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Background: Little is known about when youth may be at greatest risk for attempting suicide, which is critically important information for the parents, caregivers, and professionals who care for youth at risk. This study used adolescent and parent reports, and a case-crossover, within-subject design to identify 24-hour warning signs (WS) for suicide attempts. Methods: Adolescents (N = 1094, ages 13 to 18) with one or more suicide risk factors were enrolled and invited to complete bi-weekly, 8–10 item text message surveys for 18 months. Adolescents who reported a suicide attempt (survey item) were invited to participate in an interview regarding their thoughts, feelings/emotions, and behaviors/events during the 24-hours prior to their attempt (case period) and a prior 24-hour period (control period). Their parents participated in an interview regarding the adolescents' behaviors/events during these same periods. Adolescent or adolescent and parent interviews were completed for 105 adolescents (81.9% female; 66.7% White, 19.0% Black, 14.3% other). Results: Both parent and adolescent reports of suicidal communications and withdrawal from social and other activities differentiated case and control periods. Adolescent reports also identified feelings (self-hate, emotional pain, rush of feelings, lower levels of rage toward others), cognitions (suicidal rumination, perceived burdensomeness, anger/hostility), and serious conflict with parents as WS in multi-variable models. Conclusions: This study identified 24-hour WS in the domains of cognitions, feelings, and behaviors/events, providing an evidence base for the dissemination of information about signs of proximal risk for adolescent suicide attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family members of people with mental illness (MI) may experience a host of psychological adversities such as increased stress, burden, and reduced wellbeing. However, relatively little is known about siblings. This study aimed to characterise the experience of distress (viz. depressive and anxiety symptoms), burden, and wellbeing in siblings of people with MI. Methods: Studies reporting on quantitative measures of depression, anxiety, burden, or wellbeing in siblings; and/or qualitative findings on siblings' experience were eligible. The literature search was conducted up until 20th October 2022. Results: Sixty-two studies comprising data from 3744 siblings were included. The pooled mean percentage of depressive symptoms fell in the mild range at 15.71 (k = 28, N = 2187, 95% CI 12.99–18.43) and anxiety symptoms fell in the minimal range at 22.45 (k = 16, N = 1122, 95% CI 17.09–27.80). Moderator analyses indicate that siblings of people with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder experience greater depressive symptoms than siblings of people with other types of MI (β = −16.38, p < 0.001). Qualitative findings suggest that individuals may be particularly vulnerable during their siblings' illness onset and times of relapse. Limited communication, confusion about MI, and the need to compensate may contribute to siblings' distress and/or burden. Siblings' experience of wellbeing and caregiving were closely related. Conclusion: This review highlights the complex psychological experience of siblings and the need for greater research and clinical support for this important yet often overlooked cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Characteristic changes in the asymmetric nature of the human brain are associated with neurodevelopmental differences related to autism. In people with autism, these differences are thought to affect brain structure and function, although the structural and functional bases of these defects are yet to be fully characterized. Methods: We applied a comprehensive meta-analysis to resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging datasets from 370 people with autism and 498 non-autistic controls using seven datasets of the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange Project. We studied the meta-effect sizes based on standardized mean differences and standard deviations (s.d.) for lateralization of gray matter volume (GMV), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo). We examined the functional correlates of atypical laterality through an indirect annotation approach followed by a direct correlation analysis with symptom scores. Results: In people with autism, 85, 51, and 51% of brain regions showed a significant diagnostic effect for lateralization in GMV, fALFF, and ReHo, respectively. Among these regions, 35.7% showed overlapping differences in lateralization in GMV, fALFF, and ReHo, particularly in regions with functional annotations for language, motor, and perceptual functions. These differences were associated with clinical measures of reciprocal social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. A meta-analysis based on s.d. showed that people with autism had lower variability in structural lateralization but higher variability in functional lateralization. Conclusion: These findings highlight that atypical hemispheric lateralization is a consistent feature in autism across different sites and may be used as a neurobiological marker for autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this paper is to identify the trajectory of conduct and emotional problems for young people within the general population at four time points (between 9 years 7 months and 16 years 6 months), investigate their relationship with hyperactive/inattentive traits and explore the moderating effect of autistic social traits (ASTs). Methods: Data from 9305 individuals involved in The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) study were included. Conduct and emotional problems and hyperactive/inattentive traits were measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. ASTs were assessed using the Social Communication Disorder Checklist. Individual trajectories for conduct and emotional problems were identified via growth curve modelling. Hyperactive/inattentive traits were included within the growth curve model as a time-varying covariate to determine their effect on these outcomes. Finally, participants were split into two groups (below and above clinical threshold ASTs Groups) and multi-group invariance testing was conducted on the data to identify the moderating effect of ASTs on the relationship between hyperactive/inattentive traits and outcomes (i.e. conduct and emotional problems). Results: Hyperactive/inattentive traits were associated with higher rates of conduct and emotional problems for both boys and girls. The presence of ASTs moderated these relationships for boys, but not for girls, by increasing the risk of boys with hyperactive/inattentive traits developing greater conduct and emotional problems. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of identifying hyperactive/inattentive traits and ASTs in young people and addressing the increased risk of conduct and emotional problems. Research and clinical implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychosocial deficits, such as emotional, behavioral and social problems, reflect the most common and disabling consequences of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Their causes and recovery likely differ from physical and cognitive skills, due to disruption to developing brain networks and the influence of the child's environment. Despite increasing recognition of post-injury behavioral and social problems, there exists a paucity of research regarding the incidence of social impairment, and factors predicting risk and resilience in the social domain over time since injury. Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal design, and a bio-psychosocial framework, we studied children with TBI (n = 107) at baseline (pre-injury function), 6 months, 1 and 2-years post-injury. We assessed intellectual ability, attention/executive function, social cognition, social communication and socio-emotional function. Children underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2–8 weeks post-injury. Parents rated their child's socio-emotional function and their own mental health, family function and perceived burden. Results: We distinguished five social recovery profiles, characterized by a complex interplay between environment and pre- and post-TBI factors, with injury factors playing a lesser role. Resilience in social competence was linked to intact family and parent function, intact pre-injury adaptive abilities, post-TBI cognition and social participation. Vulnerability in the social domain was related to poor pre- and post-injury adaptive abilities, greater behavioral concerns, and poorer pre- and post-injury parent health and family function. Conclusions: We identified five distinct social recovery trajectories post-child-TBI, each characterized by a unique biopsychosocial profile, highlighting the importance of comprehensive social assessment and understanding of factors contributing to social impairment, to target resources and interventions to children at highest risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Near-term risk factors for suicidal behavior, referred to as 'warning signs' (WS), distinguish periods of acute heightened risk from periods of lower risk within an individual. No prior published study has examined, using a controlled study design, a broad set of hypothesized WS for suicide attempt. This study addressed this gap through examination of hypothesized behavioral/experiential, cognitive, and affective WS among patients recently hospitalized following a suicide attempt. Methods: Participants were recruited during hospitalization from five medical centers across the USA including two civilian hospitals and three Veterans Health Administration facilities (n = 349). A within-person case-crossover study design was used, where each patient served as her/his own control. WS were measured by the Timeline Follow-back for Suicide Attempts Interview and were operationalized as factors that were present (v. absent) or that increased in frequency/intensity within an individual during the 6 h preceding the suicide attempt (case period) compared to the corresponding 6 h on the day before (control period). Results: Select WS were associated with near-term risk for suicide attempt including suicide-related communications, preparing personal affairs, drinking alcohol, experiencing a negative interpersonal event, and increases in key affective (e.g. emptiness) and cognitive (e.g. burdensomeness) responses. Conclusions: The identification of WS for suicidal behavior can enhance risk recognition efforts by medical providers, patients, their families, and other stakeholders that can serve to inform acute risk management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive and motor dysfunction are hallmark features of the psychosis continuum, and have been detected during late childhood and adolescence in youth who report psychotic experiences (PE). However, previous investigations have not explored infancy and early childhood development. It remains unclear whether such deficits emerge much earlier in life, and whether they are associated with psychotic, specifically hallucinatory, experiences (HE). Methods: This study included data from Gen2 participants of The Raine Study (n = 1101), a population-based longitudinal cohort study in Western Australia. Five areas of childhood development comprising: communication; fine motor; gross motor; adaptive (problem-solving); and personal-social skills, were assessed serially at ages 1, 2 and 3 years. Information on HE, depression and anxiety at ages 10, 14 and 17 years was obtained. HE were further subdivided into those with transient or recurrent experiences. Mixed effects logistic regression models and cumulative risk analyses based on multiple domain delays were performed. Results: Early poorer development in multiple areas was noted from ages 1, 2 and 3 years among youth who reported HE. Early developmental delays significantly increased the risk for later HE. This association was particularly marked in the recurrent HE group, with over 40% having early developmental delays in multiple domains. There was no significant association between early childhood development and later anxiety/depression apart from lower gross motor scores at age 3. Conclusions: The findings suggest that early pan-developmental deficits are associated with later HE, with the effect strongest for young people who report recurrent HE throughout childhood and adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical assessments are a primary method for ascertaining suicide risk, yet the language used across measures is inconsistent. The implications of these discrepancies for adolescent responding are unknown, which is troubling as multiple research areas (i.e. on culture, mental health language, and suicide communication) indicate individuals from varying sociodemographic backgrounds may communicate differently regarding mental health concerns. The aims of the current study are to investigate whether a geographically diverse sample of adolescents respond differently to directly and indirectly phrased suicide attempt questions (i.e. directly phrased includes the term 'suicide' and indirectly asks about suicidal behavior without using 'suicide'), and to examine whether sociodemographic factors and history of mental health service usage relate to endorsement differences. Methods: Participants were N = 5909 adolescents drawn from the Emergency Department Screening for Teens at Risk for Suicide multi-site study. The lifetime suicide attempt was assessed with two items from an adapted version of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; Posner et al., 2008): (1) a directly phrased question asking about 'suicide attempts' and (2) an indirectly phrased question providing the definition of an attempt. Results: An adolescent majority (83.7%) consistently reported no lifetime suicide attempt across items, 10.1% consistently reported one or more lifetime attempts across items, and 6.2% of adolescents responded discordantly to the items. Conclusions: Multivariable models indicated multiple demographic and mental health service variables significantly predicted discordant responding, with a notable finding being that father/stepfather education level at or below high school education predicted endorsing only the direct question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multivariable risk algorithms (MVRP) predicting the personal risk of depression will form an important component of personalized preventive interventions. However, it is unknown whether providing personalized depression risk will lead to unintended psychological harms. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of providing personalized depression risk on non-specific psychological distress and functional impairment over 12 months. Methods: A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial was conducted in 358 males and 354 females who were at high risk of having a major depressive episode according to sex-specific MVRPs, and who were randomly recruited across Canada. Participants were assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Results: Over 93% of participants were interested in knowing their depression risk. The intervention group had a greater reduction in K10 score over 12 months than the control group; complete-case analysis found a significant between-group difference in mean K10 change score (d = 1.17, 95% CI 0.12–2.23) at 12 months. Participants in the intervention group also reported significantly less functional impairment in the domains of home and work/school activities, than did those in the control group. A majority of the qualitative interviewees commented that personalized depression risk information does not have a negative impact on physical and mental health. Conclusions: This study found no evidence that providing personalized depression risk information will lead to worsening psychological distress, functional impairment, and absenteeism. Provision of personalized depression risk information may have positive impacts on non-specific psychological distress and functioning. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02943876 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alexithymia (difficulties in identifying and describing emotion) is a transdiagnostic trait implicated in social–emotional and mental health problems in the general population. Many autistic individuals experience significant social-communication difficulties and elevated anxiety/depression and alexithymia. Nevertheless, the role of alexithymia in explaining individual variability in the quality/severity of social-communication difficulties and/or anxiety and depression symptoms in autism remains poorly understood. Methods: In total, 337 adolescents and adults (autism N = 179) were assessed for alexithymia on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and for social-communication difficulties, anxiety and depression symptoms. A total of 135 individuals (autism N = 76) were followed up 12–24 months later. We used regression models to establish cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between alexithymia, social-communication difficulties, anxiety and depression symptoms. Results: Autistic individuals reported significantly higher alexithymia than comparison individuals (p < 0.001, r effect size = 0.48), with 47.3% of autistic females and 21.0% of autistic males meeting cut-off for clinically relevant alexithymia (score ⩾61). Difficulties in describing feelings were particularly associated with current self-reported social-communication difficulties [p < 0.001, β = 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.67] and predicted later social-communication difficulties (p = 0.02, β = 0.43, 95% CI 0.07–0.82). Difficulties in identifying feelings were particularly associated with current anxiety symptom severity (p < 0.001, β = 0.54, 95% CI 0.41–0.77) and predicted later anxiety (p = 0.01; β = 0.31, 95% CI 0.08–0.62). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that difficulties in identifying v. describing emotion are associated with differential clinical outcomes in autism. Psychological therapies targeting emotional awareness may improve social-communication and anxiety symptoms in autism, potentially conferring long-term benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Much research effort is focused on developing an effective vaccine for combatting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine development itself, however, will not be enough given that a sufficient amount of people will need to be vaccinated for widespread immunity. Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, varies across countries, and is associated with conspiratorial worldview. Given the rise in COVID-19-related conspiracy theories, we aimed to examine the levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its association with beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus in a cross-cultural study. Methods: We conducted an online survey in the UK (N = 1088) and Turkey (N = 3936), and gathered information on participants' willingness to vaccinate for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus, and several behavioural and demographic predictors (such as anxiety, risk perception, government satisfaction levels) that influence vaccination and origin beliefs. Results: In all, 31% of the participants in Turkey and 14% in the UK were unsure about getting themselves vaccinated for a COVID-19 vaccine. In both countries, 3% of the participants rejected to be vaccinated. Also, 54% of the participants in Turkey and 63% in the UK believed in the natural origin of the novel coronavirus. Believing in the natural origin significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Conclusions: Our results point at a concerning level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, especially in Turkey, and suggest that wider communication of the scientific consensus on the origin of the novel coronavirus with the public may help future campaigns targeting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates "A new look on politicized reticence to vaccination: populism and COVID-19 vaccine refusal" published in Psychological Medicine examines the association between populist orientation and COVID-19 vaccine refusal. The study finds that individuals with a populist orientation are more likely to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the need for targeted strategies to address vaccine hesitancy within this group.

The article discusses the article by Sariaslan et. al., which describes a cohort of individuals prescribed antipsychotics in Sweden between 2005 and 2013 and concluded that the absence of antipsychotic prescription among individuals with psychotic disorders is associated with higher rates of arrests and convictions. But the authors did not sufficiently cover the complex background of literature on antipsychotic prescription, which weakens their supposition of covering time-invariant factors.

The article focuses on a lower sense of collective responsibility associated with a lower intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Topics include considered this result is in line with other studies confirming the role of this psychological factor; and examines promoting altruistic vaccination can be an effective strategy to promote optimal vaccination rates.