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Unconditional Cash Transfers For Reducing Poverty And Vulnerabilities: Effect On Use Of Health Services And Health Outcomes In Low-And Middle-Income Countries, Frank Pega, Sze Yan Liu, Stefan Walter, Roman Pabayo, Ruhi Saith, S L. Lhachimi

Sze Yan Liu

Background

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs; provided without obligation) for reducing poverty and vulnerabilities (e.g. orphanhood, old age or HIV infection) are a type of social protection intervention that addresses a key social determinant of health (income) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The relative effectiveness of UCTs compared with conditional cash transfers (CCTs; provided so long as the recipient engages in prescribed behaviours such as using a health service or attending school) is unknown.

Objectives

To assess the effects of UCTs for improving health services use and health outcomes in vulnerable children and adults in LMICs. Secondary objectives are to …

The Relative Value Of Measures Of Omega-3 Index, Perceived Stress, Cortisol And Sleep Time In Identifying Depression Among A Cohort Of Australian Adolescents, Ross Grant, Ayse Bilgin, Jade Guest, Margaret J. Morris, Manohar Garg, Robyn Pearce

Robyn Pearce

Objective: To assess the relative prognostic value of 11 variables including, omega-3, perceived stress, cortisol and sleep duration, in predicting adolescent depression. Design, Setting and Participants: A cross-sectional study of 444 healthy adolescents aged 16-18 years, from 10 schools within the Northern Sydney and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Participants provided blood and saliva samples and completed questionnaires. Statistical classification methods were used to model the relationships between the predictors and depression. Main Outcome Measures: relative predictive value of each variable in correctly classifying depression. Results: 6% of boys and 9% of girls were categorised as experiencing …

Perceived Family Support And Depression Among People Living With Hiv/Aids In The Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (Plos One), Sadhana Shrestha, Krishna Poudel, Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Jun Kobayashi, Basu Dev Pandey, Junko Yasuoka, Keiko Otsuka, Masamine Jimba

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar

Brief Treatment Of Co-Occurring Post-Traumatic Stress And Depressive Symptoms By Use Of Accelerated Resolution Therapy®, Kevin E. Kip, Kelly L. Sullivan, Cecile A. Lengacher, Laney Rosenzweig, Diego F. Hernandez, Rejendra P. Kadel, Frank A. Kozel, Amy Shuman, Sue Ann Girling, Marian J. Hardwick, David M. Diamond

Kelly L. Sullivan

This uncontrolled prospective cohort study evaluated the use of accelerated resolution therapy (ART) for treatment of comorbid symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder. Twenty-eight adult subjects, mean age of 41 years (79% female, 36% Hispanic), received a mean of 3.7 ± 1.1 ART treatment sessions (range 1-5). ART is a new exposure-based psychotherapy that makes use of eye movements. Subjects completed a range of self-report psychological measures before and after treatment with ART including the 17-item PCL-C checklist (symptoms of PTSD) and 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). For the PCL-C, the pre-ART mean …

Incorporating Home Demands Into Models Of Job Strain: Findings From The Work, Family & Health Network, Karen Ertel, K. Koenen, L. Berkman

Karen A. Ertel

Objective—To integrate home demands with the Demand-Control-Support model to test if home demands interact with job strain to increase depressive symptoms. Methods—Data were from 431 employees in four extended care facilities. Presence of a child under age 18 in the household signified home demands. The outcome was depressive symptoms based on a shortened version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results—The association between job strain and depressive symptoms was moderated by social support (SS) and presence of a child in the household (child). There was no association among participants with high SS and no child, but a positive …

Ethnicity And Mental Health Treatment Utilization By Patients With Personality Disorders, Donna S. Bender, Andrew E. Skodol, Ingrid R. Dyck, John C. Markowitz, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, Anthony Pinto, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson, Maria T. Daversa, Carlos M. Grilo

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The authors examined the relationship between ethnicity and treatment utilization by individuals with personality disorders (PDs). Lifetime and prospectively determined rates and amounts of mental health treatments received were compared in over 500 White, African American, and Hispanic participants with PDs in a naturalistic longitudinal study. Minority, especially Hispanic, participants were significantly less likely than White participants to receive a range of outpatient and inpatient psychosocial treatments and psychotropic medications. This pattern was especially pronounced for minority participants with more severe PDs. A positive support alliance factor significantly predicted the amount of individual psychotherapy used by African American and Hispanic …

Positive Childhood Experiences: Resilience And Recovery From Personality Disorder In Early Adulthood, Andrew E. Skodol, Donna S. Bender, Maria E. Pagano, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Maria T. Daversa, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: Recent follow-along studies of personality disorders have shown significant improvement in psychopathology over time. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the association between positive childhood experiences related to resiliency and remission from personality disorder.

METHOD: Five hundred twenty patients with DSM-IV-based semistructured interview diagnoses of schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorders were evaluated 6 times over 4 years between September 1996 and June 2002. Positive childhood experiences, including achievements, positive interpersonal relationships with others, and caretaker competencies, were measured using the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire-Revised. The effects of positive childhood experiences on clinically significant remission from …

Longitudinal Comparison Of Depressive Personality Disorder And Dysthymic Disorder, John C. Markowitz, Andrew E. Skodol, Eva Petkova, Hui Xie, Jianfeng Cheng, David J. Hellerstein, John G. Gunderson, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have compared the related diagnostic constructs of depressive personality disorder (DPD) and dysthymic disorder (DD). The authors attempted to replicate findings of Klein and Shih in longitudinally followed patients with personality disorder or major depressive disorder (MDD) in the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study.

METHODS: Subjects (N = 665) were evaluated at baseline and over 2 years (n = 546) by reliably trained clinical interviewers using semistructured interviews and self-report personality questionnaires.

RESULTS: Only 44 subjects (24.6% of 179 DPD and 49.4% of 89 early-onset dysthymic subjects) met criteria for both disorders at baseline. Depressive personality disorder …

Correlates Of Suicide Risk In Juvenile Detainees And Adolescent Inpatients, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Dwain C. Fehon, Seth R. Axelrod, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: To compare correlates of risk for suicidal behavior in juvenile detainees with those in another high-risk group, adolescent psychiatric inpatients.

METHOD: Eighty-one adolescents in a short-term juvenile detention center were contrasted with a matched group of 81 adolescent psychiatric inpatients on a clinical assessment battery of established instruments including a measure for risk of suicidal behavior.

RESULTS: Juvenile detainees and adolescent psychiatric inpatients reported similar levels of distress on measures of suicide risk, depression, impulsivity, and drug abuse. After controlling for depression, impulsivity and drug abuse remained significantly associated with suicide risk scores in the juvenile detention group, but …