Background: The incidence of discharge against medical advice (DAMA) in emergency departments (EDs) among Indigenous people is a growing concern in Australia. This study aimed to determine the incidence of ED DAMA in public hospitals in Queensland (QLD) from 2016 to 2021 and investigate the disparities in ED DAMA between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients. The study also assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of ED DAMA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVarious methods have been developed to combine inference across multiple sets of results for unsupervised clustering, within the ensemble clustering literature. The approach of reporting results from one 'best' model out of several candidate clustering models generally ignores the uncertainty that arises from model selection, and results in inferences that are sensitive to the particular model and parameters chosen. Bayesian model averaging (BMA) is a popular approach for combining results across multiple models that offers some attractive benefits in this setting, including probabilistic interpretation of the combined cluster structure and quantification of model-based uncertainty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCross-frequency coupling between the phase of slower oscillatory activity and the amplitude of faster oscillatory activity in the brain (phase-amplitude coupling; PAC), is a promising new biological marker for mental health. Prior research has demonstrated that PAC is associated with mental health. However, most research has focused on within-region theta-gamma PAC in adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe provided the dataset of brain connectome matrices, their similarities measures to self and others longitudinally, and Kessler's psychological distress scales (K10) including the response to each question. The dataset can be used to replicate the results of the manuscript titled "A longitudinal study of functional connectome uniqueness and its association with psychological distress in adolescence". The functional connectome (whole-brain and 13 networks) matrices were calculated from the resting-state functional MRIs (rs-fMRIs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEach human brain has a unique functional synchronisation pattern (functional connectome) analogous to a fingerprint that underpins brain functions and related behaviours. Here we examine functional connectome (whole-brain and 13 networks) maturation by measuring its uniqueness in adolescents who underwent brain scans longitudinally from 12 years of age every four months. The uniqueness of a functional connectome is defined as its ratio of self-similarity (from the same subject at a different time point) to the maximal similarity-to-others (from a given subject and any others at a different time point).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMindfulness training has been associated with improved attention and affect regulation in preadolescent children with anxiety related attention impairments, however little is known about the underlying neurobiology. This study sought to investigate the impact of mindfulness training on functional connectivity of attention and limbic brain networks in pre-adolescents. A total of 47 children with anxiety and/or attention issues (aged 9-11 years) participated in a 10-week mindfulness intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial connectedness is well established as an important aspect of adolescence, with higher levels typically resulting in positive mental health and well-being. Cyberbullying is a prevalent concern during adolescence and is a significant contributor to poor mental health outcomes during this important phase of life. Research shows that social connectedness may act as a protective factor for mental health and well-being when young people experience cyberbullying.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt has been suggested that biological markers that define mental health are different to those that define mental illness. The basal ganglia changes dramatically over adolescence and has been linked to wellbeing and mental health disorders in young people. However, there remains a paucity of research on wellbeing and brain structure in early adolescence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: COVID-19 has resulted in major life changes to the majority of the world population, particularly adolescents, with social-distancing measures such as home-based schooling likely to impact sleep quality. Increased worry is also likely considering the substantial financial, educational and health concerns accompanying COVID-19. White matter (WM) integrity has been shown to be associated with anxiety and depression symptoms, including worry, as well being closely associated with sleep quality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescence is a period of significant anatomical and functional brain changes, and complex interactions occur between mental health risk factors. The Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study commenced in 2018, to monitor environmental and psychosocial factors influencing mental health in 500 adolescents, for 5 years. Participants are recruited at age 12 from the community in Australia's Sunshine Coast region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Developmental studies have shown adolescence is a period of ongoing white matter (WM) development, reduced sleep quality and the onset of many mental disorders. Findings indicate the WM development of the uncinate fasciculus (UF), a WM tract suggested to play a key role in mental disorders, continues throughout adolescence. While these studies provide valuable information, they are limited by long intervals between scans (1 to 4 years) leaving researchers and clinicians to infer what may be occurring between time-points.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Poor sleep quality has been linked to reduced neural connectivity through decreased white matter (WM) structural integrity. WM tract development has been shown to continue throughout adolescence with studies reporting positive correlations between diffusion-derived estimates of structural integrity and reduced sleep quality in adult samples. Few studies have investigated this relationship exclusively within a sample of young adolescents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescence is a period when complex interactions occur between mental health risk factors. The Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study (LABS) commenced in 2018, to monitor environmental and psychosocial factors thought to influence mental health in 500 young people. Participants commence at 12 years of age, via a community-based recruitment model, and data is collected at 15 time-points over five years.
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