Background: Despite its popularity, evidence of the effectiveness of Psychological First Aid (PFA) is scarce.Objective: To assess whether PFA, compared to psychoeducation (PsyEd), an attention placebo control, reduces PTSD and depressive symptoms three months post-intervention.Methods: In two emergency departments, 166 recent-trauma adult survivors were randomised to a single session of PFA (n = 78) (active listening, breathing retraining, categorisation of needs, assisted referral to social networks, and PsyEd) or stand-alone PsyEd (n = 88). PTSD and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline (T0), one (T1), and three months post-intervention (T2) with the PTSD Checklist (PCL-C at T0 and PCL-S at T1/T2) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Self-reported side effects, post-trauma increased alcohol/substance consumption and interpersonal conflicts, and use of psychotropics, psychotherapy, sick leave, and complementary/alternative medicine were also explored.Results: 86 participants (51.81% of those randomised) dropped out at T2. A significant proportion of participants in the PsyEd group also received PFA components (i.e. contamination). From T0 to T2, we did not find a significant advantage of PFA in reducing PTSD (p = .148) or depressive symptoms (p = .201). However, we found a significant dose-response effect between the number of delivered components, session duration, and PTSD symptom reduction. No significant difference in self-reported adverse effects was found. At T2, a smaller proportion of participants assigned to PFA reported increased consumption of alcohol/substances (OR = 0.09, p = .003), interpersonal conflicts (OR = 0.27, p = .014), and having used psychotropics (OR = 0.23, p = .013) or sick leave (OR = 0.11, p = .047).Conclusions: Three months post-intervention, we did not find evidence that PFA outperforms PsyEd in reducing PTSD or depressive symptoms. Contamination may have affected our results. PFA, nonetheless, appears to be promising in modifying some post-trauma behaviours. Further research is needed.
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is widely recommended early after trauma.We assessed PFA\'s effectiveness for decreasing PTSD symptoms and other problems 3 months post-trauma.We didn\'t find definitive evidence of PFA’s effectiveness. Still, it seems to be a safe intervention.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is an evidence-based, non-pharmacological intervention for older adults with mild to moderate dementia. While CST has been adapted in various ways, this study explored the impact of adding a spiritual dimension to CST. Participants (N = 34) were divided into spiritual and traditional CST groups based on their residence. After a 14-session intervention involving interactive conversations, the spiritual CST group showed significantly lower depression scores (M = 2.7) compared to traditional CST (M = 6.5). With the global increase in dementia-related disorders, non-pharmacological interventions like CST offer crucial support for addressing memory loss. Social workers are uniquely positioned to deliver CST to diverse populations who value spirituality or faith in their daily lives.

UNASSIGNED: Comparing the anxiety and depression severity and their impact on subsequent birth outcomes in pregnant women before and during Omicron wave in Shanghai in 2022.
UNASSIGNED: The depression-anxiety symptoms networks were compared between the pregnant women during the outbreak period (outbreak group; n = 783) and a matched control group of pregnant women before the outbreak (pre-outbreak group; n = 783). The impact of baseline mental state on follow-up pregnancy and neonatal outcomes was also explored by logistic regression.
UNASSIGNED: Levels of depression and anxiety between the two groups were not significant different. Network analysis showed that central symptom \"trouble relaxing\" and bridge symptom \"depressed mood\" shared by both groups. Different symptom associations in different periods of the pandemic. Total scores and sub-symptom scores of prenatal depressive and anxious severities increased the odds ratios of maternal and neonatal syndromes. The influence of mental state on gestational and neonatal outcomes differed across different pandemic periods.
UNASSIGNED: The Omicron wave did not have a significant negative impact on the depressive and anxious mood in pregnant women. Targeting central and bridge symptoms intervention may be effective in reducing their adverse effects on co-occurring of anxious and depressive mood and birth outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) is a prevalent yet often overlooked complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), impacting multiple organs and substantially elevating the risk of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of yoga-based intervention (YBI) compared to the American Diabetes Association exercise regimen (ADA Ex. Regime) and standard care for treating autonomic neuropathy in type 2 DM.
METHODS: This open-label exploratory clinical trial featured two parallel study arms: Group A (Intervention), which received YBI alongside standard care, and Group B, which adhered to the ADA Ex. Regime in conjunction with standard care. A total of 80 participants aged 35-60, diagnosed with type 2 DM and autonomic neuropathy, were equally allocated to both groups. Data collection included nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests, autonomic function tests (AFTs), as well as evaluations of depression and quality of life.
RESULTS: YBI demonstrated a drop in parasympathetic tone compared to the ADA Ex. Regime. Following a six-month intervention, the sympathetic activity indicator (SD2) exhibited a significantly lower value in the YBI group than in the ADA Ex. Regime group, indicating a positive effect (p < 0.05), while the ADA Ex. Regime showed more improvement in certain areas of NCV (e.g., left and right peroneal NCV, right and left peroneal F-latency), notable differences were observed in alkaline phosphatase levels, depression scores, and WHO-5 wellness, all reaching statistical significance at p < 0.05.
CONCLUSIONS: The study findings observed that a 24-week YBI significantly reduced in symptoms of diabetic neuropathy and stress. Although the ADA Ex. Regime demonstrated greater improvement in specific aspects of NCV compared to YBI, YBI outperformed the ADA Ex. Regime in enhancing WHO-5 wellness and reducing depression symptoms.

UNASSIGNED: Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) is a well-studied intervention known for its positive effects on emotional, cognitive, and physiological well-being, including relief from depressive symptoms. However, its practical use is hampered by high costs and a lack of trained professionals. Smartphone-based HRVB, which eliminates the need for external devices, offers a promising alternative, albeit with limited research. Additionally, premenstrual symptoms are highly prevalent among menstruating individuals, and there is a need for low-cost, accessible interventions with minimal side effects. With this pilot study, we aim to test, for the first time, the influence of smartphone-based HRVB on depressive and premenstrual symptoms, as well as anxiety/stress symptoms and attentional control.
UNASSIGNED: Twenty-seven participants with above-average premenstrual or depressive symptoms underwent a 4-week photoplethysmography smartphone-based HRVB intervention using a waitlist-control design. Laboratory sessions were conducted before and after the intervention, spaced exactly 4 weeks apart. Assessments included resting vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), attentional control via the revised attention network test (ANT-R), depressive symptoms assessed with the BDI-II questionnaire, and stress/anxiety symptoms measured using the DASS questionnaire. Premenstrual symptomatology was recorded through the PAF questionnaire if applicable. Data analysis employed linear mixed models.
UNASSIGNED: We observed improvements in premenstrual, depressive, and anxiety/stress symptoms, as well as the Executive Functioning Score of the ANT-R during the intervention period but not during the waitlist phase. However, we did not find significant changes in vmHRV or the Orienting Score of the ANT-R.
UNASSIGNED: These findings are promising, both in terms of the effectiveness of smartphone-based HRVB and its potential to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. Nevertheless, to provide a solid recommendation regarding the use of HRVB for improving premenstrual symptoms, further research with a larger sample size is needed to replicate these effects.

Socioeconomic status\' (SES) impact on depressive symptoms has been extensively examined; however, previous studies have generally used variable-centered approaches and cross-sectional designs. Therefore, this study explored the subtypes of depression and examined the degree of association between SES and latent transition probabilities. We used latent profile and latent transition analyses with the 2015 and 2018 waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 4904). Three subtypes of depression were identified based on symptoms: severe symptom (SS), low symptom (LS), and sub-health (MS). The SS subtype had the highest probability of staying within the original subtype. Individuals in the MS subtype were more likely to move to the SS subtype than those in the LS subtype. The heterogeneity analysis also showed that the effect of SES on latent transition probabilities is heterogeneous to the satisfaction with their relationship with their children, as well as the number of children. Additionally, decision tree analysis found SES and gender can predict transitioning. These findings add to literature on the effects of SES on the heterogeneity of depression and have implications for depression screening and identifying individuals in need of targeted interventions.

Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) was found to significantly improve cognitive function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia in the UK. However, indigenous research on older adults with dementia in Taiwan is scarce. Therefore, this study developed and investigated the effects of a Taiwan version of group CST (CST-T) through a quasi-experimental trial. Excluding the dropouts, there were 13 experimental participants (M = 78.9 ± 9.0) and 13 control participants (77.9 ± 5.6). The results indicated significant improvements in cognitive function, QOL, and daily life functioning in the experimental group compared with the control group, and these effects remained evident at a 3-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of preoperative anxiety and depression on subjective function, pain and revision rates following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
METHODS: A prospective comparative study was conducted, including 349 patients undergoing TKA surgery between January 2019 and April 2021. Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire preoperatively, and a set of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) preoperatively and at 6, 12 and 24 months postoperatively. Patients were categorized into anxiety and depression groups based on HADS scores. PROMs included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score-Physical Function Shortform (KOOS-PS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and NRS-Pain. Differences in PROM scores between the anxiety/depression group and, respectively, nonanxiety/nondepression group were assessed, as well as differences in minimal clinical important difference (MCID) and attainment of Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS). Lastly, revision rates were compared.
RESULTS: Anxiety and depression groups exhibited inferior subjective function preoperatively and postoperatively compared to nonanxiety and nondepression groups (all p < 0.05), experienced more pain preoperatively (p < 0.001) and also postoperatively for depression patients (all p < 0.05). Significantly fewer patients with anxiety and depression reached the PASS for KOOS-PS, OKS and NRS-Pain (all p < 0.05). There were no differences in the proportion of patients reaching the MCID for all PROMs (all p > 0.060), and revision rates did not differ between groups (both p > 0.96).
CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anxiety and depression negatively influence subjective function and pain preoperatively and up to 2-year follow-up in patients undergoing TKA. Revision rates did not differ between groups, and there were no relevant differences in clinical improvement of subjective function and pain.
METHODS: Level II, prospective comparative study.

Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSHL) is a sudden onset, unexplained sensorineural hearing loss. Depression is a common mental disorder and a leading cause of disability. Here, We used a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach using pooled statistics from genome-wide association studies of ISSHL (1491 cases, 196,592 controls) and depression (23,424 cases, 192,220 controls) in European populations. This study investigated the bidirectional relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with depression and ISSHL using inverse variance weighting.Additional sensitivity analyses, such as Mendelian randomization-Egger (MR-Egger), weighted median estimates, and leave-one-out analysis, were performed to assess the reliability of the findings. Significant causal association between genetic susceptibility to ISSHL and depression in a random-effects IVW approach (OR = 1.037, 95% CI = 1.004-1.072, P = 0.030). In contrast, genetic depression was not risk factors for ISSHL (OR = 1.134, 95% CI = 0.871-1.475, P = 0.350). After validation by different MR methods and the sensitivity analysis, all of the above results are consistent. The evidence we have gathered suggests a causal relationship between ISSHL and depression. The presence of the former induces or further exacerbates the latter, whereas a similar situation does not exist when the latter is an influencing factor.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the associations between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and examine the potential mediating role of depression in these correlations.
METHODS: 19,165 participants across five NHANES cycles from 2007 to 2016 participated in this study. Multifactorial Cox regression models between RA, depression and two mortality outcomes and multifactorial regression models between RA and depression were constructed to examine their associations. The mediating role of depression has also been investigated.
RESULTS: The prevalence of RA in this study was 6.57 %, the all-cause mortality of RA patients was 20.57 %, and the CVD-related mortality was 6.12 %. In the fully adjusted model, RA was associated with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.28, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.12 to 1.48] and CVD-related mortality (HR = 1.33, 95 % CI = 1.03 to 1.72), without detectable interaction among subgroups (P for interaction >0.05). RA also had a positive correlation with depression. Depression score demonstrated pronounced mediating effects in the connections between RA and two types of mortality, with mediation ratios of 18.2 % and 18.9 %.
CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of RA is self-reported and may be subject to recall bias.
CONCLUSIONS: RA was positively correlated with the risk of all-cause mortality and CVD-related mortality. Depression partially mediates these associations. Close attention to and active improvement of mental health in RA patients will be critical to decrease all-cause mortality and CVD-related mortality.