Identification, a cognitive process by which individuals think of themselves as similar to another person, may be associated with distress during traumatic events. This study examined the association of identification with psychological responses among disaster workers not directly exposed to an airline crash.

Participants were 421 workers (aged 18-60 [M (SD) = 36.2 (9.9)], 86.4% male, 98.3% White, 71.8% married). Surveys at 2 months (Time 1; T1) and 7 (T2) months post-disaster assessed identification (i.e., extent to which participants identified victims as similar to themselves, a friend, and/or family member), previous disaster exposure, and acute stress and anger/hostility. Linear and logistic regression analyses examined the relationship of identification to psychological responses over time.

Approximately 15% of participants reported that they had high levels of acute stress within a week of the airplane crash when assessed 2 months later. Among those with high identification, 30.2% had high acute stress. In multivariable models, adjusting for covariates, greater identification was associated with acute stress and anger/hostility at T1, but not anger/hostility at T2.

Identification is associated with high levels of acute stress and anger/hostility in non-exposed individuals. Those with greater identification, regardless of exposure, could be at increased risk of distress and may benefit from early interventions.

Cognitive neuropsychological models propose that antidepressants exert their therapeutic effects by modifying negative emotional processing biases early in treatment. However, evidence from large, long-term clinical samples is limited.

We conducted a mechanistic analysis within the Antidepressants to Prevent Relapse in Depression randomized controlled trial, which compared maintenance antidepressant treatment with placebo substitution in adults with recurrent depression who were currently well (N = 478). Participants completed a computerized facial emotion recognition task at baseline, 12 weeks, and 52 weeks, in which faces morphed from happy to sad. The primary outcome was the number of faces classified as happy (0–45). Linear and longitudinal mixed-effects models were used to compare treatment groups and examine associations with depressive (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms.

Of the 462 participants completing at least one task, there was no evidence that discontinuing antidepressants altered performance compared with maintenance at 12 weeks (adjusted mean difference = 0.23, 95% CI –0.5 to 1.0, p = 0.5) or 52 weeks (0.29, –0.5 to 1.2, p = 0.5). Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with happy face classifications both cross sectionally (β = –0.20 per PHQ-9 point, p = 0.02) and longitudinally (β = –0.09, p = 0.05). Anxiety symptoms were positively associated with happy classifications (β = 0.11, p = 0.047).

Maintenance antidepressant treatment did not sustain positive emotional processing biases as indexed by facial emotion recognition, despite robust associations between such biases and depressive symptoms. These findings challenge the generalizability of laboratory evidence on emotional bias modification to long-term clinical treatment and highlight the need for further mechanistic research on antidepressant action.

Pronounced variations in suicide mortality persist across Europe. Understanding long-term temporal patterns through age, period and cohort (APC) effects, alongside suicide means, is essential for tailored prevention. This study aims to determine how suicide mortality rates in Europe have changed across APC dimensions at national and subregional levels.

Our analysis was restricted to European countries with complete age- and sex-specific suicide mortality data from 1990 to 2019 within the World Health Organization mortality database. The analysis comprised two components. The first component disentangled long-term suicide mortality trends (1990–2019) into APC dimensions using an age-period-cohort model via the National Cancer Institute’s APC Web Tool. The second component involved an assessment of suicide means, restricted to 2010–2019 and to countries with detailed International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) cause-of-death data.

In 2019, Europe recorded 47,793 male and 13,111 female suicide deaths. Overall suicide mortality rates declined in most subregions from 1990 to 2019, with the largest reductions among Eastern European men, from 77.81 (95% CI: 77.17–78.45) per 100,000 in the mid-1990s to 22.93 (95% CI: 22.58–23.28) per 100,000 by 2019, although this region retained the highest male suicide burden. Age-specific risk patterns differed markedly: among men, risk peaked in early adulthood and then declined in Eastern Europe, while in Western and Southern Europe, it was lower and more stable but rose after age 60; for women, risk was generally lower, with peaks in early adulthood in Eastern Europe and in midlife elsewhere. Period reflected continued improvement, especially in Eastern Europe where the period risk in 2015–2019 was approximately 60% lower than 2000–2004. Cohort effects similarly showed progressive declines. However, upward trends emerged among younger generations. In Northern Europe, the cohort relative risk for females increased from 0.73 (95% CI: 0.68–0.78) in the 1980 cohort to 0.90 (95% CI: 0.70–1.04) in the 2000 cohort. While the completeness of suicide means analysis varied by subregion, the primary data indicated that hanging was the predominant means for both sexes during 2010–2019.

Despite an overall decline, suicide mortality in Europe exhibits persistent regional and demographic differences. This study reveals emerging risks among younger cohorts, specifically Northern European women and Southern European men, signalling shifting patterns that are not apparent from overall temporal trends alone. This evolving risk profile calls for sustained surveillance and research to investigate the drivers of these population-specific vulnerabilities.

This study aimed to assess knowledge, lifestyle behaviours, and sociodemographic associations regarding hypertension control among adults in urban Ghana.

Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in Ghana. However, data on population-level knowledge of its risk factors and related lifestyle behaviours in urban settings remain limited.

A cross-sectional analytical survey was conducted between August 2023 and September 2024 across four urban regions. Using stratified convenience sampling, 7096 adults aged 18–67+ years were recruited. Data on sociodemographic, lifestyle behaviours, and hypertension knowledge were collected via a structured questionnaire.

Participants had a mean age of 37.27 (±8.73) years, with a majority being female (63.85%) and married (97.66%). Educational attainment varied. Females constituted most hypertensive cases, particularly for stage 2 hypertension, while males had a notably higher prevalence of pre-hypertension among those aged 27–53 years. Age and body mass index showed significant positive correlations with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01). Men were significantly more likely to smoke and consume alcohol (p < 0.01). Logistic regression indicated that regular exercise reduced the odds of hypertension diagnosis (OR = 0.72, CI: 0.54–0.96), while older age increased the odds. The study underscores the need for targeted public health strategies. Priorities include promoting physical activity and weight management, alongside smoking/alcohol cessation programs tailored for high-risk men. Early intervention for younger adults with pre-hypertension and enhanced educational outreach for less-educated groups are crucial.