The aim of this 4-year follow-up study was to examine the predictive effects of demographics, three types of sexual stigma, three types of self-identity confusion, anxiety, depression, family support and problematic Internet use before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on new-onset suicide risk and persistent suicide risk in young adult lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.

Baseline data were collected from 1,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in 2018 and 2019. Outcome data on suicide risk were collected again in 2023. The suicide module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess suicide risk in terms of thoughts of death, desire to self-harm, thoughts of suicide, plans for suicide and suicide attempts in the preceding month at the initial and follow-up assessments. Baseline three types of sexual stigma, self-identity disturbance, depression, anxiety and problematic Internet use were used to examine their prediction of new-onset suicide risk and persistent suicide risk at follow-up.

In total, 673 individuals participated in the follow-up survey. Notably, 16.5% of the participants who had no suicide risk at baseline had new-onset suicide risk at follow-up; 46.4% of the participants who had suicide risk at baseline also had suicide risk at follow-up. Participants who were transgender (p = .003), who perceived greater levels of microaggression (p < .001), and who had greater levels of problematic Internet use at baseline (p = .024) were more likely to have new-onset suicide risk at follow-up. Participants who had greater levels of self-identity confusion were more likely to have persistent suicide risk at follow-up (p = .023).

Intervention strategies for reducing suicide risk in lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals should be developed with consideration of the predictors identified in this study.

Childbirth may pose many challenges to the psychological well-being of marriage-based immigrant mothers in interracial marriages, who must negotiate bi-dimensional acculturation – adaptation to the host culture and maintenance of her own heritage culture. We examined the temporal relationships between bi-dimensional acculturation and depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 1 year postpartum among marriage-based immigrant mothers in Taiwan using the cross-lagged structural equation modeling.

This study recruited 310 immigrant mothers, who were examined in the second and third trimesters, and again at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postpartum from March 2013 to December 2015. Depressive symptoms and bi-dimensional acculturation were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Marriage-Based Immigrant Women, respectively.

The study found that adaptation to the host culture followed a downward linear trajectory, while maintenance of the mother's own heritage culture followed an upward linear trajectory from pregnancy to 1 year postpartum. All but one cross-lagged path between bi-dimensional acculturation and depressive symptoms was statistically insignificant, though almost all cross-sectional associations were significant. Adaptation to host culture was negatively associated with depressive symptoms at all time points. The association between maintenance of heritage culture and depressive symptoms reversed from positive to negative after 6 months postpartum.

Adaptation to the host culture and maintenance of the mother's heritage culture differed in their associations with maternal depressive symptoms. Health professionals should assist immigrant mothers in adapting to the host culture while supporting their heritage culture in the childbearing period.

This study was aimed to evaluate the association between Internet addiction and depressive disorder, social phobia and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a sample of Taiwanese college students; and examine gender differences in the psychiatric comorbidity of Internet addiction in this student population.

Two hundred sixteen college students (132 males, 84 females) were recruited. Internet addiction, major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, social phobia, and adult ADHD of all participants were diagnosed based on psychiatric diagnostic interview.

This study revealed that adult ADHD and depressive disorders were associated with Internet addiction among college students. However, depressive disorders were associated with Internet addiction in the males but not the females.

With these results, it seems reasonable to suggest that effective evaluation of, and treatment for, adult ADHD and depressive disorders is required for college students with Internet addiction.

Unawareness of deficits is common and is associated with poor outcomes in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, little is known about correlated neurobiochemical changes.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to examine neurobiochemical correlates of unawareness of deficits as assessed by the Dementia Deficit Scale in 36 patients with AD. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy spectra were acquired from the anterior cingulate area and right orbitofrontal area. Concentrations of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), total creatine, and other neurometabolites were calculated.

Nineteen (52.8%) participants had relative unawareness of deficits. This condition was negatively correlated with NAA/creatine in the anterior cingulate area (β = −0.36, p = 0.025) and positively correlated with NAA/creatine in the right orbitofrontal area (β = 0.41, p = 0.009) after controlling for dementia severity.

These findings suggest unawareness of deficits in AD was associated with the altered neurochemical metabolites in the anterior cingulate area and right orbitofrontal area. However, the two areas might have opposite neuronal functions in unawareness of deficits.

Despite gradual understanding of the multidimensional health consequences of betel-quid chewing, information on the effects of dependent use is scant.

To investigate the 12-month prevalence patterns of betel-quid dependence in six Asian populations and the impact of this dependence on oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD).

A multistage random sample of 8922 participants was recruited from Taiwan, mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Participants were evaluated for betel-quid dependency using DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria and assessed clinically for oral mucosal lesions.

The 12-month prevalence of dependence was 2.8-39.2% across the six Asian samples, and 20.9-99.6% of those who chewed betel-quid were betel-quid dependent. Men dominated the prevalence among the east Asian samples and women dominated the prevalence in south-east Asian samples. ‘Time spent chewing’ and ‘craving’ were the central dependence domains endorsed by the Chinese and southern/south-east Asian samples respectively, whereas the Nepalese samples endorsed ‘tolerance’ and ‘withdrawal’. Dependency was linked to age, gender, schooling years, drinking, smoking, tobacco-added betel-quid use and environmental accessibility of betel-quid. Compared with non-users, those with betel-quid dependency had higher pre-neoplastic risks (adjusted odds ratios 8.0-51.3) than people with non-dependent betel-quid use (adjusted odds ratio 4.5-5.9) in the six Asian populations.

By elucidating differences in domain-level symptoms of betel-quid dependency and individual and environmental factors, this study draws attention to the population-level psychiatric problems of betel-quid chewing that undermine health consequences for OPMD in six Asian communities.

This study aimed to compare hostility, impulsivity, and behavior inhibition between women with and without premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) during both luteal and follicular phases and to examine whether these variables contribute to irritability and daily functional impairment of PMDD.

PMDD was screened via the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool. A diagnosis of PMDD was confirmed by psychiatric interviewing without 2-month prospective confirmation. Sixty women in the PMDD group and 60 women in the control group completed the Chinese Version of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory-Short Form, Dickman's Impulsivity Inventory, and the Behavior Inhibition System Scale during the luteal and follicular phases.

We found that the PMDD group had significantly higher levels of hostility, dysfunctional impulsivity, and behavioral inhibition than the control group in both luteal and follicular phases. The PMDD group also had more premenstrual aggravation on total hostility, hostility affect, and suppressive hostility than the control group. Higher hostility, dysfunctional impulsivity, and behavior inhibition were associated with more severe irritability and functional impairment of PMDD.

Hostility, impulsivity, and behavior inhibition might contribute to irritability and functional impairment in women with PMDD.

Assessment and interventions based on these factors should be provided for women with PMDD, especially in the luteal phase.

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the influence of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on the long-term prognosis of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

A retrospective cohort study.

The largest regional hospital renowned for haemodialysis in northern Taiwan.

A total of 702 ESRD patients undergoing haemodialysis between 1993 and 2002 were evaluated.

The rate of overall use of rhEPO, vitamin D3 or Fe therapy was 62 %. The 10-year survival rate in patients with rhEPO supplementation was statistically more favourable than that in patients without rhEPO (hazard ratio (HR) = 0·38, 95 % CI 0·30, 0·47, P < 0·0001). Similar findings were noted for patients receiving vitamin D3 (HR = 0·36, 95 % CI 0·21, 0·64, P = 0.0004) and Fe (HR = 0·45, 95 % CI 0·33, 0·61, P < 0·0001). After adjusting for age, education and aetiology, the administration of rhEPO resulted in statistically significant improvements in long-term survival rate either with (HR = 0·30, 95 % CI 0·22, 0·42) or without (HR = 0·48, 95 % CI 0·38, 0·61) combined use of Fe or vitamin D3.

We demonstrated a reduction in long-term mortality related to supplementation therapy with rhEPO, vitamin D3 and Fe. The findings provide a justification for the administration of combined supplement therapy in patients undergoing haemodialysis.

Few studies have prospectively examined psychosocial and psychiatric predictors of adolescent substance use disorders simultaneously.

To identify psychosocial and psychiatric predictors of substance use disorders in adolescence.

School children aged 12 years (s. d. =0. 3) free from any substance use disorder at grade7(n=428) were assessed in three consecutive years, using a standardised psychiatric interview. Their baseline psychosocial information was also collected. The outcome was the onset age of a substance use disorder. The Cox regression model was used for data analysis.

The most significant predictive factors for adolescent substance use disorder included male gender, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and sibling use of tobacco. Three protective factors against such morbidity included living in a household with two parents, a good academic grade at grade 7 and objection to the use of substances.

Early intervention for disruptive behaviour disorders and specific psychosocial risk factors might prevent substance use disorders in early adolescence.