افسردگی

Introduction This simulation-based computational study develops a non-linear state-space framework for stress-related negative cognitive bias and multivariate EEG/ERP observations. Methods A three-state model represents negative bias, cognitive control, and arousal, while symptom load and normalized model stress input reshape a quartic bias potential. N2, P3, late positive potential, frontal theta, frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), and frontoparietal phase locking provide complementary observation channels. Additional checks distinguish the non-linear benchmark from additive and interaction-only competing generators, examine equilibria of the full coupled system, and perturb the observation model. Results We establish bounded stochastic dynamics, a conditional scalar multistability boundary, stable-branch stress sensitivity, and a sufficient local state-observability condition. A seeded benchmark with 180 simulated participants yields model-implied stress-by-symptom slopes of 66.83 ms for response time, 1.12 μV for LPP, 0.775 dB for frontal theta, 0.133 for FAA, and 0.0769 for frontoparietal PLV. Under a non-linear generating process, mean held-out RMSE was 0.060 for the pre-specified quartic candidate vs. 0.436 for the interaction-only candidate. State-reconstruction RMSE increased from 0.152 under the nominal loading matrix to 0.232 under 15% loading perturbations. Discussion These results demonstrate implementation consistency and characterize model sensitivity; they are not clinical effect estimates or evidence of empirical parameter identifiability.

Developing effective therapeutic protocols for LGBTQIA+ individuals requires a commitment to practices that do not perpetuate suffering. Addressing negative internalizations and minority stress are two common transdiagnostic aspects within this population. Therapeutic models, such as Schema Therapy (ST), have emerged as a promising strategy; however, research in this area is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate an Affirmative ST program for LGB individuals. The program was tested in a pilot study involving nine participants. A total of 10 sessions were conducted, and the evaluation focused on: positive and negative affect, anxiety, stress (including minority stress), and depression. The effects of the intervention were analyzed using the Hageman-Arrindell approach and GEE. Significant differences were found for: reduction in depression; stress; anxiety; negative affect; and an increase in positive affect and stigma perception. This research represents a pioneering effort in the field of ST with LGBTQIA+ individuals, and further studies are encouraged.

Background Benefit finding may be associated with better mental health after the pandemic, but its longitudinal trajectory and its associations with psychosocial resources and mental health symptoms during recovery remain unclear. Objective This study examined trajectories of benefit finding among Chinese college students from approximately 3 to 15 months after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. We also examined its associations with emotion regulation, social connectedness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, together with indirect association patterns involving benefit finding. Methods A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,155 Chinese college students. Data were analyzed using parallel-process latent growth curve modeling. Results Social connectedness and benefit finding increased linearly over time, whereas depressive and anxiety symptoms decreased. Cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with the benefit finding intercept but negatively associated with its slope, whereas expressive suppression was not significantly associated with either growth factor. Social connectedness showed stronger associations with benefit finding trajectories than the emotion regulation variables. Benefit finding was negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms at both the intercept and slope levels. Indirect association patterns through benefit finding were supported for social connectedness and both depressive and anxiety symptoms at the intercept and slope levels when inference was based on bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Conclusions Benefit finding increased during the post-pandemic recovery period and was associated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms. Social connectedness showed relatively strong associations with benefit finding trajectories, while cognitive reappraisal was associated with higher initial benefit finding but a slower subsequent increase. The indirect association patterns linked social connectedness with both symptom domains through benefit finding at the intercept and slope levels. These findings highlight psychosocial resources that merit further study in campus mental health research, while the observational design does not establish causal direction or temporal precedence.

A questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,635 students from two secondary schools in Hunan Province to examine the statistical roles of interpersonal emotion regulation and family functioning in the relationship between anhedonia and depressive symptoms in adolescents. The results showed that (1) after controlling for grade and gender, anhedonia was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms; (2) a continuous-variable model based on the full sample indicated a significant partial mediating effect of interpersonal emotion regulation on the association between anhedonia and depressive symptoms; and (3) family functioning moderated the association between anhedonia and interpersonal emotion regulation, such that lower family functioning scores (i.e., healthier family functioning) were associated with stronger conditional indirect effects linking anhedonia to depressive symptoms through interpersonal emotion regulation. When BDI-II-C Items 4 (loss of pleasure) and 12 (loss of interest) were removed from the depressive symptom total score and the analyses were repeated, the main results remained stable. An exploratory sensitivity analysis using the BDI-II-C cutoff revealed a significant mediating pathway in the below-cutoff group, whereas the regression association between interpersonal emotion regulation and depressive symptoms was not significant in the at-or-above-cutoff group. Given that grouping by the cutoff of the same dependent variable narrows the within-group score range and may affect within-group regression estimation, these subgroup results are reported only as exploratory sensitivity analyses. These findings suggest that interpersonal emotion regulation and family functioning are important factors in understanding the statistical association between anhedonia and depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Introduction This study examined the moderating role of positive emotion in the relationship between trait-like stress reactivity and negative emotion, and whether this moderating effect varies by cognitive performance and cognitive decline across nine years. Methods Using data from 2,041 participants in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (mean age = 65.52 years), hierarchical regression models were conducted to predict negative emotion from trait-like stress reactivity, positive emotion, and their interaction, controlling for age, gender, years of education, depressed mood, and neuroticism. Simple slope analyses were conducted to test the direction of significant interactions. Analyses were repeated within subgroups of cognitive performance and cognitive decline across 9 years. Results The interaction between positive emotion and trait-like stress reactivity was significant, with higher positive emotion associated with a weaker relationship between stress reactivity and negative emotion. This moderating effect was observed across low, moderate, and high cognitive performance groups; a three-way interaction further indicated that the moderating effect becomes stronger as cognitive performance increases. For cognitive decline, the moderating effect was significant only among individuals with relatively greater cognitive decline, although the three-way interaction was not significant. Conclusion Positive emotion may buffer the relationship between trait-level stress reactivity and negative emotion across the cognitive performance range, although this moderating effect appears weaker at lower cognitive performance. Findings for cognitive decline were less conclusive, as a subgroup-specific association among participants with greater decline was not confirmed when cognitive decline was analyzed as a continuous moderator.

Introduction: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression rose by about 25%, with women and young people most affected. Now that the emergency phase is over, it is necessary to know the mental health status of university students' families, a group that is rarely measured directly. Objective: To describe the levels of anxiety, depression and perceived stress among nursing students and their family members, and to explore their relationship with age, gender, socioeconomic stratum and religion. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with non-probability convenience sampling. Thirty-nine people aged 17 to 79 took part: third-semester nursing students at Universidad Metropolitana de Barranquilla and their family members. The GAD-7, the PHQ-9 and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were administered. Associations were tested with the chi-square test and, because of the small cell counts, with an exact test estimated by Monte Carlo simulation.Results: Of the participants, 67% were women, 31% were aged 17 to 25, 49% belonged to socioeconomic stratum 2 and 87% were Catholic. Absence of symptoms and mild levels predominated. Mild anxiety was the most frequent category among those aged 17 to 25 (66.7%), and 25% of those aged 44 to 52 had severe anxiety. The chi-square test suggested an association between age and anxiety (p = 0.046), but the exact test did not confirm it (p = 0.080). No other variable was significantly associated with anxiety, depression or stress. Conclusions: Participants mostly showed mild or no symptoms, with no significant differences by sociodemographic variables. The cross-sectional design and the sample size do not allow these levels to be attributed to the pandemic, but the cases of severe anxiety and moderately severe depression among middle-aged family members warrant follow-up of family mental health in the post-pandemic period.

Background Diabetes frequently co-occurs with depression, anxiety, and diabetes-related distress, and psychological status directly influences glycaemic control and the risk of complications. Traditional mental health assessment relies on subjective scales. With the growth of digital health, digital phenotyping offers a new paradigm for real-time, objective mental health monitoring and prediction. However, the pathways through which these technologies perform monitoring and prediction remain unclear. Objective This scoping review aimed to systematically map the application pathways of digital phenotyping for mental health monitoring and prediction in people with diabetes, and to use machine learning-assisted text mining to analyse the main research themes and hotspots, thereby informing the future development of individualised risk prediction models and monitoring systems. Methods A scoping review search was conducted in six English databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library) and four Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and China Biomedical Literature Database[CBM]), covering studies published from database inception to 10 September 2026. The search strategy was built around terms related to diabetes, digital phenotyping, and mental health. Machine learning-assisted literature mining was used to identify thematic patterns in the included studies. The study selection process and overall workflow followed the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Results A total of 2,968 records were retrieved. After screening, 10 studies were included. The evidence indicated that digital phenotyping mainly enables real-time monitoring of mental health in people with diabetes through signals such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), passive smartphone sensing, voice, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Machine learning methods were widely used for risk prediction modelling, but most studies built models at the group level, with only a few adopting n -of-1 analysis or subgroup prediction to achieve individualised risk prediction. External validation of models was generally lacking, and no intervention studies were identified. Conclusions Preliminary evidence suggests that digital phenotyping has exploratory potential for mental health monitoring and prediction in people with diabetes, but research that genuinely achieves individualised risk prediction remains limited. Closed-loop monitoring-intervention design and multicentre external validation are the main directions for future research. Systematic Review Registration https://osf. io/6wsaj/ .

Bullying victimization is an important public health concern that has been linked to adverse psychological outcomes among adolescents. The study used mental health well-being data collected in the most recent Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey (2019–2020) (BAHWS). A total of 9,116 adolescents aged 15–19 years with complete depression data were included in the analysis. A three-level linear mixed-effects model was employed to account for the hierarchical structure of the survey, with adolescents nested within primary sampling units and districts. Additional analyses examined gender and marital status interactions, subgroup differences, and the cumulative association between multiple forms of bullying and depressive symptoms using a composite bullying measure. The findings revealed that verbal bullying (β = 1.39, p < 0.001) and cyberbullying (β = 1.15, p = 0.012) were independently associated with higher depressive symptom scores. The association between physical bullying and depressive symptoms differed significantly by gender, whereas interactions of gender with verbal and cyberbullying were not statistically significant. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed variation in the magnitude of estimated associations across ever-married females, unmarried females, and unmarried males. A graded association was observed for cumulative bullying exposure: compared with adolescents reporting no bullying exposure, those exposed to on (β = 1.25), two (β = 2.61), and three (β = 4.99) bullying types had progressively higher depressive symptom scores (all p < 0.001). Adolescent Age, Current school or college attendance and higher household wealth were associated with lower depressive symptom scores. Bullying victimization, particularly verbal bullying, cyberbullying, and exposure to multiple forms of bullying, was associated with higher depressive symptoms among Bangladeshi adolescents. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive bullying prevention strategies and accessible psychosocial support services, with particular attention to adolescents experiencing multiple forms of bullying and other vulnerable groups.

Background As global aging accelerates, age-related psychophysiological conditions have emerged as major public health concerns. Promoting and sustaining vitality, an inherent human capacity, is essential for healthy aging and long-term well-being. The Mindfulness-based Vitality Promotion (MVP) program is a mindfulness-based behavioral intervention designed to enhance physical and psychological vitality and support sustainable well-being. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the MVP program and explored preliminary pre–post changes in health-related outcomes among community-dwelling individuals in a lifelong learning setting. Methods This study employed a single-arm mixed-methods design. A total of 35 participants were recruited for this study. The MVP program was delivered over 8 weeks, with each session lasting 90 min. Quantitative data were collected through self-report questionnaires, and qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed based on program retention, session attendance, and participant satisfaction. Results Quantitative analysis revealed significant pre–post increases in integrative vitality and well-being, along with significant reductions in depression, fatigue, and anxiety. No statistically significant changes were observed in pain, sleep disturbance, digestive symptoms, anger, or mindfulness. Of the 35 enrolled participants, 31 completed the program (88.6%), with a mean attendance of 6.37 of eight sessions. Among the 30 satisfaction survey respondents, 28 (93.3%) indicated willingness to participate again and 30 (100%) indicated willingness to recommend the program to others. The qualitative analysis identified four major themes: (i) diverse life challenges and self-care needs, (ii) learning through experience, connection, and application, (iii) regaining balance and agency in life, and (iv) sustaining practice requires continued support. Conclusion Mixed-methods findings provide preliminary information regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the MVP program and indicate favorable pre–post changes in several self-reported health-related outcomes. The MVP program may represent a practical lifelong learning intervention with potential relevance for public health promotion. Further controlled studies are warranted to establish its efficacy. Trial registration The trial was first submitted to the Clinical Research Information Service, Republic of Korea (KCT0009961, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=28524&search_page=L ), on October 8, 2024, before participant enrollment began, and registration was finalized on November 28, 2024.

Depression is a leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents worldwide, yet evidence on its burden among school-going adolescents in rural Kenyan counties remains limited. This study determined the prevalence and socio-demographic factors of depression among secondary school students in Bungoma County, Kenya, to provide baseline evidence for mental health planning. The study was guided by Hopelessness Theory of Depression and Ecological Systems Theory. An analytical mixed methods cross-sectional study design was adopted. The target population consisted of secondary school students, with a sample size of 400 respondents determined using Taro Yamane formula. The respondents were selected through multistage stratified and systematic sampling from three sub-counties of Bungoma County (Mt. Elgon, Kimilili and Bungoma South). Quantitative data were collected using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a structured questionnaire, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression in SPSS version 28. Qualitative data were obtained through ten Focus group discussions with students and twelve in-depth interviews with class teachers, and analyzed thematically. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score ≥ 5) was 55.5% (n = 222), 41.5% (n = 166) had mild depression, 9.5% (n = 38) moderate depression, 3.5% (n = 14) moderately severe depression and 1.0% (n = 4) severe depression, while 44.5% (n = 178) were not depressed. Female students were found to be almost twice as likely to experience higher levels of depression compared to the males (AOR= 1.71, P= 0.04). On the other hand, students in mixed day and boarding schools were 78% less likely to experience higher level of depression, (AOR = 0.22, P<0.001), compared to those in girls’ boarding and day schools. Further, students who live with extended family were more than twice as likely as those with both parents to experience higher depression levels (AOR = 2.10, P= 0.04). The qualitative data pointed to gender and family structure as possible associations of depression. Depression is highly prevalent among secondary school students in Bungoma County, with one in seven students experiencing moderate to severe depression. Routine school-based mental health screening using validated tools such as the PHQ-9 is recommended to enable early identification, counselling and referral of affected students.

Family members who provide daily care for people with chronic mental illness often carry substantial emotional, social and financial strain. This study examined caregiver burden, anxiety and depression among primary caregivers of patients with chronic mental illness, and tested whether burden was related to anxiety and depression and whether these outcomes differed by age, gender and relationship to the patient. A cross-sectional correlational design was used with a purposive sample of primary caregivers recruited through psychiatric outpatient and community rehabilitation settings in Bengaluru (planned n = 100; 105 complete records analysed). Burden was assessed with the 22-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Because scores departed from normality, Spearman correlations, permutation-based Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests and Holm-adjusted Dunn comparisons were used. The mean ZBI score was 32.37 (SD = 15.96); 77.1% of caregivers scored in at least the mild-to-moderate burden band, 59.0% had HADS anxiety scores of 8 or higher and 60.0% had HADS depression scores of 8 or higher. Burden correlated strongly with anxiety (rs = .810) and depression (rs = .816), Holm-adjusted ps < .001. Relationship to the patient was significantly associated with burden, anxiety and depression (adjusted ps < .001), with parent caregivers scoring highest, whereas age and gender differences did not survive correction for multiple testing. Findings are provisional because of an unresolved sample-size discrepancy and the cross-sectional, self-report, non-probability design. The results support routine screening of caregivers? psychological health, with particular attention to parent caregivers, alongside caregiver-focused psychoeducation and counselling.

Background Digital mental health platforms routinely deliver self-administered symptom scales on the assumption that users with more severe symptoms are more likely to enter professional care. That assumption is rarely tested with linked participant-level data, and almost never in the Arabic-speaking Gulf. Objective To examine whether symptom severity at a user’s first self-assessment predicts booking a professional session within 90 days, across four symptom domains, on a Saudi commercial digital mental health platform. Methods Retrospective cohort analysis of 10,100 first assessments — depression, generalized anxiety, panic, and obsessive-compulsive scales — contributed by 5,524 unique users of the Talbinah platform and linked to demographic and session-booking records through a pseudonymous (SHA-256 hashed) user identifier. The primary outcome was any session booked within 90 days after the assessment. Severity was banded by the established cut-offs for the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, and by percentage of scale maximum for the panic and obsessive-compulsive measures, for which no severity thresholds are established. Per-scale multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for severity band (reference None/Minimal), adjusting for age, sex, and device type. Pre-specified sensitivity analyses used 30- and 180-day windows, an attended-session outcome, percentage-of-maximum banding applied to all four scales, and a subset with no prior booking (incident help-seeking). Reporting followed STROBE. Results Users were young (mean age 26.7 years, SD 8.1) and predominantly female (78.1%); 16.6% of first assessments were followed by a booking within 90 days. No severity band on any of the four scales was associated with higher odds of booking (severe vs None/Minimal: depression aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51–1.01; generalized anxiety 0.76, 0.49–1.16; panic 0.83, 0.52–1.31; obsessive-compulsive 1.01, 0.59–1.74). One severity contrast was statistically significant, in the opposite direction: moderate depression was associated with lower odds of booking (0.66, 95% CI 0.45–0.97). Older age (aOR ~1.2 per decade) and iOS device use (1.4–2.0) were associated with booking across scales. This absence of a positive severity–booking association was consistent across 30-, 90-, and 180-day windows, the attended-session outcome, and percentage-of-maximum banding; a nominal association for moderate anxiety seen under percentage banding did not persist with validated GAD-7 cut-offs. Estimates for the panic and obsessive-compulsive scales, which lack established severity thresholds, are exploratory. Conclusions On a Saudi digital mental health platform, greater self-reported symptom severity at first assessment was not followed by higher subsequent booking of professional care, consistently across specifications, and for moderate depression was associated with lower odds of booking; demographic and access-related attributes showed stronger associations with booking than symptom load did. Self-screening on its own appears insufficient as a pathway into care.

Background Depression and anxiety symptoms are common among college students. Behavioral and psychosocial indicators may support preventive campus mental health work, but risk-stratification frameworks require external validation. Methods We developed a construct-level model-explanation framework using questionnaire data from a development sample. The cleaned dataset included 1,267 students; internal-validation analyses included 1,096 students for depression risk and 1,095 for anxiety risk. Risk was defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) score of 10 or higher. The primary Feature set C random-forest (RF) pipelines integrated demographic, traditional, and emerging behavioral and psychosocial indicators. Fold-specific preprocessing and percentile cutoffs were used for internal validation. Locked pipelines were applied without retraining, predictor reselection, optimization, recalibration, or threshold adjustment to an independent university sample of 1,468 students. Results External area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), area under the precision–recall curve (PR-AUC), and Brier scores were 0.813 (95% CI, 0.776–0.848), 0.402 (0.325–0.491), and 0.090 (0.083–0.098), respectively, for depression and 0.809 (0.765–0.851), 0.205 (0.144–0.300), and 0.063 (0.056–0.070), respectively, for anxiety. Ordinary participant-level bootstrap was the primary approach, with stratified bootstrap as a sensitivity analysis. Depression calibration was close to the prevalence baseline (Brier 0.091; intercept −0.668; slope 1.401), whereas anxiety showed miscalibration (Brier 0.063 vs. baseline 0.051; intercept −1.227; slope 1.102). The models supported external discrimination and risk ranking but did not validate individual absolute-risk probabilities or clinical thresholds. Conclusion Behavioral and psychosocial indicators supported externally validated risk stratification in an independent university sample. Anxiety-risk findings should be interpreted as preliminary because the number of positive cases was limited. Further evaluation is needed before wider implementation.

Few events in recent history have forced clinicians and researchers to rethink mental health quite like COVID-19. In this commentary, we reflect on something that struck us while reading the work of Cantone et al. : the pandemic, for all its devastation, created a kind of unplanned observational window, a chance to study, at population scale, what happens when stress and rhythm disruption hit at the same time. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) were at the epicentre of this. They didn't just witness the crisis; they absorbed it, shift after shift, for months. What the data show is that their depressive symptoms and rhythm instability were not random; they appear systematically linked, and at levels one would more typically associate with mood disorder research. We discuss these findings through the lens of DYMERS (Dysregulation of Mood, Energy, and Social Rhythms Syndrome), a heuristic transdiagnostic construct that, in our view, captures something that standard categorical diagnoses tend to miss: the subthreshold, fluctuating psychopathology that sits just below the threshold of formal diagnosis but causes real impairment. The pandemic may not have created these vulnerabilities, but it may well have sharpened our ability to see them.

This longitudinal study examined the trajectories of healthcare workers’ mental health from the first to the second COVID-19 wave (May 2020–December 2020) in a Swiss tertiary hospital, and their association with individual and organizational factors. For each mental health outcome (depression, anxiety, peritraumatic stress, and well-being), a separate analysis identified two trajectories: one with higher, persistent levels of symptoms and one that was resilient, with low-level symptoms. The persistent trajectory comprised about 25%–30% of participants for anxiety, depression and peritraumatic stress and 47% for well-being; because the classifications were outcome-specific, membership differed across outcomes (about 15% of participants were on a persistent trajectory for all four outcomes and 46% resilient for all four). We found that women, nurses, caregivers, non-managerial employees, and frontline COVID-19 workers were more likely to follow a persistent trajectory. Organizational risk factors were a high workload and an irregular work schedule. These results provide a basis for implementing risk-adapted prevention measures and resilience-promotion programs to protect health workers from the impact of major crises. Future research should address the needs of vulnerable health workers to provide evidence-based health promotion.

Introduction/Objective Depression is a disabling mental health disorder affecting over 300 million people worldwide. In Tunisia, population-level data on its prevalence and determinants remain limited. Our study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression in the Tunisian population and identify associated socio-demographic and clinical factors. Methods Data were drawn from the mental health component of the Tunisian Health Examination Survey (2016), a nationally representative study conducted among 9,209 individuals aged ≥15 years. Self-reported, physician-diagnosed lifetime depression was the main outcome. Associations with socio-demographic characteristics and clinical conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and menopause, were examined. Results The study population comprised 4360 men (49.2%) and 4849 women (51.8%), with a mean age of 41.4±17.4 years. The prevalence of self-reported lifetime depression was 4.7%. Multivariate analysis identified female sex (OR=1.53, 95% CI [1.11–2.10]) and age groups 30–64 years (OR=1.81, 95% CI [1.20–2.73]) and ≥65 years (OR=1.82, 95% CI [1.06–3.14]) as factors significantly associated with higher prevalence. Conversely, marriage (OR=0.59, 95% CI [0.42–0.84]) and the absence of rheumatoid arthritis (OR=0.48, 95% CI [0.38–0.60]) were associated with a lower prevalence of the disorder. Discussion The findings indicate that self-reported depression in Tunisia is significantly influenced by gender and aging, consistent with global epidemiological trends. The strong association with physical comorbidities, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, underscores the necessity of integrated mental health screening for patients with chronic illnesses. Furthermore, the protective association of marriage suggests that social and family cohesion remain vital factors in the Tunisian sociocultural context. Conclusion Depression in Tunisia is shaped by gender, aging, and physical comorbidities. Targeted prevention and integrated screening strategies are needed, especially for vulnerable demographic and clinical groups.

Background Clinical research on psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has expanded substantially in recent years, particularly for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive disorders. Contemporary studies have generally evaluated psychedelic administration within controlled therapeutic settings that include psychological support, preparation, and integration. However, variability in clinical response and methodological challenges have highlighted the importance of individual, relational, and contextual factors, often described as “set and setting,” in understanding therapeutic outcomes. The role of psychotherapy and the broader therapeutic context therefore remains an important area of investigation. Objective This scoping review aimed to map the contemporary evidence on PAT, characterize the clinical and psychotherapeutic approaches used with psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and DMT, summarize reported clinical and safety findings, and identify methodological, mechanistic, ethical, and implementation considerations across existing protocols. Methods A structured search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted on 23 February 2026. Sources published or publicly available between January 2020 and November 2025 were eligible. The review included peer-reviewed and relevant non-peer-reviewed sources addressing psychedelic-assisted interventions, including primary clinical studies, reviews, clinical trial registrations, regulatory documents, and other relevant contextual sources. Records were managed using Zotero and screened against predefined Population, Concept, and Context criteria. Findings were synthesized descriptively according to source type and evidence domain. Results The mapped evidence was most developed for MDMA-assisted therapy in PTSD and psilocybin-assisted interventions for depressive disorders. Randomized clinical trials reported reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms following MDMA- and psilocybin-based interventions, respectively, while emerging clinical evidence also investigated LSD-based treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. Evidence for DMT-assisted therapy remained comparatively preliminary, with several available sources consisting of trial registrations or industry-reported information. Across the literature, preparation, supervised psychedelic administration, and integration were common therapeutic components, although the structure and intensity of psychotherapy varied substantially. Functional unblinding, expectancy effects, heterogeneity of psychotherapeutic approaches, and limitations in long-term safety data were recurring concerns. Ethical issues included informed consent during altered states of consciousness, therapist competence and boundaries, cultural considerations, and equitable access. Conclusion PAT represents a rapidly developing area of clinical research, but the evidence base remains heterogeneous across compounds, indications, therapeutic models, and levels of evidential maturity. Future research should improve the standardization and reporting of psychotherapeutic interventions, strengthen methods for assessing blinding and expectancy, establish consistent long-term safety monitoring, and develop robust ethical and equity frameworks. Clear distinction between peer-reviewed clinical findings and preliminary or contextual evidence will also be essential as PAT research progresses toward broader clinical implementation.

Background The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale for Youth (DASS-Y) has been validated in several countries, but its measurement equivalence between Middle Eastern and East Asian adolescents remains untested, and prior validations primarily relied on single analytic approaches without examining complex factor structures or brief screening forms. This study evaluated the DASS-Y in Lebanese adolescents enduring sociopolitical strain and Chinese adolescents under comparatively stable conditions. Methods The sample comprised 758 Lebanese ( M age = 15.95, SD = 1.78; 63.2% female) and 1,062 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 16.83, SD = 0.59; 47.5% female). Psychometric properties were examined using confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and bifactor variants of both. Differential item functioning was assessed using Rasch analysis. Reliability was indexed by composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), and person separation reliability. Results Lebanese adolescents showed a largely unidimensional pattern, whereas an ESEM solution better represented the Chinese data. Reliability was strong in both samples (subscale CR = 0.91 to 0.95, AVE = 0.58 to 0.71, person separation reliability = 0.79 to 0.85; total CR = 0.97 in both samples; total AVE = 0.63 for the Lebanese and 0.61 for the Chinese sample). Several items, mainly in the stress subscale, functioned non-equivalently across samples. The 12-item short form performed comparably (subscale CR = 0.88 to 0.92, AVE = 0.65 to 0.73; total CR = 0.96 and 0.94; total AVE = 0.64 and 0.57, respectively). Conclusions Lebanese adolescents’ responses reflected a unitary distress construct, whereas Chinese adolescents’ responses showed greater differentiation among depression, anxiety, and stress, though a general distress factor remained dominant in both samples. Reliability was high throughout, so this divergence is structural rather than a matter of measurement precision. The 12-item form offers a practical screening option pending further cross-national confirmation.

زمینه: مقیاس افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس برای نوجوانان (DASS-Y) در چندین کشور اعتبارسنجی شده است، اما معادل‌سازی سنجشی آن بین نوجوانان خاورمیانه‌ای و شرق آسیایی تاکنون بررسی نشده است و اعتبارسنجی‌های پیشین عمدتاً بر رویکردهای تحلیلی منفرد تکیه داشته‌اند، بدون آنکه ساختارهای عاملی پیچیده یا فرم‌های غربالگری کوتاه را بررسی کنند. این مطالعه به ارزیابی DASS-Y در نوجوانان لبنانی که تحت فشارهای اجتماعی-سیاسی قرار دارند و نوجوانان چینی در شرایط نسبتاً باثبات پرداخت. روش‌ها: نمونه شامل ۷۵۸ نوجوان لبنانی (میانگین سن = ۱۵٫۹۵، انحراف معیار = ۱٫۷۸؛ ۶۳٫۲٪ دختر) و ۱۰۶۲ نوجوان چینی (میانگین سن = ۱۶٫۸۳، انحراف معیار = ۰٫۵۹؛ ۴۷٫۵٪ دختر) بود. ویژگی‌های روان‌سنجی با استفاده از تحلیل عاملی تأییدی، مدل‌یابی معادلات ساختاری اکتشافی (ESEM) و گونه‌های بای‌فاکتور هر دو روش بررسی شد. عملکرد افتراقی گویه‌ها با تحلیل Rasch ارزیابی گردید. پایایی با شاخص‌های پایایی ترکیبی (CR)، واریانس استخراج‌شده متوسط (AVE) و پایایی جداسازی فردی سنجیده شد. نتایج: نوجوانان لبنانی عمدتاً الگوی تک‌بعدی نشان دادند، در حالی که راه‌حل ESEM نمایانگر بهتری برای داده‌های چینی بود. پایایی در هر دو نمونه قوی بود (پایایی ترکیبی زیرمقیاس‌ها = ۰٫۹۱ تا ۰٫۹۵، AVE = ۰٫۵۸ تا ۰٫۷۱، پایایی جداسازی فردی = ۰٫۷۹ تا ۰٫۸۵؛ پایایی ترکیبی کل = ۰٫۹۷ در هر دو نمونه؛ AVE کل = ۰٫۶۳ برای نمونه لبنانی و ۰٫۶۱ برای نمونه چینی). چندین گویه، عمدتاً در زیرمقیاس استرس، عملکرد غیرمعادل در بین نمونه‌ها داشتند. فرم کوتاه ۱۲ گویه‌ای عملکردی مشابه داشت (پایایی ترکیبی زیرمقیاس‌ها = ۰٫۸۸ تا ۰٫۹۲، AVE = ۰٫۶۵ تا ۰٫۷۳؛ پایایی ترکیبی کل = ۰٫۹۶ و ۰٫۹۴؛ AVE کل = ۰٫۶۴ و ۰٫۵۷ به ترتیب). نتیجه‌گیری: پاسخ‌های نوجوانان لبنانی بازتاب‌دهنده یک سازه واحد پریشانی بود، در حالی که پاسخ‌های نوجوانان چینی تمایز بیشتری میان افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس نشان داد، هرچند عامل کلی پریشانی در هر دو نمونه غالب باقی ماند. پایایی در سراسر مطالعه بالا بود، بنابراین این تفاوت ساختاری است نه مربوط به دقت اندازه‌گیری. فرم ۱۲ گویه‌ای، گزینه‌ای عملی برای غربالگری ارائه می‌دهد تا زمانی که تأیید بین‌کشوری بیشتری صورت گیرد.

Background: Parent–child separations have been associated with adverse health and well-being, with most research focusing on prolonged separations driven by war, famine or disease. Verschickungskinder (‘sent-away children’) – the eight to twelve million German children who, in the decades following World War II, were separated from their families for several weeks to stay in so-called children’s health resorts – represent a largely overlooked case of short-term separation. Despite growing recognition of adverse experiences and abuse in these settings, little is known about the long-term mental health of this population or which characteristics of the sent-away experience are associated with these outcomes.Objective: To examine whether sent-away children show more depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress overload compared with peers, and to identify which characteristics of the sent-away experience are associated with these outcomes.Method: An anonymous online survey was conducted with 334 sent-away children and 77 participants in a convenience comparison group (M = 61.1 yrs.; 72.7% female). Linear regression models, adjusting for ACEs and sociodemographics, examined group differences and associations between characteristics of the sent-away experience (age at separation, sex, number of separations, emotional memory) and these outcomes.Results: Sent-away children reported more depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress overload than comparison participants (all p < .001). Bivariate comparisons among the sent-away children indicated that younger age at separation was associated with more depressive symptoms, repeated separations with higher stress overload, and very negative memories with all three outcomes; no sex differences were observed. When entered simultaneously in regression models, emotional memory of the event was the only sent-away characteristic associated with depressive (p = .02) and anxiety symptoms (p = .009).Conclusions: Findings highlight the potential long-term mental health relevance of the sent-away experience, particularly among those with very negative memories of their experiences.

زمینه: جدایی والد–کودک با پیامدهای نامطلوب سلامت و بهزیستی همراه بوده است و بیشتر پژوهش‌ها بر جدایی‌های طولانی‌مدت ناشی از جنگ، قحطی یا بیماری تمرکز داشته‌اند. کودکان Verschickungskinder («کودکان فرستاده‌شده») – هشت تا دوازده میلیون کودک آلمانی که در دهه‌های پس از جنگ جهانی دوم برای چندین هفته از خانواده‌های خود جدا شده و در به‌اصطلاح آسایشگاه‌های سلامت کودکان اقامت داشتند – نمونه‌ای عمدتاً نادیده‌گرفته‌شده از جدایی کوتاه‌مدت هستند. با وجود افزایش شناخت نسبت به تجارب نامطلوب و سوءاستفاده در این محیط‌ها، اطلاعات اندکی درباره سلامت روانی بلندمدت این جمعیت یا ویژگی‌های تجربه جدایی که با این پیامدها مرتبط است، وجود دارد. هدف: بررسی اینکه آیا کودکان فرستاده‌شده علائم افسردگی، علائم اضطراب و اضافه‌بار استرس بیشتری نسبت به همتایان خود نشان می‌دهند و شناسایی ویژگی‌های تجربه جدایی که با این پیامدها مرتبط است. روش: یک پیمایش آنلاین ناشناس با ۳۳۴ کودک فرستاده‌شده و ۷۷ شرکت‌کننده در گروه مقایسه‌ای در دسترس (میانگین سنی = ۶۱/۱ سال؛ ۷۲/۷٪ زن) انجام شد. مدل‌های رگرسیون خطی با کنترل ACEs و متغیرهای جمعیت‌شناختی، تفاوت‌های گروهی و ارتباط بین ویژگی‌های تجربه جدایی (سن در زمان جدایی، جنسیت، تعداد دفعات جدایی، حافظه هیجانی) و این پیامدها را بررسی کردند. یافته‌ها: کودکان فرستاده‌شده علائم افسردگی، علائم اضطراب و اضافه‌بار استرس بیشتری نسبت به شرکت‌کنندگان گروه مقایسه گزارش کردند (همه p < ۰/۰۰۱). مقایسه‌های دو متغیره در میان کودکان فرستاده‌شده نشان داد که سن پایین‌تر در زمان جدایی با علائم افسردگی بیشتر، جدایی‌های مکرر با اضافه‌بار استرس بالاتر و خاطرات بسیار منفی با هر سه پیامد مرتبط بود؛ تفاوتی از نظر جنسیت مشاهده نشد. زمانی که این متغیرها به طور همزمان در مدل‌های رگرسیون وارد شدند، حافظه هیجانی رویداد تنها ویژگی تجربه جدایی بود که با علائم افسردگی (p = ۰/۰۲) و علائم اضطراب (p = ۰/۰۰۹) ارتباط داشت. نتیجه‌گیری: یافته‌ها بر اهمیت بالقوه بلندمدت سلامت روانی تجربه جدایی، به‌ویژه در میان افرادی که خاطرات بسیار منفی از این تجربه دارند، تأکید می‌کند.

Background The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is a widely used self-report measure of PTSD and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). ‘Clinical checks’ – brief follow up questions verifying respondent comprehension of the symptom item – have recently been developed for the ITQ to reduce false-positive diagnostic cases. This study tested whether the ITQ with clinical checks generates psychometrically sound scores and adds clinically relevant information to standard symptom assessment. Methods Data ( N = 5,070) were collected using quota-based sampling procedures from adults living in five European countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia). Results Overall, 82.2% of respondents were trauma-exposed, and 19.2% met diagnostic requirements for PTSD (7.2%) or CPTSD (12.0%) on the standard ITQ. With clinical checks, these fell to 9.8% overall, 3.9% for PTSD, and 5.9% for CPTSD. The ITQ with clinical checks produced scores with excellent factorial validity, internal reliability, and latent classes corresponding to PTSD and CPTSD. Associations with clinically relevant variables including suicidality and anxiety-depression symptoms were stronger with than without the clinical checks. Females, those with more extensive trauma histories, and higher concurrent anxiety-depression symptoms were more likely to retain than lose their diagnostic status when the clinical checks were used. Conclusions The ITQ with clinical checks generated scores with excellent psychometric properties, captured additional clinically relevant information, and yielded more plausible prevalence estimates compared to the standard ITQ scores. The potential value and limitations of using clinical checks in self-report questionnaires are discussed.

زمینه: پرسشنامه بین‌المللی تروما (ITQ) یک ابزار خودگزارشی پرکاربرد برای سنجش PTSD و CPTSD است. «بررسی‌های بالینی» – سؤالات پیگیری کوتاهی که درک پاسخ‌دهنده از ماده علامتی را تأیید می‌کنند – اخیراً برای ITQ توسعه یافته‌اند تا موارد مثبت کاذب تشخیصی را کاهش دهند. این مطالعه بررسی کرد که آیا ITQ همراه با بررسی‌های بالینی، نمرات روان‌سنجی معتبر تولید می‌کند و اطلاعات بالینی مرتبط بیشتری نسبت به ارزیابی استاندارد علائم ارائه می‌دهد یا خیر. روش‌ها: داده‌ها (N = 5,070) با استفاده از روش نمونه‌گیری سهمیه‌ای از بزرگسالان ساکن پنج کشور اروپایی (جمهوری چک، لهستان، مجارستان، رومانی و اسلواکی) جمع‌آوری شد. یافته‌ها: به طور کلی، ۸۲.۲٪ از پاسخ‌دهندگان در معرض تروما قرار گرفته بودند و ۱۹.۲٪ معیارهای تشخیصی PTSD (۷.۲٪) یا CPTSD (۱۲.۰٪) را بر اساس ITQ استاندارد داشتند. با استفاده از بررسی‌های بالینی، این ارقام به ۹.۸٪ در کل، ۳.۹٪ برای PTSD و ۵.۹٪ برای CPTSD کاهش یافت. ITQ همراه با بررسی‌های بالینی، نمراتی با روایی عاملی عالی، پایایی درونی مطلوب و طبقات نهفته منطبق با PTSD و CPTSD تولید کرد. ارتباط با متغیرهای بالینی مرتبط از جمله افکار خودکشی و علائم اضطراب-افسردگی در صورت استفاده از بررسی‌های بالینی قوی‌تر بود. زنان، افرادی با سابقه تروما گسترده‌تر و علائم اضطراب-افسردگی همزمان بالاتر، احتمال بیشتری داشت که با استفاده از بررسی‌های بالینی وضعیت تشخیصی خود را حفظ کنند تا آن را از دست بدهند. نتیجه‌گیری: ITQ همراه با بررسی‌های بالینی، نمراتی با ویژگی‌های روان‌سنجی عالی تولید کرد، اطلاعات بالینی مرتبط بیشتری را ثبت نمود و برآوردهای شیوع معقول‌تری نسبت به نمرات استاندارد ITQ ارائه داد. ارزش بالقوه و محدودیت‌های استفاده از بررسی‌های بالینی در پرسشنامه‌های خودگزارشی مورد بحث قرار گرفته است.