Characterizing of dropouts in the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers (MEHIRA) study examining the effects of a stepped and collaborative care model - a multicentered rater-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dropout from healthcare interventions can negatively affect patients and healthcare providers through impaired trust in the healthcare system and ineffective use of resources. Research on this topic is still largely missing on refugees and asylum seekers. The current study aimed to characterize predictors for dropout in the Mental Health in Refugees and Asylum Seekers (MEHIRA) study, one of the largest multicentered controlled trials investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a nationwide stepped and collaborative care model.

Predictors of symptom change in the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers (MEHIRA) study examining the effects of a stepped and collaborative care model - A multicentered rater-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Background: Predictors of symptom improvement are an essential starting point for tailoring psychological treatments to each individual and, in turn, increasing treatment efficacy overall. However, such research regarding refugees/asylum seekers from Arabic-/Farsi-speaking countries is lacking. The current study aimed to characterize predictors for symptom improvement in the Mental Health in Refugees and Asylum Seekers (MEHIRA) study, one of the most extensive multicentered controlled trials on a nationwide stepped and collaborative care model compared to routine German mental health care.

Mental health of non-binary youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Non-binary identities are increasingly recognized within the spectrum of gender diversity, yet there is a dearth of research exploring the mental health challenges specific to this population. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the mental health outcomes of non-binary youth in comparison to their transgender and cisgender peers.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify relevant studies across three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) covering the period from inception to October 2023.

Exploring the relationship between media use and depressive symptoms among gender diverse youth: findings of the Mental Health Days Study.

Background: Over the past decades, media use has become a key aspect of young people's daily lives, significantly shaping their social interactions, learning processes, and recreational pursuits. At the same time, healthcare professionals and researchers are increasingly concerned about the impact of media use on young people's mental health. This concern is particularly relevant for gender diverse youth who may have distinct experiences with media that could impact their mental health uniquely compared to their peers, such as increased exposure to cyberbullying and negative content regarding their gender identity.

Children and adolescents at risk for seclusion and restraint in inpatient psychiatric treatment: a case control study.

Unlabelled: To reduce coercion in acute inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric units, a better understanding of individuals at risk for seclusion and/or restraint (S/R) is needed. We report data on the proportion of patients secluded/restrained and factors associated with higher risk of S/R. Identifying preventative mechanisms through risk stratification upon inpatient admission can aid the training of mental health professionals, and support shaping specific workflows for at-risk populations for example by joint crisis plans or post-coercion review sessions.

The Impact of Video-Based Microinterventions on Attitudes Toward Mental Health and Help Seeking in Youth: Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mental health (MH) problems in youth are prevalent, burdening, and frequently persistent. Despite the existence of effective treatment, the uptake of professional help is low, particularly due to attitudinal barriers.

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness and acceptability of 2 video-based microinterventions aimed at reducing barriers to MH treatment and increasing the likelihood of seeking professional help in young people.

A web-based psychological support program for caregivers of children with rare chronic diseases: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Approximately 50% of rare diseases have symptom onset during childhood. A high level of nursing care and an often uncertain prognosis put caregivers of the affected children at high risk for psychological distress. At the same time, their caregivers have limited access to appropriate psychological care.

Efficacy of mentalization-based therapy in treating self-harm: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and its adapted version for adolescents (MBT-A) are repeatedly highlighted as promising treatments for reducing self-harm, particularly in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite the availability of publications providing evidence of their efficacy in reducing self-harm, recent meta-analyses have yielded mixed results. To inform best-practice clinical decision-making, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Space for youth mental health-coercive measure use before and after architectural innovation at a department of child and adolescent psychiatry.

Background: Influence of architectural features in child and adolescent psychiatric wards on coercive measure use has not been investigated so far. We aimed to assess the effect of altering the physical environment of an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit on the proportion and frequency of adolescents experiencing mechanical coercive measures.

Method: In a naturalistic observational design, coercive measures were compared before and after an architectural intervention facilitated by rebuilding a child and adolescent psychiatric department in October 2020.

Physiological stress reactivity and self-harm: A meta-analysis.

Objective: Self-harm is associated with alterations in the psychobiological stress response. Specifically, the reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the endocrine hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may differ in individuals who engage in self-harm. However, evidence in this regard is inconsistent.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Children and Adolescents: Findings on Fluoxetine from the TDM-VIGIL Trial.

Fluoxetine is the recommended first-line antidepressant in many therapeutic guidelines for children and adolescents. However, little is known about the relationships between drug dose and serum level as well as the therapeutic serum reference range in this age group. Within a large naturalistic observational prospective multicenter clinical trial ("TDM-VIGIL"), a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents ( = 138; mean age, 15; range, 7-18 years; 24.

Water temperature during the cold pressor test: A scoping review.

The cold pressor test (CPT) is a commonly used method to induce pain and stress in experimental settings. Previous research has found that the temperature of the water used in the test significantly affects outcome measures such as pain tolerance. Variations in CPT protocols, specifically regarding temperature, have been criticized.

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Social Attention Patterns and Emotion Recognition Ability in Male Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social cognition including emotion recognition (ER) abilities. Common symptoms include unusual patterns of visual social attention, which are investigated as early developmental biomarkers for ASD. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has shown promising results in influencing social functioning in individuals with ASD.

Intensive community care services for children and young people in psychiatric crisis: an expert opinion.

Background: Children and young people's (CYP) mental health is worsening, and an increasing number are seeking psychiatric and mental health care. Whilst many CYPs with low-to-medium levels of psychiatric distress can be treated in outpatient services, CYPs in crisis often require inpatient hospital treatment. Although necessary in many cases, inpatient care can be distressing for CYPs and their families.

Mental Health of Transgender Youth: A Comparison of Assigned Female at Birth and Assigned Male at Birth Individuals.

Gender dysphoric adolescents report a gender identity which is incongruent with their assigned sex at birth, whereby the experienced incongruence is accompanied by clinically relevant distress. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the mental health of transgender youth by assigned sex at birth. A total of n = 49 adolescents (n = 29 assigned females at birth, n = 20 assigned male at birth) aged 12 to 18 years with the diagnosis of gender dysphoria according to DSM-5 were included in the study.

Empowerment group therapy for refugees with affective disorders: results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Against the background of missing culturally sensitive mental health care services for refugees, we developed a group intervention ) for refugees at level 3 within the stratified Stepped and Collaborative Care Model of the project (MEHIRA). We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the group intervention with its focus on psychoeducation, stress management, and emotion regulation strategies in a culturally sensitive context for refugees with affective disorders compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU).

Method: At level 3 of the MEHIRA project, 149 refugees and asylum seekers with clinically relevant depressive symptoms were randomized to the group intervention or TAU.

Shared sorrow, shared costs: cost-effectiveness analysis of the group therapy approach to treat affective disorders in refugee populations.

Background: Refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in Germany need tailored and resource-oriented mental healthcare interventions.

Aims: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of group psychotherapy for RAS with moderate depressive symptoms.

Method: This is a cost-effectiveness analysis of group psychotherapy that was embedded in a stratified stepped and collaborative care model (SCCM) from the multicentre randomised controlled MEHIRA trial.