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The validity and clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument - Version 2 (MAYSI-2) in the UK

- Lennox, Charlotte, O'Malley, Kate, Bell, Vicky, Shaw, Jenny, Dolan, Mairead

  • Authors: Lennox, Charlotte , O'Malley, Kate , Bell, Vicky , Shaw, Jenny , Dolan, Mairead
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Vol. 25, no. 3 (2015), p. 207-219
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  • Description: Background The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument - version 2 (MAYSI-2) is designed to assist in identifying the mental health needs of young people admitted to secure establishments. To date, very few studies have assessed the MAYSI-2 outside the USA. Aims This study aimed to assess the validity and clinical utility of the MAYSI-2 in England. Methods Boys newly admitted into one large young offenders' institution, were consecutively interviewed individually and completed the MAYSI-2, the Youth Self Report (YSR), which capture similar syndrome scales - and the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS), which allows for making psychiatric diagnoses. Results Two hundred and six boys, of average age 16.5-years, completed all assessments. According to the K-SADS, co-morbidity of psychiatric disorders was high (80% of the sample). The MAYSI-2 showed good convergent validity but poorer discriminant validity with the YSR. The MAYSI-2 and YSR corresponded with both conceptually and non-conceptually relevant diagnostic domains. Conclusions The poor ability of the MAYSI-2 and YSR to discriminate and specify disorders is likely to reflect the high rates of co-morbidity. The fact that 90% of the participants reached the caution cut-off for any scale on the MAYSI-2, while suggesting its limited use as a screening tool for this sample, is probably best reflective of the high levels of psychopathology of incarcerated young people in England and Wales since particular efforts to divert as many as possible from custody. A more holistic and comprehensive approach to assessing health needs on admission into custody may be necessary for such a population. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Perinatal maternal depression and cortisol function in pregnancy and the postpartum period: a systematic literature review

- Seth, Sunaina, Lewis, Andrew, Galbally, Megan

  • Authors: Seth, Sunaina , Lewis, Andrew , Galbally, Megan
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Vol. 16, no. 1 (2016), p. 124-124
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  • Description: Perinatal depression has a significant impact on both mother and child. However, the influence of hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period remains unclear. This article provides a systematic review of studies examining the effects of maternal cortisol function on perinatal depression. A systematic search was conducted of six electronic databases for published research on the relationship between cortisol and perinatal depression. The databases included MEDLINE complete, PsychINFO, SCOPUS, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Science Direct and EBSCO, for the years 1960 to May 2015. Risk of bias was assessed and data extraction verified by two investigators. In total, 47 studies met criteria and studies showed considerable variation in terms of methodology including sample size, cortisol assays, cortisol substrates, sampling processes and outcome measures. Those studies identified as higher quality found that the cortisol awakening response is positively associated with momentary mood states but is blunted in cases of major maternal depression. Furthermore, results indicate that hypercortisolemia is linked to transient depressive states while hypocortisolemia is related to chronic postpartum depression. Future research should aim to improve the accuracy of cortisol measurement over time, obtain multiple cortisol samples in a day and utilise diagnostic measures of depression. Future studies should also consider both antenatal and postnatal depression and the differential impact of atypical versus melancholic depression on cortisol levels, as this can help to further clarify the relationship between perinatal depression and maternal cortisol function across pregnancy and the postpartum period.

A prospective cohort study of the changing mental health needs of adolescents in custody

- Lennox, Charlotte, Bell, Vicky, O'Malley, Kate, Shaw, Jenny, Dolan, Mairead

  • Authors: Lennox, Charlotte , Bell, Vicky , O'Malley, Kate , Shaw, Jenny , Dolan, Mairead
  • Date: 2013
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: BMJ Open Vol. 3, no. 3 (2013), p.002358
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  • Description: Objective: To investigate changes in mental health and other needs, as well as clinical and diagnostic 'caseness', in a sample of adolescents over a 6-month period following entry into a Young Offenders Institution in the UK. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: One Young Offenders Institution between November 2006 and August 2009. Participants: 219 male adolescents aged 15-18 years (M=16.56; SD=0.6) were assessed at baseline (median=4; range 0-26 days following reception into custody) on the Salford Needs Assessment Schedule for Adolescents (SNASA) and Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS). Participants were then reassessed at 3-month and 6-month postbaseline to document any change in mental health. Results: Of the initial baseline sample, 132 were still in the study at 3-month postbaseline and 63 were still available for assessment at 6 months. There were no differences between those who were not available for assessment at the three key stages in terms of demographic and criminological data. Over time there was a general improvement in mental health. While the proportion of participants with a mental health need (SNASA) did not change over time, symptom severity as measured by the SNASA did reduce significantly. When we assessed diagnostic 'caseness' using the K-SADS, three young people showed significant mental health deterioration. Conclusions: In line with previous studies, we found that symptoms in prison generally improved over time. Prison may provide an opportunity for young people previously leading chaotic lifestyles to settle into a stable routine and engage with services; however, it is unclear if these would be maintained either within the prison or on release into the community.
  • Description: 2003011032

Efficacy of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral intervention for eating disorder psychopathology delivered through a smartphone app: a randomized controlled trial

- Linardon, Jake, Shatte, Adrian, Rosato, John, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew

  • Authors: Linardon, Jake , Shatte, Adrian , Rosato, John , Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Psychological Medicine Vol. 52, no. 9 (2022), p. 1679-1690
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  • Description: Abstract Background Although effective treatments exist for diagnostic and subthreshold-level eating disorders (EDs), a significant proportion of affected individuals do not receive help. Interventions translated for delivery through smartphone apps may be one solution towards reducing this treatment gap. However, evidence for the efficacy of smartphones apps for EDs is lacking. We developed a smartphone app based on the principles and techniques of transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy for EDs and evaluated it through a pre-registered randomized controlled trial. Methods Symptomatic individuals (those who reported the presence of binge eating) were randomly assigned to the app ( n = 197) or waiting list ( n = 195). Of the total sample, 42 and 31% exhibited diagnostic-level bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder symptoms, respectively. Assessments took place at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks post-randomization. Analyses were intention-to-treat. The primary outcome was global levels of ED psychopathology. Secondary outcomes were other ED symptoms, impairment, and distress. Results Intervention participants reported greater reductions in global ED psychopathology than the control group at post-test ( d = −0.80). Significant effects were also observed for secondary outcomes ( d 's = −0.30 to −0.74), except compensatory behavior frequency. Symptom levels remained stable at follow-up. Participants were largely satisfied with the app, although the overall post-test attrition rate was 35%. Conclusion Findings highlight the potential for this app to serve as a cost-effective and easily accessible intervention for those who cannot receive standard treatment. The capacity for apps to be flexibly integrated within current models of mental health care delivery may prove vital for addressing the unmet needs of people with EDs.

Emerging approaches to the treatment of depression in patients with cardiovascular disease

- Alvarenga, Marlies, Murphy, Barbara, Jackson, Alun

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