Search results
Found 12787 matches for
Changes in suicidal ideation and related influential factors in college students during the COVID-19 lockdown in China
This study aims to investigate the patterns and predictors of suicidal ideation (SI) trajectories among college students during extended lockdowns in China. A three-wave survey was conducted during the outbreak period, remission period, and prevention period of COVID-19. Distinct patterns of SI trajectories were established by grouping respondents based on temporal changes in SI. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine predictors for delay-occurrence and persistent SI. From a total of 35,516 college students included in the study, rates of SI increased significantly from T1 to T2 (7.3% v. 9.4%) and from T2 to T3 (9.4% v. 12.6%). Five SI trajectories were observed: resilient (80.5% of the sample), recovery (3.6%), relapsing/remitting (4.8%), persistent dysfunction (2.3%) and delayed dysfunction (8.7%). Further, junior-year undergraduates, postgraduates, only-child families, mental health history, confirmed cases in the community of residence, depressive symptoms, and negative coping strategies were significant predictors of distinct SI trajectories, whereas greater social support, more positive coping strategies, and better family functioning were associated with a lower probability of developing delayed or persistent dysfunction during the lockdown period. These findings suggest that continuous preventive and intervening measures for college students during COVID-19 lockdowns are of global importance, particularly among vulnerable groups who experience the most distress.
Resilience buffers the association between sleep disturbance and psychotic-like experiences in adolescents
Background: Sleep disturbance may cause psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). The present study aimed to exam their rate of co-occurrence and investigate whether resilience buffers the association. Methods: A total of 50,625 junior high school students were assessed using the self-compiled socio-demographics and sleep questionnaires, 8-item Positive Subscale of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences, 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire. Results: In this sample, 15.8% participants had frequent PLEs in the past month, where 40.1% exhibited comorbid sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance positively associated with the onset of frequent PLEs, after adjusting for socio-demographics, depression and anxiety. Moderation analysis showed resilience buffers the association between sleep disturbance and PLEs, with a higher level of resilience, the positive effect of sleep disturbance on PLEs would be diminished to a greater extent. Conclusions: These findings suggested that early attention should be drawn to adolescents with sleep disturbance. Intervention strategies should be enhancing resilience, increasing sleep duration and improving sleep quality.
Current psychotic-like experiences among adolescents in China: Identifying risk and protective factors
Objective: This study aim to explore the prevalence of current PLEs over past month and relevant influential factors among adolescents. Methods: A total of 67,538 students completed one online survey between April 21st and May 12th, 2021. Current PLEs were assessed using the 8-item Positive Subscale of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-P8). Participants were defined as having frequent PLEs if they selected “often” or “nearly always” on one or more items of CAPE-P8. Family function, school climate and a series of socio-demographic were also evaluated. Results: In this sample, 49.3% adolescents reported having at least one PLE over the past month, while 15.4% experienced high frequent PLEs. Alcohol intake was positively associated with high frequent PLEs (OR = 2.61, 95% CI = 2.37–2.88). Adolescents with chronic physical illness (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.73–2.18) or family history of psychiatric illness (OR = 2.61, 95% CI = 2.22–2.77) were more likely to suffer from high frequent PLEs. Dysfunction family function (OR moderate = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.98–2.09; OR severe = 6.98, 95% CI = 6.48–7.53) or poor school climate (OR = 3.14, 95% CI = 2.93–3.37) was associated with elevated high frequent PLEs. Conclusions: Several factors of socio-demographics, unhealthy lifestyle, family and school environments are found to be related to frequent PLEs. These factors should also be taken into consideration for effective psychosocial intervention in adolescents.
Cognitive processes in autism: Repetitive thinking in autistic versus non-autistic adults
Repetitive and restricted behaviours are a core feature of autism, and cognition in autistic individuals may also be repetitive and restricted. We aimed to investigate the relationship between repetitive behaviours and repetitive thinking. We predicted that autistic people would experience more repetitive, perseverative, visual and negative cognition than controls. We predicted that repetitive thinking would be associated with repetitive behaviours in the autistic participants. We recruited autistic (n = 54) and control (n = 66) participants who completed measures of insistence on sameness and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Participants then took part in 5 days of descriptive experiencing sampling, recording their thoughts when a random alarm sounded. Consistent with our hypothesis, autistic participants reported more repetitive thinking. Contrary with our other hypotheses, autistic participants reported equivalent frequency of perseveration, visual thoughts and negative thoughts to non-autistic participants. Moreover, participants who reported more obsessive thinking reported more repetitive behaviour (insistence on sameness), but there was no such relationship between repetitive thinking and behaviour. Autistic participants who reported more repeated thoughts in the descriptive experience sampling had significantly lower obsessive thinking scores. We conclude that anxiety focused cognitions may drive insistence on sameness behaviours, and that the relationship between repetitive cognition and behaviour is complex and warrants further investigation. Lay abstract: A core feature of autism is the tendency to do the same activity or behaviour repetitively. We wanted to find out if autistic people also experience repetitive thinking, for example, having the same thoughts repeatedly. We thought that there would be a link between repetitive behaviour and repetitive thinking. We asked 54 autistic people and 66 non-autistic people to complete questionnaires measuring repetitive behaviours and obsessive thinking. Next, participants were trained by a researcher to record their thoughts using a structured paper form. They then completed 5 days of thought recording, which they did each time a random alarm sounded on their mobile phone. We found that autistic people had more repetitive thoughts than non-autistic people, but they did not report having more negative or visual thoughts compared with non-autistic people. Autistic people who had more repetitive thoughts during the 5 days of thought recording did not report more repetitive behaviour. However, autistic people who reported more obsessive thinking, for example, more negative and unwanted thoughts, also reported higher levels of repetitive behaviour. We conclude that some repetitive behaviours may be linked to anxiety and that more research is needed to better understand repetitive behaviours in autism.
The Moderating Role of Lifestyle on Insomnia in Home Quarantine College Students During the COVID-19 Epidemic
There has been sufficient evidence for the relationship between lifestyle and insomnia in the general population, but for individuals who already suffer from insomnia, it is not clear whether a healthy lifestyle can also pose similar benefits. The present study investigated the roles of different aspects of lifestyle in the development of individual insomnia by tracking insomnia symptoms of college students during the COVID-19 lock-down. Two surveys were conducted on 65,200 college students in the process of home isolation in Guangdong Province of China, at the pandemic outbreak period (T1) and the initial remission period (T2), respectively. Given the objectives of the present study, a total of 1,702 college students with clinical insomnia from T1 were selected as subjects. Insomnia symptoms were assessed using the Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), while demographic information, epidemic exposure, and lifestyle were all measured by self-developed questionnaire, through network survey. The 1,702 college students (mean age ± standard deviation, 20.06 ± 1.46, range 16–25; 71.9% females) with insomnia symptoms were divided into three trajectory groups: recovery group, remission group, and chronic insomnia group according to their insomnia scores in T2 phase. The results showed that there was no significant difference in demographic backgrounds or epidemic exposure among the three groups, however, there were significant differences in food intake, exercise, and Internet use. The regression results further showed that both the recovery group and the remission group adopted more regular food intake than the chronic group. The recovery group exhibited better daily exercise habits than both the remission group and the chronic group. The duration of Internet use was significantly shorter for the recovery group than for the chronic group. These findings indicate a strong relationship between the lifestyle and the recovery of insomnia for college students isolated at home during the epidemic period. Significance of the different aspects of lifestyle on the recovery of insomnia are discussed.
An Exploration of Self-Reported Sleep Inertia Symptoms Using Network Analysis
Purpose: Sleep inertia (SI) is the transitional state accompanied by compromised cognitive and physical performance and sleepiness. Network analysis offers a potential new framework to conceptualize a complex network of symptom–symptom interactions, and the network structure is analyzed to reveal the core characteristics. However, no previous study examined the network structure of SI symptoms. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate characteristics and compare sex differences of SI symptom networks in the general population. Materials and Methods: A total of 1491 participants from China were recruited from 30 May to 17 June, 2021. SI symptoms were assessed by using the Sleep Inertia Questionnaire (SIQ). The network structures were estimated and compared using network analytic methods in the R version 4.1.1. Results: Centrality properties analysis of the expected influence suggested that symptoms of “Feel sleepy”, “Groggy, fuzzy or hazy mind”, and “Dread starting your day” exerted greatest influences. The weighted adjacency matrix revealed that the “Dread starting your day” and “Anxious about the upcoming day” edge showed the strongest connection (edge weight value = 0.70). The network comparison test found no significant difference in network global strength (p=0.928), distribution of edge weights (p=0.194) and individual edge weights (all p values >0.05 after Holm–Bonferroni corrections) between males and females. Conclusion: Symptoms of “Feel sleepy”, “Groggy, fuzzy or hazy mind”, and “Dread starting your day” were central in the SI symptom network. Intervention, such as the artificial dawn and change in body temperature, for symptoms of “Feel sleepy”, “Groggy, fuzzy or hazy mind”, and “Dread starting your day” might be crucial to hasten the dissipation of SI in the general population who may need to perform tasks upon waking.
Application of the Chinese version of the 11-item circadian-type inventory (CTI-11) in a working sample
This study revised the Chinese version of 11-item circadian-type inventory (CTI-11) and examined its validity and reliability in textile workers. 3833 workers were recruited to complete the Chinese version of CTI-11. The Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) was used as the concurrent validity instrument. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the Chinese version of CTI-11 consists of two factors: flexibility/rigidity (FR) and languid/vigorous (LV). The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that CTI-11 has a good construct validity. Measurement invariance test indicated that the factor structure of CTI-11 is quite stable across gender and work shifts. FR and LV are significantly correlated with CSM, and LV can significantly predict insomnia. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the two subscales were satisfactory. These findings indicated satisfactory psychometric properties of the Chinese version of CTI-11 in a working sample, with the implication that this scale is potentially a reliable assessment tool on individuals’ adaptability to shift work.
Insomnia and other sleep-related problems during the remission period of the COVID-19 pandemic: A large-scale survey among college students in China
This study aimed to evaluate the sleep-related problems and predictors of probable clinical insomnia among college students during the COVID-19 remission period in China. 146,102 college students from 22 colleges/universities in Guangdong province participated in this study from 1th to 15th June, 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess demographic characteristics. Sleep-related problems, depression and anxiety symptoms were measured by Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, respectively. The prevalence of difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, sleep insufficiency, unrefreshing sleep and daytime functioning impairment were 7.2%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 9.6%, 14.6%, and 7.6%, respectively. 16.9% students had varying degrees of insomnia and 6.3% were considered as displaying probable clinical insomnia. Moreover, being urban residents, having a history of physical or mental illness, and probable clinical depression or anxiety were significant risk factors of probable clinical insomnia, while college senior degree and 7-8 hours’ sleep duration per day was the protective factor for probable clinical insomnia. Unrefreshing sleep was the most prominent sleep problem among college students during COVID-19 remission in China. Good sleep hygiene practices are strongly suggested to develop in the time of prolonged home isolation.
Change patterns of sleep problems predict mental health problems among adolescents: a 10-year cohort study of Chinese Wenchuan earthquake
Background: The predictive effects of change patterns of sleep problems on mental health after a long-term disaster remain poorly known. We examined the change patterns of sleep problems after the Wenchuan earthquake, and tested whether specific sleep-related change patterns could predict mental health problems (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety, and depression) in the 10 years after Wenchuan earthquake. Methods: 1357 adolescents exposed to the Wenchuan earthquake were surveyed on potential sleep problems at 18 months (T18m) and 30 months (T30m) post-earthquake. Among them, 799 participants completed the followed-up survey online 10 years after the earthquake (T10y). Since some participants did not provide sleep problems data at both T18m and T30m, 707 samples were included in final analyses. Linear regression analysis was performed. Results: Four different patterns of sleep problems were identified: stable-low pattern (61.1%), stable-high pattern (15.3%), decreasing pattern (13.2%), and increasing pattern (10.5%). Additionally, we found that individuals in stable-high and increasing patterns were more likely to experience PTSD, anxiety, and depression at T10y in the crude model. After controlling for confounders (e.g., earthquake exposure), these patterns were strongly predictive of depression at T10y. Limitations: Only two waves of sleep problems were collected and subjective sleep outcomes methods were used to collect data instead of objective methods. Conclusions: Sleep problems had heterogeneity after a deadly earthquake. Individuals in stable-high and increasing patterns should be given more attention. Timely assessment and targeted interventions on specific sleep problems are necessary for preventing an escalation of adverse mental health outcomes.
Is returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic stressful? A study on immediate mental health status of Chinese college students
Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic has posed substantial impacts on individual's daily routine and psychological state. For the first time at great scale, Chinese college students had their educational activities moved online in spring 2020. Due to this unexpected isolation and unconventional learning method, their mental health following returning to school is worth investigating. Methods: Between June 1 and June 15, 2020, a total of 8,921 returning college students’ mental health status were assessed using instruments designed for psychiatric disorders, namely the 9-Item Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), 6-Item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6), Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), and self-developed questionnaire. Results: Our results showed that 8.7%, 4.2%, 10.5%, and 6.1% of the participants experienced depression, anxiety, acute stress, and insomnia, respectively, with a total of 19.8% reporting having at least one psychiatric symptom following their return to school. Sophomore and Senior year, and presence of previous psychiatric conditions contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric issues. The level of impact by COVID-19 on one's daily functioning is also positively associated with poor mental health. Conclusions: Our findings suggested no significant increase in the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, following the first batch of students’ return to school. These findings aim to complement the current understanding of the psychiatric impact of COVID-19 on students and assist school principals to plan their return-to-school approaches in a mental-health sensitive way.
Prevalences of and correlations between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal behavior among institutionalized adolescents in Vietnam
Objectives: We investigated the prevalence rates of childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and suicidal behaviors among Vietnamese adolescents and compared the differences between institutionalized adolescents (IAs) and noninstitutionalized adolescents (NIAs). In addition, we examined the multidimensional associations between childhood trauma and psychopathology among IAs. Methods: Five hundred forty-six participants were recruited into two groups (IAs and NIAs) matched by age, sex and grade. They completed a childhood trauma questionnaire, depression scale, anxiety scale, and 3 suicide-related questions. The chi-squared test and logistic regressions were performed. Results: The prevalences of anxiety symptoms and suicide attempts among IAs was higher than that among NIAs (25.6 % vs 14.7 %, p = 0.001 and 8.1 vs 3.7, p = 0.03, respectively), while the prevalences of other psychopathologies did not differ significantly. In the IA group, high prevalences of victimization through physical abuse (22.3 %), emotional neglect (57.9 %), and physical neglect (72.9 %) were found, and 58.6 % of the participants had experienced more than one type of trauma. These figures were significantly higher in IAs than in NIAs. Depression and suicidal ideation were more strongly correlated with emotional abuse and neglect than other types of maltreatment, while anxiety, suicide planning and suicide attempts were more strongly correlated with physical abuse. IAs who experienced more than two categories of trauma or greater intensity of trauma were more susceptible to developing depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors. Conclusions: Childhood trauma was multidimensionally associated with adverse psychological outcomes. We suggest that various aspects of childhood trauma, as well as psychopathologies, must be routinely assessed.
Shift work disorder and related influential factors among shift workers in China
Background: Shift work may cause insomnia and sleepiness in individuals. The present study aimed to exam shift work disorder (SWD), and to investigate their associations with individual characteristics. Methods: A total of 1833 shift workers were assessed using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), Circadian Type Inventory (CTI), Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and other self-compiled socio-demographic questionnaires. Results: In the current sample, 17.1% shift workers have experienced insomnia symptoms, 20.9% were tested for daytime sleepiness, and 19.9% were categorized as having SWD. Logistics regressions revealed that history of mental disorders (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.30–3.21), chronic physical illness (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.17–1.99), CES-D scores (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.02–1.05), BAI scores (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.03–1.06), languid/vigorous tendencies (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.03–1.10) were positively associated with the onset of SWD, while morningness (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.94–0.99) decreased the odds of SWD onset. Conclusions: These findings suggested that attention should be drawn to individuals with mental and chronic diseases in when scheduling work shifts. While SWD and its associates should be considered when providing psychological services to shift workers.
Earthquake Exposure and PTSD Symptoms Among Disaster-Exposed Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Sleep Problems and Resilience
Considerable studies have explored the potential mechanisms between trauma exposure and PTSD, but little is known about the role of sleep problems and resilience in this relationship. To address this research gap, the present study examined whether sleep problems mediated the relationship between earthquake exposure and PTSD symptoms, and whether this mediating process was moderated by resilience. A sample of 1,342 adolescents (Mage = 15.54 years, SD = 1.26) completed questionnaires regarding earthquake exposure, sleep problems, resilience, and PTSD symptoms 12 months after a devastating earthquake in China. After controlling for demographic variables, earthquake exposure was significantly, and positively associated with PTSD symptoms, and sleep problems partially mediated this relationship. Tests of moderated mediation further revealed that resilience moderated the relationship between earthquake exposure and PTSD symptoms as well as sleep problems and PTSD symptoms. Specifically, the relationship between earthquake exposure and PTSD symptoms was only significant for adolescents with a lower level of resilience; meanwhile, the positive relationship between sleep problems and PTSD symptoms was stronger among low-resilient adolescents. Therefore, sleep-targeted and resilience-based interventions may be effective in alleviating PTSD symptoms resulted from the earthquake.
Psychiatric comorbidity predicts sleep disturbances among adolescent earthquake survivors: a 10-year cohort study
Objective: To examine the prevalence of sleep disturbances 10 years after Wenchuan earthquake, and to explore whether comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms could predict sleep disturbances and whether such effects were modified by gender. Methods: Participants were 1357 adolescents in the Wenchuan Earthquake Adolescent Health Cohort Study (WEAHC). 799 of the participants completed the followed-up survey 10 years after the earthquake. At 12-month post-earthquake (T12m), a battery of standardized measures were used to assess individual earthquake exposure, sleep disturbances (insomnia symptoms and poor sleep quality), PTSD, and depressive symptoms. At 10 years post-earthquake (T10y), those survivors reported their sleep disturbances via an online survey. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of insomnia (14.3%) and of poor sleep quality (19.8%) at T10y decreased when compared with it at T12m. After controlling for covariates, it is revealed that depression-only and comorbidity groups at T12m predicted sleep disturbances at T10y among the whole sample and males. As for females, who have depression-only and comorbidity were more likely to develop insomnia symptoms but not poor sleep quality. Conclusions: Sleep disturbances remained highly prevalent among survivors even 10 years after the earthquake. Depression-only and comorbidity groups were related to higher risks of sleep disturbances, especially for males. Assessments and interventions targeting both depressive symptoms and comorbid PTSD to reduce sleep disturbances after a deadly disaster are warranted.
Depressive symptoms between parent and adolescent survivors: A longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model
Background:: The association between parent-child depression following disasters has been well documented. However, longitudinal studies of posttraumatic depression using parent-child dyadic are scarce. This study aimed to investigate inter-related effects between parent and child depression, as well as predictors of depressive symptoms, in a large sample of Wenchuan earthquake survivors. Methods:: Data are from the Wenchuan Earthquake Adolescent Health Cohort (WEAHC) Study that included 685 parent-child dyads exposed to the earthquake. Depression was assessed with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (for parents) and Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children, at 12 (T12m) and 18 months (T18m) post-earthquake. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) were employed to examine depression within dyads. Predictors of depressive symptoms were assessed by the cart algorithm throughout the 6-month follow-up. Results:: Adjusting for earthquake exposure and previous depressive symptoms, parents’ depression at 12 months predicted children's depressive symptoms at 18 months, and vice versa (β = 0.14 for parents and β = 0.12 for children). Psychomotor retardation in parents, and dysphoria/social isolation and positive affect in children were identified as crucial screening indicators identifying parents and children at increased risk for depression. Conclusion:: A bidirectional association was found between parent and child depression following a mass disaster. Both parent and child depression status should be examined when implementing interventions to identify and treat depression in earthquake survivors.
Memory reactivation during rest forms shortcuts in a cognitive map.
Efficient and flexible cognition relies upon cognitive maps-representations of concepts and the relations between them. Cognitive maps integrate relations that were learned separately into a cohesive whole. Memory reactivation during rest and sleep may contribute to cognitive map formation in two ways: by simply strengthening memories for directly experienced relations, or by reorganising concepts and creating new relations that capture the underlying structure. We designed a multi-stage learning task to test whether reactivation during rest is involved in restructuring memories as opposed to simply consolidating what was experienced. We causally manipulated memory reactivation during rest using awake, contextual targeted memory reactivation. We found that promoting memory reactivation during rest qualitatively reorganises the cognitive map by forming 'shortcuts' between events which have not been experienced together. These shortcuts in memory extend beyond direct experience to facilitate our ability to make novel inferences. Using a series of control tests we show that inference performance cannot be explained by quantitative strengthening of the experienced component links. Interestingly, we show that representing a shortcut may come with limitations, as shortcuts cannot be readily updated in response to rapid changes in the environment. Together, these findings reveal how memories are reorganised during awake rest to construct a cognitive map of our environment, while highlighting the constraints set by a trade-off between efficient and flexible behaviour.
Self-supervised predictive learning accounts for cortical layer-specificity.
The neocortex constructs an internal representation of the world, but the underlying circuitry and computational principles remain unclear. Inspired by self-supervised learning algorithms, we propose a computational theory in which layer 2/3 (L2/3) integrates past sensory input, relayed via layer 4, with top-down context to predict incoming sensory stimuli. Learning is self-supervised by comparing L2/3 predictions with the latent representations of actual sensory input arriving at L5. We demonstrate that our model accurately predicts sensory information in context-dependent temporal tasks, and that its predictions are robust to noisy and occluded sensory input. Additionally, our model generates layer-specific sparsity, consistent with experimental observations. Next, using a sensorimotor task, we show that the model's L2/3 and L5 prediction errors mirror mismatch responses observed in awake, behaving mice. Finally, through manipulations, we offer testable predictions to unveil the computational roles of various cortical features. In summary, our findings suggest that the multi-layered neocortex empowers the brain with self-supervised predictive learning.