Linking vitamin D status,executive functioning and self‐perceived mental health in adolescents through multivariate analysis: A randomized double‐blind placebo control trial

The aim of the present randomized double‐blind placebo control trial was to investigate if vitamin D supplementation had an effect on vitamin D status, executive functioning and self‐perceived mental health in a group of Norwegian adolescents during winter time. Fifty adolescents were randomly assigned into an intervention group (vitamin D pearls) or a control group (placebo pearls). Before (pre‐test in December/January) and after (post‐test in April/May) the intervention period the participants were exposed to a test procedure, consisting of blood draw, completion of cognitive tests (Tower of Hanoi and Tower of London), and the Youth Self‐report version of the Child Behavior Checklist. Multivariate data analysis showed that participants with low vitamin D status scored worse on the Tower of London tests and the more difficult sub‐tasks on the Tower of Hanoi tests. They also had a tendency to report higher frequency of externalizing behavior problems and attention deficit. At pre‐test, the overall mean vitamin D status measured as 25‐hydroxy vitamin D was 42 nmol/L, defining deficiency (Intervention group = 44 nmol/L, Control group = 39 nmol/L). However, vitamin D supplementation caused a significant increase in vitamin D status resulting in a sufficient level in the Intervention group at post‐test (mean 62 nmol/L). The results also revealed that the intervention group improved their performance on the most demanding sub‐tasks on the ToH. Overall, the study indicates that vitamin D status in adolescents may be important for both executive functioning and mental health.     

Change in metacognitions predicts outcome in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients undergoing treatment with exposure and response prevention

Wells' (Wells, A. (1997). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: a practice manual and conceptual guide. Chichester, UK: Wiley) metacognitive model of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) predicts that metacognitions must change in order for psychological treatment to be effective. The aim of this study was to explore: (1) if metacognitions change in patients undergoing exposure treatment for OCD; (2) to determine the extent to which cognitive and metacognitive change predicts symptom improvement and recovery. The sample consisted of 83 outpatients with a diagnosis of OCD who completed exposure and response prevention treatment. The Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) were administered before treatment, after treatment, and at 12-month follow-up. Treatment resulted in significant changes in symptoms, metacognition score, responsibility and perfectionism. Regression analysis using post-treatment Y-BOCS as the dependent variable indicated that when the overlap between predictors was controlled for, only changes in metacognition were significant. Changes in metacognitions explained 22% of the variance in symptoms at post-treatment when controlling for pre-treatment symptoms and changes in mood. A further regression revealed that two MCQ-30 subscales made individual contributions. The patients had significantly higher scores compared to community controls on the MCQ-30. Patients who achieved clinical significant change had lower scores on the MCQ-30 compared to patients who did not change. The results did not change significantly from post-treatment to follow-up assessment. These findings provide further support for the importance of metacognitions in treating OCD.     

On the Expressive Power of Monotone Natural Language Quantifiers over Finite Models

We study definability in terms of monotone generalized quantifiers satisfying Isomorphism Closure, Conservativity and Extension. Among the quantifiers with the latter three properties – here called CE quantifiers – one finds the interpretations of determiner phrases in natural languages. The property of monotonicity is also linguistically ubiquitous, though some determiners like an even number of are highly non-monotone. They are nevertheless definable in terms of monotone CE quantifiers: we give a necessary and sufficient condition for such definability. We further identify a stronger form of monotonicity, called smoothness, which also has linguistic relevance, and we extend our considerations to smooth quantifiers. The results lead us to propose two tentative universals concerning monotonicity and natural language quantification. The notions involved as well as our proofs are presented using a graphical representation of quantifiers in the so-called number triangle.     

A pragmatic defense of Millianism

A new kind of defense of the Millian theory of names is given, which explains intuitive counter-examples as depending on pragmatic effects of the relevant sentences, by direct application of Grice’s and Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory and uncontroversial assumptions. I begin by arguing that synonyms are always intersubstitutable, despite Mates’ considerations, and then apply the method to names. Then, a fairly large sample of cases concerning names are dealt with in related ways. It is argued that the method, as applied to the various cases, satisfies the criterion of success: that for every sentence in context, it is a counter-example to Millianism to the extent that it has pragmatic effects (matching speakers’ intuitions).     

Patient experiences with treatment in private practice compared with public mental health services

The study compared patient experiences with psychiatric treatment provided by private practitioners and public outpatient clinics. Questionnaires were completed by 642 outpatients in private practice and 6,677 outpatients in public clinics. The questionnaire included a measure of patient experiences comprising six items: treatment outcome, enough time for contact and dialogue with clinician, clinicians' understanding of patient's situation, suitability of therapy and treatment, clinician follow-up of planned actions, and influence on treatment. Patients in private practice had generally better experiences than patients in public outpatient treatment. The difference between private and public patients was largest for patients with poor self-evaluated mental health or those who had just one consultation in the previous three months. Private practitioners appear to have an important role in mental health services delivery, and patients have relatively good experiences with services. Further studies that assess the patient - clinician interaction in different mental health services may give further insights into potential service improvements.     

Video-based assessment of interpersonal problem solving skills in patients with schizophrenia, their siblings and non-psychiatric controls

The aim of this study was to analyze social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and their biological relatives with a Swedish version of the video-based vignette test Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS). In a new video production with simulated "real life" situations we tested the ability to receive, process and send social information in 25 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, 20 siblings to patients with schizophrenia and 25 randomly selected non-psychiatric controls. The test proved to have good validity and interrater reliability. After controlling for positive or negative symptoms, patients had poor performance especially in acting out solutions leading to effective problem solving. Siblings generally did not differ from controls, but showed some deficiencies in non-verbal language. To conclude, AIPSS is appropriate for use in a Swedish-speaking context and might be useful in research on vulnerability indicators and in assessment of treatment interventions.     

Maternal ratings of infant regulatory competence from 6 to 12 months: influence of perceived stress, birth-weight, and intervention: a randomized controlled trial

Mothers’ reports of preterm and term infants’ temperament from 6 to 12 months of age were studied, with intervention and stress as predictors. Preterm infants with a birth weight <2000 g were randomized to an intervention (71) or a control (69) group. A control group of healthy term infants (74) was also established. The intervention was a modified version of the “Mother–Infant Transaction Program”, aimed at sensitizing caregivers to the infants’ individual characteristics. Temperament was measured with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and stress with the Parenting Stress Index. There were no group differences in temperament at 6 or 12 months or in change during the same period. There was a strong association between stress and negative reactivity in the preterm control group at 12 months. In the preterm intervention group, there were strong negative correlations between stress and regulatory competence at 6 months. The intervention seemed to change the relationship between stress and temperament. The strength of this association indicates that the intervention sensitized mothers to the temperamental regulatory competence of their preterm infants.     

Daytime functioning in older patients suffering from chronic insomnia: treatment outcome in a randomized controlled trial comparing CBT with Zopiclone

The paper presents data from a randomized controlled trial comparing treatment effects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotic treatment (Zopiclone), and placebo in a sample of insomnia patients. Data from the same trial have already demonstrated that CBT was more efficient in improving sleep than Zopiclone. The novel outcomes that are reported here concern daytime functioning.

Forty-six older patients (age55) qualifying for a diagnosis of primary insomnia were recruited to participate. Assessments were completed at baseline, post-treatment, and at a 6-months follow-up, and measures of worry, anxiety, depression, interpersonal relationships, subjective alertness, vigilance, and quality of life were used.

The participants in both treatment conditions scored within the normal range on the outcome measures at baseline with the exception of reporting less alertness, relative to a group of good sleepers. One interaction effect indicated that subjective alertness improved more in the Zopiclone group than the CBT group from baseline to post-treatment, and another that CBT was more effective than Zopiclone in reducing trait anxiety from baseline to follow-up.

It was concluded that the treatments yielded only minor effects on the measures of daytime functioning, and that none of them was clearly superior to the other.     

Modeling homophily over time with an actor-partner interdependence model

Selection and socialization have been implicated in friendship homophily, but the relative contributions of each are difficult to measure simultaneously because of the nonindependent nature of the data. To address this problem, the authors applied a multiple-groups longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model (D. A. Kashy & D. A. Kenny, 2000) for distinguishable dyads to 3 consecutive years of intoxication frequency data from a large community-based sample of Swedish youth. Participants, ranging from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.35, SD = 1.56) at the start of the study, included 902 adolescents (426 girls and 476 boys) with at least one reciprocated friend during at least one time point and 212 adolescents (84 girls and 128 boys) without reciprocated friends at any time. Similarity estimates indicated strong effects for selection and socialization in friends' intoxication frequency. Over time, younger members of these dyads had less stable patterns of intoxication than older members, largely because younger partners changed their drinking behavior to resemble that of older partners.     

Health disparities between binary and non binary trans people: A community-driven survey

Abstract

Background: Genderqueer and nonbinary () people have remained largely invisible in health research. Previous research shows worse outcomes on health indicators for trans people when compared with cisgender controls, but the differences between binary trans and GQNB individuals are inconclusive.

Aims: To compare overall health and well-being of GQNB people with controls of trans men and trans women, taking into account the impact of the additive effect of their socio-economic position, as well as their current need for gender affirming medical interventions.

Methods: A community-driven survey was conducted in 2016 in five countries (Georgia, Poland, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden). Self-reported health and general well-being were analysed for differences between binary trans and GQNB respondents. The effects of multiple control variables (age, economic situation, educational level, belonging to an ethnic, religious, sexual or ability minority group, sex assigned at birth) as well as the current need for gender affirming medical interventions were controlled for.

Results: The sample consisted of 853 respondents aged 16 and older, with 254 trans women (29.8%), 369 trans men (43.2%), and 230 GQNB people (26%). GQNB respondents showed significantly worse self-reported health and worse general well-being in comparison to binary trans respondents. Additional negative impacts of having a lower educational level, having more economic stress, and belonging to a disability minority group were found. Being in need of gender affirming medical interventions contributed significantly to worse self-reported health, whereas being younger contributed to worse general well-being.

Discussion: In understanding health disparities between binary trans and GQNB people, it is necessary to take into account the additive effect of multiple socio-economic positions, and the current need for gender affirming medical interventions. The high proportion of GQNB respondents who report worse health outcomes highlights the need for policy makers and health-care providers in creating nonbinary-inclusive environments.