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Background: Improved understanding of how US service members transition from chronic/baseline to acute suicide risk is warranted. One such model, the Integrated Motivational Volitional Model of Suicide, posits entrapment as central to this process. However, entrapment has not been extensively investigated within military populations., Methods: This study examines the factor structure, reliability, and predictive validity of the Entrapment Scale (E-Scale) within a military population. Exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis compared one- versus two-factor structures of the E-Scale. Autoregressive SEM assessed if E-Scale scores predicted suicidal ideation and suicide attempt likelihood at 6- and 12-month follow-up, and examined whether the impact of entrapment was moderated by social support (i.e., appraisal, tangible, and belonging)., Results: Results favored a two-factor solution (external and internal) of entrapment. The relationship between entrapment and suicide outcomes was moderated by perceived social support but in unexpected directions. Unexpectedly, social support strengthened the relationship between external entrapment and suicide outcomes for most models. Only tangible support moderated the relationship between internal entrapment (IE) and suicide outcomes as predicted., Conclusions: IE is linked with suicidal ideation in the short-term, whereas external entrapments relationship with suicide outcomes may reflect more persistent social challenges for military members., (© 2024 The Author(s). Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Suicidology.)

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are important factors for population mental and physical health. While considerable public health literature demonstrates the global relevance of ACEs, more recent research shows that benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) might be important to consider in their direct and mitigating roles for psychological distress and other mental health outcomes. There is little evidence of latent class examinations involving both ACEs and BCEs among adults in western nations. The present study sought to replicate and extend prior literature by: (1) assessing the extent to which past latent class groupings reproduce in present samples, and (2) analyzing the association of latent classes of childhood experiences with psychological distress and suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs). We examined psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, general wellbeing) and STBs (i.e., suicidal ideation, self-harm ideation and behaviour, entrapment, and defeat)., Method: Data were drawn from two nationwide cross-sectional online survey studies in the United Kingdom. The first sample (N = 488) was drawn from a study on suicidal behaviour, and the second sample (N = 447) was from a study concerning risk for interpersonal violence., Results: Results largely replicated an existing four class solution of childhood experiences: Class 1 (Moderate ACEs/High BCEs; 17.6%), Class 2 (High ACEs/Moderate BCEs; 15.3%), Class 3 (Low ACEs/High BCEs; 48.3%), and Class 4 (Low ACEs/Moderate BCEs; 18.8%). Class 2 (High ACEs/Moderate BCEs) was associated with consistently worse psychological distress and STBs. Classes containing high BCEs (1 and 3) were characterized by generally lower levels of psychological distress and STBs., Conclusions: Results affirm the potential value for jointly considering ACEs and BCEs to understand psychological distress and STBs. ACEs and BCEs may serve foundational roles in theories of suicide. The protective role of BCEs hypothesized in resiliency theory may be supported. Prevention practice and research implications are discussed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Entrapment and defeat are empirically-supported suicide risk factors. Their measurement is the subject of some debate, however. Also, limited work exists examining sexual and gender minority (SGM) differences in these suicide risk factors despite overall elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) for SGM persons. The present study examined (1) entrapment and defeat differences by sexual orientation and gender identity, (2) factor structure and criterion validity of the Entrapment Scale (E-Scale) and the Defeat Scale (D-Scale), and (3) measurement invariance by sexual orientation (subsamples were too small for gender identity). A sample of 1,027 adults living in the United Kingdom completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire assessing mental health. Analysis of Variance and Kruskal-Wallis testing revealed: (1) all sexual minority (i.e., gay/lesbian, bisexual, and other SM) persons reported higher internal and external entrapment, defeat, and suicidal ideation compared to their heterosexual counterparts, and; (2) gender minority (i.e., transgender and gender diverse) persons reported higher internal and external entrapment, defeat, and suicidal ideation compared to cisgender persons. Supported by suicide theory, confirmatory factor analysis showed modest support for a two-factor E-Scale (internal and external), and a one-factor D-Scale. All entrapment and defeat scores displayed significant moderate positive correlations with suicidal ideation. E- and D-scale scores displayed high intercorrelation, tempering confidence in conclusions regarding the facture structure findings. Item threshold-level responding varied by sexual orientation for the D-Scale but not the E-Scale. Results are discussed with respect to suicide theory and measurement, public health, and clinical practice.

Self-directed violence (SDV), including both suicide and non-suicidal self-injury, represents a major challenge for carceral systems. Persistent self-injury (PSI) is an understudied SDV subtype, especially within the carceral context. The present study addressed three research questions: (a) do naturally occurring SDV subgroups occur within a carceral population (e.g., PSI versus other classes); (b) how SDV groups may be differentiated by verbal or behavioral SDV; and (c) whether demographic, mental health, and incarceration-related factors are associated with SDV subgroups. We conducted a secondary analysis of existing data from a statewide carceral electronic medical record (N = 3527). Latent class analysis supports two SDV subtypes: episodic and persistent self-injury. The PSI class was characterized by significantly greater verbal expressions and behavioral acts of SDV compared to the episodic group. Correlates of the PSI subtype included older age, male sex, prior SDV, and lower depressive symptoms. Findings are discussed with respect to the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual self-injury focused disorder, influential factors on SDV in carceral settings, and recommendations for future research and practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors report no conflicts., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model (IMV) of Suicide is growing in empirical support. The present study advances IMV research through two aims: (1) to qualitatively probe the subjective experiences of defeat, internal entrapment, and external entrapment, and (2) conducting a 3-month prospective mediation analysis using quantitative and qualitative metrics of defeat and entrapment., Methods: The study featured an online two-point survey separated by 3 months. Participants were 255 adults living in the United Kingdom., Results: Persons endorsing qualitative defeat and internal entrapment in their narratives also showed higher quantitative scores on corresponding IMV and suicide-related self-report scales. Internal entrapment mediated the effect of baseline defeat on 3-month suicidal ideation, whereas external entrapment mediated the association of baseline defeat on 3-month suicide attempt likelihood. Quantitative assessment of entrapment was more significantly associated with suicide attempts and ideation within mediation tests compared to corresponding qualitative variables., Conclusions: IMV model principles are largely supported by findings. Mediation results support further consideration of entrapment and defeat within clinical practice and public health-focused suicide research. Understanding the complexity of entrapment narratives represents an important next step for conducting qualitative IMV-focused research with minoritized and high-risk suicide populations., (© 2023 American Association of Suicidology.)

Suicide rates remain high among military populations. Stigmatizing beliefs about suicide contribute to the problem of heightened suicide risk as a deterrent for help-seeking. Measurement of military suicide stigma is therefore an important gap in the literature as a necessity toward the development of military suicide prevention programming. This paper assessed the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Military Suicide Attitudes Questionnaire (MSAQ). Study 1 featured secondary analysis of a suicide risk dataset from active duty treatment-seeking military personnel (N = 200). Study 2 was a secondary analysis of a statewide assessment of Army National Guard service members' beliefs about mental health and suicide (N =1116). Factor analyses results collectively supported a four-factor Military Suicide Attitudes Questionnaire (MSAQ) structure: discomfort, unacceptability, support, and empathic views. Subscale reliabilities ranged from 0.77 to 0.83 across samples. Unacceptability and support displayed significant negative correlations with psychological distress. Men displayed more negative suicide-related beliefs compared to women counterparts. Discomfort and unacceptability beliefs displayed significant positive associations with perceived barriers to care. The final short version of the MSAQ is an efficient, multi-dimensional measure of military suicide-related beliefs. The instrument can be used for public health assessment and program evaluation in military settings., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Research in empirical moral psychology has consistently found negative correlations between morality and both risk-taking, as well as psychopathic tendencies. However, prior research did not sufficiently explore intervening or moderating factors. Additionally, prior measures of moral preference (e.g., sacrificial dilemmas) have a pronounced lack of ecological validity. This study seeks to address these two gaps in the literature. First, this study used Preference for Precepts Implied in Moral Theories (PPIMT), which offers a novel, more nuanced and ecologically valid measure of moral judgment. Second, the current study examined if risk taking moderates the relationships between psychopathic tendencies and moral judgment. Results indicated that models which incorporated risk-taking as a moderator between psychopathic tendencies and moral judgment were a better fit to the data than those that incorporated psychopathic tendencies and risk-taking as exogenous variables, suggesting that the association between psychopathic tendencies and moral judgment is influenced by level of risk-taking. Therefore, future research investigating linkages between psychopathic tendencies and moral precepts may do well to incorporate risk-taking and risky behaviors to further strengthen the understanding of moral judgment in these individuals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Cacace, Simons-Rudolph and Dubljević.)

US military Veterans are at greater risk for suicide than those who have never served in the US military. Recent federal calls include the need to investigate military-specific suicide risk and protective factors among military-affiliated populations. To date, no study has examined the link between military identity, self-stigma, and suicide risk. The current study used a nationally representative sample of post-Vietnam US military Veterans (N = 1,461) in order to determine relationships between military identity, self-stigma, and suicide risk. Idealism (OR = 0.86) with less odds of elevated suicide risk, whereas individualism (OR = 1.15) and military self-stigma (OR = 1.39) were associated with increased odds of elevated suicide risk. Military self-stigma was found to mediate the relationship between military identity components and suicide risk. Implications for conceptualization of military Veteran identity, suicide prevention, and future research are discussed., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2021 Society for Military Psychology, Division 19 of the American Psychological Association.)

Adolescent opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose have emerged as national health crises. Nearly 17% of high school students have misused prescription opioids. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reach and acceptability of a widely-used prescription opioid misuse prevention program, This Is (Not) About Drugs© (TINAD), and its preliminary efficacy at improving opioid misuse knowledge, opioid misuse attitudes, self-efficacy to avoid opioid misuse, and intentions to misuse opioids. Participants were 576 7th grade students (M age  = 11.8; 51% boys; 39% Hispanic, 31% White, 20% Black) from a rural county in the southeastern U.S. All participants received the TINAD program and completed pretest and immediate posttest assessments. The program was school-based and implemented in collaboration with school teachers and administrators. Over 91% of all eligible students in the school district participated in the TINAD program. Most participants found the program acceptable-over 83% of students liked the program. Approximately 9% of participants reported prior misuse of prescription opioids. After participating in TINAD, students self-reported higher knowledge and self-efficacy as well as safer attitudes. However, there was no change in intentions to misuse opioids in the future. Effects of the program were consistent across gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and previous opioid misuse. TINAD is acceptable and shows promise for improving opioid-related cognitions. However, more rigorous experimental and longitudinal research is needed to understand whether TINAD reduces opioid misuse over time. Given the limited research on adolescent opioid misuse prevention, this study lays the ground work for future randomized control trials.

Active duty military service members endure a unique constellation of stressors while deployed or at home. Yet, assessment of protective factors against these stressors among active duty service members represents an under studied area. The present study advances the assessment of protective factors through the psychometric evaluation of the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) in a clinical sample of military service members in mental health or substance abuse treatment ( n = 200). Cross-sectional data were drawn from military medical records and a supplemental self-report questionnaire. Data extracted included demographic (e.g., sex, age), military characteristics (e.g., rank, years in service), physical health and mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression), and coping self-efficacy. Findings suggest a 3-factor (i.e., problem-focused coping, thought-stopping, and getting social support) CSES structure with acceptable internal consistency. Further, there were small-to-moderate associations with physical and mental health outcomes, providing evidence of construct validity. There were few significant associations with military-related characteristics. Finally, controlling for covariates, thought-stopping beliefs explained unique variance in suicide-related behaviors. Together, findings support the use of the CSES to measure coping-related beliefs in military service members. Recommendations are offered for future research and practice with active duty service members., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (This work was authored as part of the Contributor’s official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.)

Italian Law no. 219/2017 established the advance care directives ("Disposizioni anticipate di trattamento" - DAT), a legal document specifying the person's wishes in relation to health, drawn up in case of the possible future incapacity to make informed decisions. DAT are an important instrument of empowerment for a person who is not necessarily a "patient" and enable the dialogue between healthcare providers and patient to continue when the latter is no longer able to take part consciously. DAT can only be implemented by guaranteeing the fundamental rights of the person, i.e. by ensuring the "non-complicated" use of this instrument and easy access to the DAT whenever it may be necessary. Furthermore, on the one hand, the requirement of adequate prior medical information has to contend with the fact that the wishes expressed in the document may have been formed outside of the therapeutic relationship; on the other hand, institutions must ensure that DAT are collected and recorded in such a way as to ensure their availability whenever and wherever necessary., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest., (©Copyright: the Author(s), 2019.)

Neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors, thus affecting several functions such as cognition and emotionality. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, the effects of the acute administration of pregnenolone-sulfate (PREGS) (10mg/kg, s.c.) on cognitive processes using the Can test, a non aversive spatial/visual task which allows the assessment of both spatial orientation-acquisition and object discrimination in a simple and in a complex version of the visual task. Electrophysiological recordings were also performed in vivo, after acute PREGS systemic administration in order to investigate on the neuronal activation in the hippocampus and the perirhinal cortex. Our results indicate that, PREGS induces an improvement in spatial orientation-acquisition and in object discrimination in the simple and in the complex visual task; the behavioural responses were also confirmed by electrophysiological recordings showing a potentiation in the neuronal activity of the hippocampus and the perirhinal cortex. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that PREGS systemic administration in rats exerts cognitive enhancing properties which involve both the acquisition and utilization of spatial information, and object discrimination memory, and also correlates the behavioural potentiation observed to an increase in the neuronal firing of discrete cerebral areas critical for spatial learning and object recognition. This provides further evidence in support of the role of PREGS in exerting a protective and enhancing role on human memory., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Alcohol abuse is a substantial and growing health problem in Western societies. In the last years in vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that males and females display a different alcohol drinking behaviour, with swingeing differences not only in the propensity for alcohol use but also in the metabolic and behavioural consequences. In this study we investigated, in adult female rats, ethanol self-administration and preference pattern using a 3-bottle paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on explorative behaviour in the open field (OF), and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) were also evaluated. Our results indicate that: (i) female rats show a higher preference for alcohol, in the first two weeks of the paradigm, displaying a higher consumption of 10% ethanol solution than white wine; in the last two weeks, they reduce their alcoholic preference, drinking the same moderate amounts of the two alcoholic beverages; (ii) at the fourth week of the free-access paradigm rats show a lower explorative behaviour in the open field and a worsening in spatial memory retention in the Morris water maze. In conclusion our data suggest that, despite the ability to self-regulate alcohol intake, female rats suffer from relevant impairments in spatial memory retention and cognitive flexibility, displaying a sexually dimorphic modification in the adaptive strategies., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, has been reported to interact with the dopaminergic reward system, and with the neural circuits involved in stress response. Rats self-administer ACD directly into cerebral ventricles, and multiple intracerebroventricular infusions of ACD produce conditioned place preference. Self-administration has been largely employed to assess the reinforcing and addictive properties of most drugs of abuse. In particular, operant conditioning is a valid model to investigate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior in rats., Methods: This study was aimed at the evaluation of (i) the motivational properties of oral ACD in the induction and maintenance of an operant-drinking behavior; (ii) ACD effect in a conflict situation employing the punishment-based Geller-Seifter procedure; and (iii) the onset of a relapse drinking behavior, following ACD deprivation. The lever-pressing procedure in a sound-attenuated operant-conditioning chamber was scheduled into 3 different periods: (i) training-rewarded responses with a fixed ratio 1; (ii) conflict-rewarded responses periodically associated with a 0.2 mA foot-shock; and (iii) relapse-rewarded lever presses following 1-week ACD abstinence., Results: Our results show that oral self-administrated ACD induced: a higher rate of punished responses in Geller-Seifter procedures; and the establishment of a relapse behavior following ACD deprivation., Conclusions: In conclusion, our results indicate that ACD is able to induce an operant-drinking behavior, which is also maintained besides the conflict procedure and enhanced by the deprivation effect, supporting the hypothesis that ACD itself possesses motivational properties, such as alcohol and other substances of abuse., (Copyright © 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.)

Chronic ethanol consumption is able to modify emotional behaviour and cognition in humans. In particular, the effects exerted by alcohol may depend on doses, time and modalities of administration. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, ethanol self-administration and preference patterns using a 3-bottle choice paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on novelty-induced explorative behaviour in the open field, and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze was also evaluated. Our results indicate that: (i) rats show a higher preference for alcohol, in the first two weeks of the paradigm, displaying a higher consumption of 10% ethanol solution than white wine; in the last two weeks, they reduce their alcoholic preference, drinking the same moderate amounts of the two alcoholic beverages; (ii) at the fourth week of the free-access paradigm rats show a high explorative behaviour in the central squares of the open field and an improvement in spatial information processing in the new-place learning task of the Morris water maze. In conclusion our data suggest that, interestingly, rats exposed to the free-access paradigm were able to self-regulate their alcoholic intake, and indicated that a moderate alcohol consumption was able to induce an increase in behavioural reactivity and an enhancement in spatial learning flexibility., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Methods: Ethanol (EtOH) activates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in adrenocorticotropin hormone, glucocorticoid release, and in modifications of the response of the axis to other stressors. The initial site of EtOH action within the HPA system seems to be the hypothalamus. Thus, to determine the mechanisms responsible for these effects, we investigated: (i) whether EtOH was able to release corticotrophic releasing hormone (CRH) from incubated hypothalamic explants; (ii) whether acetaldehyde (ACD), its first metabolite formed in the brain by catalase activity, might play a role in EtOH activity. To this aim, rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with: (i) medium containing EtOH at 32.6 x 10(3) microM; (ii) different concentration of ACD (1, 3, 10, and 30 microM); (iii) EtOH plus 3amino-1,2,4-triazole (3AT, 32 x 10(3) microM) an inhibitor of cerebral catalase; (iv) ACD plus D-penicillamine (DP, 50.3 x 10(3) microM) an ACD-trapping agent. CRH levels were evaluated by a radioimmunoassay., Results: Incubation with EtOH induced a 7-fold increase in CRH secretion, with respect to basal levels; ACD was able to stimulate CRH release in a dose-dependent manner; the inhibition of cerebral catalase by 3AT blocked EtOH-induced CRH outflow; the inactivation of ACD by DP reverted the ACD-stimulating effect on CRH secretion., Conclusions: These data show that both EtOH and acetaldehyde are able to increase hypothalamic CRH release from the rat hypothalamus and that acetaldehyde itself appears to be the mediator of EtOH activity.

The vesicle-inducing protein in plastids (VIPP1) is essential for the biogenesis of thylakoid membranes in cyanobacteria and plants. VIPP1 and its bacterial ancestor PspA form large homo-oligomeric rings of >1 MDa. We recently demonstrated that VIPP1 interacts with the chloroplast J-domain co-chaperone CDJ2 and its chaperone partner HSP70B, and hypothesized that the chaperones might be involved in the assembly and/or disassembly of VIPP1 oligomers. To test this hypothesis, we analysed the composition of VIPP1/chaperone complexes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cell extracts and monitored effects of the chaperones on VIPP1 assembly states in vitro. We found that CGE1, the chloroplast GrpE homologue, is also part of complexes with HSP70B, CDJ2 and VIPP1. We observed that CDJ2-VIPP1 accumulated as low- and high-molecular-weight complexes in ATP-depleted cell extracts, but as intermediate-size complexes in extracts supplemented with ATP. This was consistent with a role for the chaperones in VIPP1 assembly and disassembly. Using purified proteins, we could demonstrate that the chaperones indeed facilitated both the assembly and disassembly of VIPP1 oligomers. Electron microscopy studies revealed that, in contrast to PspA, VIPP1 rings assembled into rod-shaped supercomplexes that were morphologically similar to microtubule-like structures observed earlier in various plastid types. VIPP1 rods, too, were disassembled by the chaperones, and chaperone-mediated rod disassembly also occurred when VIPP1 lacked an approximately 30-aa C-terminal extension present in VIPP1 homologues but absent in PspA. By regulating the assembly state of VIPP1, the chloroplast HSP70 chaperone system may play an important role in the maintenance/biogenesis of thylakoid membranes.

Protein extracts from dark-grown cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) contained several O-methyltransferase (OMT) activities, including the 16-hydroxytabersonine O-methyltransferase (16HT-OMT) in indole alkaloid biosynthesis. This enzyme was enriched through several purification steps, including affinity chromatography on adenosine agarose. SDS-PAGE of the purified protein preparation revealed a protein band at the size expected for plant OMTs (38-43 kDa). Mass spectrometry indicated two dominant protein species of similar mass in this band, and sequences of tryptic peptides showed similarities to known OMTs. Homology-based RT-PCR identified cDNAs for four new OMTs. Two of these cDNAs (CrOMT2 and CrOMT4) encoded the proteins dominant in the preparation enriched for 16HT-OMT. The proteins were closely related (73% identity), but both shared only 48-53% identity with the closest relatives found in the public databases. The enzyme functions were investigated with purified recombinant proteins after cDNA expression in Escherichia coli. Unexpectedly, both proteins had no detectable 16HT-OMT activity, and CrOMT4 was inactive with all substrates investigated. CrOMT2 was identified as a flavonoid OMT that was expressed in dark-grown cell cultures and copurified with 16HT-OMT. It represented a new type of OMT that performs two sequential methylations at the 3'- and 5'-positions of the B-ring in myricetin (flavonol) and dihydromyricetin (dihydroflavonol). The resulting methylation pattern is characteristic for C. roseus flavonol glycosides and anthocyanins, and it is proposed that CrOMT2 is involved in their biosynthesis.