bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural competence in modern global world: Applications for mental health
Authors: Shilko R. , Shaigerova L.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Cultural competence and related terms began to appear in the 1960s in the context of the development of civil rights movements in many countries. The importance of research of cultural competence among mental health professionals is raised with the globalization trends of the modern world, when the growth of ethno-cultural diversity, internal and external migration, temporary movement of people lead to intensification of intercultural interaction.

Objectives

The current study aims to reveal contemporary tendencies in cultural competence understanding and development.

Methods

Theoretical analysis and systematization of research publications in order to clarify concepts, models and applications of cultural competence.

Results

The following tendencies were revealed. Cultural competence continues to attract significant attention of researchers and practitioners, especially among the mental health specialists (psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists) who work with representatives of different cultures. A number of similar concepts and their components have been proposed: cultural competence, intercultural communicative competence, cross-cultural competence, cultural intelligence, cultural awareness, cultural acceptance, intercultural sensitivity, intercultural adaptation, multicultural competence, multicultural orientation. The difficulties and limitations of existing models noted: a shift of attention to a specialist, but not to a client; borrowing static and absolutistic ideas about cultures, without consideration of cultures development and interaction.

Conclusions

There is a trend in contemporary global world for broad research and development of cultural competence that improve professional qualities of healthcare professionals and provide psychological assistance to representatives of different ethnic and culture groups, confessions and minorities. The reported study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project number 17-29-02506.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Exploring predictors of depressive symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis: The effect of neuropathic pain, shame, and mindfulness
Authors: Carvalho T. , Benedito L. , Gomes C.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, with a progressive course. It is potentially disabling and affects mainly young adults. Depression is the mental disorder with the greatest comorbidity with MS and tends to worsen its symptomatology and course. However, knowledge about the predictors of depression in patients with MS is scarce.

Objectives

This preliminary study aimed to verify whether neuropathic pain (NP), internal (IS) and external (ES) shame and mindfulness predict depressive symptoms in patients with MS.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 95 patients diagnosed with MS and without other identified neurological diseases. Participants completed the Depression Subscale of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, the Analogue Pain Scale of the Pain Detect Questionnaire, the External and Internal Shame Scale, and the Mindfulness Subscale of the Self-Compassion Scale.

Results

All potential predictors exhibited significant correlations with depressive symptoms and significantly predicted this symptomatology in simple linear regression models. Thus, they were included as covariates in the multiple linear regression model. This model explained a high percentage of the variance of depressive symptoms (40.5%) and identified NP, IS and mindfulness as significant predictors.

Conclusions

Interventions aimed at preventing/reducing depression in patients with MS should minimize IS and develop mindfulness and NP coping skills, in order to promote mental health in this target population and possibly prevent the exacerbation and progression of MS symptomatology.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Lessons learned from an e-mental health intervention: The promotion of stopblues in 41 french cities
Authors: Turmaine K. , Jeannic A. Le , Dumas A. , Chevreul K.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

For more than a decade, digital health has held promise for enabling a much broader population to have access to health information, education and services. However, the increasing number of studies on the subject show mixed results and currently, there is a certain disillusionment regarding its benefits. And yet, the Covid-19 crisis has revealed the importance of developing digital-based complementary support to existing resources.

Objectives

Factors associated with higher utilization rates among the target audience need to be investigated.

Methods

In 2018, 41 French cities enrolled in an intervention program aimed at promoting StopBlues®, a digital health tool that helps prevent mental distress and suicide among the general population. After two years of experimentation, a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was performed using quantitative and qualitative data collection methods from institutional sources, questionnaires and web analytics tools.

Results

Finding trends show that higher utilization rates were associated with the involvement of general practitioners (GPs) in the promotion of StopBlues and the use of digital marketing channels. Context-specific characteristics also played an important role in the adoption of the tool.

Conclusions

The local context has a strong influence on how digital tools are locally promoted and accepted. Further research is needed to understand how local actors and specifically GPs can be involved in suicide prevention. More broadly, the challenge today is to ensure acceptance of digital health technology among targeted populations by adapting the digital offer to their needs and promoting the available tools.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Exploratory validation study of the potential of a biofeedback digitized approach for burnout therapy optimization
Authors: Maçorano R. , Canais F. , Pereira B. , Drakos K. , Gonçalo T. , Ferreira H. , Parreira M.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has shown to be useful in the treatment of PTSD, general anxiety, stress and burnout. Nonetheless, assessing therapy progress has been limited to subjective appreciations of the patient and therapist, which compromise therapy efficacy, and the continuum of care (clinic and at home) and scalability that digitized approaches can offer.

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to validate the potential of a smartphone-based biofeedback digitized approach for EMDR usage in burnout therapy, as a means to provide quantitative progress assessment and personalized therapy optimization.

Methods

A digitized burnout status assessment app based on Maslach Burnout Inventory was first implemented and tested. Then, an EMDR app was developed by making use of adjustable audiovisual stimuli (e.g. different velocity and horizontal/vertical visual stimuli; and different pitch and left-right surround sound effects) and also of the smartphone’s camera photoplethysmography finger recordings from which heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate are derived and used for modulating stimuli (biofeedback). Finally, interviews with several EMDR experts were conducted to assess the potential of the app as a therapeutic adjuvant.

Results

The preliminary interview results showed that the app can be useful for online therapy, to optimize the stimuli presentation, and to quantify the therapy experience and outcomes. The interviews also validated the technical specifications and usability of the tool.

Conclusions

Results so far have shown a promising receptivity and interest from EMDR experts. As such, patient testing is currently on-going.

Disclosure

The work of the present abstract is the basis of the research conducted at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, co-lead with NEVARO, a spin-off company of the same Faculty.
Negative affect, affect regulation, and food choice: A value-based decision-making analysis
Authors: O’Leary D. , Brytek-Matera A. , Gross J.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Research has shown that negative affect leads to unhealthy eating, the top cause of death in the United States.

Objectives

This project examined whether AR (Affect Regulation) can be applied to incidental negative affect to improve eating behavior.

Methods

We conducted four studies.

Results

In Studies 1 and 2 (n=80), we developed a autobiographical negative affect induction, showed that it induces negative affect, and demonstrated that participants can learn to downregulate this negative affect. In Study 3 (n=40), participants completed a three-phase dietary food choice task. In phase 1, participants made food choices under neutral conditions. In phase 2, participants made food choices after receiving the negative affect induction from Studies 1 and 2. In phase 3, participants made food choices while downregulating the negative affect caused by the induction. In phase 2, participants placed less importance on health (b=-0.15, z=-5.99, p<.001) when making food choices than under neutral conditions (phase 1). In phase 3, participants successfully downregulated their negative affect (b=-1.2, t=-22.01, p<.001) and placed the same level of importance on health when making food choices as in phase 1, indicating that AR applied to incidental affect is an effective method for improving eating behavior. In Study 4 (n=120), we pre-registered and replicated our findings from Study 3. In addition, we fit drift-diffusion models to participants reaction time data and show that these results extent to the by-participant weights participants place on health when making food choices.

Conclusions

These results are a step towards scalable AR interventions to improve eating behavior.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Intensive home treatment in comparison with care as usual: Cost-utility analysis from a pre-randomized controlled trial in the netherlands
Authors: Barakat A. , Cornelis J. , Blankers M. , Beekman A. , Dekker J.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The implementation of Intensive Home Treatment (IHT) aims to decrease the pressure on acute inpatient services that could lead to prevent hospitalization and reduce the number of hospitalization days and, ultimately, reduce cost in the mental health services. Although there are studies assessing the effectiveness of IHT, there is a shortage of research studying the cost-effectiveness.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to present an cost-utility analysis of IHT compared to care as usual (CAU)

Methods

Patients between 18 and 65 years of age whose mental health professionals considered hospitalization were included. These patients were pre-randomized in either IHT or CAU and followed up for 12-months. For this study, the base case analysis was performed from the societal and healthcare perspective. For the cost-utility analyses the Euroqol 5D was used to calculate quality adjusted life years (QALYs) as a generic measure of health gains.

Results

Data of 198 patients were used. From a sociatal perspective, the cost-utility analysis resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of €58 730, and a 37% likelihood that IHT leads to higher QALYs at lower costs. The probability of IHT being cost-effective was >50% if there was no willingness to pay more for extra QALY than in the current situation under CAU.

Conclusions

Professionals working in crisis care are able to offer IHT with the same effect as other crisis care interventions at lower costs. IHT seem to be cost-effective compared with CAU over 52 weeks follow-up for patients who experience psychiatric crises.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
The clinical characterisation of the patient with primary psychosis aimed at personalisation of management
Authors: Maj M.
Published: February 2022

The view that the management of the patient with primary psychosis should be personalized is currently endorsed by the vast majority of clinicians, but this personalization is lacking or inadequate in most clinical contexts. We describe systematically the salient domains that should be considered in the characterization of the individual patient with primary psychosis aimed at personalization of management. These include positive and negative symptom dimensions, other psychopathological components, onset and course, neurocognition and social cognition, neurodevelopmental indicators; social functioning, quality of life and unmet needs; clinical staging, antecedent and concomitant psychiatric conditions, physical comorbidities, family history, history of obstetric complications, early and recent environmental exposures, protective factors and resilience, and internalized stigma. For each domain, simple assessment instruments are identified that could be considered for use in clinical practice and included in standardized decision tools. A management of primary psychosis is encouraged which takes into account all the available treatment modalities whose efficacy is supported by research evidence, selects and modulates them in the individual patient on the basis of the clinical characterization, addresses the patient’s needs in terms of employment, housing, self-care, social relationships and education, and offers a focus on identity, meaning and resilience.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
24-hour movement behaviours and the risk of common mental health symptoms: A compositional analysis in the UK biobank
Authors: Kandola A. , Del Pozo Cruz B. , Osborn D. , Stubbs B. , Choi K. , Hayes J.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Sedentary behaviour is potentially a modifiable risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders, but findings have been inconsistent.

Objectives

To assess associations of sedentary behavior with depression and anxiety symptoms and estimate the impact of replacing daily time spent in sedentary behaviors with sleep, light, or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, using novel compositional data analysis methods.

Methods

Prospective cohort study in with 60,235 UK Biobank participants (mean age: 56; 56% female). Exposure was baseline daily movement behaviours (accelerometer-assessed sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and self-reported total sleep). Outcomes were depression and anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalised Anxiety Disorders-7) at follow up.

Results

Replacing 60 minutes of sedentary behaviour with light activity, moderate-to-vigorous activity, and sleep was associated with lower depression symptom scores by 1·3% (95%CI, 0·4%-2·1%), 12·5% (95%CI, 11·4%-13·5%), and 7·6% (95%CI, 6·9%-8·4%), and lower odds of depression by 0·95 (95%CI, 0·94-0·96), 0·75 (95%CI, 0·74-0·76), and 0·90 (95%CI, 0·90-0·91) at follow-up. Replacing 60 minutes of sedentary behaviour with moderate-to-vigorous activity and sleep was associated with lower anxiety symptom scores by 6·6% (95%CI, 5·5%-7·6%) and 4·5% (95%CI, 3·7%-5·2%), and lower odds of meeting the threshold for an anxiety disorder by 0·90 (95%CI, 0·89-0·90) and 0·97 (95%CI, 0·96-0·97) at follow-up. However, replacing 60 minutes of sedentary behaviour with light activity was associated with higher anxiety symptom scores by 4·5% (95%CI, 3·7%-5·3%) and higher odds of an anxiety disorder by 1·07 (95%CI, 1·06-1·08).

Conclusions

Sedentary behaviour is a risk factor for increased depression and anxiety symptoms in adults, but different replacement activities differentially influence mental health.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
WPA Global Guidelines for Telepsychiatry
Authors: Mucic D.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The current pandemic has only confirmed the need for international collaboration and more extended use of telepsychiatry than before. Unfortunately, regulatory constraints and lack of standardization are posing significant barriers to the internationalization of telepsychiatry. A need for global guidelines and service standardizations is of utmost importance in this rapidly growing but not yet well-established field. By mastering telepsychiatry, the professionals also may enable the remote provision of other eMH approaches complementary to well-known, traditional service(s). However, first, one ought to become familiar with the basics of telepsychiatry. Globally standardized telepsychiatric service and uniform regulations are prerequisites for fruitful international cooperation.

Objectives

- to present the main objectives and messages of the WPA Global Guidelines for Telepsychiatry.

Methods

A structured review of the main challenges, innovations, and settings in the first Global Guidelines for Telepsychiatry, published by WPA.

Results

With proper preparation and thoughtful risk management, telepsychiatry can be an invaluable tool for allowing greater access to care. However, certain prerequisites must be fulfilled to achieve the desired goals. These prerequisites are e.g. choice of the technology, settings, patient/provider preferences as well as competencies and skills, all outlined in this document.

Conclusions

This WPA document may pave the way for the development of global regulations in order to break down the barriers of accessibility for both the professionals as well as for the patients worldwide. Further, it may help professionals in setting up a standardized telepsychiatry service(s) in addition to the existing mental health system(s).

Disclosure

I am the author of WPA Global Guidelines for Telepsychiatry but have no financial interest.
Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and stress burden among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness
Authors: Rady A. , Mouloukheya T. , Ramadan E.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Care givers of patients with severe mental disorders have been shown to be under heavy stress burden that reflect itself through various heterogenous psychiatric symptoms that may mimic PTSD with associated negative impact on interpersonal relations and work performance

Objectives

to assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among care givers of patients with severe mental illness

Methods

70 patients care givers of sevely mentally ill patients compred to control 70 care giver of patients with chronic debilitating medical illness were recruited from outpatient of the university hospital outpatient facilities, random selection. Severe mental illness was defined by Global assessment of function GAF score above 50 and duration exceeding 2 years. Both groups were subject to Zarit burden interview to assess stress burden and post traumatic stress diagnostic scale PDS to assess PTSD symptomats

Results

43% of care givers of severly mentally patients showed moderate to severe burden on the Zarit scale compared to only 10% among care givers of medically ill patients, this difference was statistically significant (p<0,001). Among care givers of severly mental patients showed moderate to severe score on post traumatic stress diagnostic scale compared to 0% among those taking care of medically ill patients. this difference was statistically significant (p<0,001)

Conclusions

Stress burden among care givers of patients with severe mental illness is high and may manifest symptoms of post traumatic disorder. This highlight the importance of particular psychological support and assessment among care givers of patients with sever mental illness

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Utilizing a novel digital affect mirror, morphii, to assess affective determinants of health
Authors: Milanak M. , Sullivan B.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Decades of research have shown that affect, emotions and moods, significantly impact all aspects of health behaviors. This research utilized a novel digital analogue technology (Morphii) to assess eight affective domains: stress, anxiety, loneliness, irritability, depression, pain, energy and overall feelings of wellness.

Objectives

To demonstrate the feasibility of use and strength of relationship/comparison to validated measures.

Methods

A U.S. census-based sample of adults ages 18-80 (n=985) completed online assessments including the 8 Morphii’s and additional comparative mental/behavioral health assessments (PSS-4, GAD-7, UCLA Loneliness Scale V3, BITe, PHQ-8 & PHQ-2, P4 Pain Scale, WHO-5, CFQ-11, ESS, and Vitality Subscale SF-36) via the Prolific Academic online platform and were compensated nominally for their participation. The resulting sample was 51.6% female and 74.2% White.

Results

Each Morphii was compared with the common corresponding industry assessment (e.g., Depression Morphii with PHQ) resulting in Pearson correlations ranging from -.519 to .761, with 6 of the 8 showing correlations above .700. Pearson correlations between dysfunction and each of the 8 Morphiis were significant at the p < .000 level, ranging from a low of .421 (Loneliness) to a high of .607 (Depression). Internal reliability was very good (Cronbach’s Alpha = .862). Respondents who expressed an assessment modality preference (55.2%) chose the Morphii type over traditional assessment format at a 2.5:1 ratio.

Conclusions

Morphii provides a reliable and valid assessment option with the ability to obtain a comprehensive (8 domains at once), efficient (less than 60 second administration), assessment with increased patient/client preference and engagement.

Disclosure

Milanak - submitting author - I serve on the advisory board for ADoH Scientific to consult on scientific research of Morphii development. To date, I have not been paid any money for this advisory role.
Improving maternal mental health through postnatal services use for south sudanese mothers and their babies living in nguynyel refugee camp in gambella, Ethiopia
Authors: Roch K. Le , Lasater M. , Woldeyes G. , Solomon-Osborne A. , Phan X. , Bizouerne C. , Murray S.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Poor maternal mental health during the perinatal period leads to serious complications, especially in humanitarian settings where both mothers and children have often been exposed to multiple stressful events. In those contexts, culturally relevant mental health and psychosocial interventions are required to support mother-infant dyads and ultimately to alleviate potential negative outcomes on child’s health and development.

Objectives

This study aims at assessing the use of postnatal services by mothers and infants under 2 and its impact on maternal mental health.

Methods

A process evaluation of Baby Friendly Spaces (BFS) program was conducted in Nguynyel refugee camp (Ethiopia) and a prospective quantitative assessment was administered to lactating women at baseline and endline (2 months later) to measure maternal functional impairment (WHODAS 2.0), general psychological distress (Kessler scale-K6); depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-PHQ9) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD Checklist-PCL-6).

Results

201 lactating women and their babies were enrolled between October 2018 and March 2019. Statistically significant reductions were observed in all mental health outcomes at follow-up. Total mean scores decrease by 19% (p<0.001) for general psychological distress and posttraumatic stress, by 23% (p<0.001) for the depression and by 15% (p<0.001) for the functional impairment. Examination of the compliance to the services revealed that mothers who dropped out early had statistically significantly lower depression scores (p=0.01), and functional impairment scores (p<0.001) than mothers who stayed in the program.

Conclusions

The integration of maternal mental health interventions within perinatal services is challenging but essential for identifying and treating maternal common mental disorders.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Chronotopic encoding of emotional dimensions in the human brain assessed by FMRI
Authors: Lettieri G. , Handjaras G. , Ricciardi E. , Pietrini P. , Cecchetti L.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Affective experiences vary as function of context, motivations and the unfolding of events. This temporal fundamental aspect of emotional processes is often disrupted in psychiatric conditions.

Objectives

To investigate how the brain represents the association between affect and time, we combined fMRI and behavioral ratings during movie watching.

Methods

Participants watched ‘Forrest Gump’ in the fMRI scanner (n=14, 6F). Data were preprocessed (see 10.1101/2020.06.06.137851v1) and average brain activity from 1000 regions was extracted. Independent subjects (n=12, 5F) provided continuous ratings of the intensity of their affective state while watching the same movie. Using PCA, we derived the first 3 affective dimensions (polarity, complexity, intensity; 10.1038/s41467-019-13599-z) and computed their time-varying correlation in windows from 5-1000tps. We identified the window size with the maximum between-subjects accordance and computed the inter-subject functional connectivity (10.1038/ncomms12141). For each region, we obtained connectivity strength and its association in time with changes in affective dimensions (pBonf<0.05).

Results

Fluctuations in connectivity strength of the right rMFG, precuneus, pSTS/TPJ, dmPFC, aINS and left pMTG were associated to polarity. Also, connectivity of the right IPS/SPL, SFG, dpreCS, IFGpOrb, OFC, precuneus, vpreCS and pSTS/TPJ followed the timecourse of perceived intensity of affect.

Conclusions

Connectivity strength of default mode represents the pleasantness of the experience, whereas attention and control networks encode its intensity. Emotional descriptions converge in right temporoparietal and fronto-polar cortex, where the stream of affect is encoded in a chronotopic manner. These results expand our understanding of the neural correlates of emotional processing, a function severely affected by mental disorders.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Cortical thickness abnormalities in long-term remitted cushing’s disease
Authors: Bauduin S. , Van Der Pal Z. , Pereira A. , Meijer O. , Giltay E. , Van Der Wee N. , Van Der Werff S.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Remitted Cushing’s disease (RCD)-patients commonly continue to present persistent psychological and cognitive deficits, and alterations in brain function and structure. Assessing cortical thickness and surface area of RCD-patients may offer further insight into the neuroanatomical substrates of Cushing’s disease.

Objectives

To assess cortical thickness and surface area in RCD-patients in comparison to healthy controls (HCs).

Methods

Structural 3T MRI’s were obtained from 25 long-term RCD-patients, and 25 age-, gender-, and education-matched HCs. T1-weighted images were segmented to extract mean cortical thickness and surface area values of 68 cortical gray matter regions. Paired sample t-tests explored differences between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; region of interest), and the whole brain. Validated scales assessed psychiatric symptomatology, self-reported cognitive functioning, and disease severity.

Results

After correction for multiple comparisons, ROI analyses indicated that RCD-patients showed reduced cortical thickness of the left caudal ACC and the right rostral ACC compared to HCs. Whole-brain analyses indicated thinner cortices of the left caudal ACC, left cuneus, left posterior cingulate cortex, right rostral ACC, and bilateral precuneus compared to HCs. No cortical surface area differences were identified. Cortical thickness of the left caudal ACC was inversely associated with anxiety symptoms and disease duration.

Conclusions

In six of 68 regions examined, RCD patients had reduced cortical thickness in comparison to HCs. Cortical thickness of the left caudal ACC was inversely associated with disease duration, suggesting that prolonged and excessive exposure to glucocorticoids may be related to cortical thinning of brain structures involved in emotional and cognitive processing.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
CON
Authors: Melle I.
Published: February 2022

There is a considerable overlap of psychotic and mood symptoms in patients with severe mental disorders, and a large proportion of patients meeting diagnostic criteria experience significant mood symptoms. The diagnosis of schizophrenia – schizoaffective type /schizoaffective disorder has been a part of the Diagnostic and statistical manual since the DSM-I. Even if the need for a diagnosis capturing this particular clinical picture obviously is needed, the agreement about when to use the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as well as the diagnostic reliability is low. There is an agreement that the diagnosis covers episodes with an overlap between a psychotic episode meeting the A criteria for schizophrenia and a major mood episode where the psychotic symptoms continue after the end of the mood symptoms. Given the prevalence of depression in schizophrenia, some episodes, however, meet the criteria for schizoaffective disorders while others do not. The DSM-5 thus argues that the pattern of overlapping symptoms should be present in the majority of episodes. Keeping the cross-sectional approach favoured by previous versions of the DSM and the ICD will here continue to spread diagnostic confusion.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Prevalence and nature of sexual violence in a gerontopsychiatric population in flanders
Authors: Nobels A. , Keygnaert I. , Robert E. , Vandeviver C. , Van Den Noortgate N. , Lemmens G.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Sexual violence (SV) is an important public health concern which may induce important and long lasting mental health problems. However, studies on SV and its mental health impact on older adults and more specifically gerontopsychiatric patients are currently lacking.

Objectives

This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the prevalence, risk factors and mental health impact of SV in a gerontopsychiatric patient population.

Methods

Between July 2019 and March 2020 100 patients (66%F, 34%M) participated in a face to face interview on health, sexuality and wellbeing during their admission at an old age psychiatry ward in one general hospital and two psychiatric hospitals across Flanders, Belgium. Participation rate was 58%. Interviews were performed by a psychiatric trainee and especially trained master students in medicine.

Results

58% (65%F; 42%M) of the participants were sexually victimised during their life, 45% (51%F, 33%F) experienced hands-off SV, 43% (48%F, 33%M) sexual abuse with physical contact and 16% (6%M, 21%F) was raped. 7% were sexually victimised in the past year. Compared with non-victimized respondents, hands-on SV victims (incl. rape) described more symptoms of depression (p=0.007) and anxiety (p=0.003) and reported lower resilience (p=0.022).

Conclusions

SV appears to be common in the gerontopsychiatric population and is linked to even worse mental health outcomes. These findings confirm the long-lasting mental health impact of SV and highlight the importance of attention to (sexual) trauma in mental health care in old age.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Dark triad personality traits prediction with AI
Authors: Mereu A.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The dark triad is composed by the personality traits Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy (MNP). Their complexity can make them difficult to interrelate. Artificial intelligence (AI) could help in this endeavour.

Objectives

To investigate whether AI could predict MNP from themselves.

Methods

Data from 210 questionnaires were analysed using an AI. The short Dark Triad questionnaire (SD3) was used to assess MNP. Two of the MNP scores were employed to predict the third one and the procedure was repeated for all of them alternatively. The AI was conservatively tuned to maximize the one-way random intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between predicted and real values. Pearson’s r was calculated too. The free and open source programming language R was used for all the analyses. Dataset source: Borráz-León, Javier I. (2020), “Dark triad, attractiveness, mate value, and sexual partners”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/87vx6jfnrp.1

Results

Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy predictions obtained ICC of 0.593, 0.335, 0.505 and Pearson’s r of 0.608, 0.346, 0.548 respectively. The results were indicative of fair performance, mainly for Machiavellianism and psychopathy.

Conclusions

AI might be useful to predict MNP. This could be utile in many situations, such as dealing with missing data or deciding whether to formally test someone. Finally, the AI used in this study is freely available, allowing anyone to experiment.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
A comparison of mdma-assisted psychotherapy to non-assisted psychotherapy in treatment-resistant PTSD: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Illingworth B. , Lewis D. , Lambarth A. , Stocking K. , Duffy J. , Jelen L. , Rucker J.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Novel, evidence-based treatments are required for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has beneficially augmented psychotherapy in several small clinical trials.

Objectives

To review the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in treatment-resistant PTSD.

Methods

Systematic searches of four databases were conducted from inception to February 2020. A meta-analysis was performed on trials which were double-blinded, randomised, and compared MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to psychotherapy and placebo. The primary outcomes were the differences in Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) score and Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). Secondary outcome measures included neurocognitive and physical adverse effects, at the time, and within seven days of intervention.

Results

Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) met inclusion criteria. When compared to active placebo, intervention groups taking 75mg (MD -46.90; 95% CI -58.78, -35.02), 125mg (MD -20.98; 95% CI -34.35, -7.61) but not 100mg (MD -12.90; 95% CI -36.09, 10.29) of MDMA with psychotherapy, had significant decreases in CAPS-IV scores, as did the inactive placebo arm (MD -33.20; 95% CI -40.53, -25.87). A significant decrease in BDI when compared to active placebo (MD -10.80; 95% CI -20.39, -1.21) was only observed at 75mg. Compared to placebo, participants reported significantly more episodes of low mood, nausea and jaw-clenching during sessions and lack of appetite after seven days.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate potential therapeutic benefit with minimal physical and neurocognitive risk for the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in TR-PTSD, despite little effect on Beck’s Depression Inventory. Better powered RCTs are required to investigate further.

Disclosure

James Rucker has attended trial related meetings paid for by Compass Pathways Ltd.
Depression patient-derived cortical neurons reveal potential biomarkers for antidepressant response
Authors: Avior Y. , Ron S. , Kroitorou D. , Nitzan E. , Corneo B. , Laifenfeld D. , Solal T. Cohen
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Major depressive disorder is highly prevalent worldwide and has been affecting an increasing number of people each year. Current first line antidepressants show merely 37% remission, and physicians are forced to use a trial-and-error approach when choosing a single antidepressant out of dozens of available medications.

Objectives

We sought to identify a method of testing that would provide patient-specific information on whether a patient will respond to a medication using in vitro modeling.

Methods

Patient-derived lymphoblastoid cell lines from the STAR*D study were used to rapidly generate cortical neurons and screen them for bupropion effects, for which the donor patients showed remission or non-remission.

Results

We provide evidence for biomarkers specific for bupropion response, including synaptic connectivity and morphology changes as well as specific gene expression alterations.

Conclusions

These biomarkers support the concept of personalized antidepressant treatment based on in vitro platforms and could be utilized as predictors to patient response in the clinic.

Disclosure

This work was funded by Genetika+ Ltd, Jerusalem, Israel. YA, DK, EN, DL and TCS are employees of Genetika+ Ltd and received salary and/or stock options for the submitted work.
Individual-specific and subgroup level associations between stress and psychopathology in daily life: A temporal network investigation
Authors: Groen R. , Arizmendi C. , Gates K. , Schreuder M. , Wichers M. , Hartman C. , Wigman J.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Stress is a risk factor for developing psychopathology. Emerging evidence suggests that daily experiences of stress may also predict symptoms during the day. It is unclear to what extent the influence of stress on psychopathology during the day is the same across individuals (including across diagnostic boundaries), and which effects are individual-specific

Objectives

This study aims to reveal how stress and symptoms are interrelated in a cross-diagnostic context by modeling individual level temporal networks, and examining subgroups with similar dynamics.

Methods

Hundred twenty two young adults (43.4% women) with a wide range of psychopathology in terms of severity and type of problems completed a six-month daily diary study. We used a temporal network approach (i.e., group iterative multiple model estimation) to model how stress and ten specific symptoms (e.g., feeling down, paranoia, restlessness) were related across time at the individual-specific, subgroup, and group level.

Results

After controlling for the lagged influence of stress on itself, stress level predicted the level of restlessness, worrying, nervousness, and feeling down during the same day for >70% of individuals. We observed three larger subgroups with each over 20 individuals, whose temporal networks showed different dynamic patterns involving specific symptoms. Effects of stress on other specific symptoms differed across individuals, and these were not subgroup-specific.

Conclusions

This study showed important overlap between individuals in terms of impact of stress on psychopathology in daily life. Subtle differences between individuals were also observed. Possibly, such differences are relevant for examining individual-specific vulnerability for future psychopathology. This requires further investigation.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
One treatment fits all: Effectiveness of a multicomponent cognitive behavioral therapy program in data-driven subtypes of perinatal depression
Authors: Waqas A. , Rahman A.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

It has been well established that depressive disorders including perinatal depression are very heterogeneous, which partly explain the ineffectiveness of available treatments for many patients. Recent innovations in data science can help elucidate the nature of perinatal depression especially the heterogeneity in its presentation.

Objectives

The present study aime to elucidate heterogeneous subtypes of PND and assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) across heterogenous subtypes of PND.

Methods

This study was conducted in 2005 in two rural areas of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Out of a total of 3,898 women, 903 pregnant women were identifed with PND (using DSM-IV) and randomly assigned to intervention and control group. Baseline assessments included interviewer admininstered Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) and social risk factors. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 6 months and 12 months post-intervention. Principle component analysis was run to reduce dimensionality of the HDS. Two step cluster analysis was then run to elucidate subtypes of PND using the dimensional scores. Thereafter, effectiveness of CBT was compared across these subtypes of PND using multilevel modelling.

Results

Principle component analysis revealed a four component solution for the Hamilton depression rating scale. Using these dimensional scores, cluster analysis (average silhouette= 0.5) revealed a parsimonius four cluster soultion of participants with mild PND symptoms (n=326); predominant sleep problems (n=311) c) predominant atypical symptoms (n=80) and d) comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms (n=186). CBT yielded moderate effect sizes across all these subtypes of PND (cohen’s d > 0.8).

Conclusions

Multicomponent CBT is effective across hetergeneous presentations of PND.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
Predicting the risk of drug-drug interactions in psychiatric hospitals
Authors: Wolff J. , Hefner G. , Normann C. , Kaier K. , Binder H. , Domschke K. , Marschollek M. , Klimke A.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The most common medical decision is the prescription of medicines. More than 130 different drugs with proven efficacy are currently available for the treatment of patients with mental disorders.

Objectives

The aim was to use routine data available at a patient’s admission to the hospital to predict polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions (DDI).

Methods

The study used data obtained from a large clinical pharmacovigilance study sponsored by the Innovations Funds of the German Federal Joint Committee. It included all inpatient episodes admitted to eight psychiatric hospitals in Hesse, Germany, over two years. We used gradient boosting to predict respective outcomes. We tested the performance of our final models in unseen patients from another calendar year and separated the study sites used for training from the study sites used for performance testing.

Results

A total of 53,909 episodes were included in the study. The models’ performance, as measured by the area under the ROC, was “excellent” (0.83) and “acceptable” (0.72) compared to common benchmarks for the prediction of polypharmacy and DDI, respectively. Both models were substantially better than a naive prediction based solely on basic diagnostic grouping.

Conclusions

This study has shown that polypharmacy and DDI at a psychiatric hospital can be predicted from routine data at patient admission. These predictions could support an efficient management of benefits and risks of hospital prescriptions, for instance by including pharmaceutical supervision early after admission for patients at risk before pharmacological treatment is established

Disclosure

This work was supported by the Innovations Funds of the German Federal Joint Committee (grant number: 01VSF16009). The funding body played no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscrip
Psychiatric rehabilitation: An innovative program of integrative neurocognitive remediation therapy for patients with cognitive dysfunction
Authors: Rogiers A. , Lieshout Z. Van , Eycken S. Van , Kyndt D. , Febvre J.-C. Le , Lapyte A. , Gols C. De , Kornreich C.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Neurocognitive dysfunction is associated with important socio-professional consequences and diminished quality of life. In the Neurocognitive Remediation Clinic of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Brugmann (Brussels, Belgium), patients suffering from neurocognitive dysfunctions related to common mental disorders (e.g. psychotic, mood, adjustment disorders) are considered for Neurocognitive Remediation Therapy (NCRT), combining personalized computerized cognitive training and strategy training, with group sessions of physical rehabilitation and cognitive behavior therapy.

Objectives

This cross-sectional study aims to assess the efficacy of a 12 week (1day/week) NCRT program organized within the day clinic.

Methods

Patients who completed the NCRT between March 2018 and June 2019 were eligible to participate. Efficacy was assessed using the cognitive failure questionnaire (CFQ) and a 17-item questionnaire assessing daily functioning. Current scores on the CFQ were compared to the scores before and after NCRT. Additionally NCF was retrospectively assessed through the neuropsychological test results before and after NCRT.

Results

Of the eligible 38 patients, 27 consented to participate (18 women/9 men); median age was 52 years, range (29-61); median time since stop NCRT was 7 months, range (4-17). Twenty patients (80%) reported improvement in daily function. Subjective neurocognitive function improved significantly immediately after NCRT (t=2.681, df=23, p=0.013) and remained stable at time of assessment (t=2.775, df=24, p=0.011). After NCRT at least 1 neuropsychological subtest normalized in 25 patients (96.15%). Divided attention, long-term visual memory and planning improved in respectively 80%, 75% and 75% of the patients.

Conclusions

Our innovative integrative program improves neuropsychological performances and sustainably ameliorate subjective neurocognitive and daily function.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.
A french adaptation of the vineland adaptive behavior scales VABS-II
Authors: Touil N. , Riche B. , Portes V. Des , Mardirossian S. , Gaillard S. , Rabilloud M. , Kassai B. , Sonie S.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

For populations with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, it is essential to complete cognitive assessment with an adaptive behavior scale.

Objectives

To translate VABS-II from English to French and establish norms for the French population.

Methods

We used the Parent/Caregiver form in order to assess psychometric characteristics of the VABS-II and to develop norms for the French population. VABS-II comprises 4 domains, 11 subdomains, and an optional maladaptive behavior index. The French translation of the VABS-II followed standard cross-cultural translation methods. The study was performed in the Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne department comprising 12 % of France inhabitants and well representing the French general population.

Results

From 4576 VABS-II questionnaires distributed, 1707 were returned and 1654 were analyzed. The reason for exclusion was the impossibility to score one of the subdomains. From 174 questionnaires included in the test-retest, 95 were analyzed, and 79 questionnaires were excluded because 86 under 34 days, 8 > 3 months, and one participant that changed age group between test and retest. Scores based on French norms fluctuated around values based on US norms on all subdomains.

Conclusions

The French Vineland questionnaire is the single test with the adequate norms to allow identifying children with adaptive behavior difficulties. It should be used as a complement of the assessment of the intellectual quotient, according to DSM V, for the diagnosis of intellectual disabilities. It must be done in reference to the developmental and cultural standards specific to the environment in which the person is evolving.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.