Psychological medicine
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Psychological medicine · Oct 2012
Is there a bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive ability in older people? A prospective study using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Cross-sectional surveys of older people commonly find associations between higher levels of depressive symptoms and poorer cognitive performance, but the direction of effect is unclear. We examined whether there was a bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and general cognitive ability in non-demented older people, and explored the role of physical health, smoking, exercise, social class and education as potential confounders of this association and as possible determinants of the rate of change of cognitive decline and depressive symptoms. ⋯ In this longitudinal study of older people, there was no consistent evidence that being more depressed led to an acceleration in cognitive decline and no support for the hypothesis that there might be reciprocal dynamic influences between cognitive ability and depressive symptoms.
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Psychological medicine · Sep 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyIncremental benefits and cost of coordinated anxiety learning and management for anxiety treatment in primary care.
Improving the quality of mental health care requires integrating successful research interventions into 'real-world' practice settings. Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management (CALM) is a treatment-delivery model for anxiety disorders encountered in primary care. CALM offers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medication, or both; non-expert care managers assisting primary care clinicians with adherence promotion and medication optimization; computer-assisted CBT delivery; and outcome monitoring. This study describes incremental benefits, costs and net benefits of CALM versus usual care (UC). ⋯ Compared with UC, CALM provides significant benefits with modest increases in health-care expenditures.
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Psychological medicine · Aug 2012
Review Meta AnalysisThe association of parental fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour with offspring suicidal behaviour and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Children whose parents die by, or attempt, suicide are believed to be at greater risk of suicidal behaviours and affective disorders. We systematically reviewed the literature on these associations and, using meta-analysis, estimated the strength of associations as well as investigated potential effect modifiers (parental and offspring gender, offspring age). ⋯ Parental suicidal behaviour is associated with increased risk of offspring suicidal behaviour. Findings suggest that maternal suicidal behaviour is a more potent risk factor than paternal, and that children are more vulnerable than adolescents and adults. However, there is no evidence of a stronger association in either male or female offspring.
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Psychological medicine · Aug 2012
Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake in China.
The Wenchuan earthquake was a catastrophic earthquake in China. The aim of this study is to explore longitudinally the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake, and to identify independent predictors of PTSD. ⋯ PTSD symptoms changed gradually at various stages after the earthquake. Depression symptoms were predictive of PTSD symptoms in the 18-month follow-up study. Other predictors of PTSD symptoms included female gender and being a child with siblings. The results of this study may be helpful for further mental health interventions for adolescents after earthquakes.
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Psychological medicine · Aug 2012
Violent behaviour in U.K. military personnel returning home after deployment.
There is growing concern about an alleged rise in violent behaviour amongst military personnel returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of violence in a sample of U.K. military personnel following homecoming from deployment in Iraq and to examine the impact of deployment-related experiences, such as combat trauma, on violence, and the role of sociodemographics and pre-enlistment antisocial behaviour. ⋯ Experiences of combat and trauma during deployment were significantly associated with violent behaviour following homecoming in U.K. military personnel. Post-deployment mental health problems and alcohol misuse are also associated with increased violence.