Background Cost-of-living crises are damaging to population mental health and require a public health response. It is important to assess whether public health interventions are effective. We aimed to identify population-level methods and measures and the appropriateness of the measures for vulnerable populations. Methods A rapid evidence review was undertaken. Nineteen databases, including grey literature, were searched for evidence published between 1970 and April 2023. Results Seven reviews, nine primary studies and two reports from grey literature were identified. Methods consisted of analyses of existing data from national or regional cohort studies, household panel surveys, repeated cross-sectional surveys, routine medical data, or data on suicide death rates. Twelve brief validated mental health measurement tools, embedded in population-level surveys, were identified. Two quasi-experimental studies used data from a UK household panel survey to examine the impact of the introduction of specific welfare policies on mental health. Studies identified socio-economic vulnerabilities, but it was not possible to determine whether data were effectively captured from people from minority ethnic groups. Conclusion Population-level surveys can be used in quasi-experimental studies to measure the effects of a public health initiative with specific roll out dates to tackle cost-of-living impacts. It is unclear as to whether the identified methods and tools are suitable for use with people from minority ethnic groups.

Background Migrants and refugees may not access mental health services due to linguistic and cultural discordance between them and health and social care professionals (HSCPs). The aim of this review is to identify the communication needs and barriers experienced by third-country nationals (TCNs), their carers, and HSCPs, as well as the strategies they use and their preferences when accessing/providing mental health services and language barriers are present. Methods We undertook a rapid systematic review of the literature (01/01/2011 – 09/03/2022) on seeking and/or providing mental health services in linguistically discordant settings. Quality appraisal was performed, data was extracted, and evidence was reviewed and synthesised qualitatively. Results 58/5,650 papers met the inclusion criteria. Both TCNs (and their carers) and HSCPs experience difficulties when seeking or providing mental health services and language barriers are present. TCNs and HSCPs prefer linguistically and culturally concordant provision of mental health services but professional interpreters are often required. However, their use is not always preferred, nor is it without problems. Conclusions Language barriers impede TCNs’ access to mental health services. Improving language support options and cultural competency in mental health services is crucial to ensure that individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds can access and/or provide high-quality mental health services.

Background The existing body of research exploring minority stressors and their impact on the mental health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) students in China remains limited in scope and often restricted to specific geographic regions..Methods A combination of snowball and targeted sampling strategies was used to recruit lesbian, gay and bisexual students (N = 1,393) for a cross-sectional, online survey in China. Participants (Mage = 20.00 years; 60.23% assigned male at birth) were tasked with completing a comprehensive questionnaire designed to capture various dimensions, including gender expression, minority stressors (e.g., school bullying, internalized homophobia), social psychological resources (e.g., perceived social support), and mental health-related outcomes (e.g., depression, anxious and stress). Our analytical approach involved hierarchical multiple regression analyses, mediation and moderated mediation modeling to elucidate the intricate interplay among these factors.Results Our findings shed light on the pronounced mental health disparities afflicting LGB college students in China, with notable prevalence rates of depression (48.1%), anxiety (57.1%), and stress (37.5%). A significant positive correlation was observed between experiences of school-based victimization and internalized homophobia, which, in turn, exhibited a direct association with affective symptoms. School bullying was positive with internalized homophobia, which was positively associated with affective symptoms. In addition to unveiling the indirect effects of school bullying on affective symptoms, our study identified direct links in this complex relationship. Notably, the availability of social support emerged as a pivotal factor, serving as a moderator within the mediation model by mitigating the path from school-based victimization bullying to internalized homophobia (beta = -0.077, P = 0.040).Conclusions This study underscores the pervasive and concerning mental health disparities experienced by LGB college students in China. In response, institutions of higher learning should intensify anti-bullying initiatives tailored to LGB students and implement comprehensive gender education programs. Moreover, concerted efforts should be directed at enhancing the accessibility of social support resources for LGB college students, with the aim of cultivating and sustaining favorable psychological well-being.

Trauma is a hidden epidemic and a public health concern in Canada and globally. To address the pervasiveness of trauma in general and clinical populations, a trauma-informed approach (TIA) has been widely promoted in the field of mental health (MH). This study explores how a TIA has been incorporated in Canadian MH policies across all provinces and territories, and in both government and non-government organizations. A systematic mapping review in multiple search sites resulted in a total of 60 TIA policy documents in MH policies. The findings indicated that despite the broad range of the search period which went back as far as the 1980s, TIA policies started emerging in 2010 in the field of Canadian MH. Our research findings also showed an increased understanding of a broad definition and various types of trauma and an acknowledgement of its causes and impacts on multiple levels. This highlighted the importance of all levels of services in TIA. Through this search, we identified the widespread use of different terminologies to refer to TIA. This may create confusion about what TIA means in policy, research, and practice. We propose areas for improvement such as including experiences of marginalized populations, explicitly centering cultural and gender sensitive approaches in TIA policy initiatives, clarifying the standard definition of TIA and its implementation services, and establishing indicators and evaluation methods for future research and policy directions.

Education actively helps us develop our well-being and health, but postgraduate students are at high risk of depression. The prevalence of depression symptoms varies from 6.2% to 84.7% among them, and its changes throughout the years remains unclear. The present study aimed to estimate the real prevalence of depression symptoms among postgraduate students and the changes from 1980 to 2020. Thirty-seven primary studies with 41 independent reports were included in the meta-analysis (none reports were in high-quality, three were medium-to-high quality, 20 were low-to-medium quality, and 18 were low-quality), involving 27,717 postgraduate students. The pooled prevalence of overall, mild, moderate, and severe depression symptoms was 34% (95% CI: 28-40, I-2 = 98.6%), 27% (95% CI: 22-32, I-2 = 85.8%), 13% (95% CI: 8-21, I-2 = 97.3%), and 8% (95% CI: 6-11, I-2 = 81.0%), respectively. Overall, the prevalence of depression symptoms remained relatively constant through the years following 1980 (overall: beta = -0.12, 95% CI: [-0.39, 0.15], p = 0.39; mild: beta = 0.24, 95% CI: [-0.02, 0.51], p = 0.07; moderate: beta = -0.24, 95% CI: [-0.75, 0.26], p = 0.34; severe: beta = 0.13, 95% CI: [-0.25, 0.51], p = 0.50). Doctoral students experienced more depressive symptoms than did master's students (43% vs. 27%; Q = 2.23, df = 1, p = 0.13), and studies utilising non-random sampling methods reported a higher prevalence of mild depression and lower moderate depression symptoms than those that used random sampling (overall: 34% vs. 29%; Q = 0.45, df = 1, p = 0.50; mild: 29% vs. 21%; Q = 1.69, df = 1, p = 0.19; moderate: 16% vs. 25%; Q = 1.79, df = 1, p = 0.18; severe: 8% vs. 9%; Q = 0.13, df = 1, p = 0.72) despite these differences was not statistically significant. The prevalence of depression symptoms was moderated by the measurements and the quality of primary studies. More than one-third of postgraduates reported depression symptoms, which indicates the susceptibility to mental health risk among postgraduates. School administrators, teachers, and students should take joint actions to prevent mental disorders of postgraduates from increasing in severity.

Being ‘person-centred’ in the delivery of health and human services has become synonymous with quality care, and it is a core feature of policy reform in Australia and other Western countries. This research aimed to identify the uses, definitions and characteristics of the term ‘person-centred’ in the ageing, mental health and disability literature. A thematic analysis identified seven common core themes of person-centredness: honouring the person, being in relationship, facilitating participation and engagement, social inclusion/citizenship, experiencing compassionate love, being strengths/capacity focussed, and organisational characteristics. These suggest a set of higher-order experiences for people that are translated differently in different human services. There is no common definition of what it means to be person-centred, despite being a core feature of contemporary health and human service policy, and this suggests that its inclusion facilitates further misunderstanding and misinterpretation. A common understanding and policy conceptualisation of person-centredness is likely to support quality outcomes in service delivery especially where organisations work across human service groups. Further research into the application and service expressions of being ‘person-centred’ in context is necessary.

Authors' objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections, sexual risk, substance (alcohol and other legal and illegal drugs) use and mental ill health constitute a ‘syndemic’ of mutually reinforcing epidemics among men who have sex with men. Electronic health (e-health) interventions addressing these epidemics among men who have sex with men might have multiplicative effects. To our knowledge, no systematic review has examined the effectiveness of such interventions on these epidemics among men who have sex with men. The objective was to synthesise evidence addressing the following: (1) What approaches and theories of change do existing e-health interventions employ to prevent human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections, sexual risk, alcohol/drug use or mental ill health among men who have sex with men? (2) What factors influence implementation? (3) What are the effects of such interventions on the aforementioned epidemics? (4) Are such interventions cost-effective?

Authors' objectives: HTW assessed the clinical and cost effectiveness of a solution-focused assessment tool (DIALOG+) for people with psychosis and schizophrenia receiving care in the secondary mental health setting. Psychosis and schizophrenia are severe, long-term mental illnesses that affect a person’s perception, mood and behaviour, often leading to a major detrimental impact on their lives and relationships. A strong relationship with healthcare professionals is essential to ensure treatment is effective across all areas of life. DIALOG+ is a free to use, open-source assessment tool informed by the principles of solution-focused therapy (SFT). People receiving care are asked to rate their satisfaction with 11 domains of life in conjunction with their healthcare professionals to develop future treatment goals and judge their progress in a structured way.

Authors' objectives: This report aims to identify and summarise evidence that addresses the following question: What is the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the Strategies for Relatives (START) intervention aimed at improving the mental health of carers of people with dementia?