The international prevalence of prenatal alcohol use obtained via meconium biomarkers: A systematic literature review.

Fetal alcohol exposure is a growing public health concern. However, ascertaining its true extent remains challenging as maternal self-reports may lack validity. Increasingly, interest has turned to more objective measures of prenatal alcohol use (PAU) of which one, meconium, is recognized as a valuable tool.

Technical profiles of child sexual exploitation material offenders.

The idiographic technical profiles of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenders provide insight into their behaviours and context for their interactions with technology, but minimal quantitative work has been done to evaluate their sociability, technical ability and technophilia compared to non-offenders. This work used an online survey to compare an offender group consisting of English-speaking adults previously convicted of CSEM offenses ( = 78) with a reference population of non-offenders ( = 254). The survey assessed sociability, technical ability and technophilia through self-rating and information on occupation, level of education and device ownership.

Accelerating the development of a psychological intervention to restore treatment decision-making capacity in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder: a study protocol for a multi-site, assessor-blinded, pilot Umbrella trial (the DEC:IDES trial).

Background: A high proportion of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders will at some point in their lives be assessed as not having the capacity to make their own decisions about pharmacological treatment or inpatient care ('capacity'). Few will be helped to regain it before these interventions proceed. This is partly because effective and safe methods to do so are lacking.

Collecting and viewing behaviors of child sexual exploitation material offenders.

Background: The collecting behaviors of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offenders provide insight into their cognitions and motivations that have clinical applications.

Objective: This study analyzed the CSEM collecting and viewing behaviors of previously convicted offenders.

Participants And Settings: A postal letter soliciting participation in an online survey was sent to adults previously convicted of CSEM offenses in the United States.

Depression prevalence using the HADS-D compared to SCID major depression classification: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Objectives: Validated diagnostic interviews are required to classify depression status and estimate prevalence of disorder, but screening tools are often used instead. We used individual participant data meta-analysis to compare prevalence based on standard Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - depression subscale (HADS-D) cutoffs of ≥8 and ≥11 versus Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID) major depression and determined if an alternative HADS-D cutoff could more accurately estimate prevalence.

Methods: We searched Medline, Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations via Ovid, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (inception-July 11, 2016) for studies comparing HADS-D scores to SCID major depression status.

Post-stroke emotionalism: a qualitative investigation.

Post-stroke emotionalism, outbursts of involuntary crying or laughing, is common after stroke. Little is known about the psychosocial factors associated with this neurological disorder. To investigate participant's experiences of emotionalism and explore how they managed their symptoms.

Risk factors for inpatient violence and self-harm in forensic psychiatry: the role of head injury, schizophrenia and substance misuse.

Objective: To investigate factors relevant to violence and self-harm in forensic psychiatric inpatients the cross-sectional association between four potential contributory factors; head injury, schizophrenia, drug and alcohol misuse, and self-harm or violence-related outcomes was examined.

Methodology: Data were extracted from an existing dataset of routinely collected data on all patients under the care of Scotland's Forensic Mental Health Managed Care Network, of whom (n = 432) met inclusion criteria. A Factorial MANOVA and Pearson's chi-square tests were conducted to assess the relationship between potential contributory factors and self-harm and violence.

The paranoia as defence model of persecutory delusions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: An influential psychological model of persecutory delusions proposed that they are caused by a bias towards holding others responsible for negative events (an externalising attributional bias), preventing the individual from becoming aware of underlying low self-esteem. An early version of the model predicted self-esteem would, therefore, be preserved in people with these delusions, but a later version suggested it would be unstable, and that there would be a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, with the latter being lower. We did a comprehensive meta-analytical test of the key predictions of this model and assessed the quality of evidence.

psychological therapy versus treatment as usual for forensic mental health patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility trial.

Background: (OTRTR) is a brief low intensity group psychological therapy that aims to improve patients' insight into their mental disorder and develop adaptive coping skills to help manage distress. OTRTR is currently delivered in forensic mental health services in Scotland. However, to date, this therapy has not been evaluated as to its effectiveness or safety for forensic patients.

Social Behavior and Impairments in Social Cognition Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives: The negative effect of changes in social behavior following traumatic brain injury (TBI) are known, but much less is known about the neuropsychological impairments that may underlie and predict these changes. The current study investigated possible associations between post-injury behavior and neuropsychological competencies of emotion recognition, understanding intentions, and response selection, that have been proposed as important for social functioning.

Methods: Forty participants with TBI and 32 matched healthy participants completed a battery of tests assessing the three functions of interest.

The feasibility and clinical benefits of improving facial affect recognition impairments in schizophrenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: People diagnosed with schizophrenia have significant difficulty accurately recognising emotions expressed by others. This may generate anomalous experiences which, if misinterpreted, could contribute to experiences of social defeat, psychotic symptoms and reduced social functioning. It remains unclear whether this impairment is responsive to non-pharmacological intervention, or what the effect of modifying it is.

Social cognition and paranoia in forensic inpatients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study.

Background: People diagnosed with schizophrenia have difficulties in emotion recognition and theory of mind, and these may contribute to paranoia. The aim of this study was to determine whether this relationship is evident in patients residing in a secure forensic setting.

Method: Twenty-seven male participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a history of offending behaviour were assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), The Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ) and The Green et al.

Attitudes of paediatric medical ward staff to a dog visitation programme.

No previous studies regarding either structured, strictly controlled pet visitation programmes in paediatric hospital wards or hospital staff attitudes towards them have been conducted in Australia. Information regarding these is essential in order to minimize problems during implementation of such programmes. The aim of the study was to analyse hospital staff perceptions regarding the introduction of a pet visitation programme in an acute paediatric medical ward prior to and following implementation of the programme and to compare attitudes between the various professional groups.