While the cross-sectional relationship between internet gaming disorder (IGD) and depression is well-established, whether IGD predicts future depression remains debated, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This large-scale, three-wave longitudinal study aimed to clarify the predictive role of IGD in depression and explore the mediating effects of resilience and sleep distress.

A cohort of 41,215 middle school students from Zigong City was assessed at three time points: November 2021 (T1), November 2022 (T2) and November 2023 (T3). IGD, depression, sleep distress and resilience were measured using standardized questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the associations between baseline IGD and both concurrent and subsequent depression. Mediation analyses were conducted with T1 IGD as the predictor, T2 sleep distress and resilience as serial mediators and T3 depression as the outcome. To test the robustness of the findings, a series of sensitivity analyses were performed. Additionally, sex differences in the mediation pathways were explored.

(1) IGD was independently associated with depression at baseline (T1: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.79–5.98, p < 0.001), 1 year later (T2: AOR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.16–1.74, p < 0.001) and 2 years later (T3: AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.01–1.53, p = 0.042); (2) A serial multiple mediation effect of sleep distress and resilience was identified in the relationship between IGD and depression. The mediation ratio was 60.7% in the unadjusted model and 33.3% in the fully adjusted model, accounting for baseline depression, sleep distress, resilience and other covariates. The robustness of our findings was supported by various sensitivity analyses; and (3) Sex differences were observed in the mediating roles of sleep distress and resilience, with the mediation ratio being higher in boys compared to girls.

IGD is a significant predictor of depression in adolescents, with resilience and sleep distress serving as key mediators. Early identification and targeted interventions for IGD may help prevent depression. Intervention strategies should prioritize enhancing resilience and improving sleep quality, particularly among boys at risk.

Adolescence is a period marked by highest vulnerability to the onset of depression, with profound implications for adult health. Neuroimaging studies have revealed considerable atrophy in brain structure in these patients with depression. Of particular importance are regions responsible for cognitive control, reward, and self-referential processing. However, the causal structural networks underpinning brain region atrophies in adolescents with depression remain unclear.

This study aimed to investigate the temporal course and causal relationships of gray matter atrophy within the brains of adolescents with depression.

We analyzed T1-weighted structural images using voxel-based morphometry in first-episode adolescent patients with depression (n=80, 22 males; age = 15.57±1.78) and age, gender matched healthy controls (n=82, 25 males; age = 16.11±2.76) to identify the disease stage-specific gray matter abnormalities. Then, with granger causality analysis, we arranged the patients’ illness duration chronologically to construct the causal structural covariance networks that investigated the causal relationships of those atypical structures.

Compared to controls, smaller volumes in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and insula areas were identified in patients with less than 1 year illness duration, and further progressed to the subgenual ACC, regions of default, frontoparietal networks in longer duration. Causal network results revealed that dACC, vmPFC, MCC and insula were prominent nodes projecting exerted positive causal effects to regions of the default mode and frontoparietal networks. The dACC, vmPFC and insula also had positive projections to the reward network, which included mainly the thalamus, caudate and putamen, while MCC also exerted a positive causal effect on the insula and thalamus.

These findings revealed the progression of structural atrophy in adolescent patients with depression and demonstrated the causal relationships between regions involving cognitive control, reward and self-referential processes.

None Declared

The concept of Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is inherently multidimensional. However, the interrelationships among its various dimensions remain insufficiently elucidated. In recent years, the textual analysis of social media posts has emerged as a promising methodological approach for longitudinal research in this domain.

This study aimed to investigate whether temporal causal associations exist between recognition of mental illness (R), mental illness stigma (S), help-seeking efficacy (HE), maintenance of positive mental health (M), and help-seeking attitude (HA).

Tweets were collocted at three distinct time points: T1, T2, and T3, spanning the period from November 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. We employed a machine-learning approach to categorize the posts into five MHL facets. Using these facets, we trained a machine learning model, specifically Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), to determine the MHL scores. To be eligible, an account must have an R facet score at T1, and M, S, HE facet scores at T2, as well as an HA facet score at T3. In total, we retrieved 4,471,951 MHL-related tweets from 941 users. We further employed structural equation modeling to validate the causal relationships within the MHL framework.

In the evaluation, BERT achieved average accuracy scores exceeding 89% across the five MHL facets in the validation set, along with F1-scores ranging between 0.75 and 0.89. Among the five MHL facets—maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitudes—each demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation with the others. Conversely, mental illness stigma exhibited a statistically significant negative correlation with the remaining four facets. In the analysis using single-mediation models, each of the individual mediator variables—namely, mental illness stigma, help-seeking efficacy, and maintenance of positive mental health—exhibited significant indirect effects. In the multiple-mediation model, two mediator variables—help-seeking efficacy and maintenance of positive mental health—demonstrated significant indirect effects. These findings suggested that the recognition of mental illness exerted an influence on help-seeking attitudes through one or more of these mediators.

By leveraging machine learning techniques for the textual analysis of social media and employing a longitudinal research design with panel data, this study elucidates the potential mechanisms through which the MHL framework influences attitudes toward seeking mental health services. These insights hold significant implications for the design of future interventions and the development of targeted policies aimed at promoting help-seeking behaviors.

None Declared

Patients with Fontan failure are high-risk candidates for heart transplantation and other advanced therapies. Understanding the outcomes following initial heart failure consultation can help define appropriate timing of referral for advanced heart failure care.

This is a survey study of heart failure providers seeing any Fontan patient for initial heart failure care. Part 1 of the survey captured data on clinical characteristics at the time of heart failure consultation, and Part 2, completed 30 days later, captured outcomes (death, transplant evaluation outcome, and other interventions). Patients were classified as “too late” (death or declined for transplant due to being too sick) and/or “care escalation” (ventricular assist device implanted, inotrope initiated, and/or listed for transplant), within 30 days. “Late referral” was defined as those referred too late and/or had care escalation.

Between 7/2020 and 7/2022, 77 Fontan patients (52% inpatient) had an initial heart failure consultation. Ten per cent were referred too late (6 were too sick for heart transplantation with one subsequent death, and two others died without heart transplantation evaluation, within 30 days), and 36% had care escalation (21 listed ± 5 ventricular assist device implanted ± 6 inotrope initiated). Overall, 42% were late referrals. Heart failure consultation < 1 year after Fontan surgery was strongly associated with late referral (OR 6.2, 95% CI 1.8–21.5, p=0.004).

Over 40% of Fontan patients seen for an initial heart failure consultation were late referrals, with 10% dying or being declined for transplant within a month of consultation. Earlier referral, particularly for those with heart failure soon after Fontan surgery, should be encouraged.

Three factors converge to underscore the heightened importance of evaluating the potential health/well-being effects of friendships in older adulthood. First, policymakers, scientists, and the public alike are recognizing the importance of social relationships for health/well-being and creating national policies to promote social connection. Second, many populations are rapidly aging throughout the world. Third, we currently face what some call a ‘friendship recession’. Although, growing research documents associations between friendship with better health and well-being, friendship can also have a ‘dark side’ and can potentially promote negative outcomes. To better capture friendship’s potential heterogeneous effects, we took an outcome-wide analytic approach.

We analysed data from 12,998 participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) – a prospective and nationally representative cohort of U.S. adults aged >50, and, evaluated if increases in friendship strength (between t0; 2006/2008 and t1; 2010/2012) were associated with better health/well-being across 35 outcomes (in t2; 2014/2016). To assess friendship strength, we leveraged all available friendship items in HRS and created a composite ‘friendship score’ that assessed the following three domains: (1) friendship network size, (2) friendship network contact frequency and (3) friendship network quality.

Stronger friendships were associated with better outcomes on some indicators of physical health (e.g. reduced risk of mortality), health behaviours (e.g. increased physical activity) and nearly all psychosocial indicators (e.g. higher positive affect and mastery, as well as lower negative affect and risk of depression). Friendship was also associated with increased likelihood of smoking and heavy drinking (although the latter association with heavy drinking did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance).

Our findings indicate that stronger friendships can have a dual impact on health and well-being. While stronger friendships appear to mainly promote a range of health and well-being outcomes, stronger friendships might also promote negative outcomes. Additional research is needed, and any future friendship interventions and policies that aim to enhance outcomes should focus on how to amplify positive outcomes while mitigating harmful ones.

Excessive and persistent fear of clusters of holes, also known as trypophobia, has been suggested to reflect cortical hyperexcitability and may be associated with mental health risks. No study, however, has yet examined these associations in representative epidemiological samples.

To examine the prevalence of trypophobia in a population-representative youth sample, its association with mental health and functioning, and its interaction with external stress.

A total of 2065 young people were consecutively recruited from a household-based epidemiological youth mental health study in Hong Kong. Trypophobia, symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, and exposure to personal stressors were assessed. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationships between trypophobia and mental health. Potential additive and interaction effects of trypophobia and high stress exposure on mental health were also tested.

The prevalence of trypophobia was 17.6%. Trypophobia was significantly associated with severe symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.32–2.53), depression (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.24–2.56) and stress (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.11–2.53), even when accounting for sociodemographic factors, personal and family psychiatric history, resilience and stress exposure. Dose–response relationships were observed, and trypophobia significantly potentiated the effects of stress exposure on symptom outcomes, particularly for depressive symptoms. Those with trypophobia also showed significantly poorer functioning across domains and poorer health-related quality of life.

Screening for trypophobia in young people may facilitate early risk detection and intervention, particularly among those with recent stress exposure. Nevertheless, the generally small effect sizes suggest that other factors have more prominent roles in determining recent mental health outcomes in population-based samples; these should be explored in future work.

Undergraduate students encounter developmental challenges during their transition into adulthood. Previous studies have claimed that adults with later chronotypes usually manifest negative psychological effects: poor sleep quality, greater stress, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. However, knowledge about the relationship between chronotype, stress, and sleep quality among young adults is lacking.

The present study investigated the relationship between undergraduates’ chronotypes and perceived stress on sleep quality.

An online survey with a descriptive, cross-sectional design was conducted with a convenience sample of undergraduate students at a university in southern Taiwan. Those who were 20-25 years old and enrolled as a student were included; but who had been suspended or had deferred graduation were excluded. Students’ chronotype, stress, and sleep quality were assessed with three self-reported instruments: Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Of 161 undergraduates who completed the questionnaires, 51 reported using an alarm clock to wake and were removed from data analysis. One hundred and ten students’ mean age is 20.3 and perceived moderate stress. Sixty-one percent were poor-quality sleepers. The mean chronotype score was 5.7, and 85.5% had an intermediate chronotype, while 13.6% had an evening chronotype. Chronotype and perceived stress were positively correlated with sleep quality (p < .001). Social jetlag was positively correlated with chronotype (p =.036). Undergraduate’s later chronotype and higher stress perception predicted 30% of poorer sleep quality (p < .001).

Undergraduate students’ chronotype and perceived stress were positively correlated and acted as predictors of the sleep quality. The findings could help to develop health-promotion interventions for these emerging adults to adjust their daily routines; and reduce their social jetlag, stress levels, and sleep disturbance.

None Declared

Mental Health Literacy (MHL) includes four distinct but interrelated components: maintenance of positive mental health (MH), recognition of mental disorders (R), mental illness stigma attitudes (S), and help-seeking efficacy (E). A fifth component, help-seeking attitude (A) was included in a MHL model because it is a strong predictor of help-seeking behaviors. The five-factor model of MHL has been validated previously. In the study of multiple mediation model of MHL, it demonstrated the mediation role of help-seeking efficacy between recognition of mental disorders and help-seeking attitude (R-E-A path), but the roles of mental illness stigma attitudes or maintenance of positive mental health remain unknown.

The present study aimed to examine the theory-based multifaceted MHL model by utilizing a meta-analytic structural equation modeling analyses (MASEM) method.

Systematic search of articles from electronic databases, including APA PsycArticles, ERIC, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Pubmed, and Airiti Library (Chinese), from inception up to July 31, 2022, was conducted by raters independently assessed study eligibility, and extracted 127 empirical, quantitative, non-interventional studies with properly reported effect sizes (k=192). MASEM analyses were conducted via a two-stage approach. First, a pooled correlation matrix was obtained for each mediation model by applying a multivariate random-effects model using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 3.3. Second, a structural equation model was fitted on the pooled correlation matrices to test for mediation effects (i.e., indirect effects) using IBM SPSS Amos.

In the single-mediator model analysis, there was a significant partial mediation effect of help-seeking efficacy and Mental illness stigma attitudes on the relationship between recognition of mental disorders and help-seeking attitude (R-E-A path & R-S-A path, p <.05). The multiple-mediator model has showed adequate fit (RMSEA = 0.09, SRMR = 0.04, CFI = 0.93, GFI = .99). It confirmed the help-seeking efficacy served as a mediator. A sequential mediation of maintenance of positive mental health and mental illness stigma attitudes was found (p <.05) between recognition of mental disorders and help-seeking attitude (R-MH-S-A path).

There is a robust mediation effect of Help-seeking efficacy on the relationship between recognition of mental disorders and help-seeking attitude either in the single mediation model or the multiple mediation model. Furthermore, increased recognition of mental disorder was related to increased maintenance of positive mental health, therefore decreased mental illness stigma attitude, and eventually increased help-seeking attitude. Future research directions regarding pathways in the MHL models were discussed.

None Declared