Studying Depression, Anxiety, Distress and Somatization in a Community Sample of 2,425 Adults in Greece

A growing part of the literature has focused on depression, anxiety, distress and somatization. Identifying their prevalence and recording high-risk populations is essential in order to form relevant interventional programs addressing these symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and associated factors of distress, depression, anxiety and somatization in a community adult sample in Greece. Participants were recruited from two Greek cities; Giannitsa in the northern area and Athens in the southern area of the country and completed sociodemographic assessments, as well as the 4-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4-DSQ), a self-reported instrument assessing depression, anxiety, distress and somatization.A total of 2,425 adults, females (60.1%) and males (39.9%), 18 to 84 years of age (mean age 46.98 ± SD) participated in the study. Mental health symptoms were reported by 10.8% for depression, 12% for anxiety, 13% for distress and 5.3% for somatization of the participants. Females scored higher than males in anxiety, distress, and somatization (p=0.000 in all cases), while there were no significant sex differences in depression (p=0.593). Statistically significant associations were found between age and depression, anxiety and distress (p=0.000 in all cases), since those between 18-34 years of age had higher scores than the older age groups in all variables. Higher scores of depression, anxiety and distress were reported by students and unemployed participants (p=0.000 in all cases) than participants with other occupations. This study mapped several sociodemographic groups with worse mental health. Studies in representative population samples are needed to guide public health interventions to improve the mental and physical well-being of high-risk populations.

Network analysis of depressive symptoms in Hong Kong residents during the COVID-19 pandemic

In network theory depression is conceptualized as a complex network of individual symptoms that influence each other, and central symptoms in the network have the greatest impact on other symptoms. Clinical features of depression are largely determined by sociocultural context. No previous study examined the network structure of depressive symptoms in Hong Kong residents. The aim of this study was to characterize the depressive symptom network structure in a community adult sample in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 11,072 participants were recruited between 24 March and 20 April 2020. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The network structure of depressive symptoms was characterized, and indices of “strength”, “betweenness”, and “closeness” were used to identify symptoms central to the network. Network stability was examined using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. Guilt, Sad Mood, and Energy symptoms had the highest centrality values. In contrast, Concentration, Suicide, and Sleep had lower centrality values. There were no significant differences in network global strength (p = 0.259), distribution of edge weights (p = 0.73) and individual edge weights (all p values > 0.05 after Holm–Bonferroni corrections) between males and females. Guilt, Sad Mood, and Energy symptoms were central in the depressive symptom network. These central symptoms may be targets for focused treatments and future psychological and neurobiological research to gain novel insight into depression.

Does methenamine hippurate decrease urinary tract symptoms in community adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often treated with antibiotics and are one of the major sources of antibiotic overuse. Aim: To systematically review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of community adult women with a history of recurrent UTIs using methenamine hippurate (hippurate) as treatment or prophylaxis. Design and setting: A 2-week systematic review of women (>18 years) with recurrent UTIs using hippurate against placebo, no treatment, or antibiotics. Methods: We searched 3 databases, clinical trial registries and citing-cited references of included studies. Results: We included 6 studies comprising 557 participants: 5 published and one unpublished trial record with results provided; 3 compared hippurate vs placebo or control, and 3 vs antibiotics. The risk of bias was high, mostly from incomplete reporting. For the number of patients remaining asymptomatic, hippurate showed a non-significant trend of benefit vs antibiotics over 12 months (RR 0.65, 95%CI 0.4-1.07, I249%); also vs control over 6/12 months (RR 0.56, 95%CI 0.13-2.35, I293%); and a non-significant trend vs any antibiotic for abacteruria, (RR 0.80, 95%CI 0.62-1.03, I223%). Similar non-significant trends of benefits for hippurate for the number of UTI or bacteriuric episodes. Non-significant difference in the number of patients experiencing adverse events between hippurate and any comparator, with a trend towards benefit for the hippurate. Antibiotic use and resistance were not consistently reported. Conclusion: There is no sufficient evidence to be certain of benefit for hippurate. Further research is needed to test it and consider its use as an alternative for antibiotic treatment for UTI.

Informing the Classification of Positive Emotional Experiences: A Multisample Examination of Hierarchical Models of Positive Emotionality

Despite being multifaceted in nature, positive emotional (PE) experiences often are studied using only global PE ratings, and measures assessing more specific PE facets do not converge in their assessment approaches. To address these issues, we examined hierarchical factor structures of ratings of positive emotionality, which reflect propensities for experiencing PE, in both online community adult (N = 375) and undergraduate (N = 447) samples. Preregistered analyses indicated (a) a basic distinction between tendencies to experience social affection and other PE types, and that (b) PE ratings define as many as four replicable factors of Joviality, Social Affection, Serenity, and Attentiveness. These PE dimensions also showed divergent personality and psychopathology correlates in some ways. Collectively, these results highlight the need to consider distinct PE facets in addition to global PE ratings when assessing PE, as well as the need for additional research clarifying PE structure at different levels of abstraction.

Strengths Matter: Evidence From Five Separate Cohorts of Justice-Involved Youth and Adults Across North America

This study examined the predictive validity of criminogenic needs and strengths as measured by the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) and the Service Planning Instrument (SPIn) within five different samples from Canada and the United States spanning 6,445 justice-involved youths and 46,127 adults (combined N = 52,572). Dynamic strengths consistently increased predictive accuracy beyond dynamic criminogenic needs. Furthermore, in a Canadian community adult sample ( N = 20,537), strengths attenuated recidivism rates in lower- and moderate-need-level groups but had no impact among higher-need-level groups. Relatedly, in an American, federal re-entry adult residential sample ( N = 23,615), strengths attenuated program completion success rates across all need levels, albeit the effect was slightly more pronounced in the lower- and moderate-need groups. Thus, dynamic strengths are more than merely the absence of dynamic criminogenic needs and should be actively considered during case management.