Search

Nonspatial theory on pathogen evolution generally predicts selection for maximal number of secondary infections, constrained only by supposed physiological trade-offs between pathogen infectiousness and virulence. Spread of diseases in human populations can, however, exhibit large scale patterns, underlining the need for spatially explicit approaches to pathogen evolution. Here, we show, in a spatial model where all pathogen traits are allowed to evolve independently, that evolutionary trajectories follow a single relationship between transmission and clearance. This tradeoff relation is an emergent system property, as opposed to being a property of pathogen physiology, and maximizes outbreak frequency instead of the number of secondary infections. We conclude that spatial pattern formation in contact networks can act to link infectiousness and clearance during pathogen evolution in the absence of any physiological trade-off. Selection for outbreak frequency offers an explanation for the evolution of pathogens that cause mild but frequent infections. evolution | pathogen | spatial model | spatial patterns

Abstract Background Internet based self-help for panic disorder (PD) has proven to be effective. However, studies so far have focussed on treating a full-blown disorder. Panic symptoms that do not meet DSM-IV criteria are more prevalent than the full-blown disorder and patients with sub-clinical panic symptoms are at risk of developing PD. This study is a randomised controlled trial aimed to evaluate an Internet based self-help intervention for sub-clinical and mild PD compared to a waiting list control group. Methods Participants with mild or sub-clinical PD (N = 128) will be recruited in the general population. Severity of panic and anxiety symptoms are the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, quality of life, loss of production and health care consumption. Assessments will take place on the Internet at baseline and three months after baseline. Discussion Results will indicate the effectiveness of Internet based self-help for sub-clinical and mild PD. Strengths of this design are the external validity and the fact that it is almost completely conducted online. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register (NTR): NTR1639 The Netherlands Trial Register is part of the Dutch Cochrane Centre.

Psychotherapies are first-line treatments for most mental disorders, but their absolute outcomes (i.e., response and remission rates) are not well studied, despite the relevance of such information for health care users, providers and policy makers. We aimed to examine absolute and relative outcomes of psychotherapies across eight mental disorders: major depressive disorder (MDD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD). We used a series of living systematic reviews included in the Metapsy initiative (www.metapsy.org), with a common strategy for literature search, inclusion of studies and extraction of data, and a common format for the analyses. Literature search was conducted in major bibliographical databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials) up to January 1, 2023. We included randomized controlled trials comparing psychotherapies for any of the eight mental disorders, established by a diagnostic interview, with a control group (waitlist, care-as-usual, or pill placebo). We conducted random-effects model pairwise meta-analyses. The main outcome was the absolute rate of response (at least 50% symptom reduction between baseline and post-test) in the treatment and control conditions. Secondary outcomes included the relative risk (RR) of response, and the number needed to treat (NNT). Random-effects meta-analyses of the included 441 trials (33,881 patients) indicated modest response rates for psychotherapies: 0.42 (95% CI: 0.39-0.45) for MDD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.33-0.43) for PTSD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.30-0.47) for OCD; 0.38 (95% CI: 0.33-0.43) for panic disorder; 0.36 (95% CI: 0.30-0.42) for GAD; 0.32 (95% CI: 0.29-0.37) for social anxiety disorder; 0.32 (95% CI: 0.23-0.42) for specific phobia; and 0.24 (95% CI: 0.15-0.36) for BPD. Most sensitivity analyses broadly supported these findings. The RRs were significant for all disorders, except BPD. Our conclusion is that most psychotherapies for the eight mental disorders are effective compared with control conditions, but absolute response rates are modest. More effective treatments and interventions for those not responding to a first-line treatment are needed., (© 2024 World Psychiatric Association.)

Background: Comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is surrounded by diagnostic controversy and although various effective treatments exist, dropout and nonresponse are high. Objective: By estimating the network structure of comorbid PTSD and BPD symptoms, the current study illustrates how the network perspective offers tools to tackle these challenges. Method: The sample comprised of 154 patients with a PTSD diagnosis and BPD symptoms, assessed by clinician-administered interviews. A regularised partial correlation network was estimated using the GLASSO algorithm in R. Central symptoms and bridge symptoms were identified. The reliability and accuracy of network parameters were determined through bootstrapping analyses. Results: PTSD and BPD symptoms largely clustered into separate communities. Intrusive memories, physiological cue reactivity and loss of interest were the most central symptoms, whereas amnesia and suicidal behaviour were least central. Conclusions: Present findings suggest that PTSD and BPD are two distinct, albeit weakly connected disorders. Treatment of the most central symptoms could lead to an overall deactivation of the network, while isolated symptoms would need more specific attention during therapy. Further experimental, longitudinal research is needed to confirm these hypotheses. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03833453.

Background: Suicidal ideation (SI) is a significant and long-lasting mental health problem, with a third of individuals still experiencing SI after two years. To date, most Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) studies of SI have assessed its day-to-day course over one to four consecutive weeks and found no consistent trends in average SI severity over time., Aim: The current proof of concept study assessed daily fluctuations of SI over a time span of 3 to 6 months to explore whether individual trends in SI severity could be detected, and if so, if the trajectory of changes were gradual or sudden. The secondary aim was to explore whether changes in SI severity could be detected at an early stage., Method: Five adult outpatients with depression and SI used an EMA app on their smartphone in addition to their regular treatment for 3 to 6 months, where SI was assessed 3 times a day. To detect trends in SI for each patient, three models were tested: a null model, a gradual change model and a sudden change model. To detect changes in SI before a new plateau was reached, Early Warning Signals and Exponentially Weighted Moving Average control charts were used., Results: In each patient, average SI severity had a unique trajectory of sudden and/or gradual changes. Additionally, in some patients, increases in both sudden and gradual SI could be detected at an early stage., Conclusions: The study presents a first indication of unique individual trends in SI severity over a 3 to 6 months period. Though replication in a larger sample is needed to test how well results generalize, a first proof-of-concept is provided that both sudden and gradual changes in SI severity may be detectable at an early stage using the dynamics of time-series data., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests., (© Person-Oriented Research.)

Introduction: Digital cognitive behavioral therapy (i-CBT) interventions for the treatment of depression have been extensively studied and shown to be effective in the reduction of depressive symptoms. However, little is known about their effects on suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). Information on the impact of digital interventions on STB are essential for patients' safety because most digital interventions are self-help interventions without direct support options in case of a suicidal crisis. Therefore, we aim to conduct a meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPDMA) to investigate the effects of i-CBT interventions for depression on STB and to explore potential effect moderators., Methods: Data will be retrieved from an established and annually updated IPD database of randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of i-CBT interventions for depression in adults and adolescents. We will conduct a one-stage and a two-stage IPDMA on the effects of these interventions on STB. All types of control conditions are eligible. STB can be measured using specific scales (e.g., Beck scale suicide, BSS) or single items from depression scales (e.g., item 9 of the PHQ-9) or standardized clinical interviews. Multilevel linear regression will be used for specific scales, and multilevel logistic regression will be used for treatment response or deterioration, operationalized as a change in score by at least one quartile from baseline. Exploratory moderator analyses will be conducted at participant, study, and intervention level. Two independent reviewers will assess the risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2., Conclusion: This IPDMA will harness the available data to assess the effects (response and deterioration) of i-CBT interventions for depression interventions on STB. Information about changes in STB is essential to estimate patients' safety when engaging in digital treatment formats., Trial Registration: We will pre-register this study with the open science framework after article acceptance to ensure consistency between online registration and the published trial protocol., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Sander et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Mental health smartphone apps could increase the safety and self-management of patients at risk of suicide, but it is still unclear whether it is feasible to integrate such apps into routine mental healthcare. This study reports on the feasibility of using a safety planning app (BackUp) and a self-monitoring app (mEMA) as components of the routine treatment of depressed outpatients with suicidal ideation. Clinicians were trained in working with both of the apps, and they invited their eligible patients with suicidal ideation for study participation. Patients used the apps for 3 months and discussed these with their clinician during treatment. Patients completed assessments at baseline (T 0 ), 4 weeks (T 1 ) and post-test (T 2 , 12 weeks after baseline). Both patients and clinicians also participated in telephone interviews. Feasibility was assessed in terms of usability (score > 70 on System Usability Scale, SUS), acceptability (score > 20 on Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8, CSQ-8), and uptake (sufficient rates of component completion and app usage in treatment). The sample included 17 adult outpatients (52.9% male, age range 20-50 years) diagnosed with a depressive disorder and suicidal ideation at baseline. BackUp was rated by patients at above the cut-off scores for usability (SUS mean score at T 1 75.63 and at T 2 77.71) and acceptability (CSQ-8 mean score at T 1 23.42 and at T 2 23.50). mEMA was similarly rated (SUS mean score at T 1 75.83 and at T 2 76.25; CSQ-8 mean score at T 1 23.92 and at T 2 22.75). Telephone interviews with patients and clinicians confirmed the usability and acceptability. The uptake criteria were not met. Our findings suggest that mobile safety planning and mobile self-monitoring can be considered acceptable and usable as treatment components for depressed suicidal outpatients, but the integration of apps into routine treatment needs to be further explored., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Nuij, van Ballegooijen, de Beurs, de Winter, Gilissen, O’Connor, Smit, Kerkhof and Riper.)

Background: University students are susceptible to excessive stress. A web-based stress management intervention holds promise to improve stress but is still at a novel stage in Indonesia., Objective: The aim of this paper was to report the feasibility of the intervention we developed-Rileks-among university students in Indonesia in terms of acceptability and usability, and to propose recommendations for future improvements., Methods: A single-group pretest and posttest design was used. Participants with scores of 15 or higher on the stress subscale of the 42-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales were given access to the intervention (N=68). The main outcome measures were the 8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) score, the System Usability Scale (SUS) score, and intervention uptake. Participants' experience in each session was evaluated using closed- and open-ended questions for future improvements. Descriptive statistics were used to examine primary outcome and qualitative session evaluations. Participants' responses to each topic of the open questions were summarized., Results: The intervention was evaluated as being satisfactory (CSQ-8 mean score 21.89, SD 8.72; range 8-32). However, the intervention's usability was still below expectation (SUS mean score 62.8, SD 14.74; range 0-100). The core modules were completed by 10 out of 68 participants (15%), and the study dropout rate was 63% (43/68) at postassessment. In general, the module content was rated positively, with some notes for improvement covering content and technical aspects., Conclusions: This study indicates that Rileks is potentially feasible for Indonesian university students. In order to be optimally applied in such a context and before scaling up web-based interventions in Indonesia, in general, further development and refinement are needed., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): RR2-10.2196/11493., (©Dilfa Juniar, Wouter van Ballegooijen, Mieke Schulte, Anneke van Schaik, Jan Passchier, Elena Heber, Dirk Lehr, Sawitri Supardi Sadarjoen, Heleen Riper. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 19.07.2022.)

Objective: To examine whether the outcomes of a chat-based suicide-prevention helpline could be improved by training counselors in motivational interviewing (MI)., Methods: In a pre- and post-test design, visitors of a chat-based suicide prevention helpline received either the Five-Phase Model (treatment as usual [TAU]) or MI. They completed a pre- and post-chat questionnaire on several suicide-related risk factors. Linear mixed modeling was used to estimate the effect of the condition. Furthermore, the treatment proficiency of newly trained counselors was assessed using MI-Scope., Results: A total of 756 visitors and 55 counselors were included in this study. The visitors showed an improvement in suicidal ideation and psychological risk factors after a chat conversation. However, there were no significant differences between the MI and TAU conditions (β = 0.03, 95% CI [-0.23-0.30], p = 0.80). The treatment integrity indices showed that the counselors mostly used MI-consistent techniques but were unable to strategically employ these techniques to evoke enough change talk., Conclusions: MI and TAU led to comparable outcomes in a chat-based suicide prevention helpline. The effectiveness of MI might improve by intensifying or improving the training of counselors, keeping the process of engaging more concise or offering visitors multiple sessions of MI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Janssen, Raak, Lucht, Ballegooijen and Mérelle.)

Background: Psychological models of suicidal experiences are largely based on cross-sectional or long-term prospective data with follow-up intervals typically greater than 1 year. Recent time-series analyses suggest that these models may not account for fluctuations in suicidal thinking that occur within a period of hours and/or days., Aims: We explored whether previously posited causal relationships between defeat, entrapment and suicidal ideation accounted for temporal associations between these experiences at small time intervals from 3 to 12 h., Method: Participants ( N = 51) completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, comprising repeated assessments at semi-random time points up to six times per day for 1 week, resulting in 1852 completed questionnaires. Multilevel vector autoregression was used to calculate temporal associations between variables at different time intervals (i.e. 3 to 12 h between measurements)., Results: The results showed that entrapment severity was temporally associated with current and later suicidal ideation, consistently over these time intervals. Furthermore, entrapment had two-way temporal associations with defeat and suicidal ideation at time intervals of approximately 3 h. The residual and contemporaneous network revealed significant associations between all variables, of which the association between entrapment and defeat was the strongest., Conclusions: Although entrapment is key in the pathways leading to suicidal ideation over time periods of months, our results suggest that entrapment may also account for the emergence of suicidal thoughts across time periods spanning a few hours.

Background: Safety planning-type interventions (SPTIs) for patients at risk of suicide are often used in clinical practice, but it is unclear whether these interventions are effective., Aims: This article reports on a meta-analysis of studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of SPTIs in reducing suicidal behaviour and ideation., Method: We searched Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus from their inception to 9 December 2019, for studies that compared an SPTI with a control condition and had suicidal behaviour or ideation as outcomes. Two researchers independently extracted the data. To assess suicidal behaviour, we used a random-effects model of relative risk based on a pooled measure of suicidal behaviour. For suicidal ideation, we calculated effect sizes with Hedges' g. The study was registered at PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020129185)., Results: Of 1816 unique abstracts screened, 6 studies with 3536 participants were eligible for analysis. The relative risk of suicidal behaviour among patients who received an SPTI compared with control was 0.570 (95% CI 0.408-0.795, P = 0.001; number needed to treat, 16). No significant effect was found for suicidal ideation., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a meta-analysis on SPTIs for suicide prevention. Results support the use of SPTIs to help preventing suicidal behaviour and the inclusion of SPTIs in clinical guidelines for suicide prevention. We found no evidence for an effect of SPTIs on suicidal ideation, and other interventions may be needed for this purpose.

Background: Although depression is typically characterized by a persistent depressed mood, mood dynamics do seem to vary across a depressed population. Heterogeneity of mood variability (magnitude of changes) and emotional inertia (speed at which mood shifts) is seen in clinical practice. However, studies investigating the heterogeneity of these mood dynamics are still scarce. The aim of the present study is to explore different distinctive profiles in real-time monitored mood dynamics among depressed persons., Methods: After completing baseline measures, mildly-to-moderately depressed persons ( n  = 37) were prompted to rate their current mood (1-10 scale) on their smartphones, 3 times a day for 7 consecutive days. Latent profile analyses were applied to identify profiles based on average mood, variability of mood and emotional inertia as reported by the participants., Results: Two profiles were identified in this sample. The overwhelming majority of the sample belonged to profile 1 ( n  = 31). Persons in profile 1 were characterized by a mood just above the cutoff for positive mood (M = 6.27), with smaller mood shifts (lower variability [SD = 1.05]) than those in profile 2 ( n  = 6), who displayed an overall negative mood (M = 4.72) and larger mood shifts (higher variability [SD = 1.95]) but at similar speed (emotional inertia) (AC = 0.19, AC = 0.26, respectively)., Conclusions: The present study provides preliminary indications for patterns of average mood and mood variability, but not emotional inertia, among mildly-to-moderately depressed persons., Competing Interests: None., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: University students with depression and anxiety do not easily receive or seek treatment; therefore, internet-based interventions have been suggested to be a promising way to improve treatment accessibility and availability. However, it has not been examined whether a guided, culturally adapted, transdiagnostic, internet-based intervention is effective for treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both among university students in Indonesia., Objective: This study aims to investigate the feasibility (acceptability and satisfaction, usability, and uptake) of a guided, culturally adapted, transdiagnostic, internet-based intervention among university students with symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both in Indonesia., Methods: Students from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were screened for symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both, and filled online informed consent, demographic questionnaires, and a quality of life measure at pretreatment assessment (T0). Subsequently, the participants started the intervention. Seven weeks after T0, the primary outcomes of this feasibility study were analyzed at posttreatment assessment (T1) using the 8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Mean and SDs for the CSQ-8 and SUS were calculated to examine feasibility. Within-group secondary outcomes (depression, anxiety, and quality of life) were inspected for outliers and normal distribution. Paired-sample t tests were used to investigate differences between time points of secondary outcomes. A mixed-method approach of quantitative and qualitative analyses was adopted. Both the primary and secondary outcomes were additionally explored with an individual semistructured interview and synthesized descriptively., Results: A total of 50 participants completed the intervention. We found a moderate to high level of satisfaction and acceptability, a slightly below-average level of desirable usability (≥70), and an adherence rate of 52% which was higher than expected given the novelty of the intervention. Results for the secondary outcomes indicated a decrease in depression and anxiety. For depression, the overall mean difference between the 2 time points for depression was 3.92 (95% CI 2.75-5.1; Hedges g 1.15; P<.001). For anxiety, the overall mean difference between the 2 time points was 3.34 (95% CI 2.06-4.61; Hedges g 1.02; P<.001). Further, a moderate effect in improving quality of life was found (g=0.50). Overall, participants were positive about the online intervention and ECoaches (online guidance), and they found the intervention to be culturally appropriate., Conclusions: A culturally adapted, transdiagnostic, internet-based intervention appears to be acceptable and feasible for reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both, and increasing quality of life in university students in Indonesia. Future studies should include a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of such interventions as they may supplement existing counseling services in universities, reduce the treatment costs, and maximize treatment accessibility in low-resourced settings., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): RR2-10.1016/j.invent.2018.11.002., (©Metta Rahmadiana, Eirini Karyotaki, Mieke Schulte, David Daniel Ebert, Jan Passchier, Pim Cuijpers, Thomas Berger, Wouter van Ballegooijen, Supra Wimbarti, Heleen Riper. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 05.03.2021.)

Introduction: Psychotherapy may reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviour, but its effectiveness is not well examined. Furthermore, conventional meta-analyses are unable to test possible effects of moderators affecting this relationship. This protocol outlines the building of a comprehensive database of the literature in this research field. In addition, we will conduct an individual patient data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) to establish the effectiveness of psychotherapy in reducing suicidality, and to examine which factors moderate the efficacy of these interventions., Methods and Analysis: To build a comprehensive database, randomised controlled trials examining the effect of any psychotherapy targeting any psychiatric disorder on suicidal thoughts or behaviour will be identified by running a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from data inception to 12 August 2019. For the IPD-MA, we will focus on adult outpatients with suicidal ideation or behaviour. In addition, as a comparison group we will focus on a control group (waiting-list, care as usual or placebo). A 1-stage IPD-MA will be used to determine the effectiveness of psychotherapy on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and/or suicide deaths, and to investigate potential patient-related and intervention-related moderators. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be conducted to test the robustness of the findings. Additionally, a conventional MA will be conducted to determine the differences between studies that provided IPD and those that did not. IPD-MA may determine the effectiveness of psychotherapy in reducing suicidality and provide insights into the moderating factors influencing the efficacy of psychotherapy. Answering these questions will inform mental healthcare practitioners about optimal treatments for different groups of individuals with suicidal ideation and/or behaviour and consequently help to reduce suicide risk., Ethics and Dissemination: An ethical approval is not required for this study. The results will be published in a peer-review journal., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42020140573., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Many frequently used instruments fail to assess psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder. The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) was developed in order to tackle this problem and to assess the main functioning problems experienced by patients with bipolar disorder. However, the original FAST is not fully applicable in older adults due to the domain of occupational functioning. The aim of our study was to validate an adapted version for Older adults (FAST-O) in a group of older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD)., Methods: 88 patients aged 50 years and over diagnosed with bipolar disorder were included. We adapted the items in the area of "work-related functioning" of the FAST into items assessing "societal functioning". Several measurements were conducted in order to analyse the psychometric qualities of the FAST-O (confirmatory factor analysis for internal structure, Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency, Spearman's rho for concurrent validity, Mann-Whitney U test for discriminant validity)., Results: Mean age in the study sample was 65.3 (SD = 7.5) and 57.3% was female. The internal structure was most similar to the internal structure of the original FAST. The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = .93). The concurrent validity when correlated with the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale was low, but significant. The FAST-O was also able to distinguish between euthymic and symptomatic OABD patients., Conclusions: The FAST-O has strong psychometric qualities. Based on our results, we can conclude that the FAST-O is a short, efficient solution in order to replace global rating scales or extensive test batteries in order to assess daily functioning of older psychiatric patients in a valid and reliable manner.

Background: The number of university students experiencing stress is increasing, which often leads to adverse effects such as poor grades, academic probation, and emotional problems. Unfortunately, most of these problems remain untreated because of limited professional resources and fear of stigma. Several Web-based stress management interventions are now available for student populations, but these treatments are not yet available in Indonesia. To make treatment for stress more acceptable in Indonesia, a cultural adaptation process is needed, and part of the process is assessing the feasibility of the adapted intervention., Objective: This paper describes the first two stages of a cultural adaptation process and the protocol of a feasibility study that will assess the acceptability of a culturally adapted stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia., Methods: Focus group discussions with Indonesian university students were held, and input from Indonesian psychologists was gathered for developing the adapted intervention. A single-group feasibility study with a pre-post design will be conducted. We will recruit at minimum 50 university students who have an elevated level of stress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-42 stress subscale score ≥15), identify themselves as being of Indonesian culture (eg, able to speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently), and are studying at a university in Indonesia. The primary endpoints of this study will be rates of participant satisfaction, system usability, dropout rates, and level of adherence. We will also use qualitative data to assess the adapted intervention more thoroughly. Secondary study endpoints will be quality of life, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Feasibility parameters (eg, participant satisfaction, system usability, and level of adherence) will be summarized with descriptive statistics. Two-tailed paired within-group t tests will be used to analyze stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life., Results: The enrollment of pilot study is currently ongoing. First results are expected to be ready for analysis in the second half of 2019. The project was funded as part of a PhD trajectory in 2015 by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education., Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to assess the feasibility of a culturally adapted Web-based stress management intervention for university students in Indonesia. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/11493., (©Dilfa Juniar, Wouter van Ballegooijen, Eirini Karyotaki, Anneke van Schaik, Jan Passchier, Elena Heber, Dirk Lehr, Sawitri Supardi Sadarjoen, Heleen Riper. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 25.01.2019.)

Background: There is an increasing prevalence of mental health problems among university student populations. In Indonesia, treatment rates are low among university students because of the high cost of treatment, stigma and the limited availability of mental care services. Internet-based interventions have been found to be effective in treating anxiety and depression in Western countries. However, little is known about the effectiveness of Internet-based interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Indonesia. In this paper, we describe how we culturally adapted an Internet-based intervention to meet the needs of Indonesian students with depression and anxiety based on the theoretical framework of Barrera et al. (2013)., Method: We culturally adapted a Western Internet-based student intervention for depression and anxiety. This intervention consists of 8 guided online sessions. 50 students from Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta who have mild to moderate depression or anxiety as assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), will participate in a feasibility study in which we will test participants' satisfaction, system usability and uptake. Secondary outcomes include assessment of participants' depression, anxiety and quality of life. Outcomes will be measured pre and post intervention., Discussion: The present paper presents the protocol of a pilot study aimed at assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted intervention for Indonesian university students with depression and anxiety. The results from the feasibility study will further guide the development of the intervention and may inform the protocol of a future randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effectiveness of the Internet-based intervention.

Suicide prevention efforts often depend on the willingness or ability of people to disclose current suicidal behavior. The aim of this study is to identify characteristics that are associated with non-disclosure of suicidal ideation. Data from the Dutch cross-sectional survey Health Monitor 2016 were used, resulting in 14,322 respondents (age 19+). Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the strength of the associations between demographics and health-related characteristics as independent variables, and non-disclosure of suicidal ideation as the dependent variable. The mean age of the respondents was 60 years (SD 16.7) and 45% were male. Of these adults, 5% ( n = 719) reported suicidal ideation in the past year, nearly half of which (48%) did not disclose suicidal ideation. Non-disclosure was significantly associated with social loneliness (OR = 1.29). Inverse significant associations were found for age (35⁻49 years, OR = 0.53), poor health status (OR = 0.63), frequent suicidal ideation (OR = 0.48), and severe psychological distress (OR = 0.63). The accuracy of this model was fair (AUC = 0.73). To conclude, non-disclosure is a substantial problem in adults experiencing suicidal ideation. Adults who do not disclose suicidal ideation are more likely to have few social contacts, while they are less likely to experience poor (mental) health and frequent suicidal thoughts.

Background: It remains difficult to predict and prevent suicidal behaviour, despite growing understanding of the aetiology of suicidality. Clinical guidelines recommend that health care professionals develop a safety plan in collaboration with their high-risk patients, to lower the imminent risk of suicidal behaviour. Mobile health applications provide new opportunities for safety planning, and enable daily self-monitoring of suicide-related symptoms that may enhance safety planning. This paper presents the rationale and protocol of the Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention And Research (CASPAR) study. The aim of the study is two-fold: to evaluate the feasibility of mobile safety planning and daily mobile self-monitoring in routine care treatment for suicidal patients, and to conduct fundamental research on suicidal processes., Methods: The study is an adaptive single cohort design among 80 adult outpatients or day-care patients, with the main diagnosis of major depressive disorder or dysthymia, who have an increased risk for suicidal behaviours. There are three measurement points, at baseline, at 1 and 3 months after baseline. Patients are instructed to use their mobile safety plan when necessary and monitor their suicidal symptoms daily. Both these apps will be used in treatment with their clinician., Conclusion: The results from this study will provide insight into the feasibility of mobile safety planning and self-monitoring in treatment of suicidal patients. Furthermore, knowledge of the suicidal process will be enhanced, especially regarding the transition from suicidal ideation to behaviour.The study protocol is currently under revision for medical ethics approval by the medical ethics board of the Vrije Universiteit Medical centre Amsterdam (METc number 2017.512/NL62795.029.17).

Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of mental health symptoms may influence the symptoms that it measures, i.e. assessment reactivity. In the field of depression, EMA reactivity has received little attention. We aim to investigate whether EMA of depressive symptoms induces assessment reactivity. Reactivity will be operationalised as an effect of EMA on depressive symptoms measured by a retrospective questionnaire, and, secondly, as a change in response rate and variance of the EMA ratings., Methods: This study is a 12-week randomised controlled trial comprising three groups: group 1 carries out EMA of mood and completes a retrospective questionnaire, group 2 carries out EMA of how energetic they feel and completes a retrospective questionnaire, group 3 is the control group, which completes only the retrospective questionnaire. The retrospective questionnaire (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale; CES-D) assesses depressive symptoms and is administered at baseline, 6 weeks after baseline and 12 weeks after baseline. We aim to recruit 160 participants who experience mild to moderate depressive symptoms, defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score of 5 to 15. This study is powered to detect a small between-groups effect, where no clinically relevant effect is defined as the effect size margin -0.25< d <0.25., Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate whether self-rated EMA of depressive symptoms could induce assessment reactivity among mildly depressed individuals., Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR5803. Registered 12 April 2016. http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5803 .

Introduction: Although older adults are just as likely to benefit from e-mental health as their younger counterparts, there are virtually no applications specifically designed to accommodate the needs of older adults with recurrent depression or bipolar disorder. Recurrent mood disorders constitute a large and rising proportion of the global disease in older populations, indicating a need for more e-mental health applications targeting this group. This paper describes the theoretical background and methodology of a study examining the feasibility of a tablet-based self-management platform for older adults with recurrent mood disorders. The eCare@Home platform was designed to 1) improve patients' awareness and knowledge of recurrent mood disorders and their treatment, 2) promote self-management through the use of a simple daily monitoring tool, and 3) facilitate online contact with their clinician through videoconferencing., Methods: The design involves a single-group four-month pilot study, with measurements at baseline (T0), and at weeks 8 and 16 (T1 and T2). The target group consists of older outpatients (aged 60 or above) who are undergoing treatment for recurrent depressive or bipolar disorder (N = 50), and their clinicians (N = 10). Primary feasibility endpoints will be system acceptability, system usability, and client satisfaction with the platform. In addition, qualitative data from semi-structured interviews in N = 10 patients and N = 5 clinicians will be gathered to provide more insight into user experiences and evaluations of the platform's added value., Discussion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a tablet-based e-mental health platform for older adults with severe mood disorders. If tablet-based support for this group is shown to be feasible, the intention is to proceed with the design of a large-scale process and outcome evaluation. The strengths and limitations of the methodology used are addressed in this article. Trial R egistration: registration is pending.

Background: Online questionnaires for measuring common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders are increasingly used. The psychometrics of several pen-and-paper questionnaires have been re-examined for online use and new online instruments have been developed and tested for validity as well. This study aims to review and synthesise the literature on this subject and provide a framework for future research., Methods: We searched Medline and PsycINFO for psychometric studies on online instruments for common mental health disorders and extracted the psychometric data. Studies were coded and assessed for quality by independent raters., Results: We included 56 studies on 62 online instruments. For common instruments such as the CES-D, MADRS-S and HADS there is mounting evidence for adequate psychometric properties. Further results are scattered over different instruments and different psychometric characteristics. Few studies included patient populations., Conclusions: We found at least one online measure for each of the included mental health disorders and symptoms. A small number of online questionnaires have been studied thoroughly. This study provides an overview of online instruments to refer to when choosing an instrument for assessing common mental health disorders online, and can structure future psychometric research.

Background: Recently, internet-based interventions have been proposed as effective treatments for people with panic disorder (PD). However, little is known about the clinical effects of integrating mobile technology into these interventions. Because users carry their smartphones with them throughout the day, we hypothesize that this technology can be used to significantly support individuals with monitoring and overcoming their PD symptoms. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a newly developed hybrid intervention that combines internet/PC with smartphone delivery to treat the symptoms of PD. The intervention is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and consists of six modules over a total of six weeks., Methods/design: A two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to evaluate the effects of a hybrid online training module for PD. Based on a power calculation (d =0.60; 1-β of 80%; α =0.05), 90 participants with mild to moderate panic symptoms with or without agoraphobia (as assessed by the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale) will be recruited from the general population and randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a six-month waitlist control group. The primary outcome measure will be the severity of panic symptoms. Secondary outcomes will include depression, quality of life, and an observer-based rating of panic severity. Furthermore, data regarding acceptance and the usability of the smartphone app will be assessed. Assessments will take place at baseline as well as eight weeks, three months, and six months after randomization. Moreover, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from a societal perspective. Data will be analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis and per protocol., Discussion: To our knowledge, this RCT is one of the first to examine the efficacy of a hybrid online training for adult PD. This study seeks to contribute to the emerging field of hybrid online training. If the intervention is efficacious, then research on this hybrid online training should be extended. The cost-effectiveness analysis will also indicate whether online training is an economical tool for treating PD among adults., Trial Registration: German Clinical Trial Register: DRKS00005223 (registered on 15 August 2013).

Background: Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) is an effective and acceptable treatment for depression, especially when it includes guidance, but its treatment adherence has not yet been systematically studied. We conducted a meta-analysis, comparing the adherence to guided iCBT with the adherence to individual face-to-face CBT., Methods: Studies were selected from a database of trials that investigate treatment for adult depression (see www.evidencebasedpsychotherapies.org), updated to January 2013. We identified 24 studies describing 26 treatment conditions (14 face-to-face CBT, 12 guided iCBT), by means of these inclusion criteria: targeting depressed adults, no comorbid somatic disorder or substance abuse, community recruitment, published in the year 2000 or later. The main outcome measure was the percentage of completed sessions. We also coded the percentage of treatment completers (separately coding for 100% or at least 80% of treatment completed)., Results: We did not find studies that compared guided iCBT and face-to-face CBT in a single trial that met our inclusion criteria. Face-to-face CBT treatments ranged from 12 to 28 sessions, guided iCBT interventions consisted of 5 to 9 sessions. Participants in face-to-face CBT completed on average 83.9% of their treatment, which did not differ significantly from participants in guided iCBT (80.8%, P  =  .59). The percentage of completers (total intervention) was significantly higher in face-to-face CBT (84.7%) than in guided iCBT (65.1%, P < .001), as was the percentage of completers of 80% or more of the intervention (face-to-face CBT: 85.2%, guided iCBT: 67.5%, P  =  .003). Non-completers of face-to-face CBT completed on average 24.5% of their treatment, while non-completers of guided iCBT completed on average 42.1% of their treatment., Conclusion: We did not find studies that compared guided iCBT and face-to-face CBT in a single trial. Adherence to guided iCBT appears to be adequate and could be equal to adherence to face-to-face CBT.

Background: Turkish migrants living in the Netherlands have a high prevalence of depressive disorders, but experience considerable obstacles to accessing professional help. Providing easily accessible Internet treatments may help to overcome these barriers., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally sensitive, guided, self-help, problem-solving intervention through the Internet for reducing depressive symptoms in Turkish migrants., Methods: A two-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted. The primary outcome measure was the severity of depressive symptoms; secondary outcome measures were somatic symptoms, anxiety, quality of life, and satisfaction with the treatment. Participants were assessed online at baseline, posttest (6 weeks after baseline), and 4 months after baseline. Posttest results were analyzed on the intention-to-treat sample. Missing values were estimated by means of multiple imputation. Differences in clinical outcome between groups were analyzed with a t test. Cohen's d was used to determine the between-groups effect size at posttreatment and follow-up., Results: Turkish adults (N=96) with depressive symptoms were randomized to the experimental group (n=49) or to a waitlist control group (n=47). High attrition rates were found among the 96 participants of which 42% (40/96) did not complete the posttest (6 weeks) and 62% (59/96) participants did not complete the follow-up assessment at 4 months. No significant difference between the experimental group and the control group was found for depression at posttest. Recovery occurred significantly more often in the experimental group (33%, 16/49) than in the control group (9%, 4/47) at posttest (P=.02). Because of the high attrition rate, a completers-only analysis was conducted at follow-up. The experimental group showed significant improvement in depression compared to the control group both at posttest (P=.01) and follow-up (P=.01)., Conclusions: The results of this study did not show a significant effect on the reduction of depressive symptoms. However, the effect size at posttest was high, which might be an indicator of the possible effectiveness of the intervention when assessed in a larger sample and robust trial. Future research should replicate our study with adequately powered samples., Trial Registration: Dutch Trial Register: NTR2303. http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=2303 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6IOxNgoDu).

Background: Internet-based guided self-help is efficacious for panic disorder, but it is not known whether such treatment is effective for milder panic symptoms as well., Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Don't Panic Online, an Internet-based self-help course for mild panic symptoms, which is based on cognitive behavioral principles and includes guidance by email., Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants (N=126) were recruited from the general population and randomized to either the intervention group or to a waiting-list control group. Inclusion criteria were a Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR) score between 5-15 and no suicide risk. Panic symptom severity was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcome measures were anxiety and depressive symptom severity. Measurements were conducted online and took place at baseline and 12 weeks after baseline (T1). At baseline, diagnoses were obtained by telephone interviews., Results: Analyses of covariance (intention-to-treat) showed no significant differences in panic symptom reduction between groups. Completers-only analyses revealed a moderate effect size in favor of the intervention group (Cohen's d=0.73, P=.01). Only 27% of the intervention group finished lesson 4 or more (out of 6). Nonresponse at T1 was high for the total sample (42.1%). Diagnostic interviews showed that many participants suffered from comorbid depression and anxiety disorders., Conclusions: The Internet-based guided self-help course appears to be ineffective for individuals with panic symptoms. However, intervention completers did derive clinical benefits from the intervention., Trial Registration: Nederlands Trial Register: NTR1639; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=1639 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ITZPozs9).

The advent of web-based treatments for anxiety disorders creates a need for quick and valid online screening instruments, suitable for a range of social groups. This study validates a single-item multimedia screening instrument for agoraphobia, part of the Visual Screener for Common Mental Disorders (VS-CMD), and compares it with the text-based agoraphobia items of the PDSS-SR. The study concerned 85 subjects in an RCT of the effects of web-based therapy for panic symptoms. The VS-CMD item and items 4 and 5 of the PDSS-SR were validated by comparing scores to the outcomes of the CIDI diagnostic interview. Screening for agoraphobia was found moderately valid for both the multimedia item (sensitivity.81, specificity.66, AUC.734) and the text-based items (AUC.607-.697). Single-item multimedia screening for anxiety disorders should be further developed and tested in the general population and in patient, illiterate and immigrant samples.

Background: Internet based self-help for panic disorder (PD) has proven to be effective. However, studies so far have focussed on treating a full-blown disorder. Panic symptoms that do not meet DSM-IV criteria are more prevalent than the full-blown disorder and patients with sub-clinical panic symptoms are at risk of developing PD. This study is a randomised controlled trial aimed to evaluate an Internet based self-help intervention for sub-clinical and mild PD compared to a waiting list control group., Methods: Participants with mild or sub-clinical PD (N = 128) will be recruited in the general population. Severity of panic and anxiety symptoms are the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcomes include depressive symptoms, quality of life, loss of production and health care consumption. Assessments will take place on the Internet at baseline and three months after baseline., Discussion: Results will indicate the effectiveness of Internet based self-help for sub-clinical and mild PD. Strengths of this design are the external validity and the fact that it is almost completely conducted online.

Background: The internet can provide valuable support for persons with suicidal tendencies. By means of the Google search engine we found and categorised 153 Dutch websites dealing with suicide. The websites relating to suicide prevention (n = 23) were scored for quality against a list of 17 quality features. The standard of the Dutch online suicide prevention websites is not optimal. Improvement is needed particularly in the field of e-help, and interactive possibilities need to be extended.