Cash transfer programmes (CTPs) provide financial support to alleviate poverty and promote economic stability. The Bolsa Família Programme (BFP), a Brazilian initiative and the world’s largest CTP by number of beneficiaries, aims to improve living conditions. While poverty is closely linked to poor mental health, evidence regarding the specific effects of CTPs on young adults’ mental health remains limited, underscoring the need for further research.

To understand the meaning attributed to the BFP by young adults regarding their future aspirations and mental health, as well as perspectives from providers.

This qualitative study was conducted at the outskirts of São Paulo city, involving 12 in-depth interviews with young adults aged 18–24 years and 2 focus groups comprising 17 health and social assistance professionals.

Thematic analysis identified four themes according with interviews and focus groups: (a) perceptions about poverty (hopelessness and lack of opportunities); (b) impact of poverty on mental health (anxiety, unpredictability and hopelessness as consequences of living in poverty); (c) young adults’ needs and aspirations (job opportunities as the main expectation for a better future); and (d) BFP limitations and opportunities for improvement (BFP perceived as just one of the survival strategies but not impacting life opportunities for young adults).

The BFP was valued as essential for meeting poor families’ basic needs. Employment opportunities were central to young adults’ expectations, often causing anguish and anxiety. Expanding the BFP to include employment and income-generation policies could better support the mental health and life opportunities of vulnerable youth.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Investigating early-stage alterations in cerebral intrinsic activity among drug-naive patients may enhance our understanding of MDD’s neurobiological mechanisms and contribute to early diagnosis and intervention.

To examine alterations in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in first-episode, drug-naive MDD individuals and explore associations between ALFF changes and clinical parameters, including depression severity and illness duration.

A total of 30 first-episode, drug-naive MDD individuals (mean illness duration 14 weeks) and 52 healthy controls were included in this study. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to obtain whole-brain ALFF measurements. Voxel-based ALFF maps were compared between MDD and healthy control groups using a two-sample t-test. Simple regression analysis was performed to assess associations between ALFF and clinical measures, including Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) scores and illness duration.

MDD individuals exhibited significantly increased ALFF in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and vermal subregion V3 of the cerebellum. Additionally, ALFF in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was negatively correlated with HAMD scores (r = –0.591, P < 0.001). However, no significant association was found between ALFF and illness duration.

This study demonstrates early-stage ALFF alterations in drug-naive MDD patients, particularly in brain regions implicated in cognitive and emotional regulation. These findings suggest potential neuroimaging biomarkers for the early diagnosis and intervention of MDD.

There is a need for better collaborative care between services to improve healthcare provision for people with intellectual disabilities. In the UK, the learning disability psychiatry multidisciplinary team (MDT) is a specialist team responsible for providing and coordinating care for people with intellectual disabilities.

To document learning disability MDT perspectives on factors influencing healthcare quality for people with intellectual disabilities.

Healthcare professionals who were members of a learning disability MDT within a National Health Service Trust in the West Midlands were purposively sampled for interview (n = 11). Participants included psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. Data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s six-stage approach.

Factors influencing the quality of healthcare provision included: the learning disability MDT working to overcome systemic barriers; the consequences of specific failures within mainstream healthcare services, such as diagnostic overshadowing; inadequate use of information collated in health passports; and inadequate capacity assessments of people with intellectual disabilities. Improvements in healthcare provision for people with intellectual disabilities require better accessibility to healthcare and better training for healthcare professionals so they can understand the health needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

A rapid review of practices around health passports for people with intellectual disabilities should be conducted. Healthcare professionals working in mainstream healthcare services need an increased awareness of the harms of diagnostic overshadowing and inadequate capacity assessments. Conclusions are based on findings from MDTs within one health board; future work may focus on understanding perspectives from different teams.

Easily accessible, impactful, evidence-based resources are needed to assist mental health workers to best support voice-hearers in managing and living well with voices. Let’s Talk About Voices (LTAV) is an innovative suite of resources designed for mental health workers to use in supporting voice-hearers.

This study aimed to assess the impact of LTAV on mental health workers’ self-reported capacity to work with voice-hearers.

A randomised, controlled crossover design was used, with assessment at three time points. The assessment measure was co-developed by researchers, clinicians, peer workers and voice-hearers based on the aims of LTAV and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Participants were randomised into two groups. The immediate group received access to LTAV following the first assessment; the delayed group received access following the second assessment. In total, 256 mental health workers commenced the study, with 120 completing all assessments.

Between-group comparisons for change between times 1 and 2 found a significant difference with a large effect size (F = 40.2, P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.19). Significance remained on intention-to-treat analysis (F = 22.9, P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.08). Pairwise repeated-measures comparisons found a significant increase in scores for both groups following access to LTAV, which was sustained at follow-up. Fourteen of 24 individual items showed significant change. Changes were consistent across professions, work settings and experience working with voice-hearers, but those with less confidence in working with voice-hearers on intake showed significantly stronger improvements.

This research indicates that LTAV has the potential to substantially improve mental health workers’ attitudes and confidence in supporting voice-hearers.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), an NHS England service providing talking therapies, is meeting its target recovery rate of 50%. However, engagement in treatment, as well as recovery rates, may be lower for some groups.

To assess variation in treatment completion and recovery rates by demographic and socioeconomic group and to describe rates of further referrals for patients to IAPT and secondary mental health services.

Using 121 548 administrative records for 2019–2020 and 2022–2023 for the Norfolk and Waveney area, we estimated associations of age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation with the likelihood of treatment completion and recovery using logistic regression modelling. We also described rates of further referrals.

Younger people and those living in deprived areas were less likely to recover or complete treatment, with those aged 16–17 years (n = 735) having the lowest adjusted odds for recovery (adjusted odds ratio = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.5–0.6) compared with those aged 36–70 years, and those aged 18–24 years (n = 23 563) having the lowest rate of completion (adjusted odds ratio = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.5–0.6). Further referrals before April 2022 were recorded for 45.4% of 6513 patients who had completed treatment and 68.8% of 9469 who had not completed treatment, and for 39.4% of 2007 recovered patients in 2019–2020 and 53.1% of 1586 who had not recovered. Non-completers had relatively more further referrals to secondary mental health services compared with completers (43.6% v. 22.8%; P < 0.01).

Younger people and those living in deprived areas have lower recovery and completion rates. Those who have completed treatment and not recovered have higher rates of further referrals.

Diagnostic accuracy is an unmet need for major depressive disorder (MDD) and major depressive episode (MDE) in bipolar disorder. Very limited research has evaluated bipolar disorder/MDE and MDD using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) time-series data.

We aimed to examine differentiating phenomenological characteristics in positive affect dynamics, and temporal relationships with pleasure towards current activity and meaning in life (MIL), among MDD, MDE/bipolar disorder and healthy controls using EMA.

Participants (N = 88, mean age 28.7 years, 69% female), including individuals with MDD (n = 29) and MDE/bipolar disorder (n = 29) and healthy controls (n = 30), were assessed for positive affect, pleasure and MIL 5 times daily over a 2-week period. Multilevel modelling analysis was conducted, with estimation of first-order autoregressive model structure and time-lagged relationship between pleasure and positive affect.

From 4632 EMA observations, positive affect dynamics (inertia, variability and instability) did not differ significantly across groups (all P > 0.05). Although all groups demonstrated a bidirectional relationship between positive affect and pleasure, for MDE/bipolar disorder, both pleasuret − 1 (β = −0.11, t[51.09] = −2.31, P = 0.025) and positive affectt − 1 (β = −0.13, t[56.54] = −2.30, P = 0.025) predicted subsequent MIL less significantly than for MDD and healthy controls.

Individuals with MDE/bipolar disorder, but not MDD, had less self-reported MIL from positive affect and pleasure. There is little evidence that emotional experience alone characterises the pathophysiology between MDD and MDE/bipolar disorder; such investigation may be limited by within-group heterogeneity. Our findings provide a new perspective on using a time-series approach beyond bimodal measures in EMA to differentiate bipolar disorder/MDE and MDD.

People from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be impacted by global disasters than White ethnic groups due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. A lack of trust in mainstream support services, which have often accounted poorly for the needs of those communities, contributes to further discrimination and disadvantage.

This study was conducted in 2022, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, to survey the overall well-being and healthcare needs of UK families with a Black ethnic background.

A total of 2124 parents completed an online survey that included measures of psychological well-being, children’s difficulties, family healthcare needs and perception of support both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seventy per cent of parents reported high levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and over half identified high emotional and relational difficulties in their children. Higher levels of distress in parents correlated with greater difficulties in children and poorer parent–child relationships. Community support was associated with greater parental well-being and fewer child difficulties. Parents sought support from formal support networks when health issues were perceived as more severe.

This study engaged a large sample of families from Black ethnic backgrounds, but recruitment may have been biased by sociodemographic characteristics. Levels of psychological distress were high, possibly due to pre-existing and enduring exposure to difficult life circumstances. Support from community networks was perceived as helpful, especially by those with milder levels of psychological distress. The strong association between parents’ and children’s well-being suggests that family-focused interventions could be beneficial, especially if culturally adapted.

Mental illnesses constitute a large and escalating portion of the global burden of disease, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Uganda. Understanding community perceptions towards mental illness is crucial for developing effective interventions.

To explore beliefs about the perceived causes and treatment of common mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder) and suicidality in rural eastern Uganda.

Qualitative study using 31 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions with healthcare workers, community health workers, community leaders and general community members in Buyende District, Uganda. Vignettes were used to depict mental illnesses to elicit perceptions, and data were analysed using the framework method.

Two main themes emerged: perceived causes and treatment of mental illness. Participants identified three primary perceived causes: psychosocial (predominantly financial stress), biological and supernatural. Community support was most frequently endorsed as a perceived effective treatment, followed by biomedical interventions and alternative therapies.

This study identifies common beliefs regarding the causes and perceptions of mental illness in rural Uganda. The predominant focus on financial stressors as a cause of mental illness, coupled with strong emphasis and belief in the effectiveness of community-based support as treatment, highlights the need for context-specific mental health interventions.

Existing panel studies on the relationships between cognition and depressive symptoms did not systematically separate between- and within-person components, with measurement time lags that are too long for precise assessment of dynamic within-person relationships.

To investigate the bidirectional relationships between cognition and depressive symptoms and examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors via random-intercept, cross-lagged panel modelling (RI-CLPM) in middle-aged and older adults.

The sample comprised 24 425 community-based residents aged 45 years or above, recruited via five waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2020). Cognition was evaluated using the Telephone Interview of Cognition Status, and depressive symptoms were assessed by the ten-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. RI-CLPM included sociodemographic and lifestyle factors as time-invariant and -varying covariates. Subgroup analysis was conducted across gender, age groups and urban/rural regions.

RI-CLPM showed a superior fit to cross-lagged panel models. Male, higher education, married, urban region, non-smoking, currently working and participation in social activities were linked with better cognition and fewer depressive symptoms. Overall, cognition and depressive symptoms showed significant and negative bidirectional cross-lagged effects over time. Despite similar cross-lagged effects across gender, subgroup analysis across urbanicity found that cross-lagged effects were not significant in urban regions.

The present study provided nuanced results on negative bidirectional relationships between cognition and depressive symptoms in Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Our results highlight the health disparities in cognitive and emotional health across urbanicity and age groups.

CD33 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease primarily through its role in inhibiting the clearance of beta-amyloid (Aβ). However, genetic studies yield mixed results and it is unclear whether the impact of CD33 is specific to Alzheimer’s disease or related to broader neurodegenerative processes. Interestingly, CD33 has also been shown to interact with the hepatitis B (HBV) and C viruses (HCV).

This study aims to investigate the effects of CD33 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on cognitive functions across diverse populations, including healthy controls, individuals with chronic HBV or HCV and those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

We genotyped CD33 SNPs in 563 participants using the Affymetrix platform. Participants’ cognitive functions were cross-sectionally assessed using a neuropsychological test battery spanning six domains.

Our analysis revealed that CD33 SNP variations had no significant cognitive impact on healthy individuals or Parkinson’s disease patients. However, chronic HBV and HCV patients exhibited significant cognitive differences, particularly in memory, related to CD33 SNP genotypes. Moderation analysis indicated a heightened influence of CD33 SNPs on cognitive functions in chronic HBV and HCV individuals. Our data also suggest that inflammation severity may modulate the cognitive effects in hepatitis patients with specific CD33 SNPs.

This study highlights the importance of CD33 SNPs in cognitive outcomes, emphasising their role in the context of chronic viral hepatitis. It contributes to understanding the cognitive profiles influenced by CD33 SNPs and posits CD33’s potential contribution to neurodegenerative disease progression, potentially intensified by HBV/HCV-induced inflammation.

Some individuals experience abnormally persistent and intense symptoms of grief that significantly interfere with daily functioning. This condition has been described using terms such as complicated or prolonged grief and prolonged grief disorder (PGD).

To identify the availability of evidence addressing a range of policy relevant issues related to grief, bereavement and PGD. In this paper we focus on the availability of evidence from systematic reviews.

We searched 12 databases and the websites of 18 grief- or bereavement-related organisations. Using key characteristics extracted from included reviews, we produced a high-level overview of the available evidence that enabled potential research gaps to be identified.

We identified 212 reviews – 103 focused on people’s experiences of grief/bereavement including service use; 22 reported on PGD prevalence, 42 on PGD risk factors, 37 on factors that influence grief more broadly and 80 on the effectiveness of grief-related interventions. Fifty-five reviews focused on multiple issues of interest. Half of reviews focused on a specific cause/type of death (n = 108). Of these reviews, most focused on three main causes/types of death: a specific health condition or terminal illness (n = 36), perinatal loss (n = 34) and suicide (n = 20).

We identified a large number of reviews, but key evidence gaps exist, particularly in relation to intervention cost-effectiveness and social, organisational or structural-level interventions that are needed for addressing inequities and other modifiable factors that can impair grieving and potentially increase the risk of PGD.

Inequality can increase the risk of poor mental health. Objective measures explain the effects of socioeconomic disparities, but individuals may perceive inequality differently.

We aimed to investigate the association between the perception of economic inequality and depressive symptoms and suicide ideation.

We used data from the Survey of Korean Youths’ Lives, a nationally representative cross-sectional study of 14 918 young adults aged 19−34 years in South Korea. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between perceived economic inequalities (i.e. income inequality and inequality of intergenerational mobility) and depressive symptoms/suicide ideation. Additionally, subgroup analyses were performed based on objective and subjective income levels.

Young adults with a high perception of economic inequality were more likely to experience depressive symptoms and suicide ideation. For example, those with a high perception of intergenerational mobility inequality had higher odds of depressive symptoms (odds ratio 1.82, 95% CI 1.49, 2.23) and suicide ideation (odds ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.35, 2.60). Statistical evidence showed no interaction between the perception of inequalities and income, suggesting that a high perception of inequalities is associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, regardless of income. Nevertheless, the strongest association with poor mental health was observed in those with high perceived inequality and low income.

This study shows that the way young adults perceive economic inequality could affect their depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. The findings highlight the importance of reducing these perceptions and addressing economic inequalities to improve mental health.

Understanding the factors influencing alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes is essential. More knowledge about patient characteristics that predict treatment outcomes can help personalise interventions, improve treatment planning and address the needs of specific subgroups. The frequency of treatment attendance may also affect drinking outcomes after treatment. Despite research efforts, uncertainty remains about how patient factors and treatment attendance influence treatment outcomes.

To examine how patient factors and treatment attendance predict high- or low-risk drinking at the end of treatment.

We used data (N = 92) from a multisite observational study of treatment-seeking individuals with AUD attending group treatment. Sociodemographic measures, alcohol and substance use measures, cognitive functioning, psychological distress, personality functioning and quality of life were screened in univariate analyses. Significant variables were entered into a binary logistic regression model.

Individuals with a higher percentage of treatment attendance (odds ratio 0.96 [95% CI 0.93, 0.96]) and with greater responsiblity scores on the Severity Indices of Personality Functioning (odds ratio 0.30 [95% CI 0.14, 0.64]) had a decreased likelihood of high-risk drinking at treatment end. Substance use, psychological distress and cognitive functioning were not associated with drinking levels at the end of treatment.

A higher percentage of treatment attendance has a minor effect on drinking levels. Being more responsible, as reflected in higher scores on the responsibility domain, reduces the likelihood of high-risk drinking at the end of treatment. Clinicians are encouraged to screen and assess personality functioning when planning treatment for individuals with AUD.