Psychological medicine
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Psychological medicine · Apr 2021
Coronavirus conspiracy suspicions, general vaccine attitudes, trust and coronavirus information source as predictors of vaccine hesitancy among UK residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaccine hesitancy presents an obstacle to the campaign to control COVID-19. It has previously been found to be associated with youth, female gender, low income, low education, low medical trust, minority ethnic group membership, low perceived risk from COVID-19, use of certain social media platforms and conspiracy beliefs. However, it is unclear which of these predictors might explain variance associated with others. ⋯ Strengthening positive attitudes to vaccination and reducing conspiracy suspicions with regards to the coronavirus may have a positive effect on vaccine uptake, especially among ethnic groups with heightened vaccine hesitancy. However, vaccine hesitancy associated with age and gender does not appear to be explained by other predictor variables tested here.
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Psychological medicine · Apr 2021
Meta AnalysisInvestigating the effect of national government physical distancing measures on depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic through meta-analysis and meta-regression.
COVID-19 physical distancing measures can potentially increase the likelihood of mental disorders. It is unknown whether these measures are associated with depression and anxiety. ⋯ Mental health concerns should not be viewed only as a delayed consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as a concurrent epidemic. Our data provide support for policy-makers to consider real-time enhanced mental health services, and increase initiatives to foster positive mental health outcomes.
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Psychological medicine · Mar 2021
Psychological morbidity among adults with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.
Very little is known about the risk of developing psychological morbidities among adults living with cerebral palsy (CP) or spina bifida (SB). The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of and adjusted hazards for psychological morbidities among adults with and without CP or SB. ⋯ Adults with CP or SB have a significantly higher incidence of and risk for common psychological morbidities, as compared to adults without CP or SB. Efforts are needed to facilitate the development of improved clinical screening algorithms and early interventions to reduce the risk of disease onset/progression in these higher-risk populations.
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Psychological medicine · Mar 2021
Disentangling nature from nurture in examining the interplay between parent-child relationships, ADHD, and early academic attainment.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly heritable and is associated with lower educational attainment. ADHD is linked to family adversity, including hostile parenting. Questions remain regarding the role of genetic and environmental factors underlying processes through which ADHD symptoms develop and influence academic attainment. ⋯ Findings highlight the importance of early child behavior dysregulation evoking parent hostility in both mothers and fathers, with maternal and paternal hostility contributing to the continuation of ADHD symptoms and lower levels of later math ability. Early interventions may be important for the promotion of child math skills in those with ADHD symptoms, especially where children have high levels of early behavior dysregulation.
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Psychological medicine · Jan 2021
Are prescription misuse and illicit drug use etiologically distinct? A genetically-informed analysis of opioids and stimulants.
Drug classes are grouped based on their chemical and pharmacological properties, but prescription and illicit drugs differ in other important ways. Potential differences in genetic and environmental influences on the (mis)use of prescription and illicit drugs that are subsumed under the same class should be examined. Opioid and stimulant classes contain prescription and illicit forms differentially associated with salient risk factors (common route of administration, legality), making them useful comparators for addressing this etiological issue. ⋯ Prescription opioid misuse may share little genetic influence with illicit opioid use. Future research may consider avoiding unitary drug classifications, particularly when examining genetic influences.