Abstract Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness associated with emotional and functional impairment, elevated suicide risk, and high individual and societal costs. BPD is under-researched in the general population, especially among males, and from a developmental perspective. We examined the prevalence and development of BPD symptoms in young men and explored the longitudinal associations with risk-taking behaviors. Methods Data came from the prospective-longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a population sample of young men. Participants were screened for BPD risk using the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI-BPD) at mean age 25 (2016–2018; n = 5,516) and again at mean age 28 (2019–2020; n = 5,367). Risk-taking behaviors (e.g., interpersonal violence, gambling, substance use) were self-reported at both time points. Multilevel regression models examined within-person changes in BPD symptoms, including self-harm, and risk-taking behaviors over time. Results 7.4% of participants had a high risk of BPD, defined by endorsing 7 + MSI-BPD items at least once. Among those with 7 + items endorsed at the first assessment, 29.5% still endorsed 7 + items three years later. Despite a general within-person decline in BPD symptoms with age, participants at initially high risk for BPD continued to exhibit elevated levels of risk-taking behaviors after three years. Conclusion BPD symptomatology affects a substantial proportion of young men. Despite its modest stability over time, it is associated with persistent engagement in various risk-taking behaviors. Interventions targeting BPD symptoms in male populations may offer a promising avenue towards mitigating substantial psychosocial burden associated with these behaviors.
Abstract Purpose Forced migration increases vulnerability to exploitation. Globally, around 50 million people are affected by human trafficking, which often involves trauma with negative mental health effects. Forced migrants already face elevated risks of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, yet the specific association of trafficking on their mental health remains unclear. Methods Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and overall stress were assessed using standardized screening instruments (PC-PTSD-5, PHQ-4, and the Distress Thermometer). Experiences of human trafficking were measured with a modified version of the Adult Human Trafficking Screening Tool (AHTST) among forced migrants in Germany. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between human trafficking and positive screenings for the respective mental health conditions. Results A total of N = 1108 forced migrants participated in the study. Depending on the imputation model, between 49% and 56% of all participants screened positive for PTSD, 60% to 71% for depression, and 41% to 52% for an anxiety disorder. Among participants who screened positive for these mental health conditions, a positive screen for human trafficking was associated with a 30–40% higher probability of screening positive for PTSD and a 15% to 20% higher probability of screening positive for depression or anxiety disorder. Conclusions Forced migrants with a history of human trafficking are at elevated risk for PTSD, depression, and anxiety than those without, underscoring the need for early identification and tailored psychosocial support.
BACKGROUND: Although the Danish health registers provide rich data for epidemiological mental health research, the comparability of findings is hindered by different definitions of mental disorders across studies. We aimed to describe different approaches taken by researchers to define mental disorders using Danish register data and quantify the impact of selecting different definitions on estimates of prevalence and incidence. METHOD: We undertook a scoping review to identify the approaches to define mental disorders using Danish register data and produced a narrative synthesis. We compiled tables of potential definitions for any mental disorder and specific types of mental disorders using nationwide Danish registers. Using these definitions, we quantified (i) the number of individuals fulfilling each definition during 2018 and 2018-2022 and (ii) the estimated cumulative incidence. RESULTS: Our search identified 2185 papers, 1155 of which used Danish register data to define mental disorders to describe the study population, an exposure, or an outcome. Our estimates of the number of individuals fulfilling each definition and the estimated cumulative incidences indicated considerable variation with the data sources and variables used to define mental disorders within the Danish national registers. For example, the cumulative incidence of any mental disorder at 80 years among females varied between 29.2% when only psychiatric unit patient register data were used and 62.1% when somatic patient, prescription, cause of death, and health services register data were added. CONCLUSION: The different data sources and variables used to define mental disorders can result in substantial variation in the numbers of identified cases. Studies should clearly document all variables and values used to define their disorders of interest, as well as describe the disorder they aim to capture, discussing the strengths and limitations of their approach and the likely impacts on the sensitivity and specificity of including or omitting data from other available registers.
زمینه: اگرچه پایگاههای سلامت دانمارک دادههای غنیای برای پژوهشهای اپیدمیولوژیک سلامت روان فراهم میکنند، اما مقایسهپذیری یافتهها به دلیل تعاریف متفاوت اختلالات روانی در مطالعات مختلف با چالش مواجه است. هدف ما توصیف رویکردهای مختلف پژوهشگران در تعریف اختلالات روانی با استفاده از دادههای ثبت دانمارکی و کمیسازی تأثیر انتخاب تعاریف مختلف بر برآوردهای شیوع و بروز بود. روش: یک مرور دامنهای برای شناسایی رویکردهای تعریف اختلالات روانی با دادههای ثبت دانمارکی انجام دادیم و سنتز روایتی ارائه کردیم. جداولی از تعاریف بالقوه برای هر نوع اختلال روانی و انواع خاص اختلالات روانی با استفاده از پایگاههای سراسری دانمارک تهیه کردیم. با استفاده از این تعاریف، (۱) تعداد افرادی که هر تعریف را در سال ۲۰۱۸ و بازه ۲۰۱۸ تا ۲۰۲۲ برآورده میکردند و (۲) بروز تجمعی تخمینی را کمیسازی کردیم. یافتهها: جستجوی ما ۲۱۸۵ مقاله را شناسایی کرد که ۱۱۵۵ مورد از آنها از دادههای ثبت دانمارکی برای تعریف اختلالات روانی به منظور توصیف جمعیت مطالعه، مواجهه یا پیامد استفاده کرده بودند. برآوردهای ما از تعداد افرادی که هر تعریف را برآورده میکردند و بروز تجمعی تخمینی نشاندهنده تفاوت قابل توجهی با توجه به منابع دادهای و متغیرهای مورد استفاده برای تعریف اختلالات روانی در پایگاههای ملی دانمارک بود. برای مثال، بروز تجمعی هر نوع اختلال روانی تا سن ۸۰ سالگی در زنان بین ۲۹.۲٪ (در صورت استفاده صرف از دادههای ثبت بیماران واحد روانپزشکی) تا ۶۲.۱٪ (در صورت افزودن دادههای بیماران جسمی، نسخهنویسی، علت مرگ و خدمات سلامت) متغیر بود. نتیجهگیری: منابع دادهای و متغیرهای مختلف مورد استفاده برای تعریف اختلالات روانی میتواند منجر به تفاوت چشمگیر در تعداد موارد شناساییشده شود. مطالعات باید تمام متغیرها و مقادیر مورد استفاده برای تعریف اختلال مورد نظر خود را بهوضوح مستند کنند و همچنین اختلال مورد هدف خود را توصیف کرده، نقاط قوت و محدودیتهای رویکرد خود و تأثیرات احتمالی بر حساسیت و ویژگی ناشی از درج یا حذف دادهها از سایر پایگاههای موجود را مورد بحث قرار دهند.
