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This report summarizes recent literature relevant to the effects of terrorism on children's mental health. The paper addresses three aspects of this topic. In the first section of the paper, data are reviewed concerning the relationships among stress, trauma, and developmental psychopathology. A particular emphasis is placed on associations with indirect forms of trauma, given that terrorism involves high levels of indirect trauma. Second, the paper delineates a set of key principles to be considered when considering ways in which the effects of terrorism on children's mental health can be minimized. Third, data are reviewed from studies in developmental psychobiology. These data are designed to illustrate the mechanisms through which children exhibit unique effects in the wake of traumatic circumstances.Neuropsychopharmacology (2005) 30, 1781–1792. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300814; published online 13 July 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to a lack of robust population denominators, Australia is unable to accurately monitor changes in the HIV epidemic for some populations. The ratio of HIV transmission relative to the number of people with HIV (an incidence prevalence ratio, or IPR) can measure such changes. The IPR is measured against an IPR benchmark derived from post‐HIV acquisition life expectancy, to indicate whether an HIV epidemic is shrinking or growing. Using IPRs and Australia‐specific IPR benchmarks, this study aims to describe the Australian HIV epidemic among three groups: men with HIV attributed to male‐to‐male sex, women with HIV and people with HIV attributed to injection drug use. Methods: Using mathematical modelling derived from HIV notifications, cohort and administrative data, IPRs were generated for each of the three groups. These IPRs were compared with IPR benchmarks derived from post‐HIV acquisition mortality estimates using abridged life tables for men, women and people who inject drugs. The IPR benchmark for men was applied to people with HIV attributed to male‐to‐male sex. Trends in the IPR over time were described for each reported population from 2015 to 2022. Results: Overall, the IPR fell by 80%, from 0.040 (range: 0.034−0.045) in 2015 to 0.008 (range: 0.003−0.013) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2020. Among people with HIV attributed to male‐to‐male sex, the IPR fell by 85%, from 0.041 (range: 0.034−0.047) in 2015 to 0.006 (range: 0.003−0.024) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2020. Among women with HIV, the IPR fell by 56%, from 0.032 (range: 0.026−0.039) in 2015 to 0.014 (range: 0.003−0.029) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.022) in 2019. Among people with HIV attributed to injection drug use, the IPR fell by 61%, from 0.036 (range: 0.022−0.047) in 2015 to 0.014 (range: 0.002−0.057) in 2022 and fell below the benchmark (0.028) in 2019. Conclusions: Australian IPRs in all populations examined have dropped below the level required to sustain the HIV epidemic at current levels. By applying this method in other contexts, the changing scale of HIV epidemics may be better described for populations lacking robust population denominators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including an analysis of the Christchurch, New Zealand, longitudinal community survey.

This paper draws together critical learnings from diverse qualitative health research projects in Australia that sought to shift power and focus on the strengths and expertise of people with lived experience who are involved as co-researchers. These projects have included exploring and challenging identities, understanding experiences in treatment programs, critiquing and designing/re-designing services, and sharing experiences with the wider community in novel and innovative ways. Lived experiences included alcohol and other drug dependency, mental health, domestic, family or sexual violence, and living with HIV. This paper provides important learnings and actions about partnering with co-researchers with lived experience. In this paper we draw on a process of reflective discussions that occurred over six months with fortnightly online meetings between co-researchers, including co-authors with lived experience external to academia and university-based researchers, some of whom also have lived-experience that intersects with their research. From this, we distilled key learnings across seven themes: (1) the ethics of ethics, which highlights a need for constant reflection on the ethical issues in co-research; (2) recruiting co-researchers, which focuses on ensuring and integrating a diversity of voices; (3) creating safety for all, which must be a priority of engagement and support self-determination; (4) supporting different ways of partnering, which emphasises the need for diverse roles and ways to contribute on research teams; (5) capacity building and training, which requires ongoing evaluation of needs and tailored responses; (6) positioning, which highlights the need to transition from the idea of vulnerability to a strengths-based perspective of lived experience; and (7) power plays, reflecting the need to disrupt the dynamics and established hierarchies of privileging certain forms of knowledge and expertise. The paper includes recommendations for action against these seven themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including an incidence study which showed that exposure to parental and community violence is common and associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression and another on a brief telephone instrument developed to screen for six categories of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.

The author offers insights about the "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP)." He believes that the influence of the journal may be increased further if authors consider the international impact of what they write. The "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" is the leading child mental health journal in the U.S. and publishes less articles that come from Great Britain. On the other hand, JCPP published half of papers that come from Great Britain, and an equal number from the U.S.

The author offers observation on the "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry." She reveals how the impact factor of a journal is calculated. She explains why some papers are not accepted for publication. She enumerates the five questions that she find useful to ask herself and her colleagues when they begin to plan a paper. She claims that usually researchers have used a clinical sample to ask an epidemiologic question. She gives advice to papers that are rejected.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Ruschena et al. about the effect of family transition on children and one by Stewart et al. about suicidal ideation.

Provides an overview of articles about autism, child psychology and psychiatry.

Background: Women are 1.5–3 times more likely to suffer from depression than men. This sex bias first emerges during puberty and then persists across the reproductive years. As the cause remains largely elusive, we performed a methylation‐wide association study (MWAS) to generate novel hypotheses. Methods: We assayed nearly all 28 million possible methylation sites in blood in 595 blood samples from 487 participants aged 9–17. MWASs were performed to identify methylation sites associated with increasing sex differences in depression symptoms as a function of pubertal stage. Epigenetic deconvolution was applied to perform analyses on a cell‐type specific level. Results: In monocytes, a substantial number of significant associations were detected after controlling the FDR at 0.05. These results could not be explained by plasma testosterone/estradiol or current/lifetime trauma. Our top results in monocytes were significantly enriched (ratio of 2.48) for genes in the top of a large genome‐wide association study (GWAS) meta‐analysis of depression and neurodevelopment‐related Gene Ontology (GO) terms that remained significant after correcting for multiple testing. Focusing on our most robust findings (70 genes overlapping with the GWAS meta‐analysis and the significant GO terms), we find genes coding for members of each of the major classes of axon guidance molecules (netrins, slits, semaphorins, ephrins, and cell adhesion molecules). Many of these genes were previously implicated in rodent studies of brain development and depression‐like phenotypes, as well as human methylation, gene expression and GWAS studies. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the emergence of sex differences in depression may be related to the differential rewiring of brain circuits between boys and girls during puberty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality community needs assessments can help focus limited resources on the needs of a rapidly expanding population—older Americans. Based on such assessments, organizations and communities can effectively plan and deliver cost-effective, appropriate health promotion/wellness programs and health/social services to targeted populations. This article, which describes the Arkansas Aging Initiative's (AAI) use of a community needs assessment to identify its constituents' top health needs, provides specific background information for communities with demographics similar to those in Arkansas and offers assessment strategies for communities throughout the US. The AAI used to complementary methodologies to obtain critical input from Arkansas providers and their communities: focus groups of healthcare providers and community members and surveys administered to older adults. The assessment confirmed that health problems in the communities were consistent with leading causes of morbidity and mortality at state and national levels. It indicated that respondents' top three health needs related to affordability, including affordability of prescription medications, medical care, and health insurance, and that needs varied inversely with age. In other findings, married individuals rated their own health as better than their single counterparts; whites rated their health better than non-whites; and more than half of respondents reported leaving their countries to receive healthcare. This community needs assessment has enabled the AAI to address respondents' needs by developing specific educational and interdisciplinary healthcare initiatives, such as increasing access to a prescription drug assistance program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) is a neuropsychological task that has repeatedly been shown to differentiate ADHD from normal groups. Several variables may be derived from the Conners' CPT including errors of omission and commission, mean hit reaction time(RT), mean hit RT standard error, d', and beta. What each CPT parameter actually assesses has largely been based upon clinical assumptions and the face validity of each measure (e.g., omission errors measure inattention, commission errors measure impulsivity). This study attempts to examine relations between various CPT variables and phenotypic behaviors so as to better understand the various CPT variables. An epidemiological sample of 817 children was administered the Conners' CPT. Diagnostic interviews were conducted with parents to determine ADHD symptom profiles for all children. Children diagnosed with ADHD had more variable RTs, made more errors of commission and omission, and demonstrated poorer perceptual sensitivity than nondiagnosed children. Regarding specific symptoms, generalized estimating equations (GEE) and ANCOVAs were conducted to determine specific relationships between the 18 DSM-IV ADHD symptoms and 6 CPT parameters. CPT performance measures demonstrated significant relationships to ADHD symptoms but did not demonstrate symptom domain specificity according to a priori assumptions. Overall performance on the two signal detection measures, d' and beta, was highly related to all ADHD symptoms across symptom domains. Further, increased variability in RTs over time was related to most ADHD symptoms. Finally, it appears that at least 1 CPT variable, mean hit RT, is minimally related to ADHD symptoms as a whole, but does demonstrate some specificity in its link with symptoms of hyperactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter published in Nature Reviews Neurology discusses the need for greater consensus in classifying cognitive impairment in people living with HIV. The authors argue that while the proposed new approach is commendable, other considerations are necessary to ensure earlier diagnosis, prevention, and improved patient care. They suggest that updating the current HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) criteria would be more beneficial than rejecting them entirely. The authors also highlight the challenges of implementing neuroimaging criteria and emphasize the importance of considering comorbidities and the experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds. They further discuss the limitations of relying solely on viral suppression in peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid to address the risk of HAND. The authors advocate for the harmonization of HAND definitions with those of mild cognitive impairment and stress the need for appropriate norms and cut-offs in clinical decision-making. They also raise concerns about the lack of awareness and services for cognitive impairment in people living with HIV and the dismissive attitudes of healthcare professionals. The authors welcome further discussion and collaboration to achieve greater consensus and improve the health and well-being of all people living with HIV. [Extracted from the article]