Psychiatry - Research Publications

Permanent URI for this collection

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Protocol for a systematic review of interventions targeting mental health, cognition or psychological well-being among individuals with long COVID
    Hawke, LD ; Brown, EE ; Rodak, T ; Rossell, S ; Ski, CF ; Strudwick, G ; Thompson, DR ; Wang, W ; Xu, D ; Castle, D (BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2022-09)
    INTRODUCTION: For some people, COVID-19 infection leads to negative health impacts that can last into the medium or long term. The long-term sequelae of COVID-19 infection, or 'long COVID', negatively affects not only physical health, but also mental health, cognition or psychological well-being. Complex, integrated interventions are recommended for long COVID, including psychological components; however, the effectiveness of such interventions has yet to be critically evaluated. This protocol describes a systematic review to be conducted of scientific literature reporting on clinical trials of interventions to promote mental health, cognition or psychological well-being among individuals with long COVID. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines will be followed. A health sciences librarian will identify the relevant literature through comprehensive systematic searches of Medline, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, medRxiv, PsyArXiv, China National Knowledge Internet and WANFANG Data databases, as well as The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, clinicaltrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Studies will be selected through a title and abstract review, followed by a full-text review using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extracted will include intervention descriptions and efficacy metrics. Data will be narratively synthesised; if the data allow, a meta-analysis will be conducted. Risk of bias assessment will be conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for systematic reviews is not required. As researchers and clinicians respond to the new clinical entity that long COVID represents, this review will synthesise a rapidly emerging evidence base describing and testing interventions to promote mental health, cognition or psychological well-being. Results will therefore be disseminated through an open-access peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations to inform research and clinical practice. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022318678.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Interventions for mental health, cognition, and psychological wellbeing in long COVID: a systematic review of registered trials
    Hawke, LD ; Nguyen, ATP ; Ski, CF ; Thompson, DR ; Ma, C ; Castle, D (CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS, 2022-10)
    BACKGROUND: Among patients diagnosed with COVID-19, a substantial proportion are experiencing ongoing symptoms for months after infection, known as 'long COVID'. Long COVID is associated with a wide range of physical and neuropsychological symptoms, including impacts on mental health, cognition, and psychological wellbeing. However, intervention research is only beginning to emerge. This systematic review synthesizes currently registered trials examining interventions for mental health, cognition, and psychological wellbeing in patients with long COVID. METHODS: Standard systematic review guidelines were followed. Trials registered in two large trial registries in 2020 to May 2022 were reviewed. Included studies were narratively synthesized by type of intervention and a risk-of-bias assessment was conducted. RESULTS: Forty-two registered trials were included, with a total target sample size of 5814 participants. These include 11 psychological interventions, five pharmacological and other medical interventions, and five evaluating herbal, nutritional, or natural supplement interventions. An additional nine trials are examining cognitive and neurorehabilitation interventions and 12 are examining physiotherapy or physical rehabilitation. Most trials are randomized, but many are feasibility trials; trials are evaluating a wide spectrum of outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: While there is a newly emerging body of research testing interventions for mental health, cognition, and psychological wellbeing in long COVID, the breadth and scope of the research remains limited. It is urgently incumbent on researchers to expand upon the intervention research currently under way, in order to generate high-quality evidence on a wide range of candidate interventions for diverse long COVID patient populations.
  • Item
    No Preview Available
    Long COVID Optimal Health Program (LC-OHP) to Enhance Psychological and Physical Health: Protocol for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial
    Al-Jabr, H ; Windle, K ; Thompson, DR ; Jenkins, ZM ; Castle, DJ ; Ski, CF (JMIR PUBLICATIONS, INC, 2022-05)
    BACKGROUND: Long COVID is a collection of symptoms that develop during or following a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, which continue for more than 12 weeks. Despite the negative impact of long COVID on people's lives and functioning, there is no validated treatment or even rehabilitation guidance. What has been recommended thus far is the adoption of holistic management approaches. The Optimal Health Program (OHP) is a brief 5-session, plus booster, psychosocial program designed to support mental and physical well-being that has been used effectively for a range of chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the feasibility and acceptability of employing an especially customized version of OHP (long COVID OHP [LC-OHP]) to improve psychological and physical health of people with long COVID. METHODS: This is a feasibility randomized controlled trial that will be running from November 2021 to February 2023. Eligible participants aged 18 years or older who are experiencing symptoms of long COVID will be identified through their secondary practitioners with recruitment to be undertaken by the research team. A total of 60 participants will be randomized into a control (usual care) or an intervention (LC-OHP) group. Outcomes will be feasibility and acceptability of the program (primary); and efficacy of the LC-OHP in improving anxiety, depression, fatigue, self-efficacy, and quality of life (secondary). Up to 20 participants will be interviewed at the end of the trial to explore their experience with the program. Quantitative data will be analyzed using SPSS, and differences between groups will be compared using inferential tests where appropriate. Qualitative data will be transcribed and thematically analyzed to identify common emerging themes. RESULTS: This is an ongoing study, which began in November 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Long COVID has a significant impact on an individual's mental and physical functioning. The LC-OHP has a potential to provide people living with long COVID with additional support and to improve self-efficacy. The findings of this study would identify the feasibility of delivering this program to this population and will provide an indication for the program's effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN38746119; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN38746119. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/36673.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    A psychosocial intervention for individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease: A feasibility randomized controlled trial
    Jenkins, ZM ; Tan, EJ ; O'Flaherty, E ; Knowles, S ; Thompson, DR ; Ski, CF ; Rossell, SL ; Coco, C ; Ierino, FL ; Gock, H ; Castle, DJ (WILEY, 2021-05)
    AIM: The current study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a psychosocial intervention, the Kidney Optimal Health Program, in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Patients with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease were randomized to either a nine-session psychosocial intervention programme or usual care. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates and programme acceptability. Participants completed assessments of depression, anxiety and psychosocial health at baseline and at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare groups on outcomes over time. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight patients were screened for eligibility; 84 consented to participant and were randomized to receive the intervention (N = 42) or usual care (N = 42). 27 (32.1%) participants withdrew prior to baseline assessment. Of those who completed the baseline assessment (N = 57), trial retention was high (75.4% at 3-month, 80.7% at 6-month and 70.2% at 12-month follow-up). Participants reported high levels of programme acceptability. The patients who completed the intervention (N = 17) demonstrated significantly decreased depression at 12-month follow-up compared to the usual care group (N = 13). CONCLUSION: The results support the feasibility of the Kidney Optimal Health Program intervention in recruitment, retention and programme acceptability with an improved screening protocol. Preliminary support is provided for improvement in depressive symptoms in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Further investigation through a fully powered randomized controlled trial is warranted.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Bridging the gap between diabetes care and mental health: perspectives of the Mental health IN DiabeteS Optimal Health Program (MINDS OHP)
    Ferrier, L ; Ski, CF ; O'Brien, C ; Jenkins, Z ; Thompson, DR ; Moore, G ; Ward, G ; Castle, DJ (BMC, 2021-05-08)
    BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are highly prevalent in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), which adversely impact physical health and quality of life. This study aimed to explore the experiences of people with T1DM who had completed the Mental health IN DiabeteS Optimal Health Program (MINDS OHP), a novel intervention developed to bridge the gap between physical and mental health care. METHOD: Participants with T1DM were invited to take part in a focus group or semi-structured interviews. Participants were recruited from outpatient and community settings. The focus group and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used and identified themes were cross-validated by researchers and member-checked by participants. RESULTS: Ten people with T1DM were included. Two key themes emerged: 'MINDS OHP experiences' and 'lived experiences of diabetes'. MINDS OHP experiences included five sub-themes: program benefits, follow-up and timing, suggested improvements, collaborative partners, and materials suitability. Lived experiences also included five sub-themes: bridging the gap between mental and physical health, support networks, stigma and shame, management intrusiveness, and adolescence and critical life points. CONCLUSIONS: The MINDS OHP for people with T1DM was generally well received, though study findings suggest a number of improvements could be made to the program, such as including family members, and consideration being given to its routine early inclusion in diabetes management, ideally in primary care.
  • Item
    No Preview Available
    Exploring the Impact of Illness Perceptions, Self-efficacy, Coping Strategies, and Psychological Distress on Quality of Life in a Post-stroke Cohort
    Minshall, C ; Ski, CF ; Apputhurai, P ; Thompson, DR ; Castle, DJ ; Jenkins, Z ; Knowles, SR (SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS, 2021-03)
    This study evaluated the mediating role of self-efficacy, coping, depression and anxiety on the relationship between illness perceptions and quality of life in stroke survivors (n = 72; 32 females; mean [SD] age 65.09 [14.14] years; male mean [SD] age 69.83 [11.81]). Illness perceptions (Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire; BIPQ), coping styles (Carver Brief-COPE scale; B-COPE), depression/anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale; GSE) and quality of life (Assessment of quality of life; AQOL-6D) were analysed. Correlation analyses showed illness perception, maladaptive coping, self-efficacy, depression and anxiety to have a significant negative relationship with quality of life. Mediation analyses showed that while maladaptive coping and self-efficacy did not mediate the relationship between illness perception and quality of life, depression and anxiety did. The final model explained 76.74% of the variance in quality of life. Although based on a relatively small sample size, these results provide evidence for the important role of psychosocial factors in quality of life in post-stroke cohorts.
  • Item
    No Preview Available
    A psychosocial intervention for stroke survivors and carers: 12-month outcomes of a randomized controlled trial
    Minshall, C ; Castle, DJ ; Thompson, DR ; Pascoe, M ; Cameron, J ; McCabe, M ; Apputhurai, P ; Knowles, SR ; Jenkins, Z ; Ski, CF (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2020-11-16)
    Background and Purpose: Stroke can have a devastating impact on the mental and physical health of stroke survivors and their carers. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel psychosocial intervention designed to improve health outcomes in both groups.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a personalized psychosocial intervention (eight 1-hour weekly sessions plus one booster) compared to usual care for adult stroke survivors and carers. Participants recruited from hospital services and community referrals completed questionnaires at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary outcomes were quality of life and self-efficacy; secondary outcomes were depressive and anxiety symptoms, coping, illness perception, work and social adjustment, carer strain, and carer satisfaction. Mixed-effect model repeated measures analysis between groups and across time was conducted.Results: Of the 173 participants recruited (89 stroke survivors; 84 carers), a total of 137 participants - 73 stroke survivors (intervention n = 42; usual care n = 31) and 64 carers (intervention n = 35; usual care n = 29) - underwent analysis up to 12 months. No statistically significant differences were found in the primary outcomes between groups over time, though a significant improvement in carer satisfaction was found at 6 months in the intervention group compared to the usual care group.Conclusion: A personalized psychosocial intervention resulted in a significant improvement in carer satisfaction at 6 months but in no other outcomes. A lack of available services and barriers to social engagement may have impeded the effectiveness of this intervention.