The relationship between immigration and mental health may in part be affected by factors related to social context in general and in relation to specific ethnic groups in specific social contexts. A growing body of research is exploring the impact of neighborhood context on the well-being of immigrants. The specifics, however, have yet to be identified.

To analyze the impact of social context on stress and acculturative stress in a hospitalised Latin American immigrant sample.

The study was part of a larger project concerning stress, coping, and psychosocial well being in Latin American immigrants hospitalised in both internal medicine and obstetrics in a large public hospital in Barcelona (Spain). 290 participants were evaluated with the PSS-10 for general stress, the BISS for acculturative stress and a sociodemographic questionnaire elaborated ad hoc for social context.

Neighborhood socioeconomic level is related to general stress and acculturative stress. A lower socioeconomic level is associated with higher levels of stress and acculturative stress. High levels of ethnic density of Latin American immigrants is moderately associated with lower levels of homesickenss and intercultural contact stress, but are not related with perceived discrimination.

Social context is an important factor that should be considered in the acculturative process of Latin American immigrants and its impact on their mental health status. A low socioeconomic neighborhood level increases levels of stress and acculturative stress, increasing the risk of psychosocial distress.

Own group ethnic density would appear to function as a protective factor.

Over the last decade a series of guidelines and recommendations have been published in the UK by the Department of Health, the Home Office, Professional and Non-Professional bodies. However, an optimal strategy and consensus in the management and care of opioid dependent pregnant users has yet to be established.

Determination of existing methods for identifying and managing pregnancy in opioid users prescribed methadone by NHS Treatment Services and regional differences.

To survey the management, treatment and follow-up of pregnant opioid users prescribed methadone by Drug Treatment Services in England and Wales.

In 2006 a POSTAL survey was conducted among 223 Community Drug Treatment Services (CDTS).

Sixty-six percent of CDTS responded to the survey (n = 154/233). A Chi-square, Mann_Whitney U Test and/or Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed significant differences in the composition of CDTS and service provision across regions. Half of CDTS (55.3%) provided a methadone dosage regime lower than that recommended for non-pregnant drug users. There were also significant variations on how professionals approached the management of pregnant opioid users. CDTS with an addiction specialist were significantly more likely (p < .01) to advocate high doses of methadone whereas those with a midwife, obstetrician or social worker involved were more likely (p < .05) to suggest low dose methadone and/or detoxification.

Service provision for pregnant opioid users is comprehensive but there is still variability in some aspects of the treatment received. The way in which methadone is prescribed is not always optimal. Further work is required in this area.

Physical activity (PA) is recognized to be an efficient therapy for depression but few patients are practicing it.

This study investigates whether motivational interviewing stimulates hospitalized depressed patients to participate to PA therapeutic programs.

70 depressed patients, hospitalized in a psychiatric unit were followed regarding their participation to indoor bike training sessions. The first 39 ones (controls = C) were informed that this training possibility was at their disposal without further comment. The 31 next ones (the participants = P) received one session per week of motivational interviewing. Frequency, time, and intensity of the indoor bike training were compared between groups. Demographical variables, BDI and STAI were recorded. There were no significant differences between groups regarding these variables. Participation frequency was recorded as the total number of sessions of physical training by each patient divided by the number of his hospitalization days.

The frequency of participation to AP for the P group is 0.45 participations per day [SD=0.14] versus 0.16 for the C group[SD=0.14](p<0.0001). The mean energy spent at each participation is equivalent in both groups, 41.9 Kcal [SD=21.8] for the P group versus 44.2 Kcal [SD=32.7] for the C group.

Motivational interviewing is able to raise significantly the frequency of participation to physical activity programs in depressed inpatients.

Substance dependence and personality disorders often co-occur and personality disorders are highly prevalent comorbid conditions among addicted individuals. Early maladaptive schemas contribute to development of personality disorders as well as addictive behaviors.

Examining early maladaptive schemas among addict persons with and without personality disorders.

To determine whether there are particular schemas that are associated with specific personality disorders.

In this cross-sectional study the participants were 100 persons with substance dependence including 84 opioid addicts, 5 cannabis dependents and 11 subjects with methamphetamine dependence. Participants were given the Young Schema Questionnaire-Long Form in order to identify Early Maladaptive Schemas. Furthermore, structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-II) was performed by a trained interviewer to identify personality disorders.

Fifty three percent of participants had borderline personality disorder and the rate of antisocial personality disorder was 14%. Borderline personality disorder was associated with abandonment and Mistrust/Abuse schemas. There was found no significance difference between persons with borderline personality disorder and subjects with antisocial personality disorder in terms of Early maladaptive schemas. Compared to subjects without personality disorder, participants with personality disorder had higher scores of “persormance” and “impaired limits” domains.There was a significant association between educational level and early maladaptive schemas.

People with schema domains of impaired performance and impaired limits may be more likely to develop cluster B personality disorders and this finding is in accordance with the previous study of the authors which showed that these domains of schemas were more prevalent among addict people.

Clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis state is characterized by presence of potentially prodromal for schizophrenia symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the predictors of transition to first psychotic episode.

The study included 123 CHR subjects. All the subjects were characterized by the presence of one of the group of criteria: (1) UHR criteria, (2) basic symptoms criteria and (3) negative symptoms and formal thought disorders (FTD). The presence of FTD in clinical high-risk individuals was assessed with methods of experimental pathopsychology. The mean length of follow-up was 26 months (SD 18). All subjects were males, mean age = 20.2 (SD: 2.1). We examined the subjects’ performance using the Cambridge automated neuropsychological test battery. We applied survival analyses to determine associations between a transition to psychosis and sociodemographic, clinical and neurocognitive parameters. To determine which items are the best predictors, Cox regression analyses were applied.

The psychosis developed in 39 subjects (31.7%). Global assessment of functioning, positive symptoms, blunted affect, social isolation, impaired role function, disorganizing/stigmatizing behavior, basic symptoms (thought pressure, unstable ideas of reference), neurocognitive parameters (visual memory and new learning, decision making, executive function) significantly influenced the transition to psychosis. A prediction model was developed and included unusual thought content (Wald = 12.386, P < 0.0001, HR = 2.996), perceptual abnormalities (Wald = 4.777, P = 0.029, HR = 1.43) and impaired role function (Wald = 1.425, P < 0.028, HR = 4.157).

Clinical measures are important predictors for transition to psychosis in high-risk individuals.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Qualitative research has been met with growing interest in recent years. Several trends in medical and psychiatric practice, including patient orientation, the recovery movement and the search for evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, have propelled scientific inquiry into subjective perspectives on experiencing mental health problems, their consequences, and psychiatric services. While initially largely criticised as lacking scientific rigour, the value of qualitative research has increasingly been recognised, following a certain disenchantment with genetic research, the acknowledgement of methodological limitations in measuring subjective constructs such as needs, quality of life or stigma with standardised tools, and the definition of clear quality criteria for qualitative studies.

Multiple databases (Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, PsychLit, Cochrane Reviews) were scanned for relevant publications in the period from 1990 to 2007.

A proliferation of qualitative literature could be noted, especially from 2000 onward. Published research focuses on patients’ and caregivers’ experiences of mental health problems (subjective illness models, stigma, help-seeking motivations) and of using mental health services (expectations, empowerment, service evaluation). Among mental health professionals, experiences of service provision (service development, job motivation, stress & burnout) were studied.

Qualitative methods are becoming an integral part of the methodological canon of psychiatric research. This presentation gives an overview of publication trends regarding topics covered, journals featuring qualitative papers, and methodological quality criteria. It further focuses on fields of application for qualitative vs. quantitative methods and discusses specific requirements on scientific writing in publishing qualitative data.

Alcohol use disorders have been associated with an increased risk of frequent readmissions. This study aimed to examine factors that contribute to the risk for readmission within one year after discharge from an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Rehospitalization status was assessed for all patients with an alcohol use disorder as primary diagnosis (n = 468) admitted to our inpatient unit between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2014. All patients were followed up for one year after their first hospitalization (index hospitalization) within this period. Time to readmission within one year after discharge was measured using the Kaplan–Meier method. Risk factors for readmission were examined using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Three set of variables were selected to be included in the analyses:

– demographic features at time of admission of index hospitalization;

– comorbid conditions at time of admission of index hospitalization;

– treatment-related variables in relation to the index hospitalization including observer-rated outcome measures.

Readmissions within one year after discharge from an alcohol rehabilitation program as well as the corresponding time to readmission were linked to higher numbers of previous hospitalizations and the presence of comorbid opioid use disorders.

Higher numbers of past treatments for AUD are indicators for a chronic course of the disorder, which, in turn, increase the risk of further relapses. Our findings further confirmed previous findings suggesting high rates of comorbidity among alcohol and opioid use disorders, and their link with poorer clinical outcomes.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Basic symptoms are subjective complaints that present at the early states in psychotic disorders and persist in the long-term. They can be studied using hetero applied clinical instruments or self-administered questionnaires. Basic symptoms can be useful as screening tools in at risk populations.

To determine if basic symptoms (subjective cognitive deficits) are associated with the objectively measured cognitive deficit after controlling for functioning and symptomatology.

One observational, transversal, psychopathological and neuropsychological study was performed on a schizophrenia outpatients sample (n = 78). Correlations were measured by using Spearman's Rho coefficient. Basic symptoms were registered by using the Frankfurt Complaints Questionnaire (FCQ-3); cognitive status was assessed by Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS); clinical status was assessed by PANSS and Clinical Global Impression (CGI); functional status was measured with Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF).

All the dimensions were related to subjective complaints: cognitive functioning (r = −.38; P < .001); positive symptoms (r = .54; P < .001); negative symptoms (r = .26; P < .02); general symptoms (r = .41; P < .001); CGI (r = .57; P < .001); GAF (r = −.45; P < .001). The association between subjective and objective cognitive deficit remains significative after controlling for the clinical and functional variables, except when controlling for CGI.

The evaluation of basic symptoms with FCQ-3 is related with an objective cognitive deficit and could be useful as a screening tool.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Vaccine hesitancy is a known phenomenon predating the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is a significant factor effecting the control and spread of the COVID-19 Virus. Hesitancy of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children is studied here. Also studied is the effect of a brief motivational interviewing intervention on the parent’s decision to vaccine their child, or not. What was found was a myriad of beliefs and values in the parents, and varied reactions and outcomes in response to the motivational interviewing.

The aim of our study is to determine whether motivational interviewing techniques can be used as an effective tool to educate patients and their families about the benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 and increase vaccinations rates. In our urban community hospital-based child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic, we found a high level of vaccine hesitancy among our patient population. As motivational interviewing is an evidence-based approach to addressing ambivalence and behavior change, we sought to engage parents with this approach.

This is a quality improvement project where chart review of all pediatric patients currently enrolled in our clinic was performed to determine which patients are unvaccinated for COVID-19. Telephone contact was made to reach parents to obtain verbal consent and to deliver the intervention consisting of standardized motivational interview techniques followed by brief educational points about the vaccines. Follow up calls were made one week later to determine whether there was any change in readiness to consider vaccination on a scale from 1-10. We reached a total of 29 parents on initial outreach, and 11 parents during the follow up phase. Many were lost to follow up due to unavailability or refusal to participate further.

Parents (N = 11, 5- African American, 6- Hispanic) reported on their decision to have their child (mean age=12.2, 55% Female) receive the covid-19 vaccine. Preliminary findings show an increase in readiness on a scale from 1-10 to receive the vaccine following a one week interval post intervention (t(10)=2.096, p=.06), with the most common barriers that subjects endorsed being fear of side effects, skepticism regarding the speed at which the vaccines were developed, and wanting to allow their children to decide for themselves.

We found that there was an overall improvement in vaccine hesitancy following our intervention, though it did not cross the threshold of statistical significance. We also identified common reasons given for hesitancy within our community. Motivational interviewing is a promising intervention to address vaccine hesitancy. Further study is warranted as expanding the reach of such interventions could lead to more robust data as well as broader vaccine acceptance.

None Declared