To determine the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depression among health care professionals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the impact of gender and professional roles on mental health outcomes.

A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and November 2023 using stratified random sampling among health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and emergency staff, across multiple hospitals. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to assess anxiety and depression. Data were analyzed using R/RStudio, employing descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Among 651 participants, 65% were male. Anxiety prevalence was significant, with 42% experiencing minimal anxiety, 35% mild, 16% moderate, and 7.7% severe. Depression prevalence included 10% with no depression with 7.8% moderately severe and 5.9% severe depression. Nurses (40%) and doctors (34%) had the highest depression rates. Females exhibited significantly higher anxiety and depression scores. Anxiety prevalence varied across hospitals (P = 0.024). A strong positive correlation was observed between GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores.

Mental health challenges among frontline health care workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are substantial, with anxiety and depression particularly prevalent among nurses and doctors. Female workers experience greater psychological distress. We recommend implementation of hospital-based mental health support systems, prioritizing interventions for female staff and high-burden departments. Policies ensuring regular psychological screening and peer support mechanisms are urgently needed.

Although mental disorders have long been considered complex dynamic systems, our understanding of the mutual interactions and temporal patterns of their symptoms remains limited.

In this longitudinal study, we examined the structure and dynamics of four key mental health indicators – depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia – in a representative sample of the Slovak population (effective N = 3,874) over 10 waves spanning 3.5 years. For each construct, a longitudinal panel network model was estimated.

The temporal relationships between symptoms were mostly weak, with the autoregressive effects typically being stronger. In depression, anxiety, and insomnia, some causal chains and feedback loops were identified. In all constructs, both contemporaneous and between-person networks showed dense connections.

The findings provide critical insights into the complexity of mental health development, offering potential targets for intervention and prevention strategies.

An estimated 93,000 persons were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with petroleum jet propellant (JP)-5 fuel after a November 20, 2021, leak at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu, Hawaii. Previous investigations identified the need to evaluate long-term mental health effects associated with JP-5 exposure.

We identified adults potentially exposed to jet fuel-contaminated water during November 20, 2021-March 18, 2022, who sought care within the military health system through February 24, 2023. We abstracted a sample of electronic medical records and categorized documented mental health conditions and symptoms as “worsening preexisting” or “persistent new.” We also assessed mental health-related medication use before and after November 20, 2021.

We abstracted medical charts for 411 adults potentially exposed to jet fuel-contaminated water. Of this cohort, 123 (29.9%) had documented worsening preexisting mental health conditions or symptoms, 86 (20.9%) had persistent new mental health conditions or symptoms, and 109 (26.5%) had at least one mental health-related medication prescribed after the exposure event.

These results highlight mental health needs during and after water contamination events. Continued access to mental health care services and monitoring for long-term mental health effects is recommended.

Children in care who experience frequent placement changes face an increased risk of negative mental health outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship, where placement instability can both predict and result from mental health difficulties. Understanding the strength and direction of this relationship is crucial for informing policy and practice, yet UK-based evidence remains unconsolidated.

To conduct the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the relationship between placement instability and mental health in the UK care system.

This review was prospectively registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42024493617). We searched five databases (up to August 2024) for peer-reviewed UK studies that included a care-experienced sample, measured placement (in)stability, measured mental health, and quantitatively examined the relationship between placement instability and mental health. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted, and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale.

Fifteen studies (N = 6905) were included, with twelve studies (n = 5536) contributing to the meta-analysis. Children with unstable placements were more than twice as likely to experience mental health difficulties compared to those with stable placements (odds ratio 2.07, 95% CI 1.65–2.59). However, evidence on the causal direction of this relationship was limited.

Placement instability doubles the risk of mental health difficulties for care-experienced children, who already face elevated rates of mental disorders. Further research is urgently needed to clarify the bidirectional nature of this relationship and guide targeted intervention. Meanwhile, policymakers should prioritise collaborations between mental health services and local authorities to prevent the cycle of instability and mental health deterioration.

Youth exposed to poverty and adversities like violence are at higher risk of mental health problems (MHP), but whether antipoverty interventions can reduce this risk remains unclear. We examined the association between participation in the Brazilian Cash Transfer Program (BFP) and mental health of children/adolescents exposed to different levels of adversity.

Observational study using nearest-neighbor propensity score matching to compare BFP participants and non-participants from the Itaboraí study, a community-based cohort of 1,189 children/adolescents (6–15 years) assessed at two waves (meaninterval: 12.9 months).Measures included the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) externalizing, internalizing, and total problems scales; an adversity score derived from a confirmatory factor analysis on violence victimization at home (WorldSAFE), school (threat/maltreatment/being chased by peers) and community (Survey of Exposure to Community Violence), and stressful life events (UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index); and BFP exposure for at least 12 months (yes/no). Latent change score models tested whether BFP participation predicted changes in CBCL T-scores, moderated by adversity levels.

A total of 330 BFP participants were matched with 330 non-participants with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Decreases in total (b=−0.124, SE=0.034, p<0.001), externalizing (b=−0.122, SE=0.036, p=0.001), and internalizing problems (b=−0.141, SE=0.033, p<0.001) between baseline and follow-up were observed among BFP participants exposed to higher levels of adversity compared with non-participants.

BFP participation was associated with reduced MHP only among children/adolescents facing high adversity, suggesting the program may help break the cycle between poverty and mental health problems—but benefits are concentrated among the most vulnerable.

Household food insecurity (HFI) is a social determinant of health globally. Rates of HFI have risen in many high-income countries in recent years, particularly in households with children. The health outcomes associated with HFI for children and adolescents have not been systematically synthesised. This review was conducted to support advocacy efforts for meaningful policy action to reduce HFI in households with children.

A systematic search was conducted in Medline, Embase and PsycInfo databases. Primary studies measuring the association between physical or mental health outcomes and HFI were included. Studies were appraised and population, setting, measures and outcomes were extracted. Findings were grouped by related outcomes. Due to heterogeneity, findings were synthesised narratively. Rapid review methodology was used to accommodate resource constraints.

High-income countries.

Youth aged less than 18 years.

Thirty-six studies were included. Most were cross-sectional studies conducted in the USA. Outcomes included general health, early childhood, cardiometabolic, asthma, dental caries, mental health, sleep, diet and anaemia. Despite substantial heterogeneity in HFI measures and analysis, findings support associations between HFI and negative outcomes for general health status, asthma, dental caries and mental health. Findings for other outcomes were mixed.

This review clarifies the effects of HFI on children and adolescents. Findings highlight trends for negative physical and mental health outcomes associated with HFI during youth, particularly related to mental health, oral health, asthma and general health status. Policy-level action should address rising rates of HFI and long-term effects on these vulnerable populations.

Mental disorders affect nearly 970 million people worldwide, impacting individuals and healthcare systems. Large population databases offer insights often unattainable in smaller studies, but their findings may not always generalize across diverse regions. To address this, we introduce a European cohort from Catalonia, Spain, allowing for comparisons between individuals with mental disorders and the general population.

Data were obtained from the “Programa d’analítica de dades per a la recerca i la innovació en salut” (PADRIS). The cohort included all individuals who accessed public specialized mental health services between 2015 and 2019, with retrospective follow-up extending to 2010. These individuals, referred to as cases, were matched by age, sex, and health region with controls, individuals who had no interactions with mental health services during the same period. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidities, smoking status, healthcare utilization, and prescribed treatments, were analyzed.

The study included 1,421,510 individuals (mean age: 41.6±22.1; 53.6% female), with 473,812 cases and 947,698 controls. Cases were more likely to be exempt from income reporting, be ever-smokers, and have musculoskeletal comorbidities. A total of 1,547,374 psychiatric diagnoses were recorded, with anxiety (31.38%) and mood disorders (18.83%) being the most frequent. Over the follow-up, 76.2 million primary care visits and 67.1 million prescriptions were recorded.

This cohort enhances our understanding of mental health service use, diagnostic trends, and treatment patterns in Catalonia. The insights derived from this cohort have the potential to inform mental health policies, improving outcomes within and beyond the region.

The prevalence of prolonged symptoms following a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection represents a significant health challenge with potentially severe individual and societal costs. Our study investigates the long-term cognitive and mental health consequences associated with post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC) following a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection.

We conducted longitudinal assessments of cognitive performance and mental health in 50 post-COVID-19 patients and 48 matched healthy controls across 10 months, starting on average 2 years after infection. Cognitive function was evaluated using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery of standardized tests, while mental health was assessed via self-reported questionnaires. Data were analyzed with linear mixed models.

Initial group differences in cognitive performance were observed for memory, executive functioning, and perceptual speed, with worse performance in patients. Improvement across the follow-up period occurred for most tasks, with PCC patients displaying greater improvement compared to healthy controls for some memory and executive function tasks, reaching performance levels of the control group. Fatigue and mental health measures remained elevated in the patient group, with worsening in general fatigue and a small improvement in fatigue after cognitive testing. Factors such as male sex, absence of burnout history, and lower depression scores at baseline predicted cognitive recovery in the patient group.

Our study underscores the importance of addressing cognitive and psychological effects following mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, as persistent fatigue, low mental health, and cognitive impairments significantly impact individuals’ ability to return to their pre-COVID professional and personal lives.