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BACKGROUND: Exposure to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter OBJECTIVE: The current study evaluated whether P[M.sub.2.5] exposure at 9-11 y of age affects both concurrent symptoms as well as the longitudinal trajectory of internalizing and externalizing behaviors across the following 3 y. This issue was examined using multiple measures of exposure and separate measures of symptoms of internalizing disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder), respectively. METHODS: In a sample of more than 10,000 youth from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we used a dataset of historical P[M.sub.2.5] levels and growth curve modeling to evaluate associations of P[M.sub.2.5] exposure with internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories, as assessed by the Child Behavioral Check List. Three distinct measures of P[M.sub.2.5] exposure were investigated: annual average concentration during 2016, number of days in 2016 above the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) 24-h P[M.sub.2.5] standards, and maximum 24-h concentration during 2016. RESULTS: At baseline, higher number of days with P[M.sub.2.5] levels above US EPA standards was associated with higher parent-reported internalizing symptoms in the same year. This association remained significant up to a year following exposure and after controlling for P[M.sub.2.5] annual average, maximum 24-h level, and informant psychopathology. There was also evidence of an association between P[M.sub.2.5] annual average and externalizing symptom levels at baseline in females only. DISCUSSION: Results suggested P[M.sub.2.5] exposure during childhood is associated with higher symptoms of internalizing and externalizing disorders at the time of exposure and 1 y later. In addition, effects of P[M.sub.2.5] exposure on youth internalizing symptoms may be most impacted by the number of days of exposure above US EPA standards in comparison with annual average and maximum daily exposure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13427, Introduction Fine particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter [less than or equal to]2.5 [micro]m (P[M.sub.2:5]) air pollution is one of the leading contributors to disease burden in the modern world. [...]

Background: Esketamine is a version of ketamine that has been approved for treatment-resistant depression, but our previous studies showed a link between non-medical use of ketamine and brain structural and functional alterations, including dorsal prefrontal grey matter reduction among chronic ketamine users. In this study, we sought to determine cortical thickness abnormalities following long-term, non-medical use of ketamine. Methods: We acquired structural brain images for patients with ketamine use disorder and drug-free healthy controls. We used FreeSurfer software to measure cortical thickness for 68 brain regions. We compared cortical thickness between the 2 groups using analysis of covariance with covariates of age, gender, educational level, smoking, drinking, and whole-brain mean cortical thickness. Results: We included images from 95 patients with ketamine use disorder and 169 controls. Compared with healthy controls, patients with ketamine use disorder had widespread decreased cortical thickness, with the most extensive reductions in the frontal (including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and parietal (including the precuneus) lobes. Increased cortical thickness was not observed among ketamine users relative to comparison participants. Estimated total lifetime ketamine consumption was correlated with reductions in the right inferior parietal and the right rostral middle frontal cortical thickness. Limitations: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study, but longitudinal studies are needed to further validate decreased cortical thickness after nonmedical use of ketamine. Conclusion: This study provided evidence that, compared with healthy controls, chronic ketamine users have widespread reductions in cortical thickness. Our study underscores the importance of the long-term effects of ketamine on brain structure and serves as a reference for the antidepressant use of ketamine., Introduction Although ketamine--a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist--is valued for its clinical applications in anesthesia and pain management, and esketamine (the S-enantiomer of ketamine) has begun to be used for [...]

Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression have gradually become a major public health concern with 1 of every 8 individuals worldwide experiencing a mental disorder. (1,2) Various and individual [...]

Background: Converging evidence suggests that stress alters behavioural responses in a sex-specific manner; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of stress remain largely unknown. Methods: We adapted unpredictable maternal separation (UMS) and adult restraint stress (RS) paradigms to mimic stress in rats in early life or adulthood, respectively. The sexual dimorphism of the prefrontal cortex was noted, and we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify specific genes or pathways responsible for sexually dimorphic responses to stress. We then performed quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to verify the results of RNA-Seq. Results: Female rats exposed to either UMS or RS showed no negative effects on anxiety-like behaviours, whereas the emotional functions of the PFC were impaired markedly in stressed male rats. Leveraging differentially expressed genes (DEG) analyses, we identified sex-specific transcriptional profiles associated with stress. There were many overlapping DEGs between UMS and RS transcriptional data sets, where 1406 DEGs were associated with both biological sex and stress, while only 117 DEGs were related to stress. Notably, Uba52 and Rpl34-ps1 were the first-ranked hub gene in 1406 and 117 DEGs respectively, and Uba52 was higher than Rp134ps1, suggesting that stress may have led to a more pronounced effect on the set of 1406 DEGs. Pathway analysis revealed that 1406 DEGs were primarily enriched in ribosomal pathway. These results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. Limitations: Sex- specific transcriptional profiles associated with stress were identified in this study, but more in-depth experiments, such as single-cell sequencing and manipulation of male and female gene networks in vivo, are needed to verify our findings. Conclusion: Our findings show sex-specific behavioural responses to stress and highlight sexual dimorphism at the transcriptional level, shedding light on developing sex-specific therapeutic strategies for stress-related psychiatric disorders., Introduction Stress is associated with increased vulnerability to many kinds of mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression. (1) As we know, biological sex is an important factor to take into [...]

Previous data suggest that loneliness is a hallmark of the mental health issues triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of loneliness on mental health and behavioural outcomes, as well as the moderating and mediating effects of biopsychosocial variables on these relationships. The data were collected during France's first national COVID-19 lockdown and included 556 participants (M.sub.age = 30.06 years, range = 18-87) who completed well-known validated measures assessing symptom-levels of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. They also indicated their level of worry about the COVID-19 crisis, and provided sociodemographic and health status data. Responses were submitted to hierarchical linear regression and mediation analyses. In terms of prevalence of loneliness, 18.9% of participants reported severe loneliness. High levels of loneliness were significantly associated with the three mental health and behavioural outcomes. The loneliness - anxiety relationship was moderated by employment and working arrangements. The loneliness - insomnia relationship was moderated by living conditions, history of medical or psychological problems, and COVID-19-related worry. Further findings supported the indirect effects of COVID-related worry on pathways from loneliness to the three mental health and behavioural health outcomes. The mediation models accounted for 28.9%, 33.7%, and 15.0% of the variance in anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The present evidence-based findings revealed that loneliness and worry were major contributing factors of mental health and behavioural concerns during the COVID-19 lockdown. They could inform treatment recommendations for tackling prolonged-self isolation and loneliness in specific vulnerable groups., Author(s): Olga Megalakaki [sup.1] [sup.2] , Cyrille Kossigan Kokou-Kpolou [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.11162.35, 0000 0001 0789 1385, Centre de Recherche en Psychologie: Cognition, Psychisme, Organisations (CRP-CPO), University of Picardy [...]

Adolescents' emotional problems and excessive social media use could deteriorate their self-esteem. The aim of the present study was to investigate the contributions of adolescents' emotional problems and social media addiction to their self-esteem, with the particular interest of testing the mediating role of the social media addiction on the association between emotional problems and self-esteem. Participants were 221 adolescents (49.3% female) aging from 13 to 17 years (M = 15.86, SD = 0.91). Participants reported on their emotional problems, social media addiction, and self-esteem. Results from regression analyses showed that the higher levels of emotional problems and social media addiction were related to lower levels of self-esteem. In addition, social media addiction partiality mediated the association between emotional problems and self-esteem indicating that the adolescents with higher levels of emotional problems tended to report higher levels of social media addiction and, in turn this tendency was related to lower levels of self-esteem., Author(s): Ibrahim H. Acar [sup.1] , Gökçen Avcilar [sup.1] , Gözde Yazici [sup.1] , Selen Bostanci [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.28009.33, 0000 0004 0391 6022, Department of Psychology, Faculty of [...]

We examined the prevalence of psychological outcomes (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety) by age and age-varying associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes among rural cancer survivors. Participants (N = 219; ages 22-93) completed sociodemographic, psychological, and physical activity questionnaires. Time-varying effect models estimated the prevalence of psychological outcomes and assessed associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes as a flexible function of age. Depression and anxiety symptoms decreased with age among cancer survivors aged 22-40 years and were relatively stable across age among those > 40 years. Positive associations between vigorous physical activity and psychological outcomes in those aged 22-40 years were identified. In those > 70-80 years, there were negative associations between vigorous physical activity and psychological outcomes. Results suggest there is variation across age in the associations between physical activity and psychological outcomes among rural survivors. Future research should further explore these age-varying relationships to identify important intervention targets., Author(s): Nishat Bhuiyan [sup.1] , Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael [sup.3] , Stephanie T. Lanza [sup.2] [sup.3] , Kathryn H. Schmitz [sup.4] , Scherezade K. Mama [sup.1] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.29857.31, [...]

Many studies have supported the mediating role of maladaptive schemas in the relationship between early childhood adversity and psychopathology in both clinical and non-clinical adolescent samples. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study to simultaneously test the mediating role of maladaptive schemas in a combined model included in both clinical and non-clinical samples of adolescents. The sample of the study consisted of 132 non-clinical (M = 15.65, SD = 1.15) and 193 clinically referred (M = 15.05, SD = 1.07) adolescents. Criteria for the clinical sample included being diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder or mixed anxiety and depressive disorder. Participants were administered The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Young Schema Questionnaire, Children's Depression Inventory, and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesized mediation model that Disconnection/Rejection and Impaired Autonomy schema domains would mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms for clinical and non-clinical adolescent samples, separately. Furthermore, we tested whether structural paths of the model were different across the two samples, using multiple-group path analysis. Results showed that Disconnection/Rejection and Impaired Autonomy emerged as significant mediators in both samples. In addition, only the association between Disconnection/Rejection and depression was stronger in the clinical sample compared to the non-clinical sample., Author(s): Ibrahim Yigit [sup.1] , Harun Kiliç [sup.2] , Melike Guzey Yigit [sup.3] , Cihat Çelik [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411548.d, 0000 0001 1457 1144, Faculty of Science and Letters, [...]

Background [beta]-blockers are widely used for treating cardiac conditions and are suggested for the treatment of anxiety and aggression, although research is conflicting and limited by methodological problems. In addition, [beta]-blockers have been associated with precipitating other psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviour, but findings are mixed. We aimed to examine associations between [beta]-blockers and psychiatric and behavioural outcomes in a large population-based cohort in Sweden. Methods and findings We conducted a population-based longitudinal cohort study using Swedish nationwide high-quality healthcare, mortality, and crime registers. We included 1,400,766 individuals aged 15 years or older who had collected [beta]-blocker prescriptions and followed them for 8 years between 2006 and 2013. We linked register data on dispensed [beta]-blocker prescriptions with main outcomes, hospitalisations for psychiatric disorders (not including self-injurious behaviour or suicide attempts), suicidal behaviour (including deaths from suicide), and charges of violent crime. We applied within-individual Cox proportional hazards regression to compare periods on treatment with periods off treatment within each individual in order to reduce possible confounding by indication, as this model inherently adjusts for all stable confounders (e.g., genetics and health history). We also adjusted for age as a time-varying covariate. In further analyses, we adjusted by stated indications, prevalent users, cardiac severity, psychiatric and crime history, individual [beta]-blockers, [beta]-blocker selectivity and solubility, and use of other medications. In the cohort, 86.8% (n = 1,215,247) were 50 years and over, and 52.2% (n = 731,322) were women. During the study period, 6.9% (n = 96,801) of the [beta]-blocker users were hospitalised for a psychiatric disorder, 0.7% (n = 9,960) presented with suicidal behaviour, and 0.7% (n = 9,405) were charged with a violent crime. There was heterogeneity in the direction of results; within-individual analyses showed that periods of [beta]-blocker treatment were associated with reduced hazards of psychiatric hospitalisations (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91 to 0.93, p < 0.001), charges of violent crime (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81 to 0.93, p < 0.001), and increased hazards of suicidal behaviour (HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.15, p = 0.012). After stratifying by diagnosis, reduced associations with psychiatric hospitalisations during [beta]-blocker treatment were mainly driven by lower hospitalisation rates due to depressive (HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.96, p < 0.001) and psychotic disorders (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85 to 0.93, p < 0.001). Reduced associations with violent charges remained in most sensitivity analyses, while associations with psychiatric hospitalisations and suicidal behaviour were inconsistent. Limitations include that the within-individual model does not account for confounders that could change during treatment, unless measured and adjusted for in the model. Conclusions In this population-wide study, we found no consistent links between [beta]-blockers and psychiatric outcomes. However, [beta]-blockers were associated with reductions in violence, which remained in sensitivity analyses. The use of [beta]-blockers to manage aggression and violence could be investigated further., Author(s): Yasmina Molero 1,2, Sam Kaddoura 3,4,5, Ralf Kuja-Halkola 2, Henrik Larsson 2,6, Paul Lichtenstein 2, Brian M. D'Onofrio 2,7, Seena Fazel 8,9,* Introduction Beta adrenergic-blocking agents, or [beta]-blockers, act [...]

Social distancing currently in place to reduce community spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in negative structural, social, psychological, and financial consequences. Loneliness is linked to adverse mental health and health outcomes, and facing COVID-19 can increase feelings of stress and loneliness. In this study, we aimed to gain a better understanding of how COVID-19 affects mental health in vulnerable populations. Data from 269 individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions (mean age 39.37; 56.1% male; 84.0% white) were collected to understand whether loneliness mediates the relationship between perceived COVID-19 stress and maladaptive COVID-19 coping strategies among people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. The findings suggest that loneliness serves as a partial mediator between perceived COVID-19 stress and maladaptive COVID-19 coping. Implications of the findings for public health and rehabilitation intervention for individuals with disabilities are discussed., There are a number of individual and environmental influences that contribute to college persistence and graduation of students with disabilities (SWD). On an individual level, they include a student's ability [...]

PE01.01 Screening for common mental disorders among anti-retroviral therapy (ART) users: Implications of case-finding for treatment of mental disorders, ART adherence and viral suppression A. Kagee (1); J. Bantjes (2); [...]

A neuroessentialist perspective holds that mental illness is the result of brain dysfunction. Unfortunately, essentialist beliefs promote the view that people with a mental illness are fundamentally different to people without a mental illness. This identification of difference, in turn, increases mental illness stigma. The primary aim of the current study was to compare the impact of biological (i.e., essentialist) and psychosocial explanations on mental illness stigma in students completing their Bachelor Degree in Psychology and non-psychology majors. Participants were 294 students, 170 of whom were completing a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. Consistent with previous work, our results revealed biological explanations led to higher essentialist beliefs and mental illness stigma for both psychology and non-psychology students. Keywords: Essentialism, Mental illness, Stigma., Introduction Neuroessentialism is the belief that our brains define us (Roskies, 2002). When applied to mental illness, a neuroessentialist perspective holds that mental illness is the result of brain dysfunction [...]

: Introduction: Empirical research on the burden and determinants of common mental disorders (CMDs), especially depression and anxiety, among older adults living with HIV (OALWH) in sub‐Saharan Africa is inadequate. To bridge the gap in Kenya we: (1) determined the prevalence of CMDs among OALWH on routine HIV care compared to HIV‐negative peers; (2) investigated HIV status as an independent predictor of CMDs in older adults; and (3) investigated CMD determinants. Methods: In a cross‐sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021, the prevalence of CMDs and associated determinants were investigated at the Kenyan coast among 440 adults aged ≥50 years (257 OALWH). The Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale were administered alongside measures capturing biopsychosocial information. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of CMDs. Results: No significant differences were found in the prevalence of mild depressive symptoms, 23.8% versus 18.2% (p = 0.16) and mild anxiety symptoms, 11.7% versus 7.2% (p = 0.12) among OALWH compared to HIV‐negative peers, respectively. HIV status was not independently predictive of CMDs. Among OALWH, higher perceived HIV‐related stigma, ageism, increasing household HIV burden, loneliness, increasing functional disability, sleeping difficulties, chronic fatigue and advanced age (>70 years) were associated with elevated CMDs. Among HIV‐negative older adults, loneliness, increased medication burden and sleeping difficulties were associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Easier access to HIV care was the only factor associated with lower CMDs among OALWH. Conclusions: On the Kenyan coast, the burden of moderate and severe CMDs among older adults is low; however, both OALWH and their HIV‐negative peers have a similar relatively high burden of mild depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our results also suggest that determinants of CMDs among OALWH in this setting are predominantly psychosocial factors. These results highlight the need for psychosocial interventions (at the family, community and clinical levels) to mitigate the risks of mild CMDs as they are known to be potentially debilitating., INTRODUCTION Common mental disorders (CMDs), especially depression and anxiety, are among the leading causes of disability worldwide [1, 2] and cost the global economy about US$1.2 trillion a year [3]. [...]

Introduction An earthquake with a moment magnitude ([M.sub.w]) of 5.4 occurred in Pohang, Korea, on 15 November 2017, and over 600 aftershocks occurred. (1) This series of earthquakes was the [...]

Background Early identification of hereditary cancer risk would save lives, but genetic testing (GT) has been inadequate. We assessed i) trends for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), Lynch syndrome, and other GT and ii) factors associated with receipt of GT. Methods We used data from the Arkansas All-Payer Claims Database from January 2013 through June 2018 (commercial, Medicaid), December 2017 (state employee), or December 2016 (Medicare) and identified enrollees with [greater than or equai to]1 month of enrollment. Using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) codes, rates for GT were calculated per 100,000 person-quarters and time series regressions estimated. Second, GT and covariate information for enrollees with 24 months of continuous enrollment were used to estimate separate logistic regression models for each GT category. Results Among 2,520,575 unique enrollees, HBOC testing rates were 2.2 (Medicaid), 22.0 (commercial), 40.4 (state employee), and 13.1(Medicare) per 100,000 person-quarters and increased linearly across all plans. Older age (OR=1.24; 95%CI 1.20 - 1.28), female sex (OR=18.91; 95%CI 13.01 - 28.86), higher comorbidity burden (OR=1.08; 95%CI 1.05 - 1.12), mental disorders (OR=1.53; 95%CI 1.15 - 2.00), and state employee coverage (OR=1.65; 95%CI 1.37 - 1.97) were positively associated with HBOC testing. Less than 1 of 10,000 enrollees received Lynch syndrome testing, while < 5 of 10,000 received HBOC testing. Conclusion GT rates for hereditary cancer syndromes have increased in Arkansas but remain low. Receipt of GT was explained with high discrimination by sex and plan type. Impact Expansion of GT for hereditary cancer risk in Arkansas is needed to identify high-risk individuals who could benefit from risk-reduction strategies. Keywords: Hereditary cancers, Genetic testing, Arkansas, All Payer Claims Data, Predictive model, Author(s): Mahip Acharya[sup.1], Kristin K. Zorn[sup.2], Melinda E. Simonson[sup.2], Milan Bimali[sup.3], Gary W. Moore[sup.1], Cheng Peng[sup.1] and Bradley C. Martin[sup.1] Introduction Screening individuals unaffected by cancer for hereditary cancer syndromes [...]