depression, which can have negative effects on their quality of life. It is not completely clear, however, why rates of mental health concerns are so high. Some evidence suggests that social connectedness might play a key role. The goal of this study was to explore links between loneliness, mental health concerns, autism features, and social contact among autistic adults and test whether the links between mental health with autism features and social contact can be explained by loneliness. Researchers in this study collected data using questionnaires completed by 69 autistic young adults. Autistic adults who reported more autism features also reported more social and family loneliness, higher levels of social anxiety and depression, and fewer initiated social contacts. In addition, adults with more social contact initiations were likely to report lower levels of social and family loneliness and social anxiety but not depression. Results showed that the link from social engagement and autism features to social anxiety and depression symptoms could be mostly explained by loneliness. The results of this study expand previous findings by illustrating one factor (loneliness) that might be responsible for the high rates of mental health concerns among adults on the autism spectrum. These findings highlight the importance of studying factors related to mental health concerns among autistic adults and ways to best support social connectedness for the mental well-being of autistic young adults.

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Suicidal Ideation in Pregnant and Postpartum Women Veterans: An Initial Clinical Needs Assessment

Military Medicine ◽

10.1093/milmed/usz171 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 185 (1-2) ◽

pp. e105-e111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mercedes J Szpunar ◽

Jennifer N Crawford ◽

Selena A Baca ◽

Ariel J Lang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Women Veterans ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Health Concerns ◽

Time Points ◽

Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽

Mental Health Concerns

Abstract Introduction Pregnancy and postpartum, or the perinatal period, are times when women are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns, including suicidal ideation. Risk factors for suicidal ideation during this period of a woman’s life are depression and exposure to trauma, the latter of which may occur during military operations. The number of women veterans in the United States continues to rise, as does their use of maternity benefits. In this pilot study, we examined the feasibility of recruiting pregnant veterans for longitudinal research. We hypothesized that hopelessness and depressive symptoms would be related to suicidal ideation during the perinatal period, and we investigated a possible relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and suicidal ideation. Materials and Methods Using the designated Veterans Affairs (VA) maternity care coordinator’s census, we contacted pregnant women veterans for assessment during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum at the San Diego VA. Between September 2017 and October 2018, 28 women volunteers completed the following measures: the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS); the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS); the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). We used correlational analyses and descriptive statistics to determine associations among the measures. Results As gathered from the C-SSRS, over 30% of the veteran women had past lifetime suicide attempts, and over 10% of the veterans had suicidal ideation in the perinatal period. Both depression and PTSS rates neared 30% during pregnancy and postpartum. Hopelessness and depressive symptoms were positively correlated at both time points. While the intensity of lifetime suicidal ideation was correlated with postpartum depressive symptoms, there was no correlation with current suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. PTSS correlated with both depressive symptoms and hopelessness, but not suicidal ideation, at both time points. There was no correlation between hopelessness and suicidal ideation during the perinatal period in this cohort. Conclusions It is important to understand the mental health needs of perinatal veterans given their vulnerability to develop mental health concerns, including suicidal ideation. The unpredicted pattern of correlations determined in this study implies the need for multifaceted measures for safety-related mental health assessment of perinatal veterans, including assessment for PTSS. Strengths of this study include its longitudinal assessment and a sampling from a general population of veterans. Limitations include small sample size, a single gestational time point, and loss of participants who did not return for their postpartum assessment. We demonstrated the feasibility of longitudinal research with pregnant and postpartum veterans, but additional assessment points during the perinatal period could help identify critical times for mental health intervention in this population.

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