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Economic Empowerment Interventions on Mental Health Outcomes Among People Living with HIV in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review.2 weeks agoThere is strong evidence of the correlation between economic hardship and poor mental health outcomes among people living with HIV (PLHIV). However, the causal efficacy and mechanisms of specific economic interventions through which they contribute to mental health improvement among PLHIV remain fragmented and inconsistent. This systematic review aims to collate and synthesize existing evidence on the effect of economic empowerment interventions on mental health symptoms among PLHIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We conducted a comprehensive literature review that adhered to the PRISMA guidelines for methodological rigor and transparency. Comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and MEDLINE. We conducted a narrative synthesis of 11 studies: two cohorts, two qualitative, one intervention (non-randomized), and six randomized clinical trials. We registered this review with PROSPERO (CRD420251152471). The process theory served as an analytical framework. Evidence suggests that multi-component economic empowerment interventions (e.g., combined savings, skills training, and psychological support) may be associated with improved mental health among PLHIV in LMICs. Qualitative evidence from other studies suggested that reduced financial stress and strengthened psychological resources may contribute to improved mental health. The effectiveness of the intervention depends not only on simple cash transfers but also on a theoretically sound integrated approach. Interventions were more effective among lower-income groups. Integration of multi-component economic and psychosocial interventions into standard HIV care could improve mental health outcomes among PLHIV in LMICs and is hereby recommended by this study.Mental HealthCare/Management
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From Awareness to Action: Advancing Counselor Education Policy to Improve Early Detection of Eating Disorders Through Embodied Reflection.2 weeks agoEating disorders are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality yet remain underidentified in general mental health practice, delaying intervention and worsening outcomes. Counselor preparation often provides limited eating disorder content within broader psychopathology coursework, leaving trainees underprepared to recognize subtle, culturally diverse, and nonstereotypical presentations. This conceptual paper draws on scholarship in counselor education, body image, embodied self-awareness, and eating disorder training to propose a four-domain framework intended to strengthen counselor preparation for eating disorder recognition and clinical response. The framework includes foundational knowledge of eating disorder diagnosis, medical and nutritional risk, levels of care, and multidisciplinary treatment; reflective body-related self-awareness concerning clinicians' beliefs about food, weight, health, exercise, appearance, and culture; embodied and creative practices that strengthen awareness of bodily and relational responses; and clinical translation through direct assessment, supervision, consultation, and referral. A seven-session graduate course illustrates how the framework can be implemented while protecting students from coerced personal disclosure. Within the U.S. counselor education and mental health training context, policy recommendations address curriculum infusion, weight stigma, countertransference, competency assessment, and basic detection and referral preparations. Integrating body-related reflection with diagnostic knowledge may offer a promising approach for helping clinicians recognize when eating disorder and body image concerns warrant further inquiry, reduce stereotype-based omissions, and respond more deliberately across diverse clinical settings; however, whether embodied training improves detection outcomes remains an empirical question.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Development and Validation of Career Choice Competence Scale for High School Students in China.2 weeks agoThere is currently a lack of validated, culturally embedded measures to assess the career choice competencies that Chinese high school students require for subject and major selection under the New Gaokao system. This study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design to develop and validate such a scale. In Study 1 (n = 40), semi-structured interviews were carried out and analyzed, resulting in a preliminary six-dimensional conceptualization of career choice competence. In Study 2 (n = 265), item analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) produced a 24-item scale with a seven-factor structure. In Study 3 (n = 555 for validation; n = 421 for reliability and validity analyses), Covariance Structure Modeling (CSM) confirmed a 24-item final scale with a six-factor structure, comprising self-cognition, learning efficacy, environmental exploration, outcome expectations, self-reflection, and action-taking. Learning efficacy is retained, while Decision-making participation and action-taking are combined into a single dimension: action-taking. As the first study to systematically delineate the psychological meaning and structural dimensions of career choice competence in this population, this study provides a promising assessment tool and offers new perspectives for understanding students' competence development and advancing career education in China.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Psychological Outcomes and Research Engagement Among PhD Students in Medicine and Health Sciences: A Systematic Review.2 weeks agoIn recent decades, doctoral education has undergone a profound transformation. As a result, PhD students have become an increasingly vulnerable population, facing greater risk of mental health problems than the general population. A particularly important subgroup comprises PhD students in medicine and health sciences, who often combine doctoral training with clinical work. Their dual roles expose them to additional pressures, with an increased risk of burnout. Given that their context differs considerably from the typical university environment, in this systematic review, we aim to synthesize the current evidence on burnout, impostor syndrome, and research engagement, along with related indicators of psychological distress, among PhD students in medicine and health sciences, as well as identify key risk and protective factors and highlight gaps for future research.
A systematic literature search was conducted in March 2026 across the Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid MEDLINE databases. Following a screening process based on PRISMA guidelines, 27 studies were included; due to substantial heterogeneity, findings were synthesized narratively.
Psychological difficulties appeared to be more strongly associated with institutional factors rather than personal traits. Burnout was highly prevalent and linked to professional isolation and poor relationships with supervisors. Impostor syndrome emerged as a recurrent theme in qualitative accounts, though it was formally assessed with a validated instrument in only one study. Moreover, research engagement did not appear to protect students from burnout.
Burnout and psychological distress are widespread among PhD students in medicine and health sciences, and impostor feelings emerged as a recurrent theme, although formally measured in only one study. These findings highlight the need for structural and institutional changes rather than relying solely on individual psychological support.Mental HealthCare/Management -
Traumatic Bereavement Among Incarcerated Women: Understanding and Responding to Complex Grief After the Death of a Child.2 weeks agoIncarcerated women face elevated suicide risk at the intersection of chronic loss, cumulative trauma, and constrained environments. In prison, the death of a child constitutes a profound and overlooked traumatic bereavement. This conceptual manuscript examines how carceral environments restrict privacy, autonomy, family contact, mourning rituals, and social and clinical support, thereby adversely reshaping grief. The Dual Process Model of Coping and meaning-making frameworks are integrated to explain how incarceration may constrain oscillation between loss-oriented and restoration-oriented coping. Institutional functioning may resemble restoration-oriented behavior while lacking critical adaptive factors that define restorative coping. Restricted information, exclusion from rituals and relational validation, and punishment for grief-related behavior may obstruct narrative reconstruction, continuing bonds, and maternal identity reorganization. The model further considers how acute grief interacts with chronic stress, sustained threat responsivity, sleep disruption, and cumulative allostatic burden to intensify psychological and somatic distress without assuming a uniform neurobiological pathway. Social determinants of health, histories of victimization, substance use, and facility-level conditions are important sources of variation. Protective pathways are also specified, including family connection, peer support, cultural and spiritual practices, and clinical care. The paper concludes with testable propositions, a research agenda, and a framework for notification, stabilization, and continuing bereavement support.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Beyond Invisible: Confronting the Policy and Practice Void in Eating Disorder Prevention and Treatment for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.2 weeks agoIndigenous populations internationally experience eating disorders (EDs) at similar or higher rates than colonizing majority populations. In Canada, emerging evidence suggests that this is also true among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) populations. However, most existing recommendations and best practices for ED prevention, early intervention, and treatment do not consider unique contextual and cultural factors that are relevant to FNMI Peoples, such as the effects of historical and ongoing colonialism. This scoping review aimed to map policy-related documents on the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of EDs among FNMI Peoples. We searched academic databases and targeted websites for ED policies, reports, toolkits, guidelines, and fact sheets. Targeted searches included the websites of Indigenous health authorities (e.g., National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health) and community websites, ED-specific organizations (e.g., National Eating Disorder Information Centre), and health professional associations (e.g., Canadian Psychological Association). We found only two relevant documents: one commentary serving as a call to action and one education resource for people experiencing EDs or disordered eating and their family members. Both documents were led by Indigenous authors with lived experience of EDs and were published by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre. In the absence of wider guidance on prevention, early intervention, and treatment among FNMI populations, health professionals may face challenges when providing effective and culturally responsive care. This review illustrates the infancy of the policy landscape related to the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of EDs for FNMI populations in Canada.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Therapists' and Researchers' Perspectives on a Transdiagnostic Ecological Momentary Intervention "EmoGuia" for Emotional Disorders: A Consensual Qualitative Study.2 weeks agoMental health professionals' perspectives on transdiagnostic mobile interventions for Emotional Disorders (EDs) remain underexplored, despite their potential role in integrating ecological interventions into psychological care. This study examined the usability, acceptability, perceived clinical utility, and implementation potential of EmoGuia, a smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Intervention grounded in the Unified Protocol. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research framework, focus groups involving nine therapists and researchers were conducted following a one-week app trial. Thematic findings identified 13 categories across three domains: (1) target population, (2) satisfaction and app experience, and (3) perceived utility. Usability was additionally assessed via the System Usability Scale (SUS). Participants perceived EmoGuia as intuitive, simple, and suitable for young adults with mild-to-moderate anxiety or depressive symptoms. It was perceived as useful for fostering emotional awareness, reinforcing therapeutic content, and preventing dropout. Recommended improvements included personalized feedback, simplified language, and better notification management. SUS scores indicated high perceived usability (M = 79.4; SD = 12.1). These findings support EmoGuia as a promising low-intensity, adjunctive tool for early intervention in EDs and provide implementation-relevant guidance for its iterative refinement. Patient-inclusive longitudinal studies are needed to establish acceptability, engagement, feasibility, and clinical effectiveness.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Decisions to Disclose Suicide Attempt History: A Qualitative Study.2 weeks agoIndividuals with a history of suicide attempt may face complex decisions about whether, when, and how to disclose their suicidal behavior history. However, little is known about how they navigate these decisions within family, social, and mental health care contexts. This qualitative study examined disclosure decision-making among biological mothers with a documented history of suicide attempt whose children aged 5-17 years had received behavioral health services. Structured clinical and demographic assessments were used to characterize the sample, followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews. Eleven audio-recorded interviews were included in the qualitative analysis. Mothers described disclosure decisions within the context of prior experiences of judgment and dismissal, stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, distrust of mental health care, structural and family stressors, and discomfort with vulnerability. Mothers also described conditions that facilitated disclosure, including close relationships with trust and open communication, and pro-mental health care attitudes. Findings suggest that disclosure of suicide attempt history is a context-dependent decision shaped by experiences across interpersonal, social, structural, and individual contexts. Rather than supporting disclosure as uniformly beneficial or harmful, these findings highlight the need for individualized, developmentally appropriate support for individuals considering whether, when, and how to discuss a suicide attempt history.Mental HealthCare/Management
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Value Configurations Associated with Artificial Intelligence Literacy Among Medical Students: Findings from NCA and fsQCA.2 weeks agoArtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare education, clinical decision-making, and future practice. For medical students, AI literacy entails technical understanding, practical competence, ethical awareness, value-based judgment, and responsible engagement. This study examines how culturally embedded value orientations are associated with Chinese medical students' perceived AI literacy, as assessed using a self-report instrument. In a cross-sectional sample of 1500 medical students enrolled at a comprehensive university in Henan Province, China, AI literacy was assessed using the 12-item Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale (AILS), a self-report measure whose scores represented perceived AI literacy. Value orientations were measured using the 32-item Chinese Values Questionnaire (CVQ), comprising eight value dimensions. NCA and fsQCA were conducted to examine necessary conditions and configurational associations with membership in the high perceived AI literacy set. No single value dimension met the criterion for set-theoretic necessity with respect to membership in the high self-reported AI literacy set, and no individual condition met the fsQCA necessity consistency threshold of 0.90. Four sufficient configurations associated with high perceived AI literacy were identified, with an overall solution consistency of 0.867 and coverage of 0.383. Moral Self-Discipline and Public Interest repeatedly appeared as core or peripheral conditions. These results suggest that high perceived AI literacy was associated with multiple combinations of value orientations rather than with a single value dimension. High perceived AI literacy was associated with multiple value configurations rather than one dominant value orientation. Empirically, this study applies configurational analysis to understand how value orientations are associated with AI literacy, complementing existing research on knowledge, attitudes, and readiness. These context-bound associations may inform future research on whether medical AI curricula can integrate technical training with ethical reflection and public-oriented professional values.Mental HealthCare/Management
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L-Histidine Improves Boar Sperm Quality by Alleviating Oxidative Stress During Preservation at 17 °C.2 weeks agoOxidative damage is closely associated with the gradual decline in boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17 °C. To determine whether L-histidine (L-His) could limit this deterioration, semen was diluted with an extender containing 0, 1, 10, 100, or 1000 μM L-His. Motility and acrosomal integrity were measured throughout storage. On day 7, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP content were determined together with intracellular probe oxidation, membrane lipid oxidation, and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining patterns. The stored sperm were subsequently exposed to capacitating conditions and tested for their ability to bind to oviductal explants. The most favorable responses were observed with 100 μM L-His. Compared with untreated semen, this group retained higher motility and acrosomal integrity and showed higher MMP and ATP content (p < 0.05). It also exhibited less intracellular probe oxidation and membrane lipid oxidation, together with lower proportions of Annexin V-positive and membrane-compromised sperm. Following capacitation induction, sperm stored with 100 μM L-His showed increased tyrosine phosphorylation and higher proportions of capacitated sperm. Their binding index to oviductal explants was also higher than that of the control group. These findings indicate that supplementation with 100 μM L-His can improve the preservation quality of boar sperm during extended liquid storage at 17 °C and maintain functional characteristics of stored sperm, providing new insights into the potential use of L-His as a semen extender supplement for prolonged storage.Mental HealthCare/Management