Brain hyperintensity location determines outcome in the triad of impaired cognition, physical health and depressive symptoms : A cohort study in late life

The authors would like to thank the participants of the Aberdeen 1936 Birth Cohort (ABC36). Image acquisition and image analysis for ABC36 were funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust (now Alzheimer’s Research UK). A.D.M., C.J.M., S.S., L.J.W., and R.T.S. have received grants from: Chief Scientist Office, Department of Health, Scottish Government; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Brain hyperintensity location determines outcome in the triad of impaired cognition, physical health and depressive symptoms : A cohort study in late life

The authors would like to thank the participants of the Aberdeen 1936 Birth Cohort (ABC36). Image acquisition and image analysis for ABC36 were funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust (now Alzheimer’s Research UK). A.D.M., C.J.M., S.S., L.J.W., and R.T.S. have received grants from: Chief Scientist Office, Department of Health, Scottish Government; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Sleep Quality as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Attachment Anxiety and Health Outcomes During Romantic Conflict

Attachment anxiety, or a fear of abandonment by those close to you, is an important predictor of many individual and interpersonal outcomes. Individuals high in attachment anxiety are more likely to experience physical illness due to disrupted immune functioning and deregulated stress responses. I was interested in examining potential mechanisms accounting for why individuals high in attachment anxiety are more likely to become ill. One variable that has been demonstrated to mediate the relationship between stress and health is sleep quality. As attachment anxiety is characterized by the experience of stress and worry over abandonment by romantic partners, I predicted sleep quality would mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and health. Further, I predicted attachment anxiety would interact with romantic threat, in that individuals high in attachment anxiety who perceive threat to their relationships would have poor sleep quality (compared with individuals low in attachment anxiety and individuals high in anxiety who do not perceive threat) which would mediate the most unhealthy outcomes. I tested these hypotheses using three online diary studies. In the first two studies, participants completed a seven-night diary describing their sleep quality, health, and interaction with their partner. In Study 3, I surveyed participants once a week for eight weeks to examine longer-term health outcomes. Sleep quality did indeed mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and various health outcomes over one week (Study 2), and showed a trend towards mediating effects over two months (Study 3). Interestingly, however, attachment anxiety did not interact with perceived romantic threat to predict health in the mediation analyses. Implications for sleep as a mediating variable are discussed, as well as the lack of attachment anxiety by romantic threat interaction.

Implications of coping strategies and community cohesion for mental health in Colombia

In the face of mass human rights violations and constant threats to security, there is growing recognition of the resilience of people and communities. This paper builds on such work by investigating the effects of individual coping strategies, perceived community cohesion, and their interaction on mental health symptoms in Colombia. The study was conducted five years after the mass demobilisation of the former paramilitaries and takes an exploratory quantitative approach to identify two distinct forms of coping approaches among participants living in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. A constructive coping approach included active engagement, planning behaviours, emotional support, acceptance and positive reframing of daily stressors. A destructive coping approach in this study entailed denial of problems, substance use and behavioural disengagement from day-to-day stress. In addition, the strength of perceived community cohesion, or how close-knit and effective the individuals feel about the community in which they live, was examined. Structural equation modelling revealed that a constructive coping approach was significantly related to lower depression, while a destructive coping approach predicted more symptoms of depression. Although there was not a significant direct effect of perceived community cohesion on mental health outcomes, it did enhance the effect of constructive coping strategies at the trend level. That is, individuals who used constructive coping strategies and perceived their communities to be more cohesive, reported fewer depression symptoms than those who lived in less cohesive settings. Implications for promoting constructive coping strategies, as well as fostering cohesion in the community, are discussed.

The Lived Experience of People with Mental Health and Substance Misuse Problems: Dimensions of Belonging

Introduction: People with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse problems are among the most excluded in society. A need to feel connected to others has been articulated in the occupational science literature although the concept of belonging itself has not been extensively explored within this paradigm. This paper reports findings from research that explored the meaning and experience of belonging for four people living with dual diagnosis in the United Kingdom. Method: Researchers employed an interpretative phenomenological approach to the study. Four semi-structured interviews were carried out. The interviews were guided by questions around the meaning of belonging, barriers to belonging and how belonging and not belonging impacted on participants’ lives. Data analysis facilitated the identification of themes across individual accounts and enabled comparisons. Findings: Data analysis identified four themes – belonging in family, belonging in place, embodied understandings of belonging and barriers to belonging. Conclusion: The findings add further insights into the mutable nature of belonging. A link between sense of belonging and attachment theory has been proposed, along with a way to understand the changeable and dependent nature of belonging through ‘dimensions of belonging’.

Mental Health Pharmacists Views on Shared Decision-Making for Antipsychotics in Serious Mental Illness

A qualitative study to look at the views of pharmacists working in mental health settings in relation to shared decision making, particularly as applied to decisions about the prescription of antipsychotics for those diagnosed with severe and enduring mental illnesses.

Examining the Longitudinal Stability of a Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health in Early Elementary School Students

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08