OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based psychosomatic intervention on depression, anxiety, fear of childbirth (FOC), and life satisfaction of pregnant women in China. METHODS: Women experiencing first-time pregnancy ( n = 104) were randomly allocated to the intervention group or a parallel active control group. We collected data at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), 3 days after delivery (T2), and 42 days after delivery (T3). The participants completed questionnaires for the assessment of the levels of depression, anxiety, FOC, life satisfaction, and mindfulness. Differences between the two groups and changes within the same group were analyzed at four time points using repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Compared with the active control group, the intervention group reported lower depression levels at T2 ( P = 0.038) and T3 ( P = 0.013); reduced anxiety at T1 ( P = 0.001) and T2 ( P = 0.003); reduced FOC at T1 ( P < 0.001) and T2 ( P = 0.04); increased life satisfaction at T1 ( P < 0.001) and T3 ( P = 0.015); and increased mindfulness at T1 ( P = 0.01) and T2 ( P = 0.006). CONCLUSION The mindfulness-based psychosomatic intervention effectively increased life satisfaction and reduced perinatal depression, anxiety, and FOC.
Humans ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Mental Health ; Mindfulness ; Pregnant Women/psychology* ; Anxiety/prevention & control* ; China ; Depression/prevention & control*

Chronic stress impairs radial neural stem cell (rNSC) differentiation and adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), whereas promoting AHN can increase stress resilience against depression. Therefore, investigating the mechanism of neural differentiation and AHN is of great importance for developing antidepressant drugs. The nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to be effective against depression. However, whether CBD can modulate rNSC differentiation and hippocampal neurogenesis is unknown. Here, by using the chronic restraint stress (CRS) mouse model, we showed that hippocampal rNSCs mostly differentiated into astrocytes under stress conditions. Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed that the FoxO signaling pathway was involved in the regulation of this process. The administration of CBD rescued depressive-like symptoms in CRS mice and prevented rNSCs overactivation and differentiation into astrocyte, which was partly mediated by the modulation of the FoxO signaling pathway. These results revealed a previously unknown neural mechanism for neural differentiation and AHN in depression and provided mechanistic insights into the antidepressive effects of CBD.
Animals ; Cannabidiol/pharmacology* ; Cell Differentiation ; Depression/prevention & control* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neurogenesis/physiology*

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health crisis, which elicits psychological problems in different population This study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the front-line staff. METHODS: Patient Health Questionnare-9 (PHQ-9), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Fatigue Self-assessment Scale (FSAS) were used to assess the depression, anxiety, and fatigue in front-line staff. RESULTS: The detection rates of depression, anxiety, and fatigue were 49.1%, 21.8%, and 76.0% among the front-line staff. The rates of depression, anxiety, and fatigue in community workers were higher than those in medical workers and other occupational staff (<0.01). The PHQ-9 of front-line staffs was negatively correlated with age, family income, family members' support, satisfaction of service objects, and sleep quality (all <0.01), while positively correlated with education level, fatigue, fear of pneumonia, and the duration of daily attention to the COVID-19 (all <0.01). SAS was negatively correlated with age, family income, family support, satisfaction of objects service, and sleep quality (all <0.01), while positively correlated with gender, fatigue, fear of pneumonia, and duration of daily attention to the COVID-19 (all <0.01). CONCLUSIONS The front-line workers should manage work and rest time reasonably to adjust their negative mood and fatigue. The government and the society should pay more attention to the psychological state of the front-line staff, particularly for the staff working in the community or villages and towns in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, front-line staff can be obtained mental intervention or be taken a rest from the high-intensive work.
Anxiety ; diagnosis ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; psychology ; Depression ; diagnosis ; Fatigue ; diagnosis ; Health Personnel ; psychology ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control ; psychology

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome and depression severity based on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) score in men aged >50 years.METHODS: In this study, we used data of 1,230 individuals from the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII-1) 2016 conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We diagnosed metabolic syndrome in accordance with National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines using waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting serum triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and fasting glucose level in men aged >50 years (mean±standard deviation: 64.6±8.8 years), and their PHQ-9 scores were classified as mild and severe (cutoff, 10).RESULTS: The mean waist circumference, fasting glucose level, triglyceride level, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were 87.1±8.2 cm, 109.8±28.3 mg/dL, 155.9±123.9 mg/dL, and 46.5±12.2 mg/dL, respectively. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 124.7±15.9 mmHg and 76.2±10.7 mmHg, respectively. The mean body mass index, was 24.2±2.9 kg/m². The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 43.7%. The mean PHQ-9 score was 2.0±3.3. The prevalence of severe depression with a score of >10 was 4.2%. Metabolic syndrome and depression were related (P<0.05). The adjusted odds ratio for metabolic syndrome was 0.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3–0.9). However, age (95% CI, 0.9–1.0), sleep duration during weekdays (95% CI, 0.9–1.0), and sleep duration during weekends (95% CI, 0.9–1.0) were not related.CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome was associated with depression in men aged >50 years in this study.
Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Cholesterol ; Depression ; Education ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease that represents a tremendous burden on both patients and society in general. Studies have addressed how demographic variables, socioeconomic variables, and psychological comorbidity are related to the quality of life (QOL) of people with epilepsy (PWE). However, there has been less focus on how these factors may differ between patients who exhibit varying degrees of seizure control. This study utilized data from the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the aim of elucidating differences in demographic variables, depression, and QOL between adult PWE. METHODS: Demographic variables, depression, and QOL were compared between PWE who experience clinically relevant differences in seizure occurrence. RESULTS: Gender, ethnicity, race, education, income, and relationship status did not differ significantly between the seizure-frequency categories (p>0.05). People with worse seizure control were significantly younger (p=0.039), more depressed (as assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire) (p=0.036), and had lower QOL (as determined using the 10-item Quality of Life in Epilepsy for Adults scale) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present results underscore the importance of early screening, detection, and treatment of depression, since these factors relate to both seizure occurrence and QOL in PWE.
Adult ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Comorbidity ; Continental Population Groups ; Depression ; Education ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Quality of Life ; Seizures* ; Self Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation model to investigate the risk factors of metabolic syndrome in rural women. METHODS: The raw data in this study was collected from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study supervised by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2005 to 2010. The data included physical examinations and surveys of 1,125 women, who resided in three rural areas of South Korea. The structural model in this study was composed of five latent variables: depression, stress, social support, health behavior, and metabolic syndrome. The structural equation model was used to assess the relationships among the variables. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that depression and stress had direct effects on metabolic syndrome. Social support had a direct effect on health behavior and metabolic syndrome. Also, health behavior had a direct effect on metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: This study may serve as a guideline for interventions and strategies used to reduce metabolic syndrome in rural women.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Depression ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Genome ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Models, Structural ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors

Major depression is a common condition seen in the primary care setting. This article describes the suicide risk assessment of a depressed patient, including practical aspects of history-taking, consideration of factors in deciding if a patient requires immediate transfer for inpatient care and measures to be taken if the patient is not hospitalised. It follows on our earlier article about the approach to management of depression in primary care.
Asia ; Depression ; diagnosis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Primary Health Care ; organization & administration ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Self-Injurious Behavior ; Suicide ; prevention & control

INTRODUCTIONThis study aimed to examine how improving infant sleep impacted the emotional well-being of mothers.

METHODSThe participants were 80 mothers of infants aged 6-12 months; they attended a primary care medical clinic in Adelaide, Australia, for assistance with infant sleep problems. Behavioural intervention consisted of a 45-minute consultation, where verbal and written information describing sleep physiology and strategies to improve infant sleep was provided. Mothers were followed up 2-6 weeks later. Mothers rated their confidence (C), pleasure (P) and frustration (F) on a scale from 0 to 10, and completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 at each consultation. The number of night-time awakenings and time taken to see an improvement in infant sleep were also reported.

RESULTSThere was a significant increase in the C and P scores, and a significant decrease in the F scores (all p < 0.001). The mean total CPF score increased significantly from 14 to 25 (maximum score = 30). There was also a significant decrease in depression, anxiety and stress in the mothers (all p < 0.001). The mean number of maximum night awakenings also decreased significantly, from 4.9 to 0.5 (p < 0.001). The mean time taken to see improved infant sleep, as reported by the mothers, was 2.8 nights.

CONCLUSIONA single consultation using a behavioural strategy to improve infant sleep was effective in improving infant sleep and in increasing maternal emotional well-being. In particular, the scores for 'pleasure in being a mother' increased dramatically.

Adult ; Australia ; Depression, Postpartum ; etiology ; prevention & control ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Care ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Mother-Child Relations ; Mothers ; psychology ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; complications ; prevention & control

PURPOSE: Early detection and management of coronary heart disease (CHD) are embedded into many community health service and primary care practices in western countries. The Framingham CHD risk score has been used to predict CHD and mortality for nearly 20 years, and it has predicted CHD event risk accurately in multiethnic populations. The aim of this study was to access the effect of a 6-month community-based intervention on CHD risk in individuals at high risk. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial of individuals with a high 10-year CHD risk were recruited from two communities in China. Individuals in the intervention group (n = 53) received a 3-month group education and a 3-month coaching session. Physical examination and self-report questionnaires were used to collect both pre- and postintervention data on blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). RESULTS: A total of 102 participants (85.0%) completed the 6-month study. Compared with the usual care group, the intervention group had a 5 mmHg greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (t = 2.01, p = .047), larger declines in glucose (t = −2.49, p = .015), cholesterol (t = −2.44, p = .017), body mass index (t = −2.58, p = .011), and depression (t = −2.05, p = .043), and better reports of HRQoL (t = 3.36, p = .001). No significant group differences in smoking behaviors were reported. CONCLUSION: A 6-month community-based intervention in a CHD high-risk population improved disease-related risk factors, depression, and HRQoL. Results provide preliminary evidence for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease risk in a community high-risk population.
Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; China* ; Cholesterol ; Community Health Services ; Coronary Disease* ; Depression ; Education* ; Glucose ; Mortality ; Physical Examination ; Primary Health Care ; Primary Prevention ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of problem drinking among adolescents in South Korea. METHODS: The data of Youth Health Risk Behavior web-based Survey (2015) collected by Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was analyzed using logistic regression for this study. RESULTS: The problem drinking (defined as two or more points in the CRAFFT) among current drinkers was 36.1%. Risk factors of the problem drinking were sexual activity after drinking (odds 6.33 for men, 4.72 for women), experience of smoking (odds 4.70 for men, 5.12 for women), experience of artificial abortion (odds 4.57 for women), experience of pregnancy (odds 4.45 for women), sexual transmitted infection (odds 1.90 for men, 2.53 for women), depression (odds 2.11 for men, 2.15 for women) and suicidal idea (odds 2.53 for men, 1.88 for women). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop proper problem drinking prevention programs focusing on men and women. Adjusted health education programs will contribute to maintain their health and protect effectively from these risk taking behaviors.
Adolescent* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Depression ; Drinking* ; Female ; Health Education ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Problem Behavior ; Risk Factors ; Risk-Taking ; Sexual Behavior ; Smoke ; Smoking