Unmasking the Men Who Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Criminal Diversity and Sociodemographic Characteristics.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) production poses a grave and evolving threat, causing revictimization through the circulation of material for years. The availability of online technology has enabled sophisticated methods of CSAM production and police evasion. The aims of this study were to explore the sociodemographic features of those with a history of CSAM production, explore criminal sub-types of those who produce CSAM, and explore the sociodemographic and criminal features of possible sub-types.

Long-term trajectories of mental health in Australia through COVID-19: Assessing distress and quality of life in priority populations.

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted mental health, particularly in individuals with pre-existing conditions and in younger people. However, long-term mental health trajectories beyond the acute phase remain unclear. This study examined distress levels and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with mental and/or physical health conditions, and across different age groups between 2020 and 2024.

Understanding the Australian disability support sector's workforce to predict the acceptance of virtual reality hardware.

: In the disability support sector, empathy is a critical skill needed by frontline workers. Virtual Reality technology may enhance empathy. Some disability service providers have adopted Virtual Reality to advance their training practices.

Virtual sailing exercise to improve major depressive disorder: A pilot clinical trial protocol.

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and chronic psychiatric disorder associated with substantially reduced quality of life. However, current mental health management strategies- particularly for non-pharmacological interventions-to reduce this burden are limited in their efficacy. This pilot trial will, for the first time, assess if simulated sailing, combining virtual reality with recreational exercise, is a promising exercise-based therapeutic approach to reducing depression and improving the quality of life for people with MDD.

Relationships of Cognitive Function With Subsequent Device-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Healthy Individuals and Those With Bipolar Disorder: Findings From the UK Biobank.

Background: In bipolar disorder (BD), physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are prevalent and have been linked to BD's cognitive symptoms, although the directionality of these links is not clear. This proof-of-concept study examined whether cognitive function during mid- and later-life was prospectively related to physical activity and sedentary time, and whether the association differed in presence or extent between those with BD and healthy controls.

Methods: Relevant UK Biobank data were available for 646 BD participants and 18,041 psychiatrically healthy controls, aged 40-69 years at baseline.

Perception of Empathy in Mental Health Care Through Voice-Based Conversational Agent Prototypes: Experimental Study.

Background: Empathy is a critical component of effective mental health care communication. Positive perceptions of empathy in conversational agents (CAs) operating in the health care domain are therefore needed to enhance the quality of care provided by these emerging technologies. However, research on how users perceive empathy in CAs is limited, particularly in voice-based prototypes.

Machine Learning Approach to Identifying Empathy Using the Vocals of Mental Health Helpline Counselors: Algorithm Development and Validation.

Background: This research study aimed to detect the vocal features immersed in empathic counselor speech using samples of calls to a mental health helpline service.

Objective: This study aimed to produce an algorithm for the identification of empathy from these features, which could act as a training guide for counselors and conversational agents who need to transmit empathy in their vocals.

Methods: Two annotators with a psychology background and English heritage provided empathy ratings for 57 calls involving female counselors, as well as multiple short call segments within each of these calls.

Glutamate concentrations and cognitive deficits in ultra-treatment-resistant schizophrenia: An exploratory and comparative H-MRS study.

Background And Aims: Glutamate plays a crucial role in cognition, learning, and mood regulation, with studies suggesting glutamatergic dysfunction in chronic schizophrenia. This study explored glutamate levels in the occipital cortex (OCC) and cognitive function in ultra-treatment resistant schizophrenia (uTRS) compared to healthy controls.

Methods: Fifteen uTRS participants and 19 healthy controls underwent 3T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) to measure glutamate levels in the OCC.

An Exploration of Risk Factors for Further Police Contact Among Females Known for Online Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses.

Despite increases in online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) internationally, no study has examined risk factors for re-offending among females who perpetrate OCSE, resulting in limited knowledge regarding the idiosyncratic needs of this cohort. This study explored factors predictive of further police contact among 116 females known to police for OCSE offenses in Victoria, Australia. Four binary regressions were run for each of Any, Violent, and Non-Violent re-offending, with one regression each focusing on characteristics related to offending history, index offending, co-offending, and victimization.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Detect Risk of Family Violence: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Despite the implementation of prevention strategies, family violence continues to be a prevalent issue worldwide. Current strategies to reduce family violence have demonstrated mixed success and innovative approaches are needed urgently to prevent the occurrence of family violence. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into prevention strategies is gaining research attention, particularly the use of textual or voice signal data to detect individuals at risk of perpetrating family violence.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a multi-component lifestyle therapy program versus psychological therapy for managing mood disorders (HARMON-E): protocol of a randomised non-inferiority trial.

Background: Mood disorders, including unipolar and bipolar depression, contribute significantly to the global burden of disease. Psychological therapy is considered a gold standard non-pharmacological treatment for managing these conditions; however, a growing body of evidence also supports the use of lifestyle therapies for these conditions. Despite some clinical guidelines endorsing the application of lifestyle therapies as a first-line treatment for individuals with mood disorders, there is limited evidence that this recommendation has been widely adopted into routine practice.

Empathic Conversational Agent Platform Designs and Their Evaluation in the Context of Mental Health: Systematic Review.

Background: The demand for mental health (MH) services in the community continues to exceed supply. At the same time, technological developments make the use of artificial intelligence-empowered conversational agents (CAs) a real possibility to help fill this gap.

Objective: The objective of this review was to identify existing empathic CA design architectures within the MH care sector and to assess their technical performance in detecting and responding to user emotions in terms of classification accuracy.

Who benefits from digital interventions for bipolar disorder? Stage of illness characteristics as predictors of changes in quality of life.

Objectives: This study explored the potential role of stage-related variables in intervention outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). Specifically, we aimed to identify which subgroups of individuals were most likely to experience improved quality of life following digitally delivered psychosocial interventions for BD.

Methods: The study involved a secondary analysis of combined data from two randomised control trials (RCTs).

Glutamatergic neurotransmission in schizophrenia: A systematic review and quantitative synthesis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies across schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Objective: Studies using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveal substantial inconsistencies in the levels of brain glutamate, glutamine and glutamate + glutamine across schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This systematic review employs qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse the patterns and relationships between glutamatergic metabolites, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and brain regions.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using various databases with keywords including glutamate, glutamine, schizophrenia, psychosis and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Relative associations of behavioral and physiological risks for cardiometabolic disease with cognition in bipolar disorder during mid and later-life: findings from the UK biobank.

Background: Cardiometabolic disease risk factors are disproportionately prevalent in bipolar disorder (BD) and are associated with cognitive impairment. It is, however, unknown which health risk factors for cardiometabolic disease are relevant to cognition in BD. This study aimed to identify the cardiometabolic disease risk factors that are the most important correlates of cognitive impairment in BD; and to examine whether the nature of the relationships vary between mid and later life.

Design and implementation of clinical decision support systems in mental health helpline Services: A systematic review.

Background: Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) are electronic systems used to conduct assessments based on patient characteristics and to offer treatment recommendations for clinicians to consider during their decision-making processes. CDSSs are needed by mental health helpline services to optimise service delivery for clients and counsellors, while also collecting the data needed for the administration of the service. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the design and implementation of CDSSs in mental health helpline services, to identify current issues in their design and implementation, and to provide recommendations that may address any identified issues.

A systematic review of the use of in-vehicle telematics in monitoring driving behaviours.

Background: Road traffic deaths are increasing globally, and preventable driving behaviours are a significant cause of these deaths. In-vehicle telematics has been seen as technology that can improve driving behaviour. The technology has been adopted by many insurance companies to track the behaviours of their consumers.

Evidence for the factor structure of formal thought disorder: A systematic review.

Disorganised speech, or, formal thought disorder (FTD), is considered one of the core features of psychosis, yet its factor structure remains debated. This systematic review aimed to identify the core dimensions of FTD. In line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), a systematic review was conducted on the FTD factor analytic literature.

Clinical outcomes of deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Insight as a predictor of symptom changes.

Aim: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective treatment option for people with refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet our understanding of predictors of response and prognostic factors remains rudimentary, and long-term comprehensive follow-ups are lacking. We aim to investigate the efficacy of DBS therapy for OCD patients, and predictors of clinical response.

Impaired Lumbar Extensor Force Control Is Associated with Increased Lifting Knee Velocity in People with Chronic Low-Back Pain.

The ability of the lumbar extensor muscles to accurately control static and dynamic forces is important during daily activities such as lifting. Lumbar extensor force control is impaired in low-back pain patients and may therefore explain the variances in lifting kinematics. Thirty-three chronic low-back pain participants were instructed to lift weight using a self-selected technique.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and symptoms of proposed orthorexia nervosa: The contribution of assessments.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to update the literature on orthorexia nervosa (ON), a proposed diagnosis of pathologically 'healthy' eating, by critically analysing the current evidence for the relationship between ON and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Further, this paper aimed to compare the ON/OC relationship significance and strength based on when the ON measurement tool was developed.

Method: PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science databases were queried for quantitative, peer-reviewed studies recruiting adult participants, published in English up to April 2023.