Psychiatric interpreters in Japan-many of whom work on a voluntary basis-play a vital role in bridging critical language barriers for the country's immigrants while facing unique psychological challenges within a non-certified system.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the psychological experiences and support needs of volunteer psychiatric interpreters in Japan.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 medical interpreters recruited via a national dispatch organization (10/15, 66.7%), local networks (3/15, 20%), and hospital referrals (2/15, 13.3%). Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.

Four major themes emerged: inhibiting factors (e.g., emotional exhaustion, lack of support), facilitating factors (e.g., agency assurance, patient approval), interpreters' personal qualities (e.g., resilience, altruism), and the pursuit of a professional foundation (e.g., desire for formal training). Participants perceived an emotional toll greater than in general medical interpreting, intensified by Japan's volunteer-based, under-supported system. None of the participants were full-time psychiatric interpreters, limiting the applicability to highly specialized settings.

Structured psychological training and support networks are recommended to enhance interpreter well-being and improve access to mental health services for immigrants, thereby contributing to psychiatric care, public health outcomes, and cross-cultural communication.

Raoultella planticola is a rare gram-negative bacillus, mostly found in the environment. It has been rarely identified as the source of infection, particularly in the respiratory tract, leading to shock and multiorgan failure. Limited cases have been reported in the past years, representing a diagnostic challenge. We report a case of a 93-year-old African American female patient with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, and dementia who presented with a two-week history of progressive respiratory symptoms, including dyspnea, productive cough, and altered mental status. She rapidly developed respiratory failure and shock, requiring intubation, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor support. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cultures reported isolated pansensitive R. planticola. Further investigation revealed that the patient was an avid gardener with prolonged exposure to environmental soil and plant material, which is believed to be the source of the infection. She received treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone with the resolution of symptoms. This case showcases the rare presentation of R. planticola pneumonia leading to shock and multiorgan failure in an elderly patient. It highlights the importance of considering atypical pathogens as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia, and the value of BAL in identifying rare organisms when initial cultures are negative and clinical deterioration persists.

Mental health conditions are one of the most common causes of disability in the world. However, stigma and a lack of awareness still influence the rate of recognition and seeking care, not to mention recovery. Although much has been done in relation to urban and rural populations, semi-urban communities, settlements characterised by intermediate population density, mixed livelihoods, and limited specialist services, are underrepresented. The gap in this review is filled by looking at the role of awareness and stigma in semi-urban settings. The objectives were the knowledge and attitude level of mental health, discussion of the nature of the stigma that limits care, and synthesis of the qualitative data into the perceptions and experiences of the community members. A narrative mixed-methods synthesis of the published studies during 2015-2025 was carried out, including quantitative data on prevalence and determinants as well as thematic analysis of qualitative results. Findings indicate a peculiar situation of fake availability: semi-urban dwellers face half-baked access to the discourse of modern health but have no structural means to pursue it, generating ambivalence whereby illness is both medicalised and interpreted in supernatural or moral terms. Stigma was also affected by gender norms, generational differences, socioeconomic differences, media portrayals, and poor healthcare systems. The review offers a fresh conceptualization of semi-urban stigma as a hybrid category, and also identifies avenues towards school-based literacy, community involvement, and primary care integration of culturally sensitive and equitable mental health interventions.

Gatekeeper training using the Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) model has become a key strategy in suicide prevention. Yet traditional QPR-based training methods are limited by their lack of scales, interactive practice and reliable assessments of skill acquisition. Generative AI (GenAI)-driven simulators can provide a novel solution for this critical gap by offering scalable and cost-effective practices that can be culturally adapted, thus democratizing access to skills training without the potential embarrassment of live roleplay. Nevertheless, the rigorous validation of AI systems as reliable evaluation tools remains an open question. This study seeks to validate the reliability of AI-based assessments in the high-stakes context of suicide prevention, thus constituting a critical step toward using GenAI for scalable skill evaluation.

Three independent experts rated 54 simulated QPR conversations to establish the empirical reliability of a GenAI simulator feedback in the context of suicide prevention training. The primary analysis compared the automated numerical scores of the AI feedback against this human benchmark (RQ1). Secondary analyses included examination of the influence of participant characteristics on ratings (RQ2) and qualitative assessment of the AI feedback for pedagogical depth and accuracy across varied performance levels (RQ3).

The primary finding (RQ1) exhibited a moderate-to-strong positive correlation (r = 0.519-0.776) between the GenAI adherence scores and the human-rated benchmark, providing initial evidence for the tool's reliability. No significant gender-based differences were found in either GenAI or human ratings, supporting the study's aim for an unbiased tool (RQ2). Qualitative analysis demonstrated GenAI's ability to accurately identify key QPR components and deliver nuanced in-depth feedback (RQ3).

This study provides critical initial evidence that GenAI can serve as a reliable feedback tool for evaluating complex crisis intervention skills. Its ability to provide consistent, scalable, and unbiased assessments opens new possibilities for accessible evidence-based training. Despite these strong foundational capabilities, the findings also highlight the need for further calibration to align GenAI's judgment more closely with expert human nuances and enable it to evolve beyond a purely performance-focused tool.

Refugees often experience significant health burdens that can impact their integration into the labor market. This study examines the prevalence of psychological and musculoskeletal health burdens among refugees while participating in the Norwegian Introduction Programme (NIP) and how these health burdens influence later labor marked integration.

Using longitudinal health registry data on 60,325 refugees who completed the NIP between 2005 and 2018, we analyzed how health burdens during the NIP affected their employment status in 2020.

Indicate that 20.2% of refugees received a psychological diagnosis and 42.6% received a musculoskeletal diagnosis during program participation. Health burdens were associated with lower employment rates: refugees with a psychological diagnosis or a musculoskeletal diagnosis had lower odds of employment in 2020.

The findings highlight the substantial health challenges faced by refugees and their impact on labor market integration. Strengthening healthcare support and integrating health-promoting activities within the NIP may enhance refugees' ability to participate in the workforce and improve their economic outcomes. Addressing both mental and physical health burdens early in the integration process may support long-term employment and successful social integration among refugees.

Children's health affects all aspects of family health, and mental disorders add to the care burden of families. To provide care to these children, it is essential to empower families, which can increase their competencies. Considering this issue, the present study will be conducted with the aim of designing and developing an empowerment program for families of children with mental disorders.

This mixed-method study was conducted in three phases. To develop a family empowerment program, in the first phase, a qualitative study is conducted via semistructured interviews to identify the needs of families of children with mental disorders. Data analysis will be performed via conventional content analysis via the Granheim and Landman method. The second phase will be carried out in three stages: reviewing the literature, prioritizing needs, and developing the initial version of the family empowerment program. In the third phase, the feasibility of the developed program will be evaluated via validated questionnaires before and 3 months after the intervention in two groups of families as a randomized field superiority trial study. In this step, the data will be analyzed via STATA 14 software. For the obtained data, descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and ANCOVA tests will be used to evaluate the results.

Knowing the views of caregivers and people providing health services to children with mental disorders and their families to create a real and evidence-based empowerment plan, considering the sociocultural goals of society, can potentially help reduce the care burden of these families. The results of studies in this field can help policymakers improve access and equality, guarantee the uniformity of the quality of care, ensure the long-term durability of services, and correct the gaps in empowering families with children with mental disorders.

Alcohol, smoking, and substance use among medical students are significant health concerns that impact their well-being and their future roles as health advocates. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of these behaviors and related risk factors among medical students in southern Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students in Shiraz, in southern Iran, in 2024. Data were collected using the World Health Organization's alcohol, smoking, and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST), supplemented with questions on demographic details, family and friend substance use, mental health, and major satisfaction. The sample was selected using the stratified random selection method. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with substance use, controlling for potential confounders. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were performed using SPSS software (version 26, SPSS Inc., USA).

The study included 360 medical students, of whom 51.9% were men, with a mean age of 22.62±3.02 years. The lifetime prevalence was 27.5% for alcoholic beverages, 26.7% for tobacco products, 14.4% for sedatives or sleeping pills, and 15.8% for electronic cigarettes and vapes. Logistic regressions analysis revealed that having a family member who uses substances (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.01-3.5), having a friend who uses substances (OR=3.9, 95% CI: 2.0-7.8), being male (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.03-3.2), and having a recent history of mental illnesses (OR=2.8, 95% CI: 1.1-7.1) were positively associated with lifetime cigarette use.

The prevalence of alcohol, smoking, and substance use among medical students in southern Iran is concerning. These findings emphasized the significance of targeted interventions to reduce and prevent use within this population.

Autistic transition-age youths experienced unique psychosocial challenges in transitioning to postsecondary settings. These challenges may result from both the nature of autism and the developmental tasks associated with this unique developmental stage. Given the challenges and barriers faced by this population, understanding the relationship among factors in this transition period and developing relevant interventions are crucial. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between autism acceptance and coping strategies and understand how they impact the quality of life (QOL) of this population.

In total, 204 autistic youths aged 18-26 years recruited from Prolific and Amazon Mechanical Turk completed an online survey consisting of instruments measuring target variables. Two parallel mediation models were examined to explore the relationships between autism acceptance, coping, and QOL.

Both parallel mediation models showed good fit. In the first model, perceived acceptance had a significant direct effect on QOL (β = 0.512, p < 0.01) and a significant indirect effect through engagement coping (β = 0.059, p < 0.01). In the second model, the effects of self-acceptance on QOL were fully mediated by both engagement (β = 0.073, p < 0.01) and disengagement coping (β = 0.089, p < 0.01).

Autism acceptance is a crucial psychosocial factor in impacting successful transition to postsecondary settings. Acceptance-based transition services should be developed for autistic youths to help them gain a comprehensive understanding of their relationship with self, others, and their autism.

Large and persistent sociodemographic disparities in rates of mental health treatment in the United States have been reported, but whether these differences reflect institutional mistrust or limited social support remains unclear. This study described current treatment use among American adults with moderate-to-severe depressive or anxiety symptoms and examined whether trust in health care institutions and availability of emotional support were associated with lack of treatment. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from a nationally distributed, web-based opinion survey of 9733 American adults with moderate-to-severe depressive or anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥10 and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 score ≥3). The survey was fielded April 10th-28th, 2025, using quota sampling for age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, U.S. census region, and urbanicity; post-stratification weights approximated the U.S. adult population. The primary outcome was no current mental health treatment (neither antidepressant nor psychotherapy use). Weighted logistic regression estimated odds ratios for treatment absence by sociodemographic characteristics, trust in physicians and hospitals, scientists and researchers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pharmaceutical companies, and emotional support. Among 9733 adults with elevated symptoms, 66.3 % reported no current treatment. Racial and ethnic minority groups, men, and those born outside the United States had higher odds of being untreated, while public insurance predicted lower odds. Lower trust in doctors and hospitals, lower trust in science, and lack of emotional support each independently predicted treatment absence, but inclusion of these variables did not meaningfully attenuate sociodemographic disparities.

This study aimed to test whether a more positively perceived school climate and more frequent physical activity are related to better mental health among adolescents. Additionally, the research examined the gender differences in adolescents' self-reported mental health, perceptions of school climate, and the frequency of their physical activity. A total of 2,526 students (52.6% girls; 43.8% boys) from grades 5 through 12 from various schools in Latvia participated in the study. The research used the Georgia School Climate Survey (GSCS) and three questions from the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The results of multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that a more positively perceived overall school climate (B = -1.05, p < .001) and greater engagement in physical activity (B = -1.05, p < .001) were both significantly associated with better mental health in adolescents. The findings also revealed gender differences in self-reported mental health: girls reported significantly higher levels of mental health difficulties (M = 2.22 compared to boys' M = 1.87). In contrast, girls rated such factors of the school climate as adult and peer support, social/civic learning and physical environment more positively, while boys reported significantly higher levels of physical activity (28.98 compared to girls' 26,43). Despite such limitations of the research as self-report bias and cross-sectional design, these findings underscore the critical role of the school environment in predicting mental health outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted improvements that both mitigate risk factors and promote inclusive access to physical activity among all students.