State-Level Income Inequality and County-Level Social Capital in Relation to Individual-Level Depression in Middle-Aged Adults: A Lagged Multilevel Study

In the US, the incidence of depression and suicide have followed escalating trends over the past several years. These trends call for greater efforts towards identifying their underlying drivers and finding effective prevention strategies and treatments. One social determinant of health that plausibly influences the risk of depression is income inequality, the gap between the rich and poor. However, research on this association is still sparse. We used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and the US Census to investigate the multilevel lagged associations of state-level income inequality with the individual-level odds of depression in middle-aged adults, controlling for state- and individual-level factors. We also examined the independent associations of county-level social capital with depression and explored whether it mediated the income inequality relationship. Higher income inequality at the state level predicted higher odds of individual-level depression nearly 2 decades later [OR for middle vs. lowest tertile of income inequality = 1.35 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.76), OR for highest vs. lowest tertile = 1.34 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.78)]. This association was stronger among men than women. Furthermore, there was evidence that county-level social capital independently predicted depression and that it mediated the income inequality association. Overall, our findings suggest that policies attenuating levels of income inequality at the US state level and that leverage social capital may protect against one’s likelihood of developing depression

Application of ‘Readiness for Change’ concept within implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions globally:protocol for a scoping review

Background: Concerning the growing burden of mental illnesses globally, there has been an increased investment into the implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions (EBmhIs) in routine care settings. However, the uptake and implementation of these EBmhIs has faced challenges in the real-world context. Among the many barriers and facilitators of implementation of EBmhIs identified by implementation science frameworks, evidence on the role of readiness for change (RFC) remains sparse. RFC constitutes the willingness and perceived capacity of stakeholders across an organization to implement a new practice. Theoretically, RFC has been defined at organizational, group, and individual levels, however, its conceptualization and operationalization across all these levels have differed in studies on the implementation of EBmhIs. By conducting a scoping review, we aim to examine the literature on RFC within the implementation of EBmhIs. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Iterative review stages will include a systematic and comprehensive search through four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO), selecting studies, charting data, and synthesizing the results. English-language studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be screened independently by two reviewers. Results: This review will synthesize knowledge on the conceptualization of RFC across organizational, group, and individual levels within the implementation of EBmhIs. In addition, it will identify how RFC has been measured in these studies and summarize the reported evidence on its impact on the implementation of EBmhIs. Conclusions: This review will assist mental health researchers, implementation scientists, and mental health care providers to gain a better understanding of the state of research on RFC within the implementation of EBmhIs. Registration: The final protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework on October 21, 2022 (https://osf.io/rs5n7)

Social support and user engagement with task-shared psychological treatments in the real world: Findings from the PRIME India study

Purpose: Task sharing in psychological treatments has been recognized as an effective strategy for bridging the global mental health treatment gap. However, more research is needed to better support its implementation in routine care. Mental health services users' engagement with treatment is a crucial implementation factor, yet empirical evidence on its determinants remains sparse. The current study aims to investigate social support as a predictor of users’ session attendance, a key indicator of treatment engagement, within a task-shared psychological treatment. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of cohort study data from the Program for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) implemented in Sehore district, India, where trained non-specialist health workers delivered manualized treatment for depression and alcohol use disorder (AUD; n = 240 in depression cohort, n = 190 in AUD cohort). Quasi-Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between users’ perceived social support at baseline and treatment session attendance at 3-month follow-up, controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Result: Within the depression cohort, a 4-point increase in social support score at baseline predicted a higher number of treatment sessions attended by 3-month follow up (IRR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.93). Within the AUD cohort, we noted insufficient statistical evidence for a weak association between users’ social support and the number of treatment sessions attended in adjusted analysis (IRR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.69, 1.49). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the implementation of task-shared psychological treatments for depression into routine care may be enhanced by strategies that activate or build upon the functional roles of users’ social support

MOLECULAR DOCKING: AN EXPLANATORY APPROACH IN STRUCTURE-BASED DRUG DESIGNING AND DISCOVERY

Molecular docking is a modeling tool of Bioinformatics which includes two or more molecules which interact to provide a stable product in the form of a complex. Molecular docking is helpful in predicting the 3-d structure of a complex which depends on the binding characteristics of Ligand and target. Also, it is a structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) utilized to keep the 3-d structures of small molecule which are generated by computers into a target structure in various types of conformations, positions and orientations. This molecular docking has come out to be a novel concept with various types of advantages. It behaves as a highly exploring domain due to its significant structure-based drug design (SBDD), Assessment of Biochemical pathways, Lead Optimization and in De Novo drug design. In spite of all potential approaches, there are certain challenges which are-scoring function (differentiate the true binding mode), ligand chemistry (tautomerism and ionization) and receptor flexibility (single conformation of rigid receptor). The area of computer-aided drug design and discovery (CADDD) has achieved large favorable outcomes in the past few years. CADD has been adopted by various big pharmaceutical companies for leading discoveries of drugs. Many researchers have worked in order to examine different docking algorithms and to predict molecules' active site. Hence, this Review article depicts the whole sole of Molecular Docking

Pathways underlying the association between spatial stigma and health as summarized by Pearce [39].

Pathways underlying the association between spatial stigma and health as summarized by Pearce [39].</p

1930 map of Bombay’s eastern waterfront and Tank/Kaula Bandar [44].

1930 map of Bombay’s eastern waterfront and Tank/Kaula Bandar [44].</p

Adapted Pearce’s conceptual model and inter-relationships between pathways.

Black boxes and lines represent Pearce’s conceptual model. Red dotted lines represent the unique contribution of our results: structural factors independently led to disinvestment in infrastructural resources. Spatial stigma, enacted through disinvestment and discrimination was a major pathway to internalization of such stigma. Internalization impacted community solidarity signifying via lateral denigration.</p

Demographic composition of individual interview participants (<i>n</i> = 40).

Demographic composition of individual interview participants (n = 40).</p

Snapshot of findings according to pathways summarized by Pearce’s [39].

Snapshot of findings according to pathways summarized by Pearce’s [39].</p

Open-ended questions from the qualitative interview guide.

Open-ended questions from the qualitative interview guide.</p