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The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Effort Index (EI) may be unreliable at its standard recommended cutoff score when used with forensic psychiatric inpatient populations given high rates of genuine cognitive impairment. The present study sought to (a) examine the rate of invalid performance on the RBANS EI using the standard cutoff among incompetent to stand trial (IST) inpatients and (b) investigate the psychometric properties of the RBANS EI at various cutoff scores. This study was conducted using archival assessment data collected at a large forensic psychiatric hospital. Across the entire sample ( N = 238, 79% male, M age = 45 years, 24% primary Spanish-speaking), 79% were diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Experiment 1 of the study ( n = 165) contained IST patients who were classified as having a valid presentation. Experiment 2 contained a valid ( n = 46) and invalid ( n = 27) presentation group comprised of postadjudication and IST inpatients, respectively. In Experiment 1, over one third (36.4%) of the valid presentation sample scored above the standard recommended EI cutoff. In Experiment 2, applying the standard recommended cutoff score of > 3 was associated with a false positive rate of over 20%. Obtaining < 10% false positive errors was achieved at a cutoff score of > 5. At this cutoff score, the estimated local base rate of invalid responding among IST patients was 28%. Clinical and forensic implications and recommendations for adopting this more conservative RBANS EI cutoff score are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

An important and unresolved question in the context of the implementation of coordinated specialty care (CSC) for early psychosis in the United States is the extent to which youth and young adults from marginalized backgrounds are able to equitably access CSC services. In this brief report, we describe pathways between a county hybrid juvenile competency restoration and mental health problem-solving court ('Court'), serving youth with high rates of psychosis and multiple risk factors for poor long-term outcomes, and local CSC services. We found that the Court was overall successful in linking youth with psychosis to care, but in the majority of cases this was not CSC programming more specifically. Drawing on Court and CSC records as well as family interviews, we report on factors contributing to low linkage to CSC, including family-side barriers (lack of transportation, preference for lower intensity / lower demand services) and provider-side barriers, including eligibility criteria such as duration of psychosis, that ultimately exclude otherwise eligible Court-involved youth., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The present study aimed to investigate whether the strength of mental health competencies and the severity of mental disorder symptoms, and their interaction, differ in the strength of their associations with several dimensions of well-being in Hungarian adult psychiatric and non-clinical samples. All respondent in the psychiatric sample (129 patients (44 male, 85 female)) and in the non-clinical community sample (253 adults (43 male, 210 female)) completed the Mental Health Test, six measures of well-being and mental health, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Including both mental health competencies and mental disorder symptoms in a regression model in both samples can predict patients' well-being even more accurately. Mental health competencies were positively related; mental disorder symptoms were negatively related to subjective well-being. In all models and in both samples, mental health competencies were found to be stronger determinants of well-being than mental disorder symptoms. The interaction of mental health competencies and mental disorder symptoms is no more predictive of well-being in either psychiatric or non-clinical samples than when the effects of each are considered separately. The assessment of mental health competencies has an important predictive value for well-being in the presence of psychopathological symptoms and/or mental disorders., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background : Mental capacity is a fundamental aspect that enables patients to fully participate in various healthcare procedures. To assist healthcare professionals (HCPs) in assessing patients' capacity, especially in the mental health field, several standardized tools have been developed. These tools include the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T), the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), and the Competence Assessment Tool for Psychiatric Advance Directives (CAT-PAD). The core dimensions explored by these tools include Understanding, Appreciation, Reasoning, and Expression of a choice. Objective : This meta-analysis aimed to investigate potential differences in decision-making capacity within the healthcare context among groups of patients with bipolar disorders (BD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Methods : A systematic search was conducted on Medline/Pubmed, and Scopus. Additionally, Google Scholar was manually inspected, and a manual search of emerging reviews and reference lists of the retrieved papers was performed. Eligible studies were specifically cross-sectional, utilizing standardized assessment tools, and involving patients diagnosed with BD and SSD. Data from the studies were independently extracted and pooled using random-effect models. Hedges' g was used as a measure for outcomes. Results : Six studies were identified, with three studies using the MacCAT-CR, two studies the MacCAT-T, and one the CAT-PAD. The participants included 189 individuals with BD and 324 individuals with SSD. The meta-analysis revealed that patients with BD performed slightly better compared to patients with SSD, with the difference being statistically significant in the domain of Appreciation (ES = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.04, p = 0.037). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for Understanding (ES = 0.09, 95% CI:-0.10 to 0.27, p = 0.352), Reasoning (ES = 0.18, 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.47, p = 0.074), and Expression of a choice (ES = 0.23, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.48, p = 0.60). In the sensitivity analysis, furthermore, when considering only studies involving patients in symptomatic remission, the difference for Appreciation also resulted in non-significant (ES = 0.21, 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.46, p = 0.102). Conclusions : These findings indicate that there are no significant differences between patients with BD and SSD during remission phases, while differences are minimal during acute phases. The usefulness of standardized assessment of capacity at any stage of the illness should be considered, both for diagnostic-therapeutic phases and for research and advance directives. Further studies are necessary to understand the reasons for the overlap in capacity between the two diagnostic categories compared in this study.

The number of women involved with forensic mental health systems internationally is rising, however, limited research has explored the characteristics of those assessed for criminal responsibility. We investigated the demographic, psychiatric, and criminological characteristics of women recommended as eligible or ineligible for the defence of Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) on account of mental disorder following a criminal responsibility assessment in Central Canada. Data were collected through retrospective chart reviews of court-ordered criminal responsibility assessments for 109 women referred for evaluations between 2003 and 2019. Accused were an average age of 34.55 years, predominately identified as Indigenous (37.7%) or Caucasian (20.8%), and had often been charged with assault (47.7%). Women identified in the reports as NCR-eligible were significantly more likely to be employed, experience delusions during the index offence, and have expert reports linking their mental health symptoms to NCR legal criteria. They were also significantly less likely to have a personality disorder, substance-related diagnosis, or have used substances during the index offence. Delusions during the index offence significantly predicted assessment recommendations when controlling for age at assessment order, current substance-related diagnosis, and whether the expert report linked mental health symptoms to NCR legal criteria. Findings indicate the key factors considered by forensic mental health professionals when conducting criminal responsibility assessments with women. Meaningful differences exist between women identified as NCR-eligible and ineligible, with findings illustrating who may be more likely to receive services within the Canadian forensic mental health system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

As racial influences on forensic outcomes are identified in every aspect of practice, scholars are exploring methods to disentangle race from its historical, economic, and attitudinal antecedents. Because jurisdictions vary in these influences, definitions and data may differ among them, creating inconsistencies in analysis and policy. This retrospective database review compared differences in racial outcomes among 200 pretrial defendants, 160 Black and 40 White, exploring a wide range of socioeconomic, clinical, and forensic influences before, during, and after hospitalization. Because of the tight relationship of socioeconomic factors and race, investigators hypothesized that it would be difficult to distinguish racial influences alone. Using a confirmatory approach to data collection and a statistical analysis based in logistic regression, only differences in referral for psychological testing were identified. Application of this method based on local demographics and culture may prove useful for institutions interested in evaluating racial influences on forensic outcomes., (© 2023 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.)

Decision-making capacity describes the ability to make a particular decision at a given time. People with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild stage dementia typically experience an associated erosion of their decisional abilities. Many could be said to have marginal capacity. These individuals are in a liminal space between adequate and inadequate capacity. Too often, marginal capacity is overlooked as a category: individuals are classified either as having capacity and being able to make decisions independently or as lacking capacity and needing a surrogate to make decisions for them. These approaches can, respectively, result in under- or overprotection of individuals with marginal capacity. A promising alternative approach is supported decision making. In supported decision making, a person with marginal capacity identifies a trusted person or network of persons to aid them in making their own decisions. Supported decision making is recognized by law in a growing number of states; it is important for geriatricians to be familiar with the concept, as they are increasingly likely to encounter it in their practice. Even in states where supported decision making is not formally recognized, it can be practiced informally, helping patients, care partners, and clinicians strike an appropriate balance between respecting autonomy and recognizing vulnerability. In this article, we describe supported decision making, discuss its ethical and legal foundations, and identify steps by which geriatricians can incorporate it into their practice., (© 2023 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Objective: Cognitive contributions to decisional capacity are complex and not well understood. Capacity to consent for research has been linked to executive function, but executive function assessment tools are imperfect. In this study, we examine the relationship between decisional capacity and a newly developed executive function composite score and determine whether cognitive performance can predict impaired decisional capacity., Methods: This is a cross sectional study of participants at the National Institutes of Health with frontotemporal dementia-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spectrum disorders enrolled between 2017 and 2022. A structured interview tool was used to ascertain research decisional capacity. Study participant Uniform Data Set (v3.0) executive function (UDS3-EF) composite score, Clinical Dementia Rating Scale©, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory was determined., Results: A decrease in UDS3-EF composite score significantly increased the odds of impaired decisional capacity (OR = 2.92, 95% CI [1.66-5.13], p = 0.0002). Executive function was most impaired in frontotemporal dementia (-2.86, SD = 1.26) and least impaired in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (-0.52, SD = 1.25) participants. The UDS3-EF composite score was also strongly correlated to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale©., Interpretation: Decisional capacity is intrinsically related to executive function in neurodegenerative disorders, and executive dysfunction may predict a lack of decisional capacity alerting investigators of the need for additional scrutiny during the informed consent process., (Published 2023. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

Objectives: Cognitive impairment affects older adults' capacity to live independently and make lifestyle decisions (lifestyle decision-making capacity; LS-DMC). Cognitive screens and clinical interviews are often used to assess people's need for living-supports prior to conducting comprehensive LS-DMC assessments in busy clinical settings. This study investigated whether the QuickSort - a brief new cognitive screen - provides efficient and accurate information regarding patients' LS-DMC when initially interviewed., Methods: This is an observational and diagnostic accuracy study of older inpatients (≥60 years) consecutively referred for neuropsychological assessment of LS-DMC ( n = 124). The resources required by inpatients with questionable LS-DMC were quantified (length of hospital stay, living-supports). QuickSort scores, patient background information, and two common cognitive screens were used to differentiate between older inpatients ( n = 124) who lacked (64%)/did not-lack (36%) LS-DMC., Results: Hospitalizations averaged 49 days, with 62% of inpatients being readmitted within one year. The QuickSort differentiated between those lacking/not-lacking LS-DMC better than two common cognitive screens and patient information. The likelihood that inpatients lacked LS-DMC increased by a factor of 65.26 for QuickSort scores <2 and reduced by a factor of 0.32 for scores ≥13. Modeling revealed that the post-test likelihood of lacking LS-DMC increased to 99% (scores <2) and reduced to 30% (scores ≥ 13) in settings where many inpatients lack LS-DMC., Conclusions: Older adult inpatients with questionable LS-DMC have a high risk of extended hospitalization and readmission. The QuickSort provides time-efficient and sensitive information regarding patients' LS-DMC, making it a viable alternative to longer cognitive screens that are used at the initial interview stage.

Objectives: To assess the cognitive capacity of early, middle, and late adolescents and their parents or guardians to provide informed consent to a population-based cohort study., Study Design: Adolescent-parent/guardian dyads including 40 early (n = 80; 10-14 years), 20 middle (15-17 years), and 20 late (18-19 years) adolescents were recruited from the Rakai Community Cohort Study, an open demographic cohort in Uganda. Participants were administered the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research, a structured open-ended assessment; interviews were recorded and transcribed. Twenty transcripts were scored independently by two coders; the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.89. The remaining interviews were scored individually. We compared mean scores for early and middle/late adolescents using a one-sided t test and score differences between parent/guardian and adolescent dyads using two-sided paired t tests., Results: Early adolescents (mean score, 28.8; 95% CI, 27.1-30.5) scored significantly lower (P < .01) than middle/late adolescents (32.4; 31.6-33.1). In paired dyad comparisons, we observed no statistically significant difference in scores between parents/guardians and middle/late adolescents (difference, -0.2; 95% CI, -1.0-0.6). We found a statistically significant difference in scores between parents/guardians and early adolescents (difference, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2-4.8)., Conclusions: The capacity of adolescents-of different ages and in diverse settings-to comprehend risks, benefits, and other elements of informed consent is a critical but understudied area in research ethics. Our findings support the practice of having middle and late adolescents provide independent informed consent for sexual and reproductive health studies. Early adolescents may benefit from supported decision-making approaches., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Mental capacity for treatment decisions in psychiatry inpatients is an important ethical and legal concern, especially in light of changes in mental capacity legislation in many jurisdictions., Aims: To conduct a systematic review of literature examining the prevalence of mental capacity for treatment decisions among voluntary and involuntary psychiatry inpatients, and to assess any correlations between research tools used to measure mental capacity and binary judgements using criteria such as those in capacity legislation., Method: We searched PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE for studies assessing mental capacity for treatment decisions in people admitted voluntarily and involuntarily to psychiatric hospitals., Results: Forty-five papers emanating from 33 studies were identified. There was huge variability in study methods and often selective populations, but the prevalence of decision-making capacity varied between 5% and 83.7%. These figures resulted from studies using cut-off scores or categorical criteria only. The prevalence of decision-making capacity among involuntary patients ranged from 7.7% to 42%, and among voluntary patients ranged from 29% to 97.9%. Two papers showed positive correlations between clinicians' judgement of decision-making capacity and scores on the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment; two papers showed no such correlation., Conclusions: Not all voluntary psychiatry inpatients possess mental capacity and many involuntary patients do. This paradox needs to be clarified and resolved in mental health legislation; supported decision-making can help with this task.Key PointsLegislative changes for mental capacity are taking place in many jurisdictions.This is an important human rights issue for many people, including psychiatry inpatients.In our review, we found the prevalence of decision-making capacity varies between 5% and 83.7% in psychiatry inpatients.Not all voluntary inpatients have decision-making capacity.Many involuntary inpatients have mental capacity to make decisions.Supported decision-making can help those with impairments in their mental capacity.

Recent research has suggested nationwide increases in the rates of referral for competence to stand trial (CST) evaluations across the United States. Many of these evaluations are for defendants charged only with misdemeanor offenses and for whom diversion programs are most appropriate. The present study was designed to analyze the characteristics of, and re-arrest outcomes for, defendants charged with misdemeanors ordered to undergo CST evaluations in a large metropolitan area. Overall, there was a high base rate of incompetent to stand trial (IST) opinions (over 70% of defendants) in this sample, with the greatest impairments in rational understanding and ability to assist counsel. Defendants opined IST were more likely to have a psychotic disorder, a history of psychiatric hospitalization, and greater abnormalities in thought content relative to their competent counterparts. Of concern, defendants opined IST, and especially those referred for crisis evaluations upon dismissal of the charges, were significantly more likely to be re-arrested than their counterparts. These data support the criminalization hypothesis, suggesting that criminal justice involvement for this subset of defendants inappropriately reflects psychiatric instability, supporting the need for more options for inpatient and outpatient treatment to effectively intervene in this process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The capacity to designate a surrogate (CDS) is not simply another kind of medical decision-making capacity (DMC). A patient with DMC can express a preference, understand information relevant to that choice, appreciate the significance of that information for their clinical condition, and reason about their choice in light of their goals and values. In contrast, a patient can possess the CDS even if they cannot appreciate their condition or reason about the relative risks and benefits of their options. Patients who lack DMC for many or most kinds of medical choices may nonetheless possess the CDS, particularly since the complex means-ends reasoning required by DMC is one of the first capacities to be lost in progressive cognitive diseases (eg, Alzheimer's disease). That is, patients with significant cognitive decline or mental illness may still understand what a surrogate does, express a preference about a potential surrogate, and be able to provide some kind of justification for that selection. Moreover, there are many legitimate and relevant rationales for surrogate selection that are inconsistent with the reasoning criterion of DMC. Unfortunately, many patients are prevented from designating a surrogate if they are judged to lack DMC. When such patients possess the CDS, this practice is ethically wrong, legally dubious and imposes avoidable burdens on healthcare institutions., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases has been significantly increasing in the last decades, and it is expected to continue to grow. These health disorders can impair patients' decision-making capacity in healthcare. The capacity to make healthcare decisions is a fundamental pillar of informed consent, therefore, it should be carefully assessed. Clinicians' assessment, when not supported by a standardized tool, has revealed to be unreliable, so the recourse to an instrument of capacity assessment is crucial. The present paper aims to identify and summarize published instruments of healthcare decision-making capacity. To do so, a search of peer-reviewed articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish was conducted. A total of eighteen articles, detailing seventeen assessment instruments were selected. Instruments differ on format, structure, assessed abilities and psychometric properties. Likewise, instruments' targeted population also varies, with a few being specifically developed for patients with dementia. Although a high number of instruments were found, there is still no gold standard for healthcare decision-making capacity assessment. The lack of a gold standard highlights the need for more research in this field, as well as an effort to develop guidelines and normative data, in order to improve clinical practices., (© 2021. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

There is an increasing demand and need for patients and caregivers to actively participate in the treatment process. However, when there are unexpected findings during pediatrics surgery, access restrictions in the operating room may lead to a lack of understanding of the medical condition, as the caregivers are forced to indirectly hear about it. To overcome this, we designed a tele-consent system that operates through a specially constructed mixed reality (MR) environment during surgery. We enrolled 11 patients with unilateral inguinal hernia and their caregivers among the patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy between January through February 2021. The caregivers were informed of the intraoperative findings in real-time through MR glasses outside the operating room. After surgery, we conducted questionnaire surveys to evaluate the satisfaction and usefulness of tele-consent. We identified contralateral patent processus vaginalis in seven out of 11 patients, and then additionally performed surgery on the contralateral side with tele-consent from their caregivers. Most caregivers and surgeons answered positively about the satisfaction and usefulness of tele-consent. This study found that tele-consent with caregivers using MR glasses not only increased the satisfaction of caregivers and surgeons, but also helped to accommodate real-time findings by adapting surgical plan through the tele-consent., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Mental health competence (MHC) involves psychosocial capabilities such as regulating emotions, interacting well with peers and caring for others, and predicts a range of health and social outcomes. This study examines the course of MHC from childhood to adolescence and patterning by gender and disadvantage, in Australian and UK contexts., Methods: Data: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4983) and the Millennium Cohort Study (n=18 296). Measures: A measure capturing key aspects of MHC was derived summing items from the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, assessed at 4-5 years, 6-7 years, 10-11 years and 14-15 years. Analysis: Proportions of children with high MHC (scores ≥23 of range 8-24) were estimated by age and country. Random-effects models were used to define MHC trajectories according to baseline MHC and change over time. Sociodemographic patterns were described., Results: The prevalence of high MHC steadily increased from 4 years to 15 years (from 13.6% to 15.8% and 20.6% to 26.2% in Australia and the UK, respectively). Examination of trajectories revealed that pathways of some children diverge from this normative MHC progression. For example, 7% and 9% of children in Australia and the UK, respectively, had a low starting point and decreased further in MHC by mid-adolescence. At all ages, and over time, MHC was lower for boys compared with girls and for children from disadvantaged compared with advantaged family backgrounds., Conclusions: Approaches to promoting MHC require a sustained focus from the early years through to adolescence, with more intensive approaches likely needed to support disadvantaged groups and boys., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Euthanasia laws do not mention as an obstacle brain diseases other than dementia that damage circuits involved in decision-making., Development: Narrative review of the stages of the decision to request euthanasia and the brain areas involved. The amygdala, the cingulate and insular cortex, and different parts of the prefrontal lobes are activated during decisions with similarities to that of requesting euthanasia., Conclusions: When an injury or malfunction of any of the structures involved in making decisions is known, a specific evaluation should be made of the influence it may have on the competence of the patient to request euthanasia.

Earlier research indicates that physical education (PE) in school is associated with positive outcomes (e.g., healthy lifestyle, psychological well-being, and academic performance). Research assessing associations with resilience and thriving indicators, such as the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD; competence , confidence , character , caring , and connection ) is limited and more so in the Norwegian context. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between PE grade (reflecting students' effort in theoretical and practical aspects of the subject) and the 5Cs as well as healthy behaviors (physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable consumption), using cross-sectional data collected from 220 high school students in Norway ( M age = 17.30 years old, SD = 1.12; 52% males). Results from structural equation modelling indicated positive associations between PE grade and four of the 5Cs ( competence , confidence , caring , and connection ; standardized coefficient: 0.22-0.60, p < 0.05) while in logistic regressions, a unit increase in PE grade was associated with higher likelihood of engaging in PA and vegetable consumption (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.18-3.18 and OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.08-2.63, respectively). These significant findings suggest the need for policies and programs that can support effective planning and implementation of PE curriculum. However, further research is needed to probe into the role of PE on youth health and development with representative samples and longitudinal designs.

Background: According to international transgender care guidelines, an important prerequisite for puberty suppression (PS) is transgender adolescents' competence to give informed consent (IC). In society, there is doubt whether transgender adolescents are capable of this, which in some countries has even led to limited access to this intervention. Therefore, this study examined transgender adolescents' medical decision-making competence (MDC) to give IC for starting PS in a structured, replicable way. Additionally, potential associated variables on MDC, such as age, intelligence, sex, psychological functioning, were investigated., Methods: A cross-sectional semistructured interview study with 74 transgender adolescents (aged 10-18 years; 16 birth-assigned boys, 58 birth-assigned girls) within two Dutch specialized gender-identity clinics was performed. To assess MDC, judgements based on the reference standard (clinical assessment) and the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T), a validated semistructured interview, were used., Results: Of the transgender adolescents, 93.2% (reference standard judgements; 69 of 74) and 89.2% (MacCAT-T judgements; 66 of 74) were assessed competent to consent. Intermethod agreement was 87.8% (65 of 74). Interrater agreements of the reference standard and MacCAT-T-based judgements were 89.2% (198 of 222) and 86.5% (192 of 222), respectively. IQ and sex were both significantly related to MacCAT-T total score, whereas age, level of emotional and behavioral challenges, and diagnostic trajectories duration were not., Conclusions: By using the MacCAT-T and clinicians' assessments, 93.2% and 89.2%, respectively, of the transgender adolescents in this study were assessed competent to consent for starting PS., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Racial and ethnic minorities face disparities in access to health care. Culturally competent care might lessen these disparities. Few studies have studied the patients' view of providers' cultural competence, especially in psychiatric care. We aimed to examine the associations of race, ethnicity, and mental health status with patient-reported importance of provider cultural competence., Methods: Our retrospective, population-based, cross-sectional study used data extracted from self-reported questionnaires of adults aged at least 18 years who participated in the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; 2017 cycle). We included data on all respondents who answered supplementary cultural competence questions and the Adult Functioning and Disability survey within the NHIS. We classified participants as having anxiety or depression if they reported symptoms at least once a week or more often, and responded that the last time they had symptoms the intensity was "somewhere between a little and a lot" or "a lot." Participant answers to cultural competency survey questions (participant desire for providers to understand or share their culture, and frequency of access to providers who share their culture) were the outcome variables. Multivariable ordinal logistic regressions were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for the outcome variables in relation to sociodemographic characteristics (including race and ethnicity), self-reported health status, and presence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both., Findings: 3910 people had available data for analysis. Mean age was 52 years (IQR 36-64). 1422 (39·2%, sample weight adjusted) of the participants were men and 2488 (60·9%) were women. 3290 (82·7%) were White, 346 (9·1%) were Black or African American, 31 (0·8%) were American Indian or Alaskan Native, 144 (4·8%) were Asian American, and 99 (2·6%) were Mixed Race. 380 (12·5%) identified as Hispanic ethnicity and 3530 (87·5%) as non-Hispanic. Groups who were more likely to express a desire for their providers to share or understand their culture included participants who had depression symptoms (vs those without depression or anxiety symptoms, aOR 1·57 [95% CI 1·13-2·19], p=0·008) and participants who were of a racial minority group (Black vs White, aOR 2·54 [1·86-3·48], p=0·008; Asian American vs White, aOR 2·57 [1·66-3·99], p<0·001; and Mixed Race vs White, aOR 1·69 [1·01-2·82], p=0·045) or ethnic minority group (Hispanic vs non-Hispanic, aOR 2·69 [2·02-3·60], p<0·001); these groups were less likely to report frequently being able to see providers who shared their culture (patients with depression symptoms vs those without depression or anxiety symptoms, aOR 0·63 (0·41-0·96); p=0·030; Black vs White, aOR 0·56 [0·38-0·84], p=0·005; Asian American vs White, aOR 0·38 [0·20-0·72], p=0·003; Mixed Race vs White, aOR 0·35 [0·19-0·64], p=0·001; Hispanic vs non-Hispanic, aOR 0·61 [0·42-0·89], p=0·010). On subgroup analysis of participants reporting depression symptoms, patients who identified their race as Black or African American, or American Indian or Alaskan Native, and those who identified as Hispanic ethnicity, were more likely to report a desire for provider cultural competence., Interpretation: Racial and ethnic disparities exist in how patients perceive their providers' cultural competence, and disparities are pronounced in patients with depression. Developing a culturally competent and humble approach to care is crucial for mental health providers., Funding: None., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite the vast body of studies within self-determination theory, the impact of factors which influence performance in experimental paradigm is still underresearched. The aim of the two studies presented in this paper was to investigate the impact of basic psychological needs on performance with the simultaneous presence of external incentives. Study 1 tested whether the satisfaction of competence and relatedness during task performance (while external incentives were present) can impact individual's performance. Study 2, on the other hand, investigated whether the basic psychological needs and provision of external incentives can impact an individual's performance. Moreover, in both studies the mechanisms behind the need-performance relationship was checked. Our results showed that out of the three basic needs, competence had the strongest positive impact on performance, which was partially mediated by the subjective evaluation of the levels of difficulty and intrinsic motivation. The weak relationship between relatedness and task performance was fully mediated by the level of intrinsic motivation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We address ethical, legal, and practical issues related to adolescent self-consent for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. HPV vaccination coverage continues to lag well behind the national goal of 80% series completion. Structural and behavioral interventions have improved vaccination rates, but attitudinal, behavioral, and access barriers remain. A potential approach for increasing access and improving vaccination coverage would be to permit adolescents to consent to HPV vaccination for themselves. We argue that adolescent self-consent is ethical, but that there are legal hurdles to be overcome in many states. In jurisdictions where self-consent is legal, there can still be barriers due to lack of awareness of the policy among healthcare providers and adolescents. Other barriers to implementation of self-consent include resistance from antivaccine and parent rights activists, reluctance of providers to agree to vaccinate even when self-consent is legally supported, and threats to confidentiality. Confidentiality can be undermined when an adolescent's self-consented HPV vaccination appears in an explanation of benefits communication sent to a parent or if a parent accesses an adolescent's vaccination record via state immunization information systems. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a substantial drop in HPV vaccination, there may be even more reason to consider self-consent. The atmosphere of uncertainty and distrust surrounding future COVID-19 vaccines underscores the need for any vaccine policy change to be pursued with clear communication and consistent with ethical principles., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Numerosity estimation performance (e.g., how accurate, consistent, or proportionally spaced (linear) numerosity-numeral mappings are) has previously been associated with math competence. However, the specific mechanisms that underlie such a relation is unknown. One possible mechanism is the mapping process between numerical sets and symbolic numbers (e.g., Arabic numerals). The current study examined two hypothesized mechanisms of numerosity-numeral mappings (item-based "associative" and holistic "structural" mapping) and their roles in the estimation-and-math relation. Specifically, mappings for small numbers (e.g., 1-10) are thought to be associative and resistant to calibration (e.g., feedback on accuracy of estimates), whereas holistic "structural" mapping for larger numbers (e.g., beyond 10) may be supported by flexibly aligning a numeral "response grid" (akin to a ruler) to an analog "mental number line" upon calibration. In 57 adults, we used pre- and post-calibration estimates to measure the range of continuous associative mappings among small numbers (e.g., a base range of associative mappings from 1 to 10), and obtained measures of math competence and delayed multiple-choice strategy reports. Consistent with previous research, uncalibrated estimation performance correlated with calculation competence, controlling for reading fluency and working memory. However, having a higher base range of associative mappings was not related to estimation performance or any math competence measures. Critically, discontinuity in calibration effects was typical at the individual level, which calls into question the nature of "holistic structural mapping". A parsimonious explanation to integrate previous and current findings is that estimation performance is likely optimized by dynamically constructing numerosity-numeral mappings through the use of multiple strategies from trial to trial.

Objectives: Metacomprehension monitoring accuracy in older age may be underestimated because of how it has been measured. Metacomprehension in the present study was uniquely measured by comparing summary quality to summary quality judgments. The effect of age on this accuracy was assessed and results were compared to those measured with the typical approach. The moderation of age effects by reading goal was also assessed but was an exploratory objective.1., Method: Younger adults (141) and older adults (138) read and orally summarized six expository texts. Participants were randomly assigned to a reading goal condition, with half of each age group summarizing for a professor/boss and half summarizing for an acquaintance. Participants made judgments about the quality of their summaries before and after summarizing, took a multiple-choice test of their comprehension, and made judgments about the accuracy of their answers., Results: Age deficits in metacomprehension were generally smaller when measured with the novel approach and age differences were generally larger for the professor/boss condition than for the acquaintance condition., Discussion: The novel approach to measuring metacomprehension monitoring accuracy provides more optimism for aging than typical approaches, discussed in relation to age-related changes in language processing preferences., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This research examines how visual representation of social media influencers affects perceptions and attitudes toward influencers and their persuasive messages. Using the theoretical frameworks of the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and the Behaviors from Interpersonal Affect and Stereotypes (BIAS) Map, Study 1 demonstrated that influencers with broad smiles were perceived as warmer and more competent and evaluated more positively than those with closed smiles. Study 2 revealed that warmth and competence judgments led to admiration toward the smiling influencers, which in turn resulted in positive attitudinal and behavioral responses to their persuasive messages. By investigating the mediating effects of judgments and emotional responses toward influencers, this study reveals social cognitive mechanisms underlying psychological processing of influencer messaging.

Background: Learning cooking skills during childhood and adolescence is associated with positive dietary outcomes in adulthood as well as being tracked from adolescence to adulthood. In addition studies have found that perceived competence to be a greater motivator to perform a behaviour than actual competence. However, a lack of validated tools that effectively measure behavioural and dietary changes including cooking confidence in children is a limitation. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and validate age-appropriate perceived cooking competence measures for younger and older primary school aged children., Methods: Two measures of perceived Cooking Competence (CooC11 and CooC7) for older (8-12 years) and younger (6-7 years) children were developed from a critical evaluation of publically available recommendations and expert consultation. The cooking skills within the measures were illustrated by a graphic designer in consultation with a chef and reviewed in an iterative manner by the research team. The measures were piloted for clarity, ease of use and initial face validity. Multiple studies were used for both CooC11 and CooC7 to establish psychometric properties of the measures, temporal stability, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, as well as responsiveness to change for CooC11. Analysis included Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Intraclass Correlation Coefficients, Pearson's Correlations, ANOVAs and Cronbach's Alphas., Results: Both measures had high levels of face validity and received positive user feedback. Two factors were shown in both measures with the measures showing excellent temporal stability (ICC > 0.9) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's Alphas > 0.7). Both measures showed initial discriminant validity, with significant differences (P< 0.001) between those who reported assisting their parents with dinner preparation and those who did not. Additionally, CooC11 was significantly correlated with an adult cooking measure and had a significant responsiveness to change (P< 0.01)., Conclusions: The CooC11 and CooC7 are the first validated age-appropriate measures for assessing children's perceived Cooking Competence for ages 8-12 and 6-7 years respectively. They can be used to evaluate the efficacy of children's cooking intervention studies or school nutrition education programmes.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to characterize narrative competence of typically developing bilingual children using Jamaican Creole (JC) and English. Method Story comprehension and fictional storytelling tasks in JC and English were completed by 104 bilingual preschoolers aged 4-6 years. Story comprehension was analyzed using inferential story comprehension questions representing Blank's Question Hierarchy. Fictional storytelling was analyzed using the Monitoring Indicators of Scholarly Language framework for narrative macrostructure and microstructure. Results Story comprehension was significantly correlated within each language, but only questions from Level 4 of Blank's Question Hierarchy showed significant correlations between languages. Fictional storytelling was significantly better in English than in JC for macrostructure (total score, internal response, plan, consequence) and microstructure (total score, adverbs, elaborated noun phrases). Story complexity in JC and English was significantly correlated. In terms of developmental effects, children's macrostructure and story complexity appear to be better at 4 years than 5 years, with English outperforming JC. Furthermore, age correlated with story comprehension in JC. Conclusion Comparison of narrative competence in bilingual children provides much needed insights into language development, with examination of JC and English bilinguals representing an understudied bilingual context.

Background: Financial capacity is often one of the first instrumental activities of daily living to be affected in cognitively normal (CN) older adults who later progress to amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia., Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between financial capacity and regional cerebral tau., Methods: Cross-sectional financial capacity was assessed using the Financial Capacity Instrument -Short Form (FCI-SF) in 410 CN, 199 MCI, and 61 AD dementia participants who underwent flortaucipir tau positron emission tomography from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Linear regression models with backward elimination were used with FCI-SF total score as the dependent variable and regional tau and tau-amyloid interaction as predictors of interest in separate analyses. Education, age, sex, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test Total Learning, and Trail Making Test B were used as covariates., Results: Significant associations were found between FCI-SF and tau regions (entorhinal: p < 0.001; inferior temporal: p < 0.001; dorsolateral prefrontal: p = 0.01; posterior cingulate: p = 0.03; precuneus: p < 0.001; and supramarginal gyrus: p = 0.005) across all participants. For the tau-amyloid interaction, significant associations were found in four regions (amyloid and dorsolateral prefrontal tau interaction: p = 0.005; amyloid and posterior cingulate tau interaction: p = 0.005; amyloid and precuneus tau interaction: p < 0.001; and amyloid and supramarginal tau interaction: p = 0.002)., Conclusion: Greater regional tau burden was modestly associated with financial capacity impairment in early-stage AD. Extending this work with longitudinal analyses will further illustrate the utility of such assessments in detecting clinically meaningful decline, which may aid clinical trials of early-stage AD.

We still know little about financial capacity, which consists of multiple cognitive domains as well as specific skills, and the influence of depression in patients with vascular dementia (VaD). Participants were divided into 4 groups: (1) VaD with and (2) without depressive symptoms, (3) nondemented elders with and (4) without depression. The participants were examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS). The findings extend earlier work in other groups of older patients and indicate that VaD patients' performance in cognitive functioning and financial capacity is severely impaired, while there is a statistically significant difference between depressed and nondepressed VaD patients. Thus, depression negatively influences financial capacity. Depression and mood disorders should be considered in future capacity research with older adults and with larger VaD populations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Management of travelers' cognitive load is crucial for efficient information processing for optimal railway operations. We investigated variations in travelers' cognitive load with different expertise levels, in a field study. We aimed to assess the use of three eye metrics: pupil diameter, saccade amplitude and gaze of fixation duration for cognitive load analysis between expert and novice travelers in a Mass Transit train station: Saint-Michel Notre Dame. Physiological measures of emotional activity through skin conductance responses were also investigated, together with subjective measures of mental load using NASA-Task Load Index. Our results followed our expectations, where novice travelers expressed higher cognitive load than expert travelers, characterized by wider pupil diameter, larger amplitude of saccade and longer gaze duration, as well as higher electrodermal activity and NASA-TLX. Additional observations showed that experts used hierarchical and symmetrical scan paths, with more intense exposure on relevant information, characterized by brighter heat maps. This difference in behavior showed a clear difference in strategies for information retrieval at different expertise levels. Metrics of eye tracking device, together with electrodermal activity, proved to be potent in cognitive load analysis of train travelers, and helped to provide insights for real-life information processing., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Promoting positive mental health, particularly through enhancing competencies (such as prosocial behaviors and learning skills), may help prevent the development of health risk behaviors in adolescence and thus support future well-being. Few studies have examined how mental health competencies in childhood are associated with adolescent health risk behaviors, which could inform preventative approaches., Methods: Using UK Millennium Cohort Study data (n = 10,142), we examined how mental health competence (MHC) measured at the end of elementary school (11 years) is associated with self-reported use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, illegal drugs, antisocial behavior, and sexual contact with another young person at age 14 years. A latent measure of MHC was used, capturing aspects of prosocial behavior and learning skills, categorized as high MHC, high-moderate MHC, moderate MHC, and low MHC. Logistic and multinomial regression estimated odds ratios and relative risk ratios for binary and categorical outcomes, respectively, before and after adjusting for confounders. Weights accounted for sample design and attrition and multiple imputation for item missingness., Results: Those with low, moderate, or high-moderate MHC at age 11 years were more likely to have taken part in health risk behaviors at age 14 years compared with those with high MHC. The largest associations were seen for low MHC with binge drinking (relative risk ratio: 1.6 [95% confidence interval: 1.1-2.4]), having tried cigarettes (odds ratio: 2.2 [95% confidence interval: 1.6-3.1]) and tried illegal drugs (odds ratio: 2.0 [95% confidence interval: 1.3-3.1) after adjusting for confounders (which attenuated results but largely maintained significant findings)., Conclusions: MHC in late childhood is associated with health risk behaviors in midadolescence. Interventions that increase children's MHC may support healthy development during adolescence, with the potential to improve health and well-being through to adulthood., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Control beliefs are established correlates of cognitive aging. Despite recent demonstrations that response time inconsistency (RTI) represents a proxy for cognitive processing efficiency, few investigations have explored links between RTI and psychosocial correlates. We examined associations among RTI and control beliefs (perceived competence and locus of control) for two choice-response time (RT) tasks varying in their attentional demands., Method: Control beliefs and RTI were measured weekly for 5 weeks in a sample of 304 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 74.11 years, SD = 6.05, range = 64-92, 68.58% female)., Results: Multilevel models revealed that for the attentionally demanding task, reporting higher perceived competence than usual was associated with lower RTI for relatively younger participants and greater RTI for relatively older participants. For the less attentionally demanding task, reporting higher perceived competence than usual was associated with lower RTI for relatively older participants. Links between locus of control and RTI were comparatively scant., Discussion: Our findings suggest that control beliefs may have adaptive and maladaptive influences on RTI, depending on dimension of control beliefs, individual differences in level of control beliefs and age, as well as attentional task demands. Both for whom and when control beliefs can be leveraged to optimize cognitive aging are discussed., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The current study examined whether the effect of spatial training transfers to the math domain. Sixty-two 6- and 7-year-olds completed an at-home 1-week online training intervention. The spatial-training group received mental rotation training, whereas the active control group received literacy training in a format that matched the spatial training. Results revealed near transfer of mental rotation ability in the spatial-training group. More importantly, there was also far transfer to canonical arithmetic problems, such that children in the spatial-training group performed better on these math problems than children in the control group. Such far transfer could not be attributed to general cognitive improvement, since no improvement was observed for non-symbolic quantity processing, verbal working memory (WM), or language ability following spatial training. Spatial training may have benefitted symbolic arithmetic performance by improving visualization ability, access to the mental number line, and/or increasing the capacity of visuospatial WM.

Objective: Impairment in the ability to provide informed consent is common in persons with brain metastasis. However, little is known about what factors contribute to this impairment in the patient group. Our objective is to determine if the associations between demographic, cognitive, and clinical variables correlate with the ability to provide informed consent in persons with brain metastasis., Methods: We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to a group of 61 persons with brain metastasis. Demographic and clinical information was also collected. All diagnoses were made by board-certified oncologists and were verified histologically. Statistical analyses included Pearson's product-moment correlations, point biserial correlations, and linear regression., Results: Results indicated that combinations of education, verbal memory, executive function, whole brain radiation therapy, and chemotherapy affected various aspects of the ability to provide informed consent. Subsequent regression models demonstrated that these variables contributed a significant amount of shared variance to the ability to provide informed consent., Conclusion: We found that the ability of persons with brain metastasis to provide informed consent is a cognitively complex ability that is also affected by education and treatment variables. This information can help clinical researchers in identifying persons with brain metastasis at risk of an impaired ability to provide informed consent and aid in the consenting process., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

As international laws on physician aid in dying (PAD) evolve, the question of permitting PAD in non-terminal illness, and in sole psychiatric illness, is under intense debate. In jurisdictions where PAD is permissible, certain safeguards and eligibility requirements must be met for all patients making a PAD request, and one of these requirements is that the patient have sound decision-making capacity with respect to the request. Legal criteria already exist for the determination of capacity, and they are quite similar between different jurisdictions. In current debates about the question of psychiatric PAD, one concern that has been raised is that cognitive distortions in mental disorders may affect a patient's decision-making capacity. At the same time, it has been established that all persons, with or without a mental disorder, experience cognitive distortions. If cognitive distortions are ubiquitous, it is likely that the severity and frequency of cognitive distortions is dimensional rather than categorical, between samples with and without mental illness. Furthermore, currently, there is no requirement for a formalized evaluation of cognitive distortions as part of capacity assessment for any type of medical decision, including PAD decisions. The current paper examines the literature related to cognitive distortions in mental disorders and in healthy populations. It proposes that the existence of cognitive distortions, alone, cannot be used as an argument for a blanket exclusion of psychiatric PAD. It therefore concludes that further research and ethical analysis should be undertaken to examine the impact of cognitive distortions on decision-making for consequential medical decisions, including PAD, in patients with and without mental disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest JD is a member of the Clinicians' Advisory Council for Dying With Dignity Canada. There is no financial reimbursement for this role., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Medical practitioners are confronted daily with decisions about patients' capacity to consent to interventions. To address some of the pertinent issues with these assessments, the end-of-life decision-making capacity of a 72-year-old female with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and terminal cancer is discussed, as are the role of the treating clinician and the importance of health-related values. There is a recommendation that the focus of these assessments can rather be on practical outcomes, especially when capacity issues arise. This implies that the decision-making capacity of the patient is only practically important when the treatment team is willing to proceed against the patient's wishes. This shifts the focus from a potentially difficult assessment to the simpler question of whether the patient's capacity will change the treatment approach. Clinicians should attend to any possible underlying issues, instead of focusing strictly on capacity. Compared to the general populations people with serious mental illness (SMI) have higher rates of physical illness and die at a younger age, but they do not commonly access palliative care services. Conversations about end-of-life care can occur without fear that a person's psychiatric symptoms or related vulnerabilities will undermine the process. More research about palliative care and advance care planning for people with SMI is needed. This is even more urgent in light of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and South African health services should consider recommendations that advanced care planning should be routinely implemented. These recommendations should not only focus on the general population and should include patients with SMI.

Objective: Increasing numbers of people are expected to live with comorbid cancer and dementia. Cancer treatment decision-making for these individuals is complex, particularly for those lacking capacity, requiring support across the cancer care pathway. There is little research to inform practice in this area. This ethnographic study reports on the cancer decision-making experiences of people with cancer and dementia, their families, and healthcare staff., Methods: Participant observations, informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, and medical note review, in two NHS trusts. Seventeen people with dementia and cancer, 22 relatives and 19 staff members participated., Results: Decision-making raised complex ethical dilemmas and challenges and raised concerns for families and staff around whether correct decisions had been made. Whose decision it was and to what extent a person with dementia and cancer was able to make decisions was complex, requiring careful and ongoing consultation and close involvement of relatives. The potential impact dementia might have on treatment understanding and toleration required additional consideration by clinicians when evaluating treatment options., Conclusions: Cancer treatment decision-making for people with dementia is challenging, should be an ongoing process and has emotional impacts for the individual, relatives, and staff. Longer, flexible, and additional appointments may be required to support decision-making by people with cancer and dementia. Evidence-based decision-making guidance on how dementia impacts cancer prognosis, treatment adherence and efficacy is required., (© 2020 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to characterize functional competence (measure of assistance needed for independence) on Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS) Cognitively Mediated Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (C-IADL), in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). It aims to determine: (1) the association of functional competence on PASS C-IADL tasks with neurocognitive test performance in aMCI, (2) its ability to discriminate individuals with aMCI from healthy control (HC) individuals, and (3) its added value in discriminating aMCI from HC individuals when combined with neurocognitive test performance., Design: Cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data from a cohort of individuals enrolled in a clinical trial (NCT02386670)., Setting: Five university-affiliated outpatient clinics in Toronto, Canada., Participants: aMCI (N = 137) and HC (N = 51) participants, all aged 60 years or older., Methods: We assessed the relationship between functional competence on three C-IADL PASS tasks (shopping, bill paying, and checkbook balancing) and neurocognitive tests in 137 participants with aMCI using multiple linear regressions. Additionally, we constructed receiver operating characteristic curves to assess the role of PASS functional competence in discriminating between 137 aMCI and 51 HC participants., Results: Functional competence on PASS was significantly associated with tests of verbal memory, information processing speed, and executive function. It demonstrated 79% accuracy in discriminating aMCI from HC participants. Combining functional competence on PASS with individual neurocognitive tests significantly increased the discriminant accuracy of individual tests, and neurocognitive test scores combined with functional competence on PASS had the highest discriminant accuracy (94%)., Conclusion: Functional competence on PASS is predicted by the underlying cognitive deficits and possibly captures additional element of effort that could improve the diagnostic accuracy of aMCI when combined with neurocognitive tests. Thus, PASS appears to be a promising tool for assessment of functional competence in aMCI in clinical or research settings. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1787-1795, 2020., (© 2020 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Background/objectives: Prognostic indices rarely include cognition. We determined if a comprehensive cognitive screen or brief individual items were associated with improved mortality predictions of a widely used prognostic index., Design, Setting, and Participants: The National Social Life Health and Aging Project Wave 2, a nationally representative, cross-sectional, in-home survey conducted in 2010 to 2011 on 3,199 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 99 years., Measurements: Cognition was measured using a Survey-Adapted Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-SA) grouped into three screened categories: screen normal (≥24 points), screen positive for mild cognitive impairment (18-23 points), and screen positive for dementia (<18 points). Single-item cognitive measures included clock-draw and five-word delayed recall. We constructed a modified Lee Prognostic Index (range = 0-18 points) based on age, behavior, function, and comorbidities shown to predict long-term mortality. We used logistic regression and the fraction of new information provided to determine if each cognitive measure improved the Lee index's 5-year mortality prediction., Results: The sample was 54% female and had a mean age of 72 years, MoCA-SA score of 22 (SD = 4.5), and Lee index of 7 (SD = 3). Regression analysis indicated the MoCA-SA modestly improved the Lee index's mortality prediction (P < .001; fraction of new information provided = 0.06); for low Lee index scores (<4 points), the absolute mortality rate difference was 7% by cognitive status; and for higher Lee index scores (4-7 points or 8-12 points), the absolute mortality rate difference was 15% by cognitive status. The clock-draw and delayed-recall items added similar value to mortality predictions as the longer MoCA-SA. Cognition had the third highest fraction of new information of all 13 Lee index items., Conclusion: Incorporating a brief measure of cognition into a modified Lee index, even with single items, resulted in more accurate 5-year mortality risk predictions. Cognition should be included in prognostic calculators in older adults given its independent association with mortality risk. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1796-1802, 2020., (© 2020 The American Geriatrics Society.)

With a few notable exceptions, adolescents do not possess the legal authority to provide consent for or refuse medical interventions. However, in some situations, the question arises regarding whether a mature minor should be permitted to make a life-altering medical decision that would be challenged if made by the minor's parent. In this article, I explore what we currently know about the adolescent brain and how that knowledge should frame our understanding of adolescent decision-making. The prevailing approach to determining when adolescents should have their decisions respected in the medical and legal context, an approach that is focused on establishing capacity under a traditional informed consent model, will be reviewed and critiqued. I will suggest that the traditional model is insufficient and explore the implications for the adolescent role in health care decision-making., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author has indicated he has no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Advance decision making (ADM) in mental health is supported by stakeholders but faces significant barriers. These must be overcome, not least to support the UK government's commitment to introduce statutory mental health ADM in England and Wales., Aims: To build understanding and address the gap between aspirations for ADM and actuality, with feasible co-produced ADM resources., Methods: We used focus groups and consultation to explore experience and views of stakeholders on ADM processes and materials. Discussions included feedback on an ADM template which was adapted accordingly throughout the research process., Results: Between September 2017 and December 2019, 94 individuals, representing stakeholders advised on design and process of ADM, alongside wider discussion at stakeholder events. Collaborative ADM was universally supported. Valued outcomes were diverse and combining aspirations with practicality required resolving dilemmas. A prototype template and guidance, the PACT (Preferences and Advance decisions for Crisis and Treatment) was co-produced, designed to help manage fluctuating mental capacity through collaborative decision making. The PACT enables direct engagement with medico-legal frameworks, with provision to facilitate person-centred assessments, treatment refusals and requests. Resources including supported engagement and cross-agency awareness and accessibility were seen as essential., Conclusion: Our research confirms high stakeholder motivation to engage in ADM is hampered by multiple barriers. We identified enabling conditions for ADM and co-produced an ADM template and guidance which supports achievement of a range of valued outcomes. Further developments to support and evaluate the process of implementation are now needed to prepare for statutory change., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None. Alex Ruck Keene was the legal adviser to the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recovery is a widely accepted paradigm in mental health care, whilst the correctional and forensic-psychiatric field is still searching for foundations for its implementation. Knowledge regarding recovery of persons with intellectual disabilities in secure contexts is limited. This study assesses recovery needs and resources among persons with intellectual disabilities labelled not criminally responsible and investigates the impact of the judicial label on recovery processes., Methods: A sample of 26 individuals was composed purposively, and in-depth interviews were conducted. Recurrent themes were identified using thematic analysis., Results: Traditional recovery themes emerged from the narratives, next to aspects of recovery in a forensic or correctional context. However, the operationalization and proportional impact are specific for this sample., Conclusions: The social dimension overarches all other recovery dimensions. The integration of an explicit social rhetoric is imperative, including contextual, relational, interactional and societal dimensions. This offers pathways to reverse the traditional, paternalistic model of exclusion and classification., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Determining the mental capacity of psychiatric patients for making healthcare related decisions is crucial in clinical practice. This meta-review of review articles comprehensively examines the current evidence on the capacity of patients with a mental illness to make medical care decisions., Methods: Systematic review of review articles following PRISMA recommendations. PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and PsycInfo were electronically searched up to 31 January 2020. Free text searches and medical subject headings were combined to identify literature reviews and meta-analyses published in English, and summarising studies on the capacity of patients with serious mental illnesses to make healthcare and treatment related decisions, conducted in any clinical setting and with a quantitative synthesis of results. Publications were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. The AMSTAR II tool was used to assess the quality of reviews., Results: Eleven publications were reviewed. Variability on methods across studies makes it difficult to precisely estimate the prevalence of decision-making capacity in patients with mental disorders. Nonetheless, up to three-quarters of psychiatric patients, including individuals with serious illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may have capacity to make medical decisions in the context of their illness. Most evidence comes from studies conducted in the hospital setting; much less information exists on the healthcare decision making capacity of mental disorder patients while in the community. Stable psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients may have a similar capacity to make healthcare related decisions. Patients with a mental illness have capacity to judge risk-reward situations and to adequately decide about the important treatment outcomes. Different symptoms may impair different domains of the decisional capacity of psychotic patients. Decisional capacity impairments in psychotic patients are temporal, identifiable, and responsive to interventions directed towards simplifying information, encouraging training and shared decision making. The publications complied satisfactorily with the AMSTAR II critical domains., Conclusions: Whilst impairments in decision-making capacity may exist, most patients with a severe mental disorder, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are able to make rational decisions about their healthcare. Best practice strategies should incorporate interventions to help mentally ill patients grow into the voluntary and safe use of medications.

Patients with cancer face many difficult decisions and encounter many clinical situations that undermine decisional capacity. For this reason, assessing decision-making capacity should be thought of at every medical encounter. The culmination of variable disease trajectories, following patients to the end of life, use of high-risk treatments, and other weighty personal decisions require attention to patients' ability to engage in decisions. Oncologists develop meaningful relationships with their patients. This familiarity may lead to forgoing the process of diligently assessing a patient's cognitive ability and/or decisional capacity when important decisions need to be made. While the process may feel like it takes place spontaneously, many subtle and overt details are involved with the decisions around cancer care that require pointed questioning and probing. Thus, there are many ways to fall short in determining decisional capacity. Clinicians are inconsistent in their decisional capacity determinations and generally assume more decisional capacity than the patient has. Consult and referral services such as ethics and psychiatry can help with treatment decisions and with assessing underlying psychosocial and psychiatric conditions. Decisional capacity may fluctuate and requires a variable amount of decisional ability depending on the clinical situation; hence, it is time-specific and decision-specific. This review is intended to provide a summary of key components of decisional capacity while highlighting areas in need of clinical refinement.

This article focuses on the preferred disposition for an individual charged with a serious crime against another person, adjudicated incompetent to stand trial and not restorable to competence, whose original criminal charges are dismissed without prejudice, and who is regarded by the state as dangerous to the general public. Three current models used today in California, Oregon, and Ohio are described. All three rely on modifications of various aspects of civil commitment law. We then propose a fourth model based on a modified version of the 1989 American Bar Association (ABA) Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards, in which individuals who are found incompetent to stand trial and not restorable to competence and are considered dangerous would be committed under the same special procedures governing the management and treatment of insanity acquittees., (© 2020 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.)

Decision-making capacity (DMC) is the gatekeeping element for a patient's right to self-determination with regard to medical decisions. A DMC evaluation is not only conducted on descriptive grounds but is an inherently normative task including ethical reasoning. Therefore, it is dependent to a considerable extent on the values held by the clinicians involved in the DMC evaluation. Dealing with the question of how to reasonably support clinicians in arriving at a DMC judgment, a new tool is presented that fundamentally differs from existing ones: the U-Doc. By putting greater emphasis on the judgmental process rather than on the measurement of mental abilities, the clinician as a decision-maker is brought into focus, rendering the tool more of an evaluation guide than a test instrument. In a qualitative study, the perceived benefits of and difficulties with the tool have been explored. The findings show on the one hand that the evaluation aid provides basic orientation, supports a holistic perspective on the patient, sensitizes for ethical considerations and personal biases, and helps to think through the decision, to argue, and to justify one's judgment. On the other hand, the room for interpretation due to absent operationalisations, related ambiguities, and the confrontation with one's own subjectivity may be experienced as unsettling.

Objectives : This article examines the convergent validity and clinical utility of the 34-item short form of the Lichtenberg Financial Decision Rating Scale (LFDRS-SF). A briefer scale can lead to enhanced and efficient use of a person-centered approach to the assessment of financial decision-making. Methods : Using data on 200 community-dwelling older adults from Lichtenberg and colleagues (2017a), convergent validity was examined with cognitive and financial management measures using a correlational and regression approach. Receiver operating curve analyses for predicting decision-making ability classification and suspected financial exploitation classification were used to evaluate clinical utility. Results : The LFDRS-SF total risk score was significantly correlated with both cognitive and financial management measures, and the regression analysis predicted 9% of the LFDRS-SF measure. These results demonstrate not only convergent validity, but also the conceptual and empirical uniqueness of financial decision-making. Conclusions : The LFDRS-SF is a valid tool to assess real-world financial decision-making abilities. Clinical Implications : The LFDRS-SF offers an efficient way to assess financial decision-making. Training on the tool and automatic scoring and recommendations for next steps can be found at https://olderadultnestegg.com.

This article focuses on confidentiality and capacity issues affecting patients receiving care in the emergency department. The patient-physician relationship begins with presumed confidentiality. The article also clarifies instances where a physician may be required to break confidentiality for the safety of patients or others. This article then discusses risk management issues relevant to determining a patient's capacity to accept or decline medical care in the emergency department setting. Situations pertaining to refusal of care and discharges against medical advice are examined in detail, and best practices for mitigating risk in informed consent and barriers to consent are reviewed., Competing Interests: Disclosure The author has nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)