Library Bulletin – Journal Articles – February 2010
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MENTAL HEALTH
CERIN, Ester and LESLIE, Eva and others. Associations of multiple physical activity domains with mental well-being. Mental Health and Physical Activity Volume 2, Issue 2 - December 2009: 55-64
Abstract: Objective: Physical activity (PA) has consistent associations with mental well-being, but studies have focused primarily on leisure-time activity, and there has been little attention to the roles of other activity domains (household, occupational and transport). We examined the dose-response relationships of PA dimensions (frequency, amount and volume) with mental well-being for all four PA domains. We also assessed the interaction effects of gender, age, body weight status, and PA domains. Method: In 2003¿2004, two surveys collected data on PA, socio-demographics, height and weight, perceived neighborhood attributes, barriers to PA, and physical and mental well-being from 2194 Australian adults. Generalized linear models with restricted cubic splines identified the dose-response relationships of PA domains with mental well-being; the interactive effects of PA domains, age, gender and weight status; and the confounding effects of poor mental or physical health as barriers to PA. Results: Leisure-time PA was independently linearly related to mental well-being in most demographic groups. Stronger effects were observed for vigorous-intensity leisure-time PA. Poor health as a barrier to PA explained only a small portion of the relationships of PA with mental well-being. The magnitude and direction of the effects of household, occupational and transport PA depended on age, gender, weight status and/or participation in other PA domains. Conclusions: Individual physical capacities and characteristics, and level of discretionary choice are likely determinants of the effects of PA on mental well-being. Strategies aimed at increasing PA for mental health benefits need to take these diverse and sometimes counterintuitive effects into account.
GALLAGHER, Matthew W and LOPEZ, Shane J. Positive expectancies and mental health: Identifying the unique contributions of hope and optimism. Journal of Positive Psychology Vol 4, No 6 - November 2009: 548-556
Abstract: Contemporary theories of hope and optimism provide two explanations for how positive expectancies can shape human behavior and promote well-being. Scheier and Carver's theory of optimism focuses on generalized expectations of positive outcomes, whereas Snyder's hope theory focuses on how evaluations of personal agency can facilitate goal attainment. Although the theoretical distinctions between these constructs have previously been articulated, few studies have jointly examined the two constructs in order to determine unique effects, and some have questioned whether the constructs are truly distinct. This study therefore examines whether hope and optimism (1) are distinct latent constructs, (2) have unique effects on components of flourishing mental health, and (3) differentially relate to the components of flourishing mental health. Confirmatory factor analysis results and a bootstrapped structural equation model indicate that hope and optimism are distinct latent constructs that each uniquely predict a moderate proportion of variance of the components of well-being.
HUGHE, Carroll W and TRIVEDI, Madhukar H and others. DATE: Depressed adolescents treated with exercise: study rationale and design for a pilot study. Mental Health and Physical Activity Volume 2, Issue 2 - December 2009: 76-85
Abstract: There is an important need for non-medication interventions for depressed youth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a standardized aerobic exercise regime to treat non-medicated clinically depressed adolescents based on adherence and completion rates, including 1) establishing effect sizes for the primary outcomes including the Children's Depression Rating Scale - Revised (CDRS-R) and Actical (energy expenditure data) as well as selected secondary outcomes; (e.g., Clinical Global Improvement, depression rating scales, exercise logs, attitudes), and 2) determining whether moderate to strenuous exercise (12 kcal/kg/week [KKW]) versus a control stretching activity (<4 KKW) for 12 weeks leads to a clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms and/or improved psychosocial functioning. The challenge is to develop an exercise intervention that can motivate a typically sedentary depressed adolescent to exercise on a regular basis. The goal is to demonstrate that exercise alone can provide an important and effective non-medication intervention for adolescent depression. This paper reports on the rationale and design of a pilot study which aims to inform the design of a larger trial to evaluate the efficacy of aerobic exercise to treat adolescent depression. After describing the case for exercise within the broader context of the prevalence of adolescent depression and other treatments, the paper describes the intervention and procedures for data collection.
LEGRAND, Fabien D and MILLE, Christian R. The effects of 60 minutes of supervised weekly walking (in a single vs. 3-5 session format) on depressive symptoms among older women : findings from a pilot randomized trial. Mental Health and Physical Activity Volume 2, Issue 2 - December 2009: 71-75
Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effects of training frequency on psychological benefits resulting from a walking program among older women with subsyndromal depression. Methods: All participants were randomly assigned to a 4-week-long self-paced walking program including one (G1) or three to five (G3-5) weekly training sessions. They completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) as a measure of depressive symptoms during the intervention and one month later. Results: Using statistics for small-n designs, it appeared that, at the end of the program, a significantly greater proportion of women in G3-5 reported GDS values below the cutoff score of 10 (i.e., indicative of the absence of any depressive symptoms) compared to women in G1 (5 of 6 vs. 1 of 6; F2 = 0.48; p < .05). The GDS scores after treatment were significantly lower than baseline scores in both groups (Z = 2.20; p < .03, and Z = 1.99; p < .05 respectively), but the mean decrease of depressive symptoms was significantly larger in G3-5 (48.9%) than in G1 (22.7%). Conclusion: Breaking 60 min of weekly walking into shorter periods on 3-5 days a week appears to be more effective to alleviate depressive symptoms in older women with subsyndromal depression.
LEVIN, Kate A and CURRIE, Candace and others. Mental well-being and subjective health of 11- to 15-year-old boys and girls in Scotland, 1994-2006. European Journal of Public Health Vol 19, No 6 - December 2009: 605-610
Abstract: Promoting young people's mental well-being and reducing socioeconomic inequalities are priority areas for WHO and the Scottish Government. This article describes changes in the subjective health and mental well-being of adolescents living in Scotland between 1994 and 2006, and investigates socioeconomic inequalities in mental well-being and subjective health over time. Data from the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children surveys were analysed using Multilevel Binomial modelling. Boys and younger adolescents scored more favourably on measures of confidence, happiness, helplessness and feeling left out than girls and older adolescents. Multiple health complaints (MHC) were also more prevalent among girls than boys. Significant increases over time were observed for all mental well-being measures among girls and for all but confidence among boys. Similarly, there was a significant decrease in odds of MHC over time for both boys and girls. There were no socioeconomic inequalities in any of the five outcomes in 1998. However by 2006, socioeconomic inequalities in young people's happiness, confidence and MHC emerged, while inequalities in girls' helplessness also approached significance. Between 1998 and 2006 significant increases in socioeconomic inequalities in happiness and MHC were observed and increases in feeling left out also approached significance. Adolescent mental well-being and subjective health in Scotland is improving. However, gender differences persist and socioeconomic inequalities are emerging for some measures, suggesting that a longer term monitoring of mental well-being and subjective health in Scotland is required.
OWENS, Christabel and LLOYD-TOMLINS, Sally and others. Suicides in public places: findings from one English county. European Journal of Public Health Vol 19, No 6 - December 2009: 580-582
Abstract: Little is known about where suicides take place. We collected data from coroners' files on all suicides and undetermined deaths in one large English county from 2000 to 2004. The data show that >30% of suicides occurred in public places. A quarter of these involved jumping from a height and nearly a quarter involved car exhaust poisoning. Several sites were associated with multiple methods of suicide. Identifying and managing high-risk locations should be an important part of an overall suicide prevention strategy and is best tackled at local level.
PELLETIER, Jean-Francois and DAVIDSON, Larry and others. Citizenship and recovery for everyone : a global model of public mental health. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion Vol 11, No 4 - November 2009: 45-53
Abstract: A systematic review of the literature on health promotion as conveyed by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion yielded two major findings: health promotion and recovery in mental health have many values and features in common, and health promotion and recovery in mental health do not refer very much to one another. A global model of public mental health is therefore needed to bring recovery and health promotion together, to clarify the boundaries of mental health promotion and to promote citizenship for everyone. Inspired and adapted from the ecological approach initially developed on the basis of health promotion programs, the model introduced here addresses mainly the issue of recovery, which has been neglected recently in the literature on both public health and mental health promotion. It advocates the idea that recovery can explicitly be related to mental health promotion through the Ottawa Charter for health promotion. Many issues and sub-issues are addressed, and the global model suggests keeping track of various activities unfolding at five levels, with examples of citizen psychiatry. The uniqueness and additional contribution of this model to already existing literature are that the supranational level is a key component of an approach that would truly be global.
WRIGHT, Kim A and EVERSON-HOCK, Emma S and others. The effects of physical activity on physical and mental health among individuals with bipolar disorder: A systematic review. Mental Health and Physical Activity Volume 2, Issue 2 - December 2009: 86-94
Abstract: Problem: Despite calls for physical activity (PA) to be prescribed to individuals with Bipolar Disorder (BD) as a means of improving physical and mental health there has been no systematic review of the potential health risks and benefits of increased PA for individuals with BD. This paper presents the first such review. Method: Systematic searches of six databases were conducted from database inception until January 2009, using a range of search terms to reflect both PA and BD. Studies were subsequently considered eligible if they reported on quantitative studies investigating the effect of PA upon some aspect of physical or mental health in individuals with BD. Results: Of the 484 articles retrieved, six studies met the inclusion criteria. Discussion: Few studies have considered how PA may impact on the physical and mental health of people with BD. Nevertheless existing studies do suggest that physical activity interventions may be feasible and have a role in promoting mental health in this population. We discuss methodological, practical and ethical challenges to research in this area, and outline three research questions that future work should seek to address. Conclusions: Research into the efficacy and safety of PA as an intervention in BD is required to support the development of detailed, population-specific guidelines.