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Objective/background: Unmet needs in perinatal mental healthcare are an important public health issue particularly in the context of a stressful life event such as the COVID-19 pandemic but data on the extent of this problem are needed., Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the (1) proportion of women with clinically significant symptoms of perinatal depression, anxiety or comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety, receiving mental healthcare overall and by country and (2) factors associated with receiving mental healthcare., Method: Women in the perinatal period (pregnancy or up to 6 months postpartum) participating in the Riseup-PPD-COVID-19 cross-sectional study, reported on sociodemographic, social support health-related factors, and COVID-19 related factors, and on symptoms of depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS]) and anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder [GAD-7]) using self-report questionnaires. Clinically significant symptoms were defined as EPDS ≥ 13 for depression and GAD-7 ≥ 10 for anxiety. Mental healthcare was defined as self-reported current mental health treatment., Results: Of the 11 809 participants from 12 countries included in the analysis, 4 379 (37.1%) reported clinically significant symptoms of depression (n = 1 228; 10.4%; EPDS ≥ 13 and GAD-7 ⟨ 10), anxiety (n = 848; 7.2%; GAD-7 ≥ 10 and EPDS ⟨ 13) or comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety (n = 2 303; 19.5%; EPDS ≥ 13 and GAD-7 ≥ 10). Most women with clinically significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, or comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety were not receiving mental healthcare (89.0%). Variation in the proportion of women with clinically significant symptoms of depression and/or anxiety reporting mental healthcare was high (4.7% in Turkey to 21.6% in Brazil). Women in the postpartum (vs. pregnancy) were less likely (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.59-0.88), whereas women with previous mental health problems (vs. no previous mental health problems) (OR 5.56; 95% CI 4.41-7.01), were more likely to receive mental healthcare., Conclusion: There are high unmet needs in mental healthcare for women with clinically significant symptoms of perinatal depression and/or anxiety across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and covering the whole range of mental health problems in the perinatal period are warranted to understand the gaps in perinatal mental healthcare., (© 2024 The Authors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: This study aims to describe the relationship between life satisfaction, positive affect, depression and anxiety symptoms with sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical variables, and to identify the relative importance of these predictor groups., Methods: We evaluated life satisfaction (SWLS), positive affect (PANAS), depressive (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAI) symptoms and their association with sociodemographic, psychosocial and clinical variables in a multistage, random general population sample of fully functioning individuals aged 60-80 years from the Concepción province and Gran Santiago, Chile ( n = 396). We performed weighted multiple regression analysis, considering the complex sample structure with age group, sex, and geographical area, complemented with general and conditional dominance analyses to estimate the relevance of the predictor groups., Results: We found significant associations with the geographical area, sex, age, education level, household members, having a partner, employment status, caregiver status, economic satisfaction, presence of chronic diseases, medication use, and alcohol use. Satisfaction with health was the most important predictor for positive affect ( p  < 0.001), depressive ( p  < 0.001), and anxiety ( p  < 0.001) symptoms, while alcohol use was the most significant predictor for life satisfaction ( p  < 0.001)., Conclusion: Simultaneously studying the positive and negative dimensions of wellbeing and mental health in older adults allows for a more comprehensive perspective on the challenges faced during this stage of life. This study accounts for previously unknown associations and contributes to the identification of common and specific predictors in both dimensions., 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 © 2023 Saldivia, Aslan, Cova, Bustos, Inostroza and Castillo-Carreño.)

Background: While there are reviews of the literature on mental health stigma reduction programs, very few have focused on the workplace., Objective: We sought to identify, describe and compare the main characteristics of the interventions to reduce the stigma towards mental health at work., Method: The search of original articles (2007 to 2022) was carried out in the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, selecting 25 articles from the key terms: 1. Stigma, 2. Workplace, 3. Anti-stigma intervention/program, 4. Mental health., Results: These interventions can be effective in changing the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of workers towards people with mental health problems, although further verification of these results is needed as they are limited to date., Discussion and Conclusion: Interventions to reduce stigma in the workplace could create more supportive work environments by reducing negative attitudes and discrimination and improving awareness of mental disorders., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to analyse the role of governmental responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, measured by the Containment and Health Index (CHI), on symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum, while considering the countries' Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) and individual factors such as age, gravidity, and exposure to COVID-19. A cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Riseup-PPD-COVID-19 observational prospective international study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04595123) was carried out between June and October 2020 in 12 countries (Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom). Participants were 7645 pregnant women or mothers in the postpartum period-with an infant aged up to 6 months-who completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) or the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) during pregnancy or the postpartum period. The overall prevalence of clinically significant depression symptoms (EPDS ≥ 13) was 30%, ranging from 20,5% in Cyprus to 44,3% in Brazil. The prevalence of clinically significant anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 ≥ 10) was 23,6% (ranging from 14,2% in Israel and Turkey to 39,5% in Brazil). Higher symptoms of anxiety or depression were observed in multigravida exposed to COVID-19 or living in countries with a higher number of deaths due to COVID-19. Furthermore, multigravida from countries with lower IHDI or CHI had higher symptoms of anxiety and depression. Perinatal mental health is context-dependent, with women from more disadvantaged countries at higher risk for poor mental health. Implementing more restrictive measures seems to be a protective factor for mental health, at least in the initial phase of the COVID-19., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Research on the multidimensionality of hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) can contribute to the study of psychotic risk. The Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended (LSHS-E) is one of the most widely used tools for research in HLEs, but the correspondence of its paper and online formats has not been established yet. Therefore, we studied the factorial structure and measurement invariance between online and paper-and-pencil versions of LSHS-E in a Chilean population. Two thousand eighty-six completed the online version, and 578 students completed the original paper-and-pencil version. After matching by sex, age, civil status, alcohol and cannabis consumption, and psychiatric treatment received, we selected 543 students from each group. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model and a hierarchical model that included a general predisposition to hallucination, explaining the strong relationship between the different types of hallucinations. Both models showed a good fit to the data and were invariant between paper-and-pencil and online versions. Also, the LSHS-E has good reliability in both online and paper-and-pencil formats. This study shows that the online LSHS-E possesses psychometric properties equivalent to the paper-and-pencil version. It should be considered a valuable tool for research of psychosis determinants in the COVID-19 era., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02497-7., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that they are relevant to the content of this article., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021.)

This study assessed the effectiveness of a program (called Igual-Mente, Equal-Mind) designed to reduce stigma in primary health care personnel. A random clinical trial was performed (ISRCTN46464036). There were 316 primary care professionals and technicians who were randomized and assigned to the experimental or control group. The program considered as strategies the education, the contact and the development of skills. There were six sessions with the primary care staff and two sessions with the managers of the health centers. It was executed by two facilitators, a professional psychologist and an expert by experience, i.e., a person diagnosed with a severe mental disorder (SMD). Attitudes, social distance, and humane treatment behaviors toward people with SMD were assessed. The intervention was effective in reducing stigma attitudes y social distance towards people diagnosed with SMD. The magnitude of the changes ranged from moderate to high in all these variables and the effects were maintained for four months after the end of the program. Regarding humane treatment behaviors, the effects were less clear. This study shows good results indicating that well-designed interventions can effectively reduce stigma towards people diagnosed with SMD, which is one of the main challenges of health systems., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)