Systemic inflammation is hypothesized to contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vulnerability. Few studies have examined inflammation shortly after trauma as a predictor of later PTSD symptoms. We examined whether inflammation from the emergency department (ED) post-trauma is associated with PTSD symptom severity over the following 6 months.

Our sample included 742 AURORA participants, a longitudinal cohort of patients in 29 EDs across the United States after a traumatic stressor, followed up to 6 months. Plasma cytokines were assessed from a study blood draw in the ED: an inflammatory index (standardized sum of generally pro-inflammatory markers interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], interferon gamma [IFN-γ]), and generally anti-inflammatory IL-10. PTSD symptoms were self-reported at 2 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-ED. Covariate-adjusted repeated-measures regressions estimated associations between inflammation and PTSD symptoms, overall and sex-stratified.

Among 742 participants (age m = 40.0 [13.7]; 479 [64.6%] female), PTSD symptoms were elevated then modestly decreased over follow-up. Higher ED inflammation was associated with higher PTSD symptoms across follow-up (standardized symptoms β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.09), adjusted for potential confounders. Higher pro-inflammatory index levels and IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were associated with higher PTSD symptoms in males only, while higher IL-10 was associated with higher PTSD symptoms in females only.

Pro-inflammatory levels shortly after traumatic stress are associated with heightened PTSD symptoms, particularly among males. Inflammatory markers may prove useful additions to prediction models for PTSD following trauma, with attention to sex differences.

People with severe mental illness (SMI) face a significantly higher risk of victimization than the general population. Beyond physical harm, such experiences can severely impact mental health and recovery processes. Empirical research on violence prevalence among people with SMI in Germany is limited, with little understanding of mechanisms, the impact of gender, and the victim-perpetrator overlap. In order to develop successful prevention strategies against victimization, a comprehensive understanding of the complex phenomenon of victimization is needed. The study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the biographical, socio-cultural and institutional context factors related to experiences of violence, as well as to identify barriers to addressing such experiences within mental health settings.

In a mixed-method study incorporating a quantitative survey and qualitative instruments, we investigate the prevalence of violence, including both victimization and perpetration, among people with SMI. Our study includes the following: (1) In a sample (n=500) of people with SMI, treated in inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, we will investigate the prevalence of victimization and violent behavior, (self-)stigmatization, and barriers for disclosure of experiences of violence within mental health settings. Data will be obtained from samples at seven psychiatric hospitals with mandatory care on a fixed day. For comparisons with the general population, we use an online sample (n=1000). (2) Based on this, we conduct qualitative interviews with a subsample of people with SMI (n=30) who reported experiences of violence. Using biographic-narrative interviews, we focus on the biographical and socio-cultural context (3). In addition, we use qualitative and quantitative measures to investigate mental health professionals' experiences, institutional factors, and strategies to deal with mental health service users' violence experiences.

Developing interventions to prevent and reduce victimization requires a systematic assessment of mental health service users' violence experiences and a comprehensive understanding of the biographical, socio-cultural, and institutional factors. Our study aims to contribute fundamentally to a deeper understanding of violence experiences in Germany, thereby providing the basis for the development of targeted interventions to improve the awareness and the handling of violence experiences among a specific vulnerable group.

This study is registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS) and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) under registration number DRKS00032041 (Date of registration July 2023).

Ketamine-Assisted Therapy (KAT) presents a promising alternative for addressing mental health challenges, particularly in treatment-resistant conditions, yet little exists in the literature guiding its implementation in an Indigenous context, for Indigenous participants, or describing culturally adapted delivery models. This paper presents insights and lessons learned from a collaborative pilot program between Siksika Health Services and ATMA CENA to design and deliver a culturally responsive KAT program within the Siksika First Nation in Alberta Canada. The initiative aimed to explore the feasibility and therapeutic impact of KAT in an Indigenous healthcare setting, while also being conscious of cultural relevance and opportunities for continued clinical and quality improvement of the program. The pilot followed a five-phase approach: collaboration, knowledge acquisition, lived experience, data collection, and follow-up. Recruitment resulted in 6 participants completing care (3 Indigenous and 3 non-Indigenous). Findings demonstrated notable improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, with participants reporting increased emotional regulation and stronger cultural connections. Cultural elements including shared meals, traditional decor and blankets, community orientation, and a mid-program break for cultural events, were central to participant reported safety, trust, and meaning making. Notably, the Indigenous and non-Indigenous participant groups, who were treated together, reported comparable gains in safety, trust, and mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. These shared outcomes suggest the model may hold relevance for reducing inequities in group KAT delivery. Challenges and lessons learned included need to address stigma and systemic influences experienced by Indigenous participants, barriers affecting timely intention setting and integration therapy, and overcoming logistical barriers when working in rural First Nation environments. This pilot program implementation underscores the importance of culturally responsive mental health interventions and highlights key considerations for expanding psychedelic-assisted therapies in Indigenous communities.

There is a paucity of longitudinal data on the role of fear of COVID-19 in mental health and the role mental health supports may have played in this. Such evidence would be vital to understanding what was effective in protecting populations from the predicted deterioration of mental health during prolonged pandemics. Our specific objective was to examine how trajectory of symptoms of anxiety and depression related to fear of COVID-19, and what role substance use and utilization of mental health supports played in these associations. We collected baseline data in the summer of 2020 and one-time follow-up one year later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. We collected the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, queried worries about the infection, and only at follow-up asked the validated fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) and inquired about use of mental health supports, anxiety and sleep medication, alcohol consumption and smoking. Fear was measured on a continuous scale with no established cutoffs to define "fearful". The core of the inferences relied on path analysis that was informed by our hypotheses. Anxiety symptoms increased in severity in fewer participants (18%) than depression symptoms (58%). About a third of the participants sought one-on-one mental support from a health professional by 2021. Those who grew more anxious a year into the pandemic appeared to be more fearful, whereas those who grew more depressed were less fearful, after allowing for role of gender. Greater fear of COVID-19 at follow-up was associated with increased use of sleep and anxiety medications between baseline and follow-up, and those who sought mental health support between baseline and follow-up appeared to have improved depressive symptoms and reduced fear at follow-up. We strengthen the evidence that professional mental health supports facilitated access to anxiety medications, and reduced risk of worsening depression, which was on the rise overall at that time.

Unmet menstruation-related needs are common among women in low- and middle-income settings, negatively affect physical and mental health, and limit participation in education and employment. The primary focus of research on menstrual health (MH) has been adolescent girls. Menstrual experiences of adult women, especially in the workplace, are understudied.

This study validated an adapted tool for measuring menstrual experiences in the workplace (MPNS-W) and assessed relationships between MPNS-W scores and well-being outcomes among 892 working women in urban settings in Kenya and Nepal. We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test validity and dimensionality of the MPNS-W. Construct validity was assessed using binary logistic regressions of MPNS-W scores on a priori selected well-being measures.

Factor analyses yielded a solution with good model fit. The model has four factors: workplace-related menstrual material satisfaction and access, disposal and changing environment, transport and storage, and menstrual material reliability. Tests of measurement invariance confirmed the MPNS-W performed equivalently across settings, and tests of internal consistency demonstrated its reliability. Controlling for wealth score, women with higher MPNS-W scores had significantly higher odds of reporting positive psychological well-being, not missing work because of the last menstrual period, and being completely confident managing menstruation at work.

MPNS-W scale scores can be used to assess determinants and outcomes of MH in the workplace while sub-scale scores can be examined relative to one another to identify priorities. Menstrual needs of women in the workplace are multidimensional and strongly associated with well-being, making tools like the MPNS-W critical for informing and evaluating programs designed to address menstrual experiences in the workplace.

Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to identify latent profiles of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) among engineering college students and to examine between-profile differences in health risk behaviors.

Using convenience sampling, 251 undergraduate engineering students at a university in Shandong Province, China, were surveyed between May and June 2021. Measures included basic psychological need satisfaction and seven health risk behavior indicators (unhealthy weight control, traffic risk behavior, bullying victimization, loneliness, suicide risk, smoking, and internet addiction). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to identify distinct need satisfaction patterns. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to compare health risk behaviors across profiles.

Three latent profiles were identified: a low-need-satisfaction profile (74.5%), a moderate-need-satisfaction profile (19.9%), and a high-need-satisfaction profile (5.6%). MANOVA revealed a significant overall difference in health risk behaviors across profiles (Pillai's Trace = 0.103, F = 1.88, p = 0.026). Specifically, significant between-profile differences were found for suicide risk (F = 3.14, p = 0.045, η ² = 0.025) and smoking (F = 6.03, p = 0.003, η ² = 0.046). Post hoc comparisons indicated that students in the low-need-satisfaction profile reported significantly higher suicide risk than those in the moderate-need-satisfaction profile (p = 0.033), whereas students in the high-need-satisfaction profile reported significantly more frequent smoking than those in the low-need-satisfaction profile (p = 0.013).

Basic psychological need satisfaction among engineering college students is heterogeneous, and students with low need satisfaction were associated with elevated suicide risk. These findings support SDT's predictions regarding the association between need satisfaction and psychological adjustment, and provide preliminary evidence that may inform targeted mental health interventions in higher education.

Synthesizing evidence from 80 empirical studies identified through a systematic search of Web of Science, this review highlights the association between air pollution exposure and late-life depression. Results indicate that exposure duration is a critical modifying factor: acute, short-term exposure correlates with symptom exacerbation, whereas long-term, cumulative exposure is linked to increased incidence. Pronounced geographical heterogeneity emerges, with larger effect estimates consistently reported in highly polluted regions. Critically, significant associations persist even in low-pollution settings like Sweden, challenging the notion of a safe exposure threshold. Furthermore, neurotoxic effects vary markedly across pollutants, with PM_2.5 (and its specific components), NO₂, O₃, and indoor solid fuel combustion demonstrating particularly pronounced associations. Potential synergistic effects between indoor and outdoor sources are also suggested. In conclusion, air pollution constitutes a significant and modifiable environmental determinant of late-life depression. Future efforts should integrate multidimensional exposure assessments into urban planning and public health policy, implementing targeted interventions for vulnerable populations to simultaneously improve environmental quality and mental health in later life.

The adverse impacts of chronic pain extend far beyond the physical sensation itself. Chronic pain, an age-related condition, exacerbates geriatric disease burden and drives a central sensitivity-neuropsychiatric complex, necessitating urgent preventive care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of chronic pain on two sensitive diseases, depression, and abilities decline in basic or physical activities (functional limitation) among the inpatients in older adults and explore the attributable hospital costs related to chronic pain.

Participants were sourced from the 2021-2022 Inpatient Discharge Dataset of Sichuan Province, Diagnosis of depression, functional limitation, and chronic pain were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes. Logistic regression models were employed to analyze the association between chronic pain and depression and functional limitation. Furthermore, total hospital costs, out-of-pocket costs and length of stay (LOS) were compared between patients (depression and functional limitation) with chronic pain and without using Propensity score matching and Multivariable linear regression.

The analysis included 38,372 and 4,996 inpatients in the depression and functional limitation cohorts, respectively. Chronic pain was significantly associated with both outcomes, yielding odds ratios (ORs) of 1.24 (95% CI: 1.20-1.27) for depression and 1.60 (1.44-1.78) for functional limitation (all p < 0.001), and the effect intensified as the number of painful areas increased. Compared to those without pain, depression patients with chronic pain incurred 68.2% higher total hospital costs ( β =0.52, p < 0.001), 169.1% higher out-of-pocket ( β =0.99, p < 0.001) and 60.0% higher LOS ( β =0.47, p < 0.001). Among patients with Functional limitation, chronic pain also significantly increased log-transformed total costs ( β =0.20), out-of-pocket ( β =0.51), and LOS ( β =0.30), representing relative increases of 22.1, 66.5, and 35.0%, respectively (all p < 0.05). These economic impacts were more pronounced among patients with multi-area pain.

This study provides empirical evidence linking chronic pain to deteriorated psychological and physical health among older adults. It highlights the increased burden of the disease and hospitalization, with a particular emphasis on the dangers of multi-area pain. These findings emphasize that prioritizing mental health-focused pain management in outpatient and emergency settings is crucial for preventing avoidable hospitalizations and hospitalization costs in older adults.

Domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Canada is a complex public health and social issue affecting individuals of all genders, yet male victims remain significantly under-recognized. Although women experience the highest rates and most severe outcomes, growing evidence shows that men also face substantial physical, psychological, emotional, financial, and coercive abuse. Police-reported data from 2022 indicate that one in five IPV victims are male, with a 21% increase in IPV against men and boys since 2014. Social stigma, gender norms, and limited male-focused services contribute to under-reporting and inadequate support. Male victims often experience serious consequences, including mental health challenges, financial instability, strained relationships, and loss of child access. Addressing these gaps requires gender-inclusive services, awareness initiatives, and professional training to recognize and support male survivors. A comprehensive response that acknowledges all victims is essential for improving safety, reducing stigma, and strengthening Canada's overall IPV prevention and intervention efforts.

Chronic illness is associated with lower quality of life, yet it remains unclear whether this association differs by employment arrangements, particularly gig work. Using longitudinal data (2019-2024) from a nationally representative sample of 22,712 British workers, we examined how regular and gig employment moderate the association between chronic illness and psychological distress (GHQ-12; range: 0-12). Random-effects models indicate that individuals with chronic illness report 1.44 points higher psychological distress than those without such conditions (p < 0.001). This association is weaker among individuals in regular employment and low-dependence gig work, who report 0.64 and 0.56 points lower psychological distress, respectively, than those who are unemployed (p < 0.001). Although women with chronic illness experience greater psychological distress overall, among men with chronic illness, high-dependence gig work is associated with a 1.60-point increase in psychological distress relative to regular employment (p = 0.004), whereas no such pattern is observed among women. Taken together, the moderating role of gig work in health-related quality of life varies with workers' dependence on gig work. Reducing the mental health burden of chronic illness may require access not only to employment, but also to high-quality jobs.