Search

Introduction: Family-Focused Adolescent & Lifelong Health Promotion (FLOURISH) project will adapt, implement and evaluate a programme to support adolescent mental health and well-being through strategies, such as strengthening parenting practices, adolescent-caregiver relationships, adolescent and parent socioemotional skills, and social support., Methods and Analysis: The project will focus on adolescents aged 10-14 years and their caregivers in North Macedonia and Moldova. The countries were selected based on implementation readiness of two organisations and a need for accessible evidence-informed services to help mitigate health risks due to economic, social and political challenges. Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) for Parents and Teens is a family-based programme developed for low-resource settings. PLH has been adapted with input from advisory groups. The programme includes additional components to strengthen impacts on adolescents: adolescent mental health tools, based on UNICEF's Helping Adolescents Thrive, adolescent peer support and participation booster. This pilot is first of three study phases. The pilot will be a feasibility testing of the adapted intervention and the assessment and implementation procedures to determine further refinements. The pilot will examine if the adapted programme is acceptable for adolescents, their families and providers, explore contextual factors relevant to embedding this programme into longer-term scale-up and investigate whether the programme can be delivered with fidelity and participation; whether the participants report changes in adolescent emotional and behavioural problems, well-being and other outcomes; and whether the study tools are feasible and appropriate. Pre-post adolescent and caregiver questionnaires will provide outcome data. Process evaluation will include attendance and fidelity data, and focus groups. We will examine delivery cost and resource requirements., Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved at the University of Klagenfurt (Austria), Medical Faculty at St. Cyril and Methodius University (North Macedonia) and National Committee of Ethical Expertise for Clinical Trials (Moldova). Through stakeholder engagement and dissemination, FLOURISH will advance scale-up of open-source family interventions., Trial Registration Number: Trial registration: ID101095528; project page: https://www.flourish-study.org/about.html; https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-study/., Competing Interests: Competing interests: VB, HMF, NH, GL, JM, MR, AP, YS and FW report participating in other research studies involving the PLH programme as investigators and team members. NH reports personal fees from academic institutions offering continued education for psychotherapy education in Germany, outside the submitted work, and NH has attended training in Triple P and PCIT. YS was involved in the South African trial, which is the previous large-scale evaluation of the PLH for Parents and Teens. HMF, NH, GL and MR were principal investigators on the previous Horizon European project, RISE, evaluating the PLH for Young Children in Moldova and North Macedonia. JS is the developer of the OxCAP-MH and PECUNIA RUM instruments. DW has no competing interest to declare., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Context: Evidence suggests that teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with long-term adverse outcomes, but these associations have not been systematically assessed., Objectives: To conduct a systematic review of the longitudinal associations between TDV and negative outcomes, including mental and physical health, reoccurrence of violence in intimate relationships, and high-risk behaviors (substance use and sexual behaviors)., Data Sources: Peer-reviewed articles published in English were searched in PsycINFO/Eric/PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science database from inception to November 2022., Study Selection: Prospective studies that assessed TDV during adolescence, had a follow-up of at least ≥1 year, and evaluated the associations of TDV with health, violence in romantic intimate relationships, or risk behaviors were included., Data Extraction: Study characteristics, baseline data, and follow-up outcomes were extracted from included studies., Results: Thirty-eight studies involving 23 unique samples were analyzed. Findings showed that TDV in adolescence was associated with future teen dating and intimate partner violence in adulthood. Studies also indicated that TDV was longitudinally associated with increasing high-risk behaviors (ie, marijuana and alcohol use) and poor mental health outcomes (particularly for victimization). There was unclear evidence on the longitudinal link between TDV and suicidal attempts. Significant associations between TDV and negative outcomes were reported more frequently among females compared with males., Limitations: Length of follow-up varied across studies., Conclusions: Dating violence in adolescence may represent a risk factor for a wide range of long-term outcomes. Female adolescents reporting TDV may be at higher risk of adverse outcomes compared with males., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Literature supports the positive effects of psychological well-being (P.W.B.) on health. However, most studies focused on the unitary construct of P.W.B., neglecting the different role played by distinct P.W.B. dimensions on health-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether unbalanced (i.e. low or high) levels of P.W.B. dimensions could differentially affect cardiac course after acute coronary syndrome (A.C.S.), in terms of participation in secondary prevention (S.P.) and/or survival. The sample included 136 depressed and/or demoralized A.C.S. patients referred for a S.P. program on lifestyle modification, in addition to routine cardiac visits provided by the hospital where they were admitted. Psychological assessment included validated interviews on depression and demoralization, Symptom Questionnaire and Psychological Well-Being scales. 100 patients joined the S.P. program, 36 did not. Logistic regression revealed that older age (B = 0.051; p < 0.05), higher autonomy (B = 0.070; p < 0.05) and lower personal growth (B = -0.073; p < 0.05) levels were associated with non-participation in S.P. Moreover, only among patients who did not join the program, those presenting with an impaired level of P.W.B. 'positive relations' dimension (i.e. below the 25 th percentile) showed a worse cardiac prognosis (Log Rank: χ 2 (1)  = 4.654; p = 0.031). Negative health outcomes in depressed cardiac patients, such as non-participation in S.P. and worse cardiac course, are associated with both high and low levels of certain P.W.B. dimensions. Psychotherapeutic approaches geared to a balance in P.W.B. dimensions could represent promising new additions to S.P. programs.

Importance: Sexual violence is a public health problem that affects adolescents globally. To our knowledge, no meta-analysis of prevention programs for adolescent sexual violence has been conducted., Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of psychosocial programs for preventing sexual violence during adolescence., Data Sources: Peer-reviewed articles published in English were searched in PsycINFO, ERIC, PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science databases through December 2021., Study Selection: Studies were included if they were randomized clinical trials assessing the efficacy of a psychosocial prevention program targeting sexual violence and delivered to adolescents aged 10 to 19 years., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to identify studies. The quality of individual studies was assessed with the Revised Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. A random-effects model was used to pool odds ratios (ORs). Exploratory subgroup and metaregression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between moderators and effect sizes., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were perpetration of sexual violence, experience of sexual violence, and a composite measure of any perpetration or experience of sexual violence., Results: Data were analyzed from 20 trials involving 37 294 adolescents. Compared with control conditions, prevention programs were associated with a significant reduction in the perpetration (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73-0.95; P = .005) and experience (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.98; P = .02) of sexual violence, as well as a 13% significant reduction of any sexual violence (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97; P = .009). Exploratory analyses of the combination of program setting and participant age indicated that programs that were delivered in school settings and targeted at adolescents aged 15 to 19 years yielded significantly larger effect sizes (Cochran Q = 4.8; P = .03) compared with programs that were either delivered outside of a school setting or targeted younger adolescents. Quality assessment of trials revealed concerns of risk of bias across several included studies., Conclusions and Relevance: In this meta-analysis, evidence suggested that prevention programs were associated with reducing adolescent sexual violence, especially when implemented at school with older adolescents. However, there is need for additional high-quality research. Prevention of adolescent sexual violence remains understudied compared with other similarly important public health prevention targets.

Teen Psychological Dating Violence (TPDV) is a serious public health concern. However, there is limited evidence on the capacity of programs to prevent this form of violence. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to evaluate the efficacy of prevention programs for TPDV. PsycINFO/Eric/PsycArticles, PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception through January 2021 to identify RCTs of prevention programs for adolescents that reported a measure of TPDV. The effect sizes were computed as the difference between the prevention program and control group at post or follow-up assessment by calculating Hedges's g with a random-effect model. Thirteen trials met inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. There was a small but significant effect size in favor of the prevention group as compared to the control condition for victimization (g = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.37; p < 0.001) and perpetration (g = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.37; p < 0.001) of TPDV. Overall, the combined effect size for any TPDV perpetration/victimization was 0.22 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.34; p < 0.001). Exploratory subgroup analysis showed that programs implemented at multiple levels (such as home, school, community) reported significantly larger effect sizes compared to single-level interventions. Significant differences in effect sizes were also associated with the type of scale used to assess TPDV. Current evidence suggests that intervention programs for TPDV may be effective, particularly when implemented at multiple levels. Further research focusing on refining tools to assess TPDV is needed., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Sexual and physical dating violence is prevalent among adolescents and is associated with adverse health effects., Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials to assess the efficacy of prevention programs for sexual and physical dating violence in adolescents., Data Sources: Search terms were combined for dating violence, adolescents, and randomized clinical trials in PsycINFO/Eric/PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science databases from inception through April 2021., Study Selection: Included studies had a randomized design of any type examining the efficacy of an intervention to reduce dating violence among adolescents and provided at least 1 measure of sexual or physical dating violence., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data extraction coded characteristics of trials, participants, and interventions and assessed risk of bias using the Revised Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. Outcomes were pooled using a random-effects model. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore the target population and intervention factors associated with positive outcomes., Main Outcomes and Measures: The odds ratio (OR) was calculated for 3 different outcomes: (1) sexual dating violence, (2) physical dating violence, and (3) composite measures of sexual and physical dating violence. For each outcome, separate analyses were conducted for survivorship and perpetration scores. We also combined the scores of physical/sexual violence and perpetration/survivorship of teen dating violence into a single composite overall outcome including all studies., Results: Eighteen trials (22 781 adolescents) were included. Overall, interventions were associated with reduced physical and sexual dating violence (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69-0.89; P < .001). Separate analyses further indicated that this association was significant for physical violence perpetration (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.92; P = .01) and survivorship (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95; P = .01). For sexual violence, the association was not statistically significant. Exploratory subgroup analyses revealed that trials targeting at-risk youth, older adolescents (age >15 years), and trials involving parents in the intervention reported significantly larger effect sizes. Meta-regression analyses did not show any significant associations between intervention effect sizes and length or intensity of the programs. Publication bias was observed, but the adjusted ORs remained significant. Three studies reported iatrogenic associations., Conclusions and Relevance: Findings from this study suggest that prevention programs may be effective in reducing physical teen dating violence, but there is unclear evidence of the effect on sexual violence outcomes. Further research assessing the active ingredients of interventions, especially in the area of sexual dating violence, is warranted.

Psychosocial problems are highly prevalent among primary care (PC) patients, but they often remain undetected using traditional classification systems. The aim of the present study was to test the incremental validity of the revised version of the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR-R), in addition to standard psychiatric assessment based on DSM-5, with regard to the prediction of psychosocial functioning of PC patients. Two-hundred PC patients were consecutively recruited. A comprehensive assessment was performed using two clinical interviews and three self-rating questionnaires (the PsychoSocial Index [PSI], the Short-Form Health Survey [SF-12] and the Illness Attitude Scales [IAS]) for the assessment of psychopathology and psychosocial functioning. Adding the DCPR-R to DSM-5, the amount of explained variance significantly increased by 9% to 16% in the PSI subscales, by 13% in the SF-12 mental component summary, and by 2% to 6% in the IAS scales. The joint use of DCPR-R and DSM-5 thus significantly increased the prediction of psychosocial functioning of primary care patients. These findings further support the use of the DCPR-R in PC settings, particularly in patients who do not satisfy DSM-5 criteria and yet present with high psychological distress, maladaptive illness behavior, impaired psychological well-being and quality of life., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is increasing interest in understanding the contributions of fathers to child and family psychosocial conditions. However, fatherhood has been largely unexplored in relation to children born of conflict-related sexual violence., Objective: This paper aims to explore the realities and perspectives of children born of rape during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and in particular, their views on fatherhood and their biological fathers (who were perpetrators of sexual violence)., Participants and Settings: The sample included 60 youth (29 females/31 males), aged 20/21 years old. Participants were recruited through professional networks in three regions of Rwanda. Youth participants were aware of the circumstances of their birth., Methods: In-depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions were used to garner youth's perspectives and experiences. Inductive forms of data analysis were used whereby through careful reading and coding of transcripts the researchers identified key themes that were emerging from the data., Results: Youth participants reported ambivalent and often conflictual feelings towards their father, tension-filled relationships with their mother, and maltreatment perpetrated by step-fathers. Despite their absence, fathers held a significant, vital and symbolic role in participants' perceptions of themselves, sense of identity, and family belonging., Conclusions: Children born of rape live with the intergenerational legacy of sexual violence in a context of father absence, strained family relationships, and community stigma. Specific father-related challenges need to be addressed when planning family, community and social policies and programs for children and youth in post-conflict societies., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The role of psychosocial stress in the development of essential hypertension has attracted increasing attention in the last decades, even though research findings have been often inconclusive. We specifically investigated allostatic overload (AO) in hypertensive patients using a clinimetric approach. Allostatic overload was assessed by a semi-structured research interview based on clinimetric criteria in 80 consecutive outpatients with essential hypertension (46.3 % females; mean age 62.18 ± 8.59 years; age range 47-74 years) and 80 normotensive matched controls. Three clinical interviews and two self-rating questionnaires for assessing psychological distress and well-being were also administered. Cardiac variables were collected. AO was present in 26 (32.5 %) of the hypertensive patients based on clinical interviewing, and in only 6 normotensive controls (p < .001). Hypertensive patients with AO had significantly higher levels of psychological distress than those without. Further, patients with AO displayed significantly lower levels of well-being and quality of life (p < .001). A significantly greater prevalence of psychosomatic syndromes was found to be associated with the presence of AO (p < .05), whereas no significant association was detected as to psychiatric diagnoses. Significantly greater cardiovascular risk was found among hypertensive patients reporting AO compared to those without (p < .05). The results of this study support the clinical relevance of a psychological assessment of hypertensive patients, with important implications for the non-pharmacological management of hypertension., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A number of studies have documented psychosocial problems, psychiatric morbidity and impaired quality of life in primary care patients., Objective: The aim of this trial was to test the usefulness of the joint use of different diagnostic interviews and self-rated questionnaires., Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients in a primary care practice in Italy underwent the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 and the Semi-Structured Interview for the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) in its recently revised form. As self-rated evaluations, the PsychoSocial Index, the Short-Form Health Survey and the Illness Attitude Scales were administered., Results: There were 46 patients (23%) with at least 1 DSM-5 diagnosis. Eighty-eight patients (44%) had at least 1 DCPR diagnosis, mainly maladaptive illness behavior (26.5%), allostatic overload (15.5%) and demoralization (15%). There were 47 (23.5%) patients who had a DCPR diagnosis only; 5 subjects (2.5%) had a DSM diagnosis only. Patients with DCPR syndromes displayed significantly higher self-rated levels of stress, psychological distress and maladaptive illness behavior and significantly lower levels of quality of life and well-being than patients with no diagnoses., Conclusions: In a busy clinical setting, a simple self-rated questionnaire such as the PsychoSocial Index may afford a useful tool to unveil patient current distress. The DCPR can provide clinical information for a substantial number of patients who do not satisfy DSM-5 classification criteria and yet present with psychosocial problems, as measured by self-rated scales. The DCPR may improve the assessment and treatment plan of primary care psychologists or consulting psychiatrists., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

We explored the reality of mothers of children born of rape during the Rwandan genocide, particularly as it related to psychological well-being, stigma, recovery, and discussed relevant issues for mental health and psycho-social support interventions. Forty-four mothers participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Participants reported long-term psychological impacts resulting from sexual violence. Stigmatization and rejection from family and community aggravated psychological distress and affected their capacity to recover. Given participants' demonstrated capacity to overcome adversity, culturally appropriate mental health interventions are needed to promote well-being and social reintegration of mothers who bore children born of rape, while reducing stigmatization.

Background: The Psychosocial Index (PSI) is a self-rating scale based on clinimetric principles that is simple to use in a busy clinical setting. It can be integrated by observer-rated clinical judgment, providing a first-line, comprehensive assessment of stress, well-being, distress, illness behavior, and quality of life. By calculation of scores, it can be used for conventional psychological measurements. Its clinical applications and clinimetric properties are reviewed. The present version of the PSI has been slightly revised. In addition, a modified version for use in adolescents and young adults (PSI-Young; PSI-Y) is also included., Methods: Articles that involved the use of the PSI were identified by searching the Web of Science database from 1998 to February 2016 and by a manual search of the literature., Results: A total of 20 studies reporting results from the use of PSI were included. The PSI has been employed in various clinical populations in different countries and showed high sensitivity. It significantly discriminated varying degrees of psychosocial impairment in different populations. When subjects were identified by categorical criteria (presence of allostatic overload, psychosomatic syndromes, psychiatric disorders), the PSI scores were significantly different across subgroups., Conclusions: In clinical practice, scanning the list of symptoms allows clinicians to assess rapidly which symptoms and problems are perceived as most troublesome. In research settings, the use of scores makes the PSI a valid and sensitive tool in differentiating levels of psychosocial variables among groups., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)