Sickle cell disease (SCD) is hallmarked by recurrent episodes of severe acute pain and the risk for chronic pain. Remote peer support programs have been shown to effectively improve health outcomes for many chronic conditions. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an online peer mentoring program (iPeer2Peer program) for adolescents with SCD.

A waitlist pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted. Adolescents randomized to the intervention group were matched with trained peer mentors (19–25 years; successfully managing their SCD), consisting of up to 10 sessions of approximately 30-min video calls over a 15-week period. The control group received standard care. The primary outcomes were rates of accrual, withdrawal, and adherence to iP2P program/protocol, with secondary outcomes identifying topics of mentorship–mentee conversations through qualitative analysis.

Twenty-eight participants (14 intervention; 14 control) were randomized to the study (mean age: 14.8 ± 1.7 years; 57% female). Accrual rate was 80% (28/35) and withdrawal rate was 18% (5/28), with 28% (4/14) adhering to the iP2P program; however, 71% (10/14) of adolescents in the intervention completed at least one call. Based on content analysis of 75 mentor–mentee calls, three distinct content categories emerged: impact of SCD, self-management, transitioning to adulthood with SCD, and general topics.

The results from this pilot study suggest that the current iteration of the iP2P SCD program lacks feasibility. Future research with the iP2P program can focus improved engagement via personalized mentoring, variable communication avenues, and an emphasis on gender.

Legislation is a powerful tool for facilitating mental healthcare. Gender is an important social determinant of physical and mental health. Many jurisdictions are in the process of revising their mental health law, to align with human rights commitments. Consideration of gender in these revisions could enhance the mental healthcare received by women, transgender and non-binary individuals.

This paper examines gender-based provisions in mental health law published in English.

Countries that use English as an official language were identified. Jurisdictions in these countries with stand-alone mental health laws were included. Legislation was reviewed for gender-specific provisions.

Seventy-five countries were evaluated; 71 jurisdictions were included. Thirty-eight jurisdictions had 88 gender-specific provisions. These addressed ten key areas, including: general gender-based protections, female representation on boards and review panels, protections during searching and restraint, gender separated facilities, protections in relation to parenting, fertility, sterilisation and termination. Fiji, Ghana, India, and the Australian jurisdictions had the highest number of gender-specific laws. However, gender-specific provisions are highly heterogeneous and are drafted from a cisnormative perspective and fail to adequately address the specific needs of individuals outside of that framework.

Gender-specific provisions can enhance the protections afforded by mental health law. However, as legislation can be a blunt instrument, careful consideration must be given to potential unintended consequences. During revisions of mental health law consideration should be given to gender-specific provisions and legislation must be inclusive of individuals identifying as transgender, non-binary and other genders.

The effectiveness of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships to address health inequities is well documented. CBPR integrates knowledge and perspectives of diverse communities throughout the research process, following principles that emphasize trust, power sharing, co-learning, and mutual benefits. However, institutions and funders seldom provide the time and resources needed for the critical stage of equitable partnership formation and development.

Since 2011, the Detroit Urban Research Center, collaborating with other entities, has promoted the development of new community–academic research partnerships through two grant programs that combine seed funding with capacity building support from community and academic instructors/mentors experienced in CBPR. Process and outcomes were evaluated using mixed methods.

From 2011 to 2021, 50 partnerships received grants ranging from $2,500 to $30,000, totaling $605,000. Outcomes included equitable partnership infrastructure and processes, innovative pilot research, translation of findings to interventions and policy change, dissemination to multiple audiences, new proposals and projects, and sustained community–academic research partnerships. All partnerships continued beyond the program; over half secured additional funding.

Keys to success included participation as community–academic teams, dedicated time for partnership/relationship development, workshops to develop equity-based skills, relationships, and projects, expert community–academic instructor guidance, and connection to additional resources. Findings demonstrate that small amounts of seed funding for newly forming community–academic partnerships, paired with capacity building support, can provide essential time and resources needed to develop diverse, inclusive, equity-focused CBPR partnerships. Building such support into funding initiatives and through academic institutions can enhance impact and sustainability of translational research toward advancing health equity.

There is a lack of evidence related to the prevalence of mental health symptoms as well as their heterogeneities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Latin America, a large area spanning the equator. The current study aims to provide meta-analytical evidence on mental health symptoms during COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, the general population and university students in Latin America.

Bibliographical databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and medRxiv, were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies up to August 13, 2021. Two coders performed the screening using predefined eligibility criteria. Studies were assigned quality scores using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The double data extraction method was used to minimise data entry errors.

A total of 62 studies with 196 950 participants in Latin America were identified. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, distress and insomnia was 35%, 35%, 32% and 35%, respectively. There was a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in South America compared to Central America (36% v. 28%, p < 0.001), in countries speaking Portuguese (40%) v. Spanish (30%). The pooled prevalence of mental health symptoms in the general population, general healthcare workers, frontline healthcare workers and students in Latin America was 37%, 34%, 33% and 45%, respectively.

The high yet heterogenous level of prevalence of mental health symptoms emphasises the need for appropriate identification of psychological interventions in Latin America.

The First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) service model is associated with significant reductions in wait times and improved clinical outcomes for emerging adults with recent-onset eating disorders. An understanding of how FREED is implemented is a necessary precondition to enable an attribution of these findings to key components of the model, namely the wait-time targets and care package.

This study evaluated fidelity to the FREED service model during the multicentre FREED-Up study.

Participants were 259 emerging adults (aged 16–25 years) with an eating disorder of <3 years duration, offered treatment through the FREED care pathway. Patient journey records documented patient care from screening to end of treatment. Adherence to wait-time targets (engagement call within 48 h, assessment within 2 weeks, treatment within 4 weeks) and care package, and differences in adherence across diagnosis and treatment group were examined.

There were significant increases (16–40%) in adherence to the wait-time targets following the introduction of FREED, irrespective of diagnosis. Receiving FREED under optimal conditions also increased adherence to the targets. Care package use differed by component and diagnosis. The most used care package activities were psychoeducation and dietary change. Attention to transitions was less well used.

This study provides an indication of adherence levels to key components of the FREED model. These adherence rates can tentatively be considered as clinically meaningful thresholds. Results highlight aspects of the model and its implementation that warrant future examination.