Interstage monitoring programs for single ventricle disease have been developed to reduce morbidity and mortality. There is increased use of telemedicine and mobile application monitoring. It is unknown if there are disparities in use based on patient socio-demographic factors.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients enrolled in the single ventricle monitoring program and KidsHeart application at a single centre from 4/21/2021 to 12/31/2023. We investigated the association of socio-demographic factors with telemedicine usage, mobile application enrollment and usage. We assessed resource utilisation and weight changes by program era.

There were 94 children in the cohort. Patients with Norwood and ductal stent had higher mean telemedicine visits per month (1.8 visits, p = 0.004), without differences based on socio-demographic factors. There were differences in application enrollment with more Black patients enrolled compared to White patients (p = 0.016). There were less Hispanic patients enrolled than Non-Hispanic patients (p = 0.034). There were no Spaish speaking patient’s enrolled (p = 0.0015). There were no patients with maternal education of less than high school enrolled and all those with maternal education of advanced degree were enrolled (p = 0.0016). There was decreased mobile application use in those from neighbourhoods in the lowest income quartile. There were decreased emergency department visits with mobile application monitoring. Mean weight-for-age z-scores had increased from start to completion of the program in all eras.

Differences were seen in mobile application enrollment and usage based on socio-demographic factors. Further work is needed to ensure that all patients have access to mobile application usage.

Prior literature has indicated low socioeconomic status (SES) and regional differences as epidemiological risk factors for disability pension (DP) due to mental disorders.

Our studies aimed to examine these associations and differences in greater detail, with separate consideration of the risk factors for mood disorders (F30–39) and non-affective psychotic disorder (F20–29) DP.

Subjects (N = 36 879) were all those granted DP due to a mental disorder for the first time between 2010 and 2015 in Finland. All the subjects were matched with three controls. Education, income and occupational status were used as measures of SES. Conditional logistic regression models were used to study SES differences. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to study the levels of DP risk in the Finnish hospital districts.

DP recipients had low educational and income levels and often lived alone. The risk of DP was greater in white-collar occupational groups compared with blue-collar workers. Students had the greatest risk of DP for all mental and mood disorders. Significant differences in the regional mental disorder DP risks did not appear to follow the traditional Finnish health differences.

We found evidence of SES factors and regional variation associating with mental disorder-related severe loss of working and studying ability in a disorder-specific way. The increased risk of white-collar worker DP could be related to the psychosocially demanding contemporary working life. Regional variation in DP may at least partly relate to differences in regional mental health service systems.

No significant relationships.

The role of sociodemographic and economic characteristics in mental distress has been rarely investigated in Indonesia.

To investigate the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) and identify any associations between mental distress and sociodemographic and economic characteristics among communities living in urban and rural (peri-urban) areas.

A community-based household survey was conducted in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, in 2018. The 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) screening tool was used to measure symptoms of CMD. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, family functioning, labour market outcomes and healthcare costs was collected. Multivariate regressions were conducted to analyse the relationships between the measures of mental distress and sociodemographic and economic characteristics.

We found that 14% of the respondents had CMD symptoms. SRQ-20 scores were higher for female, older and lower-educated individuals. CMD prevalence was higher among non-married participants and clustered within families. Participants with CMD perceive their families as performing significantly better in the dimensions of affective involvement and behaviour control compared with their counterparts. Their work was more often affected by negative feelings; they were also twice as likely to report a recent physical or mental health complaint and faced twice the treatment costs compared with their non-affected counterparts.

The prevalence of mental disorders is especially high in disadvantaged population groups. Moreover, mental distress is associated with a lower perceived productivity and a higher physical health burden.

We aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of seasonal suicide patterns among multiple geographically, demographically and socioeconomically diverse populations.

Weekly time-series data of suicide counts for 354 communities in 12 countries during 1986–2016 were analysed. Two-stage analysis was performed. In the first stage, a generalised linear model, including cyclic splines, was used to estimate seasonal patterns of suicide for each community. In the second stage, the community-specific seasonal patterns were combined for each country using meta-regression. In addition, the community-specific seasonal patterns were regressed onto community-level socioeconomic, demographic and environmental indicators using meta-regression.

We observed seasonal patterns in suicide, with the counts peaking in spring and declining to a trough in winter in most of the countries. However, the shape of seasonal patterns varied among countries from bimodal to unimodal seasonality. The amplitude of seasonal patterns (i.e. the peak/trough relative risk) also varied from 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33–1.62) to 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01–1.1) among 12 countries. The subgroup difference in the seasonal pattern also varied over countries. In some countries, larger amplitude was shown for females and for the elderly population (≥65 years of age) than for males and for younger people, respectively. The subperiod difference also varied; some countries showed increasing seasonality while others showed a decrease or little change. Finally, the amplitude was larger for communities with colder climates, higher proportions of elderly people and lower unemployment rates (p-values < 0.05).

Despite the common features of a spring peak and a winter trough, seasonal suicide patterns were largely heterogeneous in shape, amplitude, subgroup differences and temporal changes among different populations, as influenced by climate, demographic and socioeconomic conditions. Our findings may help elucidate the underlying mechanisms of seasonal suicide patterns and aid in improving the design of population-specific suicide prevention programmes based on these patterns.

We studied the relation between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and the probability of:

• – new long-duration antidepressant treatment;

• – early antidepressant discontinuation.

We followed two cohorts of inhabitants of Marseille (aged 18–64 years) covered by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for 2.5 years. In the first cohort (316,412 individuals in 2008), we studied new long-duration antidepressant treatments (≥ 4 antidepressants prescription claims within 6 months after the index claim, and none in the 6 months before). The second cohort was restricted to the 14,518 individuals with a new episode of antidepressant treatment prescribed by a private GP in 2008–2009 to study early treatment discontinuation: < 4 antidepressant prescription claims in the 6 months following the index claim. We developed a deprivation index at the neighborhood level (census block) and used multivariate multilevel logistic models adjusted for consultations with GPs and psychiatrists. In the second cohort, analyses were further adjusted on GPs characteristics.

First cohort: the probability of new long-duration antidepressant treatments was negatively associated with both individual low income and neighborhood deprivation. Second cohort: low income, and prescribers’ clientele composition (high proportion of disadvantaged patients) were independently associated with an increased risk of early discontinuation. A significant interaction was found between low income and gender.

Our results add further evidence supporting the existence of inequalities in antidepressant treatment at both the individual, GP and neighborhood levels, and that these inequalities occur principally during the processes of care. Inequalities in antidepressant continuation are more pronounced among women. Further research is warranted to improve our understanding of their mechanisms.

International best-practice guidelines for the management of first-episode psychosis have recommended the provision of psychoeducation for multifamily groups. While there is ample evidence of their efficacy in multiepisode psychosis, there is a paucity of evidence supporting this approach specifically for first-episode psychosis. We sought to determine whether a six-week caregiver psychoeducation programme geared specifically at first-episode psychosis improves caregiver knowledge and attitudes.

Caregivers of people with first-episode psychosis completed a 23-item adapted version of the self-report Family Questionnaire (KQ) and a 17-item adapted version of the self-report Drug Attitudes Inventory (DAI) before and after the six-week DETECT Information and Support Course (DISC). Using a Generalised Linear Repeated Measures Model, we analyzed the differences in proportions of correct answers before and after the programme.

Over a 24-month study period, 31 caregivers (13 higher socioeconomic; 13 lower socioeconomic; five unspecified socioeconomic; 19 female; 12 male) participated in the DISC programme and completed inventories before and after the course. Knowledge of psychosis and specific knowledge of medication treatment improved among caregivers overall (p < .01; effect sizes 0.78 and 0.94 respectively). There were no significant gender or socioeconomic differences in any improvement.

This study confirms that caregiver psychoeducation specifically for first-episode psychosis directly improves knowledge of the illness overall and, in particular, knowledge of medication. Gender is not a factor in this, while the lack of any socioeconomic differences dispels the myth that patients in lower socioeconomic groups are disadvantaged because their caregivers know less.