大学院新入生を対象としたサポートグループによる支援の試み

大学院生は在学年数が短いため，入学初期に早く環境に適応することが重要となる。近年，大学院新入生に「他大学出身者」，「社会人」，「留学生」の割合が増え，大学の環境に適応するには課題が多い。本学では，ピアサポートルームの活動の一環として，大学院生の早期適応を支援するためのサポートグループ活動を実施した。本研究では，その実践活動の内容と効果について検討した。その結果，サポートグループに参加した大学院新入生は，緊張-不安，疲労，混乱，抑うつ-落ち込みなどのネガティブな感情（日本語版POMS 短縮版）が軽減された。また，他大学出身の新入生において，抑うつ-落ち込みの程度が低減するとともに，大学への所属感が高まったことが示唆された。Graduate school programs are short term, so it is important for first-year graduate students to adapt to the environment as soon as they begin their first semester. As part of peer support activities, we conducted support group activities to assist in early adaptation of new graduate students. In this paper, we examined the effect of the support group. We found that the first-year graduate students who joined the support group had reduced negative emotions (POMS shortened version) such as anxiety, fatigue, confusion, and depression. In addition, depression in students transferring from other universities was reduced and the sense of belonging to the university had increased

Effects of behavioural activation on the neural circuit related to intrinsic motivation

[Background] Behavioural activation is an efficient treatment for depression and can improve intrinsic motivation. Previous studies have revealed that the frontostriatal circuit is involved in intrinsic motivation; however, there are no data on how behavioural activation affects the frontostriatal circuit. [Aims] We aimed to investigate behavioural activation-related changes in the frontostriatal circuit. [Method] Fifty-nine individuals with subthreshold depression were randomly assigned to either the intervention or non-intervention group. The intervention group received five weekly behavioural activation sessions. The participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning on two separate occasions while performing a stopwatch task based on intrinsic motivation. We investigated changes in neural activity and functional connectivity after behavioural activation. [Results] After behavioural activation, the intervention group had increased activation and connectivity in the frontostriatal region compared with the non-intervention group. The increased activation in the right middle frontal gyrus was correlated with an improvement of subjective sensitivity to environmental rewards. [Conclusions] Behavioural activation-related changes to the frontostriatal circuit advance our understanding of psychotherapy-induced improvements in the neural basis of intrinsic motivation. [Declaration of interest] None.This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, JSPS (grants 16H06395 and 16H06399), and grant 23118004 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. This work was partially supported by the programme for Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS) by Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED (grant 15dm0207012h0002) and Integrated Research on Depression, Dementia and Development Disorders by AMED (grant 16dm0107093h0001). The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; preparation or review of the manuscript or decision to submit the manuscript for publication

Factors Associated with University Students’ Deterioration from Subthreshold Depression to Depression before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has exposed university students to high-stress situations, and the percentage of individuals with depressive symptoms was high during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, subthreshold depression carries a risk for the subsequent development of major depressive disorder (MDD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined whether differences exist between university students who deteriorated from subthreshold depression to MDD and those who remained stable or improved. Four hundred seventeen participants completed all the measures twice over a one-year interval. One hundred twenty-three participants met the criteria for subthreshold depression at Time 1. One year later, 42 participants no longer met the criteria for subthreshold depression, 68 participants maintained the criteria for subthreshold depression, and 13 participants met the criteria for MDD. We conducted two-way repeated measures ANOVA to examine the differences between those who deteriorated from subthreshold depression to MDD and those who did not. The study results suggest that avoidance behavior is associated with the development of MDD from subthreshold depression. Additionally, the study showed that experiencing isolation relates to MDD onset. Therefore, we should monitor avoidance behavior and isolation in pandemic conditions. Consequently, attention to avoidance behavior and isolation may be important; however, further research is required

Stressors and depressive symptoms in university students who do not receive counseling

抑うつ症状を有する大学生への心理療法は有効であることが示されているが，これらの効果は心理療法を受けた者に限られる。今後は，悩みを抱えながら相談に来ない学生へのサポートも重要になると考えられる。そこで，悩みを抱えながら相談に来ない学生の特徴を明らかにするために，本研究では，カウンセリングを受けている大学生とカウンセリングを受けていない大学生で，抑うつ症状と各ストレッサーの頻度に違いがあるかを明らかにすることを目的とした。本研究の結果，カウンセリングを受けていない大学生のうち，37.57％の大学生が高い抑うつ症状を有し，およそ15% から20％の大学生が高ストレッサーにさらされていることも明らかになった。大学生にもストレスチェック制度のように，学生自身のストレスへの気づきを促し，メンタルヘルスの不調を予防するような取り組みが必要ではないかと考えられる。Psychotherapy is effective for university students with depressive symptoms, but these effects are limited to those who receive psychotherapy. In the future, it will be important to provide support for students who have such issues but do not come for counseling. Therefore, to determine the characteristics of students with depressive problems who do not attend counseling, this study aimed to examine whether there is a difference in the frequency of depressive symptoms and each stressor between university students who did and did not receive counseling. The results of this study revealed that 37.57% of university students who did not receive counseling had high depressive symptoms and around 15–20% of them were exposed to high stressors. This study suggested that measures may be necessary to encourage university students to be aware of their own stress to prevent mental health problems such as through the use of a stress check system.本研究は，JSPS科研費（19K14449）の助成を受けて実施された

Adjustment and course of students with eating disorders: Difficulties of students with characteristics of autism spectrum

目的：本研究の目的は，摂食障害学生の適応状況や進路に関する実態を明らかにすることである。 方法：対象は，2006年４月から2016年３月の間に保健管理センターを訪れた58人の摂食障害女子学生（留学生を除く）である。１）病型別（神経性やせ症：AN，神経性過食症：BN，過食性障害：BED，特定の摂食または摂食障害：OSFED），２）不登校群と登校群の病型，精神科的併存症，および自殺関連行動の比較，３）就職群と非職群の病型，併存症，および自殺関連行動の比較を行った。 結果：病型に関して，ANはAS特性が有意に多かった。不登校群は，登校群に比べて有意にうつ病が多かった。非就職群は，就職群に比べて有意にうつおよび自閉症スペクトラム特性が多かった。 結論：摂食障害学生の支援において，うつへの早期介入と自閉症スペクトラム特性の理解と支援が重要であると思われた。OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to clarify the current situation of students with eating disorders regarding adjustment status and their course. METHOD: The subjects were 58 female students with eating disorders (excluding international students) who visited the Health Service Center between April 2006 and March 2016. We retrospectively examined time of onset and psychiatric comorbidities of each disease type (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorders) and compared disease type, comorbidities, and suicidal behavior between the school truancy group and school attendance group and between the employment group and non-employment group. RESULTS: Regarding disease type, the students with anorexia nervosa exhibited significantly more characteristics of autism spectrum (AS). The school truancy group showed significantly more depression than the school attendance group. The non-employment group showed significantly more depression and characteristics of AS than the employment group. CONCLUSION: Early intervention for depression and support for characteristics of AS appeared to be important in students with eating disorders

Detailed course of depressive symptoms and risk for developing depression in late adolescents with subthreshold depression: a cohort study

Purpose: Despite its clinical importance, adolescent subthreshold depression remains a largely neglected topic. The aims of this study were to accurately identify the natural course of depressive symptoms and the risk for developing major depressive episode (MDE) in late adolescents with subthreshold depression over 1 year. Patients and methods: One hundred and seventy-two participants <20 years of age (mean age: 18.32 years, standard deviation: 0.50), who did not meet the full criteria for an MDE, were selected from 2, 494 screened freshmen based on the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II). We conducted a cohort study of three groups (low-, middle-, and high-symptom groups) divided based on BDI-II scores, over a 1 year period with the use of bimonthly assessments. Temporal changes of depressive symptoms were analyzed using linear mixed modeling and growth mixture modeling. Results: First, we found that late adolescents with subthreshold depression (high depressive symptoms) were split between the increasing and decreasing depressive symptoms groups, whereas the majority of the less-symptoms group remained stable during 1 year. Second, in comparison with late adolescents with less depressive symptoms, those with subthreshold depression had an elevated risk of later depression. Conclusion: Some late adolescents with subthreshold depression had increased depressive symptoms and developed an MDE during 1 year. Therefore, it is necessary for us to rigorously assess the changes in subthreshold depressive symptoms over time in late adolescents

Enduring effects of a 5-week behavioral activation program for subthreshold depression among late adolescents: an exploratory randomized controlled trial

Background: No significant effect of psychological treatment has been reported from meta-analysis of subthreshold depression patients and control subjects at 1-year follow-up. However, behavioral activation is a simpler and more cost-effective treatment than cognitive behavioral therapy. The primary purpose of this study was to assess by comparison to an assessment-only control group whether the effects of behavioral activation program for depressive symptoms can persist up to 1-year follow-up without the use of antidepressants or other psychotherapy. Patients and methods: Late adolescent students were the population targeted in this study. Participants were allocated randomly to an intervention group (n=62) or a control group (n=56). Treatment consisted of five-weekly 60-minute sessions. Participants underwent a structured interview and completed self-report scales at 1 year post-assessment. Results: Late adolescent students receiving treatment had significantly lower mean Beck Depression Inventory, second edition scores at 1-year follow-up than control group students. The effect size (Hedges’ g) for between-group differences at 1-year follow-up was -0.41. Conclusion: Our behavioral activation program is simple and short. Nevertheless, the results obtained at 1-year follow-up of the control group and late adolescent students receiving treatment indicated a significant difference in their Beck Depression Inventory, second edition scores. Our 5-week behavioral activation program based on behavioral characteristics for subthreshold depression might be promising for subthreshold depression. The sample examined for this study imposed some study limitations

Verification of Ventilation and Aerosol Diffusion Characteristics on COVID-19 Transmission through the Air Occurred at an Ice Arena in Japan

This study is about a COVID-19 outbreak and ventilation measures taken against COVID-19 transmission through the air occurred at an ice arena in Japan. The ice arena has been known to have a deterioration of indoor air quality affected by CO, NO2 and so on, and a total of 172 persons were infected with SARS-CoV-2, including the players and the spectators related to an ice hockey game in 2022. Given the suspected transmission through the air as one of infection routes, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak to verify the ventilation characteristics and aerosol diffusion characteristics. Additionally, the possibility of COVID-19 transmission through the air and the potentially effective ventilation measures in an ice arena are discussed. It was determined that the virus-containing aerosol was released from a player in the ice rink and accumulated in the cold air spot. After that, it was highly possible that it diffused from the player benches to the spectator seats due to the players’ movements under this unique air-conditioning and ventilation system. Judging from the results of genomic analysis, ventilation characteristics, and aerosol diffusion characteristics, the possibility of COVID-19 transmission through the air cannot be ruled out in an ice arena. The results of ventilation measures implemented in response to this problem confirmed that the integration of a lower-level exhaust fan based on cold air characteristics into the existing ventilation system is a relatively straightforward solution with the potential to be highly effective. While there is an option to refrain from using the ice arena in the event of an increased risk of mass infection during a pandemic, the findings of this study will contribute to an option to facilitate the smooth operation of ice arenas while implementing ventilation measures