Dissemination of Therapist-Assisted Internet Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Development and Open Pilot Study of a Workshop
- Authors: Hadjistavropoulos, Heather , Thompson, Maureen , Klein, Britt , Austin, David
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Vol. 41, no. 3 (2012), p. 230-240
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is considerable research suggesting that therapist-assisted Internet cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is efficacious in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Given this research, there is a growing interest in training students in therapist-assisted ICBT in order to assist with the dissemination of this emerging modality into routine clinical practice. In this study, we developed, delivered, and evaluated a therapist-assisted ICBT workshop for clinical psychology graduate students (n = 20). The workshop provided both research evidence and practical information related to the delivery of therapist-assisted ICBT. The workshop also incorporated an experiential component with students working on and discussing responses to client e-mails. Before and after the workshop, we measured knowledge of therapist-assisted ICBT research and professional practice issues, as well as attitudes towards and confidence in delivering therapist-assisted ICBT. Statistically significant changes were observed in all areas. Eighty-five per cent of students are now offering therapist-assisted ICBT under supervision. We conclude by discussing future research directions related to disseminating therapist-assisted ICBT. © 2012 Copyright Swedish Association for Behaviour Therapy.
Prenatal maternal mental health and fetal growth restriction: a systematic review
- Authors: Lewis, Andrew , Austin, Emma , Galbally, Megan
- Date: 2016
- Type: Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Vol. 7, no. 4 (2016), p. 416-428
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Maternal mental disorders during pregnancy are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes for offspring. This systematic review examines studies reporting on the relationship between maternal depression, anxiety or stress during pregnancy and fetal growth measured during pregnancy using ultrasound biometry. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase was conducted and 1575 records were identified, with nine studies meeting inclusion criteria gathering data from over 7000 participants. All studies measured depression, six examined anxiety and depression, and five examined all three exposures. The majority measured symptoms rather than clinically diagnosable disorder. Studies consistently reported significant associations between maternal mental health, particularly anxiety symptoms, and reduced fetal head growth. Other fetal growth parameters showed inconsistent findings. A number of studies suggest that cortisol dysregulation associated with maternal mental health may play a role in fetal growth restriction. However, heterogeneity in the timing of growth measurement, assessment measures used for mental health and inconsistencies in adjustment for confounders, limits the synthesis and interpretation of findings. Future studies should consider differences in the timing, intensity and duration of mental health symptoms over pregnancy and should employ diagnostic assessment of mental disorders. Fetal growth should be repeatedly measured and further work is needed to establish the biological mechanisms involved.
Prenatal maternal mental health and fetal growth restriction: a systematic review
- Authors: Lewis, Andrew , Austin, Emma , Galbally, Megan
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Developmental origins of Health and Disease Vol. 7, no. 4 (2016), p. 416-428
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Maternal mental disorders during pregnancy are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes for offspring. This systematic review examines studies reporting on the relationship between maternal depression, anxiety or stress during pregnancy and fetal growth measured during pregnancy using ultrasound biometry. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Embase was conducted and 1575 records were identified, with nine studies meeting inclusion criteria gathering data from over 7000 participants. All studies measured depression, six examined anxiety and depression, and five examined all three exposures. The majority measured symptoms rather than clinically diagnosable disorder. Studies consistently reported significant associations between maternal mental health, particularly anxiety symptoms, and reduced fetal head growth. Other fetal growth parameters showed inconsistent findings. A number of studies suggest that cortisol dysregulation associated with maternal mental health may play a role in fetal growth restriction. However, heterogeneity in the timing of growth measurement, assessment measures used for mental health and inconsistencies in adjustment for confounders, limits the synthesis and interpretation of findings. Future studies should consider differences in the timing, intensity and duration of mental health symptoms over pregnancy and should employ diagnostic assessment of mental disorders. Fetal growth should be repeatedly measured and further work is needed to establish the biological mechanisms involved.
The effects of trans-cranial direct current stimulation intervention on fear: A systematic review of literature
- Authors: Yosephi, Mohaddeseh , Ehsani, Fatemeh , Daghiani, Maryam , Zoghi, Maryam , Jaberzadeh, Shapour
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Clinical Neuroscience Vol. 62, no. (2019), p. 7-13
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: •Cathodal tDCS may reduce fear and disrupt the fear memory more than anodal tDCS.•Phase of fear memory is important factor in determining polarity of tDCS electrodes.•The brain region is important factor in determining polarity of tDCS electrodes.•The assessed fear parameters are important to show the effect of the tDCS intervention. Intensifying fear and fear of pain may lead to some diseases such as panic disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, etc. A number of studies indicated positive effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on controlling fear and some studies did not observe any effect or even negative effect on decreasing fear. Due to lack of consensus in the findings of research, we aimed to systematically review studies, which investigated the effect of tDCS on fear. A literature search was conducted using the databases of PubMed, Science Direct, OVID, CINAHL, PEDro, Cochrane, Scopus and MEDLINE. Fear, fear memory, fear of pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, electrical brain stimulation were applied as keywords. The valid assessment scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. The results of this systematic review revealed that the cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS) on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as compared to anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) could significantly reduce fear and modulate the fear memory. In addition, the findings of this study showed that the c-tDCS has positive effect on behavioural parameters of fear, while it cannot change biochemical parameters of fear during limited sessions of intervention. Application of c-tDCS on the left DLPFC could significantly reduce fear and modulate the fear memory.
Fetal programming pathway from maternal mental health to infant cortisol functioning: The role of placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , Watson, Stuart , Lappas, Martha , de Kloet, E. , van Rossum, Elisabeth , Wyrwoll, Caitlin , Mark, Peter , Lewis, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 127, no. (2021), p. 105197-105197
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Placental 11β-HSD2 has been a focus of research for understanding potential fetal programming associated with maternal emotional disorders. This study examined the pathway from antenatal mental health via placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA to cortisol regulation in the infant offspring. This study reports on data obtained from 236 participants in the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study (MPEWS). At term, placental tissue was collected within 30 min of birth from 52 participants meeting current criteria for a depressive disorder, and 184 control participants. Depressive disorders were diagnosed using the SCID-IV. In addition, antidepressant use, depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured in early and late pregnancy. Placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression was measured using qRT-PCR. Infant salivary cortisol samples were taken at 12 months of age. Women on antidepressant medication and with higher trait anxiety had higher placental 11β-HSD2 expression compared to women not taking medication. Furthermore, the offspring of women taking an antidepressant and who also had a current depressive disorder and high trait anxiety had high cortisol reactivity at 12 months of age and this was mediated through 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression. In contrast, offspring of women not taking antidepressant medication with depressive disorder and high anxiety there was low cortisol reactivity observed. Our findings suggest that the relationship between maternal antenatal depression and anxiety and infant cortisol reactivity is mediated through placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression. Furthermore, the direction differed for women taking antidepressants, where infant cortisol reactivity was high whereas when compared to those with unmedicated depression and anxiety, where infant cortisol reactivity was low. •There has been substantial research understanding placental role in fetal programming pathways for maternal mental health.•Placental 11β-HSD2 has one area of focus given the role in cortisol regulation across the placenta.•Placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression in this study was found to be lower in those with depression and anxiety.•This study also found that antidepressant use increased placental 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression.•Infant cortisol reactivity was mediated through 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression and this differed by mental health and antidepressants use.
Predictive factors for depression and anxiety in men during the perinatal period: A mixed methods study
- Authors: Chhabra, Jasleen , Li, Wendy , McDermott, Brett
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: American Journal of Men's Health Vol. 16, no. 1 (2022), p. 15579883221079489-15579883221079489
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with paternal perinatal mental distress in a sample of Australian men. A mixed-methods design was used. The qualitative component (N = 13) using thematic analysis identified maternal depression, marital distress, masculine gender role stress, unplanned pregnancy, work–family conflict, and sleep disturbance as risk factors for paternal perinatal mental distress. The quantitative component (N = 525) expanded on the qualitative findings and examined the associations between the identified risk factors and mental distress of fathers in the perinatal period measured by Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed six significant predictors of paternal perinatal mental distress with masculine gender role stress being the most significant risk factor for paternal perinatal mental distress. The results from this study provide an insight into how masculine gender role may affect the expression and experience of mental distress in fathers within the perinatal period. Implications of research findings are discussed.