Publications by authors named "L Swords"

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly being acknowledged as a major risk factor for instigating and sustaining cycles of trauma between mother and child. Recently, the concept of Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) has been introduced to ACEs research as a buffer against the transmission of ACEs between generations. Positive childhood experiences such as attachment to caregivers, positive peer relations and positive sense of self have been found to counteract the effects of adverse childhood experiences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This questionnaire-based study aimed to explore depression literacy (DL) and help-giving experiences in 12-18-year-old adolescents (N = 535, M = 14.9 years, 51.8% male) in Ireland.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several studies have established a link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health issues in college students. However, less is known about how positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may promote mental health and well-being, and potentially act as a buffer in the relationship between risk exposure and poor outcomes. This study investigates how ACEs and PCEs relate to college students' mental health ( = 321), within the framework of Resiliency Theory with specific attention focus on the compensatory and the protective factors models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evidence-based treatments for depression exist but not all patients benefit from them. Efforts to develop predictive models that can assist clinicians in allocating treatments are ongoing, but there are major issues with acquiring the volume and breadth of data needed to train these models. We examined the feasibility, tolerability, patient characteristics, and data quality of a novel protocol for internet-based treatment research in psychiatry that may help advance this field.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To explore the degree of COVID-19-related stress among college students enrolled in higher level institutions and identify socio-demographic and psychosocial factors that may predict, or be associated with, higher levels of pandemic-related distress.

Method: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey completed by 321 college students primarily recruited from Universities in Ireland. Ages ranged between 18-21 years ( = 176) and 22-25 years ( = 145).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF