The growing number of mental health problems globally and in the Philippines, particularly among young adults, demands not just low-cost but effective and science-based interventions. This was especially needed in places where traditional mental health interventions were not easily accessible. This study reported the conceptualization, expert validation, and piloting feasibility and usability of a digital mental health literacy program for Filipino college students.

The development of the program was composed of three distinct but connected phases using the methodological framework of the Theory of Change model. Phase 1involved the development of program through the collaboration of university-based mental health professionals. The program was grounded in a causal model of the relationship between mental health literacy, help-seeking behavior, and psychological well-being among Filipino college students, and the mental health literacy framework of Anthony Jorm [1]. In phase 2, experts in the field validated the program's content using a researcher-made survey questionnaire. Phase 3 is pilot testing of the program to 10 participants; a focus group discussion was conducted to document user experiences, feasibility and usability of the program.

The program was a 12-module program with a 6-week duration and integrated three key digital components: psychoeducational videos, online group forums, and self-help modules. Thematic analysis was used in focus group discussions with 10 participants of the pilot study. Expert validation indicated high levels of content relevance and clarity, suggesting strong alignment with the objectives of the program. Three themes emerged in the thematic analysis of the focus group discussion: enhanced self-awareness, perceived program efficacy, usability, and barriers to engagement. Participants reported improved awareness and vocabulary regarding mental and emotional health due to its structured design. Participants also described the platform of the program as user-friendly, particularly appreciating its web-based and mobile app availability. On the other hand, recommendations for improvements were also identified, such as increasing the duration of the program, adding more personalized and interactive features, and ensuring the availability of peer support.

The findings provided preliminary evidence on the feasibility and usability of the digital mental health literacy program for Filipino college students. The pilot results indicated strong potential for implementation and further testing. Future studies with larger samples and more rigorous research designs were needed to examine the effectiveness of the program on mental health outcomes such as help-seeking behavior and psychological well-being.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurodevelopmental disability in which 75% of youth with CP report experiencing pain. Caregiver mental health, parenting style (e.g., authoritarian) and protective responses to pain (i.e., responses that reinforce pain behaviours and avoidance) have been linked to child pain outcomes. Although caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities experience heightened stress, little is known about the influence of caregiver mental health and parenting style on pain outcomes in youth with CP.

The present study investigated if caregiver mental health symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety) and general parenting style (i.e., authoritarian, authoritative and permissive) were associated with child-reported pain (i.e., pain intensity and pain interference), and whether protective responses to pain mediated these proposed associations.

Forty-three pairs of youth with CP and their caregiver were recruited from Canadian agencies, organizations and social media advertisements. Participants completed cross-sectional measures of child-reported pain and caregiver-reported mental health, parenting style and protective responses to pain.

Caregiver mental health and authoritarian parenting style were significant predictors of youth pain interference (p's ≤ 0.05); however, unexpectedly, protective responses to pain did not mediate these associations (confidence intervals containing 0).

These findings highlight the need for future investigations of family-based interventions targeting general parenting style and caregiver mental health and their potential to reduce symptoms associated with secondary conditions, such as pain, that youth with CP experience.

Black children and youth constitute 41.9% of Canada's Black population. Their frequent encounters with anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination in schools contribute to disproportionately poor mental health outcomes. Given the rapid growth of the Black population in Western Canada, it is critical to understand how educational policies in this region address anti-Black racism and mental health inequities.

We conducted a systematic document search, reviewing government websites of the three Prairie provinces and four major school boards, selected based on size and demographic diversity. Data were extracted by one researcher and independently validated by another. The Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis framework guided our content and narrative analysis.

A total of 29 documents, consisting of provincial (n = 18) and school-board (n = 11) policies were included. Only two documents (6.9%), one from Manitoba and the other from Edmonton Public Schools, recognized anti-Black racism as a determinant of mental health outcomes in schools. Policy documents predominantly employ broad, race-neutral language, showing a pervasive reliance on universal access models for mental health supports. Attention to culturally responsive care was highly limited; only five provincial documents referenced Afrocentric perspectives (e.g., Black histories or cultural recognition). Though school board commitments were comparatively stronger, they remained highly uneven.

Existing policies render the unique needs of Black children and youth largely invisible. This policy silence, coupled with an over-reliance on race-neutral frameworks, creates significant equity gaps and sustains health disparities. Systemic reform is urgently required to embed anti-Black racism acknowledgment and culturally responsive care directly within school mental health frameworks.

Structural inequities, racial discrimination and gendered expectations of "motherhood" shape perinatal mental health outcomes among Black women by influencing access to care and social support. Despite this, Black mothers remain at a higher risk of developing perinatal mental health disorders compared to other racial groups, reinforcing the urgency of addressing this disparity. Research on perinatal depression and anxiety often neglects the distinct racial, cultural, social, and health perspectives of Black women in Canada.

How do cultural beliefs, values, health perspectives and perceived social support influence perinatal mental health in Black women in Canada?

13 qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually. The participants were Black mothers who have given birth or attended the birth as a legal parent in Canada between 2019 and 2025. Interviews were coded inductively and deductively for relevant themes. Data analysis was guided by Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist Theory, displaying the interplay of race, culture, and gender in perinatal mental health experiences.

The identified themes were: (1) Postpartum Mental Health Barriers for Black Mothers; (2) Beyond the Baby Blues; (3) Beliefs, Faith, and Holistic Approaches; (4) Healing Love: Support and Spirituality in Perinatal Mental Health, and (5) Navigating Change Pre- and Post-Birth.

These findings emphasize the need for culturally tailored screening tools and diagnostic strategies to address the perinatal mental health needs of Black mothers in Canada, providing a foundation for future research and practical interventions.

Rising rates of mental health and substance use are significant contributors to illness and disability among adolescents, highlighting a critical area for support and intervention. Existing evidence suggests the physical environment where young people live may impact their mental health. However, research is seldom longitudinal and rarely accounts for the co-location or mixture of potential environmental influences.

To assess longitudinal relationships between the physical environment in which young people reside in Aotearoa New Zealand and their mental health outcomes.

This study follows a population cohort of 957,381 young people (aged 10-24 years in 2018) over six years (2013-2018), linking their mental health outcomes (emotional, externalising, substance problems, and self-harm) and individual-level characteristics derived from administrative linked microdata with environmental data represented by the Healthy Location Index. Longitudinal Generalised Estimating Equations and quantile g-computing examined longitudinal relationships between the physical environments where young people reside and their mental health.

We found evidence of longitudinal associations between the mixture of physical environment and young people's mental health for emotional disorders (aOR_Ψ = 1.09 [1.08, 1.10]), substance use (aOR_Ψ = 1.04 [1.02, 1.05]), and self-harm (aOR_Ψ = 1.14 [1.10, 1.17]) (but not externalising conditions (aOR_Ψ = 1.01 [0.99, 1.02])), present even after adjusting for individual-level and socioeconomic characteristics. Modelling emphasised the importance of the mix of the environments and the combined positive influence of natural spaces (bluespace and greenspace) for mental health outcomes.

This study provides longitudinal evidence of meaningful associations between exposure to the combined built and natural environment and mental health in young people. Specifically, living in predominantly health-constraining environments was associated with increased odds of emotional disorders, while greater access to and the mixture of greenspace and bluespace contributed to better mental health outcomes. Our findings are strengthened by a robust longitudinal nationwide study design and comprehensive adjustment, underscoring the significance of the environmental mix. These results extend current evidence and offer novel insights into how physical environments shape young people's mental health over time.

Food insecurity and malnutrition, as well as poor mental health, negatively impact millions of people worldwide and can reinforce each other, compounded by gender inequity. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions have the potential to improve these simultaneously. We analysed the impact of a homestead food production (HFP) programme on women's mental health, including pathways through food insecurity, women's empowerment and dietary diversity.

The Food and Agricultural Approaches to Malnutrition cluster-randomised trial allocated 96 settlements in northeastern Bangladesh 1:1 to a HFP programme, implemented 2015-2018, and control. Data were collected at baseline in 2015, at endline in 2019/20 and continuously through a surveillance system. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). We quantified the intervention's impact on depressive symptoms at endline, analysing data from 2513 women using multilevel regression. We also examined whether that effect was mediated by household food security, women's empowerment and women's dietary diversity, using sequential mediation analysis with cluster-bootstrapped standard errors, adjusting for baseline covariates.

At baseline, 39% of households were severely food insecure and 69% of women did not have minimally diverse diets. At endline, 38% of women in the control and 32% in the intervention arm screened positive for depressive symptoms (EPDS≥12). The intervention reduced the odds of depressive symptoms by 23% (OR 0.77, p=0.03). There was no evidence that the combined pathway reduced depression (OR 0.95, p=0.24). When decomposed, food security was responsible for one-third of the total effect (OR 0.92, p=0.01). Most of the intervention effect on depression was through other pathways (OR 0.81, p=0.08).

On average, intervention participants had better mental health 1 year after the programme ended, with some of the effect mediated by increased food security. There are likely other pathways through which nutrition-sensitive agriculture can improve mental health, such as social protection and income, which may act synergistically.

NCT02505711.

A large body of research has examined the association between the cognitive triad (negative views of the self, the world and the future) and depression; however, findings regarding its strength and direction remain inconsistent. The present meta-analysis systematically synthesized existing empirical evidence to evaluate both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the cognitive triad and depression. A three-level random-effects model was used to pool correlation coefficients (r) for cross-sectional associations, and cross-lagged regression models were applied to test prospective relations. Fifty-nine cross-sectional studies (132 effect sizes) were included, demonstrating a strong overall association between the cognitive triad and depressive symptoms (r = 0.596, 95% confidence interval, CI [0.546, 0.622]). Depressive symptoms were most strongly associated with a negative view of the self (r = 0.593), followed by a negative view of the world (r = 0.558) and the future (r = 0.538). Exploratory cross-lagged analyses were conducted across eight longitudinal studies. Preliminary results suggested that depressive symptoms at Time 1 predicted more negative cognitive triad scores at Time 2 (β = 0.160, 95% CI [0.100, 0.220]). The prospective effect of the cognitive triad on later depressive symptoms appeared to be moderated by age group; this effect was significant among participants aged 15 years or older (β = 0.187, 95% CI [0.112, 0.261]) but not among those below 15 years (β = -0.035, 95% CI [-0.122, 0.051]). The findings indicate a strong association between the cognitive triad and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, exploratory longitudinal analyses provide preliminary evidence for a prospective effect of depressive symptoms on subsequent negative cognitions and suggest a potential developmental shift in cognitive vulnerability to depression from late adolescence into adulthood.

While improvements have been made across the HIV care continuum in South Africa, gaps remain. Relationship-focused couples-based approaches may be one avenue to improve HIV-related outcomes for men and women. Prior couples-based studies have been found to improve several HIV care and treatment outcomes in this context, but few have considered viral suppression as the primary outcome. We aimed to compare a couples-based motivational-interviewing intervention delivered to couples to similar content delivered to men and women in couples separately. We will test the efficacy of this approach in a randomised controlled trial.

Our goal is to enrol 270 heterosexual couples for this trial, with at least one partner living with HIV. Couples will be randomised into one of two arms, stratified by couples' HIV status. The intervention arm, Simunye ('We are one' in isiZulu), will provide two sessions of motivational information and skills regarding HIV-related behaviours to couples together, along with relationship-focused content and skills. The content is based on Partner Steps (P-steps), a couples-focused adaptation of Life Steps, an evidence-based programme shown to improve adherence and viral suppression. The control group will receive two sessions as individuals, with similar HIV-related information but without relationship-focused content. Participants will be followed up at 6, 12 and 18 months postrandomisation. The baseline questionnaire will include measures of relationship domains such as satisfaction and communication, and measures pertaining to HIV and reproductive health (eg, fertility intentions, HIV knowledge and risk perception, and sexual behaviour), and mental health (eg, depression symptoms). The primary outcome is viral suppression, based on dried blood spots. Secondary outcomes will include other aspects of treatment engagement. We will also examine hypothesised mediators of intervention participation, for example, relationship dynamics. Primary analyses will use a multilevel modelling approach, which will feature planned time-averaged comparisons of postbaseline measurements across the intervention and control groups to test the primary hypothesis. The analysis will account for the dyadic nature of the data, for example, participants nested within couples.

This trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa, protocol number 2/27/01/21, and the IRB at the University of Michigan (HUM 00203672). Human subjects' concerns or adverse events will be reported to both IRBs and the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. We will disseminate findings to community members and stakeholders via community meetings, as well as by conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Clinicaltrials.gov Protocol Registration NCT05231707 registered on 8 February 2022. Protocol version 2.0, 31 October 2025.

Parents play a pivotal role in shaping their children's food environment and eating behaviours. Involving parents in interventions designed to promote nutritional outcomes such as dietary intake in children has been shown to improve parental feeding practices. However, it remains unclear how such interventions influence children's eating behaviour outcomes. This protocol describes the methods of a systematic review evaluating the effectiveness of interventions involving parents in improving the eating behaviours of healthy children aged 0-12 years.

Electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science will be searched from inception to September 2025. A search strategy is developed to identify randomised controlled trials directly involving parents and reporting eating behaviours in children as either primary or secondary outcomes. Two independent reviewers will screen identified records and extract data on study, participant and intervention characteristics. Study results relevant to our primary and secondary outcomes will also be extracted using a prepiloted standardised data extraction form. We will use the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB2) and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach to assess risk of bias and certainty of evidence, respectively. Where possible, meta-analysis using random-effects models will be performed; otherwise a qualitative summary will be provided.

Ethics approval is not required for this study as no primary data will be collected. The findings will provide valuable insights for stakeholders to inform and optimise public health policies and practices aimed at empowering families to promote healthy eating behaviours early in childhood. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

CRD420251076540.

Anxiety and worry about climate change have been associated with poorer mental health. We examined whether different climate beliefs, the cognitive component of climate anxiety, were associated with symptoms of psychological distress. We also tested whether political efficacy moderated the potential associations between climate beliefs and psychological distress, as perceptions of inadequate government response may amplify climate anxiety. We applied longitudinal data and cross-lagged panel network models in the UK Household Longitudinal Study (N = 34,318). Our results showed that (1) the association between climate beliefs and psychological distress was bidirectional, (2) belief in responsibility was most clearly associated with increased distress while associations between belief in inevitability and the distress symptoms were more mixed, and (3) those who perceived that individuals can affect political decisions seemed to be most vulnerable to the negative effects of the climate crisis on mental health.