N-acetyl cysteine for the treatment of alcohol use disorder: study protocol for a multi-site, double-blind randomised controlled trial (NAC-AUD study).

Introduction: Current treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUD) have limited efficacy. A previous 28-day pilot trial of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) vs placebo found NAC to be feasible and safe, with evidence of improvement on some measures of alcohol consumption. Thus, the primary aim of the NAC-AUD study is to examine the therapeutic and cost-effectiveness of NAC vs placebo in improving treatment outcomes for AUD.

The relationship between 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use in young adulthood and anxiety or depressive disorders in the mid-30s: Findings from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or "Ecstasy") is the fourth-most used illicit substance globally. While previous research found links between MDMA use and mental health outcomes, the direction and nature of this relationship remain unclear. This study assessed whether MDMA use in early adulthood increases the risk of anxiety or depression in mid-30s.

Multivariable machine learning prediction of risky alcohol use in contemporary youth.

Background And Aims: Risky alcohol use in young adulthood is a significant public health concern. Understanding the predictors of risky drinking during this period is essential for prevention. This study aimed to measure the predictive accuracy of ensemble machine learning and identify the most important predictors of risky alcohol use in early adulthood.

Consultation with health professionals for mental health in Australia in 2020-2022 and changes since 2007: Findings from the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the proportions of Australians aged 16-85 years who consulted health professionals for mental health in 2020-2022, and changes since 2007.

Methods: Secondary analysis of merged data from the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing in 2020-2022 ( = 15,893) and its 2007 predecessor ( = 8841).

Results: In 2020-2022, 17.

ICD-11 PTSD, complex PTSD, and substance use disorder: Associations and clinical correlates.

Objective: Trauma- and substance-related disorders are highly comorbid. The co-occurrence of these conditions is associated with a more severe clinical profile in patients, and this remains a significant challenge for treatment providers. Previous research examining this comorbidity has focused on Fifth Edition, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in a significant lack of research examining other formulations of trauma-related disorders, in particular complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).

Exploring a diverse set of specifications related to associations between adolescent smoking, vaping, and emotional problems: a multiverse analysis.

Purpose: The epidemiological landscape of adolescent smoking, vaping, and emotional problems has drastically changed over the past two decades. Whether and why these problems co-occur remains unclear, though this understanding is crucial for global policy and prevention efforts. The nature of co-occurring problems may be influenced by different researcher decisions when defining, operationalizing, and modeling these relationships.

Optimising a digital intervention to support parents experiencing socio-economic disadvantage to improve adolescent health behaviours: Protocol for the Health4Life Parents & Teens factorial trial.

Background: Youth experiencing socio-economic disadvantage often have elevated rates of health risk behaviours. Although adolescence is a time of increasing autonomy for youth, parents continue to play a significant role in their health. Parent-based interventions can reduce barriers faced by families experiencing disadvantage and improve adolescent outcomes.

A Hierarchical Model of the Symptom-Level Structure of Psychopathology in Youth.

More comprehensive modelling of psychopathology in youth is needed to facilitate a developmentally informed expansion of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model. This study examined a symptom-level model of the structure of psychopathology in youth-most aged 11-17 years-bringing together data from large clinical, community, and representative samples ( = 18,290) and with coverage of nearly all major forms of mental disorders and related content domains (e.g.

Scientific Progress in Mapping the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development: A Systematic Scoping Review.

The development of secure relationships between children and their adult carers, across the earliest years of life, emerges within a multifaceted and complex relational ecology. Here we present findings from a systematic scoping review designed to map the extent to which the relational ecology of child-caregiver relationships across early life (from conception to age 3 years) has been studied. A first phase of the review searched for studies that used applied social network analysis (SNA) to measure the relational ecology.

Covariates in studies examining longitudinal relationships between substance use and mental health problems among youth: A meta-epidemiologic review.

Introduction: This meta-epidemiological review examines covariate selection and reporting practices in observational studies analyzing longitudinal relationships between youth substance use and mental health problems (internalizing and externalizing).

Methods: Sixty-nine studies published in high-impact journals from 2018 to 2023 were included. Studies were included if they explored prospective relationships between substance use and mental health among youth (12-25 years) and used repeated measures designs.

Amphetamine use and mental health difficulties across adolescence and young adulthood: An integrative data analysis of four Australasian cohort studies.

Background And Aims: The use of amphetamines (including amphetamine and methamphetamine) has been consistently associated with mental health difficulties; however, the direction of potential causal relationships has not yet been established. This study aimed to assess the direction relationships between illicit amphetamine use and mental health difficulties across adolescence and young adulthood.

Design: Observational study of four population-level cohorts participating in the Monitoring Illicit Substance Use (MISUse) Consortium.

Treatment rates and delays for mental and substance use disorders: results from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Aims: Prompt initial contact with a treatment provider is a critical first step in seeking help for a mental or substance use disorders (SUDs). The aim of the current study was to provide estimates of patterns and predictors of delay in making initial treatment contact based on the recently completed Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Methods: Data came a nationally representative epidemiological survey of = 15,893 Australians.

Parents' perspectives and behaviors regarding their child's access to alcohol: Variation by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood.

Background: Setting rules about alcohol use and minimizing its availability in the home are known effective parent-level strategies for reducing underage drinking risk. However, parents' restrictions and their perceptions of their child's alcohol access have rarely been considered in combination (e.g.

Adolescent behavioural intentions: Secondary outcomes from a cluster randomized controlled trial of the Health4Life school-based lifestyle modification intervention.

Intervention: Health4Life: a school-based eHealth intervention targeting multiple health behaviour change (MHBC).

Research Question: Does Health4Life impact secondary outcomes of self-reported intentions regarding six lifestyle behaviours in adolescents (alcohol use, tobacco smoking, screentime, physical activity, discretionary beverage consumption, and sleep)?

Methods: We implemented a cluster randomized controlled trial within secondary schools across three Australian states. Schools were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either the Health4Life intervention, which consisted of a six-module, web-based program and accompanying smartphone app, or an active control (standard health education).

Policy implications of the 2020-22 Australian study of mental health and wellbeing.

The objective of this paper is to summarise the policy implications of key findings from the 2020-22 Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB). We provide an analysis of policy implications of four papers in this issue of the journal from the 2020-22 NSMHWB ( = 15,893) and the 2007 NSMHWB ( = 8841). The 2020-2022 NSMHWB reported a lifetime prevalence rate of common mental disorders of 40.

Are there subgroup differences in the accuracy of 'screening' questions for mood and anxiety disorder diagnostic interviews?

Objective: To examine the impact of potential measurement bias (i.e., differential item functioning [DIF]) across sex, age, employment, location, and substance use disorders on the screening properties of epidemiological surveys that utilise screening questions when estimating prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders.

Drinking firsts at home and with parental knowledge: Racial/ethnic differences in associations with later alcohol outcomes among underage youth.

Background: Prior research has shown that early alcohol experiences, such as age of initiation and speed of progression between drinking milestones, vary across racial/ethnic groups. To inform culturally tailored prevention efforts, this longitudinal study examined racial/ethnic differences in the associations of drinking firsts at home and with parental knowledge with alcohol use outcomes among underage youth.

Methods: The study included baseline and five follow-up surveys, collected every 6 months, from California adolescents (ages 12-16 years at baseline).

Diverging trends in alcohol use and mental health in Australian adolescents: A cross-cohort comparison of trends in co-occurrence.

Background: In recent years, psychological distress in Western countries has rapidly increased among older adolescents while alcohol use has declined, though little is known about younger adolescents. It is also unclear if and how these trends relate to co-occurring alcohol use and distress. This study sought to examine temporal changes in the prevalence of distress, alcohol use, and their co-occurrence among young Australians.

Low Risk of Cardiac Complications During Long-Term Follow-Up of Opioid Dependence.

Objectives: To prospectively assess rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, syncope, and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a cohort of people with heroin dependence.

Methods: To estimate rates of QT prolongation, arrhythmia, and syncope, a subcohort (n = 130) from the Australian Treatment Outcomes Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of 615 people with heroin dependence, underwent medical history, venepuncture, and ECG at the 18- to 20-year follow-up.To estimate rates of SCD, probabilistic matching for the entire cohort was undertaken with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Death Index.