Eating attitudes in fourth-, sixth- and eighth-grade females

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, the changes in eating attitudes in pre-adolescent girls were examined. Secondly, variables were studied which might prove helpful in screening females at high risk for developing eating disorders. The Adapted Eating Attitudes Test (AEAT) was used as the dependent measure and was administered to 109 fourth-, 104 sixth-, and 166 eighth-grade females attending the Lincoln County North Carolina public schools. Independent variables included age, school achievement test scores, school ability test scores, absenteeism, family income (i.e. participation/nonparticipation in the subsidized lunch program), number of siblings in the family, race, height, weight, dieting history, weight satisfaction, body-image and anxiety

Variation in depression outcomes among young people from dissolved families

This thesis adds to literature examining individual differences that account for diversity in depressive outcomes following parental divorce. Longitudinal data were used to assess, of those who experience parental divorce, who is most at risk for depressive outcomes, and when. Such knowledge may inform appropriately targeted prevention and intervention strategies.<br /

Examining psychobiological mechanisms underlying bipolar spectrum disorder symptom presentation

This thesis examines the psychobiological mechanisms underlying bipolar spectrum disorder mood symptom presentation in two parts: dysregulation in short-term affective processes (Part one), and dysregulation in reward processing (Part two). Part one presents a systematic review, which sought to identify convergence of findings from studies using ecological momentary assessment/experience sampling (EMA/ESM) methodology to examine affect dynamics in bipolar spectrum disorder, unipolar depression and borderline personality disorder populations. 38 studies using EMA/ESM methodology to examine affect dynamics across clinical groups and healthy controls were included. Findings showed that altered affect dynamics were identified across all disorders in comparison to healthy controls. Findings suggest that the degree of affect dysregulation may differentiate clinical groups. Part two presents an empirical study, which sought to examine the relationship between reward processing and subthreshold BSD symptoms longitudinally in a large community-based sample, using a monetary incentive delay functional magnetic resonance paradigm. Region-of-interest analyses in the ventral striatum were conducted to examine how neural activation during anticipation of rewards at 14 was related to mood symptoms at 14 and 22 years. Although no association was observed between neural activation and mood symptoms at baseline, enhanced sensitivity to anticipation of rewards, reflected in higher levels of neural activation, at age 14 predicted lower levels of (hypo)manic symptoms at age 22. Part three comprises a critical appraisal of the research process. This includes reflections on the author’s positionality and influences on the research, the challenges of neuroimaging research, and the value of understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychopathology

Her Life Depends on it III: Sport, Physical Activity and the Health and Well-being of American Girls and Women

Her Life Depends On It III is the Women's Sports Foundation's comprehensive report that reviews existing and emerging research on the links between participation in sport and physical activity and the health and wellbeing of American girls and women. As with the previous editions in 2004 and 2009, this study also confirms that physical activity and sport provides the critical foundation, in no small part, that allows girls and women to lead healthy, strong, and fulfilled lives. Ten years since its first publication, the updated Her Life Depends On It provides an even more comprehensive review of the ever-expanding body of research that demonstrates how important it is for girls and women to participate in sport and physical activity. The report's contents reflect the review of 1,500 studies, nearly 400 covered since the previous edition

Mobile Diagnosis 2.0

Mobile sensing and diagnostic capabilities are becoming extremely important for a wide range of emerging applications and fields spanning mobile health, telemedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, global health, field medicine, democratization of sensing and diagnostic tools, environmental monitoring, and citizen science, among many others. The importance of low-cost mobile technologies has been underlined during this current COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for applications such as the detection of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, as well as for prediction and management of different diseases and disorders. This book focuses on some of these application areas and provides a timely summary of cutting-edge results and emerging technologies in these interdisciplinary fields

REACHING PEOPLE IN NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH NOVEL MODELS OF INTERVENTION DELIVERY

The treatment gap refers to the difference in the proportion of people who have disorders and the proportion of those individuals who receive treatment. In developing and developed countries, the gap is enormous, i.e., most individuals in need of mental health services receive no treatment. Among the many barriers is the dominant model of delivering psychosocial interventions. That model includes one-to-one, in-person treatment, with a trained mental health professional, provided in clinical setting (e.g., clinic, private practice office, health-care facility). That model greatly limits the scale and reach of psychosocial interventions. The article discusses many novel models of delivering interventions that permit scaling treatment to reach people who are not likely to receiveservices. Four models (task shifting, best-buy, disruptive interventions, and Entertainment Education) are illustrated. These and other models are readily available, most have evidence in their behalf, but are still not sufficiently exploited to close the treatment gap. The article argues for the need for multiple models to optimize reaching the many diverse groups in need of care

Examination of the impact of a secondary school mental health and wellbeing promotion programme upon the physical self-perception, body image concerns and worries of early adolescent males

Poor mental health and wellbeing are salient issues among young male adolescents, with young males having high rates of mental health issues and lower help-seeking behaviours. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a secondary school-based mental health and wellbeing programme targeting 11- to 13-year-old male adolescents. The programme was designed in response to male adolescent mental health issues identified by school administrators, school counsellors and pastoral care coordinators, and utilises the input of students and school administration staff as a way to develop, analyse and improve the support for adolescent males during this time. Data were collected using a quantitative questionnaire at baseline, post-intervention and at a 16-month follow-up. The intervention programme was conducted among a cohort of secondary school males in Year 7 (n=160) at one school, and results were compared to an age-matched control group (n=43). Findings from this study illustrated the differences and similarities among female and male adolescents in terms of body image, self-perception and worries and concerns. In particular, male participants scored significantly higher than their female counterparts for all of the four categories using the Stunkard Scale Figure Perception Scale, indicating that a larger figure is both perceived and preferable. Results showed intervention participants increased in self-perception and decreased worries and stress. Body image did not change significantly in either group. The results of the current study bring an analytic focus to contextual influences of male adolescent mental health within school settings, offer a critical and comparative assessment of a school-based mental health and wellbeing programme specifically designed for male adolescents in liaison with school administration and school counsellor, and develop a sociologically grounded argument for the integral contribution of the school counsellor. In addition, results illustrate the need to understand that male adolescents represent a special population group with unique developmental and emotional needs. The results of this project are intended to guide future work within the secondary school setting for addressing mental health and wellbeing for male adolescents

The loss when Losing a Loved one: Epidemiological studies of prolonged grief disorder

_Objective_ The most common serious adverse life event is the experience of the death of a significant person. The reaction is grief, but some persons will find difficult to deal with the loss and will show symptoms of a complicated and unresolved grief, termed prolonged grief disorder (PGD). This thesis investigated the associations between PGD and different domains of cognition and brain volumes assessed by MRI in a middle-aged and elderly population. Also, were compared the cognitive decline, morning cortisol and summary cortisol measures and sleep quality and sleep duration between persons with PGD and a reference group. Additionally, the association of non-clinical cerebral small vessel disease with depression was tested. _Methods_ The current study is embedded in the Rotterdam Study. Participants were classified as experiencing no grief, normal grief or prolonged grief disorder, as assessed with the Inventory of Complicated Grief. All persons underwent cognitive testing (MMSE, LDST, Stroop Test, WFT, WLT immediate and delayed recall). GM, WM, WMLs, SBIs, lacunar infarcts, cerebral microbleeds and general brain parameters, were measure with brain magnetic resonance. Sleep was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol levels. _Results_ Participants with PGD performed poorly in letter digit test and Word fluency task, and had smaller total volumes of brain matter, compared with reference group. Participants with PGD also showed a stronger cognitive decline than reference group during 7 years of follow-up. PGD was associated cross-sectionally with shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality, but longitudinally was not associations. PGD participants showed low levels of morning cortisol and low overall diurnal cortisol levels when compared with normal grievers. An increased risk of recurrent depression was associated with silent brain infarcts. WML volumes and lacunar infarcts were associated with depressive symptoms and disorders. Cerebral microbleeds were related to depressive symptoms only. _ Conclusions_ The findings suggest that there may be a neurological correlate of PGD, and that PGD is a risk factor for cognitive decline. The cross-sectional associations of PGD with a shorter sleep duration and a lower sleep quality were mainly explained by depressive symptoms. PGD participants showed low levels of morning cortisol and low overall diurnal cortisol levels characteristic for a chronic stress reaction. The results indicate that WMLs and lacunar infarcts might be non-specific vascular lesions seen in depressive symptoms and disorders. The association of microbleeds with more severe forms of depression may indicated impaired brain iron homeostasis or minor episodes of cerebrovascular extraversion