Mental Health in Europe: the need for a common language, standard classification criteria and official communication. Four studies about communication in Mental Health.

Tra i principali obiettivi della strategia attuale della Commissione Europea 'Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013' vi \ue8 la necessit\ue0 di produrre e diffondere i prodotti della ricerca in materia di Salute. Comunicare le scoperte scientifiche nel campo della Salute in generale e della Salute Mentale in particolare \ue8 di primaria importanza . Tale processo di comunicazione coinvolge ricercatori e pubblico - inclusi a) specialisti e personale medico , b ) policy-makers, c ) giornalisti, e d ) pubblico in generale - e in realt\ue0 questo \ue8 uno dei principali compiti dei ricercatori di oggi. Una comunicazione efficace della ricerca sulla Salute Mentale pu\uf2 proteggere il pubblico da ogni forma di stigmatizzazione, rovesciare preconcetti e influenzare le politiche pubbliche portando a ulteriori progressi e applicazioni cliniche. Attraverso quattro studi si riflette sul ruolo della comunicazione e delle sue diverse sfaccettature nella ricerca in Salute Mentale. L\u2019obiettivo \ue8 di capire quali strategie di comunicazione devono essere adottate in Salute Mentale e per le quali sfide . Nello Studio 1, viene analizzato lo strumento REMAST per il progetto REFINEMENT come esempio di classificazione e standardizzazione dei servizi di salute mentale in 9 paesi europei: Italia, Austria, Francia, Inghilterra, Spagna, Norvegia, Finlandia, Estonia e Romania. Nello Studio 2, il glossario prodotto dal progetto REFINEMENT viene presentato come esempio di uno strumento multilingue per promuovere un linguaggio comune per il confronto tra i servizi di Salute Mentale. Nello Studio 3 viene descritto il sondaggio sull'utilizzo di Internet per la ricerca di informazioni sulla Salute Mentale da parte degli adolescenti francesi che utilizzano il sito web Fil Sant\ue9 Jeunes. Infine, lo Studio 4 propone il questionario e-MentH, uno studio multicentrico (Francia, Irlanda, Italia, Spagna) sull'uso da parte dei giovani universitari di Internet per la ricerca di informazioni e supporto sui problemi di Salute Mentale. La standardizzazione e gli strumenti di classificazione per la valutazione dei servizi di Salute Mentale, una terminologia comune per il confronto di diversi sistemi di Salute Mentale e un'analisi esaustiva dell\u2019utilizzo di Internet per informarsi e ricevere consigli sulla Salute Mentale: questi sono tutti aspetti del ruolo fondamentale degli studi di comunicazione in Salute Mentale.Among the main objectives of the European Commission's current strategy 'Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013' there is the need to produce and distribute Health knowledge. Communicating scientific findings in the domain of Health in general and of Mental Health in particular is then crucial. Such a communication process involves researchers and general audience -including a) peers and medical staff, b) policymakers, c) journalists and d) general public - and it is actually the main job of scientists today. Effective communication of Mental Health research can protect the public from being misled and from any form of stigmatization, overthrow previous misinformed beliefs, influence public policy and lead to further progress and clinical applications. Through 4 studies we reflect upon the role of communication and its different facets in Mental Health research trying to understand which communication strategies should be adopted in Mental Health and for which challenges. In the STUDY 1 the REMAST toolkit for the REFINEMENT project is analysed as an example of classification and standards for Mental Health services in 9 European countries: Italy, Austria, France, England, Spain, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Romania. In the STUDY 2 the REFINEMENT Glossary is provided as an example of a multilingual tool to promote a common language for comparisons among Mental Health services. In the STUDY 3 we describe the survey on the usage of the Internet for Mental Health information seeking in French teenagers using the Fil Sant\ue9 Jeunes website. Finally the STUDY 4 proposes the E-MentH Questionnaire, a multicenter study (France, Ireland, Italy, Spain) on young peoples\u2019 usage and views on using the Internet for seeking information and support on Mental Health problems. Standardazing and classification tools for evaluating Mental Health Services, a common terminology when comparing different Mental Health systems and an exhaustive analysis of the usage of Internet for Mental Health information and advice are all aspects of the essential role of Communication studies in Mental Health

a cross-sectional study

Objective To investigate whether high levels of screen time exposure are associated with self-perceived levels of attention problems and hyperactivity in higher education students. Design Cross-sectional study among participants of the i-Share cohort. Setting French-speaking students of universities and higher education institutions. Participants 4816 graduate students who were at least 18 years old. Exposure Screen time was assessed by self-report of the average time spent on five different screen activities on smartphone, television, computer and tablet and categorised into quartiles. Main outcome measure We used the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) concerning students’ behaviour over the past 6 months to measure self-perceived levels of attention problems and hyperactivity. Responses were summarised into a global score as well as scores for attention problems and hyperactivity. Results The 4816 participants of this study had a mean age of 20.8 years and 75.5% were female. Multivariable ordinary regression models showed significant associations of screen time exposure with quintiles of the total score of self-perceived attention problems and hyperactivity levels as well as the individual domains. Compared to the lowest screen time exposure category, the ORs (95% CI) were 1.58 (1.37 to 1.82) for each increasing level of quintiles of the global score, 1.57 (1.36 to 1.81) for increasing quintiles of attention levels and 1.25 (1.09 to 1.44) for increasing quartiles of hyperactivity. Conclusions Results of this large cross-sectional study among French university and higher education students show dose-dependent associations between screen time and self-perceived levels of attention problems and hyperactivity. Further studies are warranted to evaluate whether interventions could positively influence these associations

effects of language and music learning on pitch and duration perception an experimental investigation

The ability to discriminate pitch and duration is fundamental for the processing of both music and spoken language. There is now consistent evidence that an intensive musical training may improve the ability to discriminate sound changes not only in musical but also in linguistic stimuli so that studying music may help learning foreign languages. By contrast, evidence for the reverse claim - a real transfer from linguistic experience to musical aptitude - is still lacking. This research investigates whether linguistic and musical competences can mutually influence each other especially as far as pitch and duration are concerned. Three groups of subjects (i.e. Naives, Musicians and Bilinguals) performed a discrimination task on sound stimuli that were either linguistic (Japanese words) or musical (isolated notes), and differed in either duration (tempi and syllable lengths) or pitch (tones and stresses). Results showed that besides regular music practice, also an early but not a late exposure to foreign languages strongly improves pitch but not duration discrimination

Efficacy of an online video to promote health insurance literacy among students

This study describes the production and evaluation of an online video explaining health insurance functioning to university students in France. The video was produced by a multidisciplinary team following a design thinking approach. A qualitative evaluation was performed using semi-structured interviews with 30 students. Results showed that, after watching the video, students had remarkably improved their knowledge and obtained clear information on health insurance functioning. This study underscores the importance of using innovative digital communication tools to efficaciously promote health insurance literacy

JMIR Serious Games

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a growing threat to population health, and effective interventions are needed to reduce its frequency. Digital gamification is a promising new approach to tackle this public health issue. Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the amount and quality of outcomes in studies evaluating gamified digital tools created to increase vaccine knowledge and uptake. Methods: We searched for peer-reviewed articles published between July 2009 and August 2019 in PubMed, Google Scholar, Journal of Medical Internet Research, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SocINDEX. Studies were coded by author, year of publication, country, journal, research design, sample size and characteristics, type of vaccine, theory used, game content, game modality, gamification element(s), data analysis, type of outcomes, and mean quality score. Outcomes were synthesized through the textual narrative synthesis method. Results: A total of 7 articles met the inclusion criteria and were critically reviewed. Game modalities and gamification elements were diverse, but role play and a reward system were present in all studies. These articles included a mixture of randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and studies comprising quantitative and qualitative measures. The majority of the studies were theory-driven. All the identified gamified digital tools were highly appreciated for their usability and were effective in increasing awareness of vaccine benefits and motivation for vaccine uptake. Conclusions: Despite the relative paucity of studies on this topic, this scoping review suggests that digital gamification has strong potential for increasing vaccination knowledge and, eventually, vaccination coverage

J Med Internet Res

BACKGROUND: Many countries around the world have developed mobile phone apps capable of supporting instantaneous contact tracing to control the Covid-19 pandemic. In France, a few people have downloaded and are using the StopCovid contact tracing app. Among them, students in the health domain are especially concerned. Exploring their usage and opinions about the app can inform improvements and diffusion of StopCovid among young people. OBJECTIVE: To investigate health-related students' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices about the StopCovid app. METHODS: A field survey was conducted among 318 students at the health sciences campus of the University of Bordeaux, France, between September 25th and October 16th, 2020. Quota sampling method was used and descriptive statistics and univariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 77.3% (246/318) students had heard about the app, but only 11.3% (36/318) had downloaded it and 4.7% (15/318) were still using it at the time of the survey. Main reasons for not using the app were: belief that it was not effective given its limited diffusion (17.6%, 37/210), lack of interest (17.6%, 37/210) and distrust in data security and fear to be geo-located (15.7%, 33/210). Among those who had not heard about the app, after a brief description of its functioning and confidentiality policy, 52.7% (38/72) would use it. Participants reported that the main solution for increasing the use of the app would be a better communication (71.4%, 227/318). CONCLUSIONS: Even among health students the contact tracing app was poorly used. Findings suggest that improved communication describing its advantages and simplicity of use as well as clarifying false beliefs about it could help improving significantly its uptake

Internet use for mental health information and support among European university students: The e-MentH project

The aim of the present study was to describe the socio-demographic variables associated with the use of the Internet for mental health information-seeking by European university students, including participants’ trust in the Internet, and their use of the Internet in comparison to traditional formal mental health care. A cross-sectional anonymous 25-item survey was conducted with 2466 students in three courses (Computer Science, Law, Nursing) from four European universities (France, Ireland, Italy, Spain). Participants were equally distributed in all four countries; they were mostly females (57.5%), with a mean age of 21.6 years. Overall, female, French and Nursing students were more likely to look for mental health information. The majority (69.7%) of students reported that information about mental health on the Internet was unreliable. Among all participants, Spanish students reported a higher trust in web content. The findings suggest that university students frequently use the Internet for mental health information-seeking but not for mental health support. Furthermore, they do not entirely trust the Internet for mental health-related issues. This should be considered in planning Internet-based programmes for mental health promotion and prevention in university students

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and cannabis use after 1 year among students of the i-Share cohort

ADHD; Cannabis; StudentsTDAH; Canabis; EstudiantesTDAH; Cànnabis; EstudiantsBackground Cannabis use in university students is associated with academic achievement failure and health issues. The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and cannabis use after 1 year among students according to previous cannabis use. Methods Students in France were recruited from February 2013 to July 2020 in the i-Share cohort. 4,270 participants were included (2,135 who never used cannabis at inclusion and 2,135 who did). The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was used to assess ADHD symptoms at inclusion. Cannabis use frequency was evaluated 1 year after inclusion. Multinomial regressions were conducted to assess the association between inclusion ADHD symptoms and cannabis use after 1 year. Results Increase in ASRS scores was linked with a greater probability to use cannabis after 1 year and to have a higher cannabis use frequency (once a year—once a month adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.24 (1.15–1.34), more than once a month adjusted OR: 1.43 (1.27–1.61)). Among participants who never used cannabis at inclusion, this association disappeared (once a year—once a month adjusted OR: 1.15 (0.95–1.39), more than once a month adjusted OR: 1.16 (0.67–2)) but remained in participants who ever used cannabis at inclusion (once a year—once a month adjusted OR: 1.17 (1.06–1.29), more than once a month adjusted OR: 1.35 (1.18–1.55)). Conclusions High levels of ADHD symptoms in students could lead to continued cannabis use rather than new initiations.The preparation and initiation of the i-Share project was funded by the program ‘Invest for future’ (reference ANR-10-COHO-05). The i-Share Project is currently supported by an unrestricted grant from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council (Conseil Régional Nouvelle-Aquitaine) (grant number: 4370420) and by the Bordeaux ‘Initiatives d’excellence’ (IdEx) program of the University of Bordeaux (ANR-10-IDEX-03-02). It has also received grants from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Health Agency (Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine, grant N°6066R-8 R-8), Public Health France (Santé Publique France, grant number: 19DPPP023–0), the National Cancer Institute (Insitut national du cancer, grant number: INCa_11502), and the Medical Research Foundation (Fondation pour la recherche)

BMJ Open

Objectives To investigate authors’ awareness and use of authorship guidelines, and to assess their perceptions of the fairness of authorship decisions. Design A cross-sectional online survey. Setting and participants Corresponding authors of research papers submitted in 2014 to 18 BMJ journals. Results 3859/12 646 (31%) researchers responded. They worked in 93 countries and varied in research experience. Of these, 1326 (34%) reported their institution had an authorship policy providing criteria for authorship; 2871 (74%) were ‘very familiar’ with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ authorship criteria and 3358 (87%) reported that guidelines were beneficial when preparing manuscripts. Furthermore, 2609 (68%) reported that their use was ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ encouraged in their research setting. However, 2859 respondents (74%) reported that they had been involved in a study at least once where someone was added as an author who had not contributed substantially (honorary authorship), and 1305 (34%) where someone was not listed as an author but had contributed substantially (ghost authorship). Only 740 (19%) reported that they had never experienced either honorary or ghost authorship; 1115 (29%) reported that they had experienced both at least once. There was no clear pattern in experience of authorship misappropriation by continent. For their last coauthored article, 2187 (57%) reported that explicit authorship criteria had been used to determine eligibility, and 3088 (80%) felt that the decision made was fair. When institutions frequently encouraged use of authorship guidelines, authorship eligibility was more likely to be discussed early (817 of 1410, 58%) and perceived as fairer (1273 of 1410, 90%) compared with infrequent encouragement (974 of 2449, 40%, and 1891 of 2449, 74%). Conclusions Despite a high level of awareness of authorship guidelines and criteria, these are not so widely used; more explicit encouragement of their use by institutions may result in more favourable use of guidelines by authors

Evolution of Online Health-Related Information Seeking in France From 2010 to 2017: Results From Nationally Representative Surveys

BACKGROUND: Given the rapid ongoing progression of the internet and increase in health information available from disparate online sources, it is important to understand how these changes impact online health information-seeking behavior of the population and the way of managing one's health. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims at describing the evolution of internet use as a source of health information between 2010 and 2017, as well as the characteristics of online health information seekers, topics of interest, sources of information, and trust in retrieved information and potential impact on behavior. METHODS: Data from the French nationally representative surveys Health Barometers were used (N=4141 in 2010, 4811 in 2014, and 6255 in 2017). Evolutions over time were assessed using chi-square tests. Associations with sociodemographic characteristics and health status were evaluated using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The use of the internet as a source of health information rose between 2010 and 2014 (from 37.3% to 67.9%, P<.001) but decreased significantly in 2017 (60.3%, P<.001). Overall, the profile of health information seekers compared with nonseekers did not change over time. They were more likely to be women, to be younger, to have a higher educational level, to have a higher household income, and to be executives. Between 2014 and 2017, the proportion of those who did not pay attention to the source of information significantly increased to reach 39.7% (P<.001). In 2017 as in 2014, general health-related websites remained the first source of information (38.6%) while institutional websites were the third source (8.1%). Most information seekers trusted the information found online in 2010 (more than 80%), with a slight decrease between 2014 and 2017 (P=.048). Among individual characteristics, trust in the information was the main determinant of the way of managing one's health (odds ratio 4.06, 95% CI 3.26-5.06). CONCLUSIONS: After a rapid growth in the internet use for seeking health information in the 2010 to 2014 period, a decrease was recorded in 2017, in parallel with a decrease in trust in the quality and reliability of information found online. These findings underline the need for public health authorities to increase citizens' eHealth literacy and to provide alternative trustworthy sources combining the popularity and accessibility of general health information websites