Spontaneous mentalizing refers to the capacity to attribute mental states to oneself and others without explicit prompts or conscious deliberation. This process enables individuals to comprehend and anticipate social behaviors in a more intuitive manner. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia frequently demonstrate deficits in this domain, which contribute to impaired social functioning. The present meta-analysis aims to assess the extent of spontaneous mentalizing impairments in schizophrenia.

A comprehensive search was conducted in four prominent databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science. Following the review of the retrieved records and subsequent citation searching, a total of 15 studies were selected for inclusion in the quantitative synthesis. The data of 526 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 536 controls were subjected to analysis. Effect sizes for intentionality and appropriateness were computed utilizing weighted or standardized mean differences, and heterogeneity was evaluated.

Patients with schizophrenia exhibited substantial impairments in intentionality and appropriateness during mentalizing tasks, with large effect sizes. No significant differences were observed in random movement tasks, although patients also demonstrated deficits in interpreting goal-directed movements. Furthermore, high heterogeneity in some outcomes and variability in study methodologies were also noted.

This analysis corroborates substantial spontaneous mentalizing deficits in schizophrenia, underscoring their potential role in impaired social functioning. In conjunction with previous analyses, the present findings emphasize the pervasive nature of mentalizing deficits in schizophrenia, encompassing explicit, implicit, and spontaneous dimensions. These results hold significant implications for therapeutic strategies designed to augment social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia.

This paper describes challenges and opportunities for data collection during a disaster, focusing on how young adults in the United States navigated the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic--a disaster which introduced significant uncertainty and precarity both for individuals and the research process.

This paper draws on lessons from a small exploratory study which used journaling techniques as a data collection tool.

Journaling addressed 3 key challenges to collecting data during a public health crisis: 1) accessing respondents when preparation time and resources are limited; 2) ensuring protection for both participants and researchers in a context when human interaction is severely constrained; and 3) needing both rapid response and flexibility in research design and data collection.

Journaling techniques are a feasible, efficient and effective tool that can be adapted and utilized in various disaster contexts, including other pandemics and extreme climate events.

Antipsychotics are primarily indicated for psychotic disorders. There is increasing concern regarding their potential overuse for other conditions.

To examine the change in the number of community prescriptions and corresponding costs for antipsychotics per head of population over 25 years (1998–2022) in England.

The data for 1998–2022 were obtained from two separate resources from the OpenPrescribing database: from 1998 to 2016 from their long-term trends data-set; and for 2017–2022 from the monthly medication prescribing data. The relevant British National Formulary subcategories 4.2.1 ‘antipsychotic drugs’ and 4.2.2 ‘antipsychotic depot injections’ were selected. The annual differences in prescriptions and the mean average annual increase were calculated. Scatter plots to visualise the yearly trend and Spearman testing to assess the strength of the correlations were done. The total annual costs of these medications were calculated for this time period.

The annual mean increase in the number of prescriptions was 287 548 in raw numbers and 4.27 per 1000 population. There is a statistically significant and strong positive relationship between time and the prescriptions of antipsychotics per 1000 population (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.995, P ≤ 0.001). This increasing trend is driven by the increase in oral antipsychotic drug prescriptions over time (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.995, P ≤ 0.001). Antipsychotic drug costs increased until 2011, reduced until 2016 and rose again during 2020–2022.

This analysis suggests a worrying increasing trend in antipsychotic medication prescribing. Potential causal factors include off-licence use. Clinical practice and research implications are discussed.

Meaningful engagement with young adults (YAs) with a lived experience of cancer is important for conducting impactful research on issues that matter to them, and ensures their voices are central to shaping cancer research outcomes. This preliminary study explored barriers and facilitators to participation in research to identify strategies for making cancer research more inclusive and responsive to the needs of YAs.

This qualitative study involved twelve YAs (aged 21–43 years at time of interview) with a lived experience of cancer, who participated in a focus group or interview. Participants were recruited via multiple cancer charities/organizations and social media platforms. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Barriers to research participation were Person Specific (health and wellbeing, logistical and practical challenges, knowledge, understanding and confidence) and Systemic (lack of advocacy, social and cultural influences). A multi-pronged approach to engage YAs in cancer research should include framing research to make it more relatable, using accessible language, and showcasing its potential value and impact. Incentivising participation and offering flexible engagement formats, (e.g., online surveys and videos), to meet individuals where they are, can aid participation. Collaboration with trusted organizations, ensuring diverse representation in recruitment materials, and using social media platforms were recognized as effective ways to reach a broader audience and ensure inclusivity.

We provide practical strategies on how to implement these approaches. From a researcher perspective, early consideration of funding allocation (e.g., dedicated person for social media engagement, time of Patient and Public Involvement) is key to support these strategies and enhance engagement.

This systematic review aimed to explore the impact of food voucher schemes during pregnancy and early life on fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and explore experiences of schemes.

Six electronic databases and grey literature sources were searched. Interventional, observational, qualitative and mixed methods studies published from January 2000 to April 2024 in English were included.

Food voucher interventions targeting F&V intake.

Low-income pregnant women and families with young children (aged under 5 years).

7344 peer reviewed records and 103 grey literature documents were screened. Sixteen peer reviewed studies (across eighteen reports) and eight grey literature documents met the inclusion criteria. All studies took place in the UK or the USA. There was a lack of consistency across primary quantitative outcomes. Overall, F&V voucher schemes did appear to increase fruit and/or vegetable consumption, but confidence in this finding was low. Qualitative data were more consistent. F&V vouchers were used in three main ways; as a financial benefit to subsidise food already being purchased, to increase the quantity or variety of F&V purchased, or as a safety net, to be used to ensure that the family had something to eat.

F&V vouchers may increase F&V intake and are positively received by recipients. This review also highlights some of the difficulties that researchers face in evaluating the impact of public health measures to improve population health. It is clear that more high-quality research is required to better understand the impacts of F&V vouchers on individual outcomes.

Completed suicide (CS) is among the leading causes of death. Suicide attempts (SAs) are more frequent and are a significant contributor to overall morbidity. However, there is only few data on community-based suicide prevention using systemic approaches. We have implemented a communal suicide prevention program and tested whether it reduced the number of SA and CS.

“FraPPE” comprised measures proposed by previous studies: low-threshold outpatient services, a SA postvention, a hotline targeting individuals with suicidal intent, qualification of gatekeepers and general practitioners, and a campaign to refer SA cases to psychiatric services and antistigma campaigns. The intervention lasted for 25 months.

For CS, 7.7 cases per month were recorded during baseline, compared to 9 cases per month in the intervention phase. For SA, the numbers were 39.2 and 40.7, respectively. These numbers did not differ significantly. The most frequent diagnostic group was affective disorders, followed by substance use disorders. The average age was lower in the SA group. More males committed suicide (p < 0.001), whereas the sex ratio was balanced in SA.

The communal suicide prevention measures implemented in FraPPE did not reduce the number of suicides and SAs. This should be interpreted with caution, as a number of prevention measures were already executed in the region. Also, data were confounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our awareness campaign may also have reduced the dark field, leading to increased reporting. We thus propose to enact registries on suicidal behaviors, to obtain better data and develop new preventive measures.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) has demonstrated significant effects in diverse areas of practice, with over 2,000 controlled clinical trials published. Some criticisms of MI have emerged along the way.

We examine theoretical and methodological critiques of MI.

We discuss three significant theoretical and methodological criticisms of MI: (1) that MI lacks conceptual stability; (2) that MI lacks a theoretical foundation; and (3) that MI is just common factors in psychotherapy.

It is true that definitions and descriptions of MI have evolved over the years. Mastery of MI clearly varies across providers, and when the quality of an intervention is unmeasured, it is unclear what has been trained or delivered. Reliable and valid tools to assess MI fidelity are available but often unused in outcome studies. It remains unclear what levels of proficiency are necessary to improve client outcomes. Some attempts to minimize variability in the delivery of MI appear to have reduced its effectiveness. In respect of the second critique is that MI lacks a theoretical foundation. It is unclear whether and how this is a disadvantage in research and practice. Various theories have been proposed and specific causal chain predictions have been tested. A third critique is that MI is merely common factors found among psychotherapists. The contribution of such relational skills is testable. There are specific aspects of MI related to client language that influence client outcomes above and beyond its relational components.

The critiques reflect important factors to consider when delivering, training, and evaluating MI research.

The urgency and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded a coordinated response from public health agencies and the biomedical research community. The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) was established as a centralized enclave in 2020 to support the study of COVID-19 across the U.S. The Institutional Development Award for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR) centers enhanced N3C’s national response by bringing representation from rural and medically underserved communities. This improved the representation of our diverse populations in the N3C Enclave and its use for research by IDeA-state investigators.

We developed an organizational structure across the IDeA-CTRs to improve research productivity in resource-challenged areas of the U.S. This socio-technical ecosystem, informed by community input, included a governance committee and two workstreams. The operations workstream focused on data management and regulatory compliance, while the navigation, education, analysis, and training (NEAT) workstream supported educational and analytical activities for the N3C Enclave.

Our collaborative approach led to participation by 12 IDeA-CTRs, representing over 400 investigators from 23 sites. The shared governance, investigator engagement, and resource pooling enhanced research productivity and engagement with researchers across IDeA states. Participation in this IDeA-CTR N3C consortium enhanced informatics research capacity and collaboration across the IDeA-CTRs for participating networks.

This collaborative model provides a roadmap and framework for future efforts among IDeA-CTRs and other academic partnerships. The socio-technical ecosystem fostered collectivism and team science, enabling the consortium to achieve far more than isolated efforts could, offering valuable insights for interdisciplinary research across geographically dispersed communities.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disabling psychiatric condition in which physical activity provides clinical benefits. While exercise effectively alleviates depressive symptoms, its biological mechanisms remain unclear.

This systematic review investigated the neurobiological effects of physical exercise on biomarkers in adults with MDD through randomized controlled trials, including studies assessing exercise interventions and reporting data on their biological effects.

A total of 30 studies, including 2194 participants, were included, examining the effects of physical exercise on various biological systems in patients with MDD. Exercise interventions had mixed effects on inflammatory markers, including interleukins, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α, suggesting a potential but inconsistent anti-inflammatory role. Neurotrophic factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor showed promise as biomarkers of treatment response, but their role in clinical improvements remained inconclusive. Findings for the stress-response system, including cortisol and monoaminergic systems, primarily involving serotonin and dopamine, were limited and variable. Exercise demonstrated potential benefits in reducing oxidative stress and enhancing β-endorphin levels, although these effects were not consistently observed.

This systematic review adopted a broader perspective than prior studies, exploring less-studied biological systems and identifying several limitations in the included studies, including small sample sizes, varying methodologies, and a predominant focus on biochemical markers. Future research should prioritize larger, standardized trials and particularly employ omics approaches to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of exercise in MDD. The findings highlight the complexity of exercise’s biological effects and emphasize the need for further research to clarify its mechanisms.