Psychosocial factors associated with the risk of developing psychosis in a Mexican general population sample.

Epidemiological evidence has linked an array of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors with an increased risk of developing psychosis. However, research in samples from low- and middle-income countries is still scarce. This study used a Mexican sample to explore (i) sociodemographic and psychosocial differences between individuals with and without a positive screen for Clinical High-Risk for psychosis (CHR), and (ii) sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with screening positive for CHR. The sample consisted of 822 individuals from the general population who completed an online survey. Of the participants, 17.3% (n = 142) met the CHR screening criteria. Comparisons between those who screened positive (CHR-positive group) and those who did not (Non-CHR group) showed that participants in the CHR-positive group were younger, had a lower educational level, and reported more mental health problems than the Non-CHR group. Furthermore, relative to the Non-CHR group, the CHR-positive group had a greater prevalence of medium/high risk associated with cannabis use, a higher prevalence of adverse experiences (bullying, intimate partner violence, and experiencing a violent or unexpected death of a relative or friend), as well as higher levels of childhood maltreatment, poorer family functioning, and more distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups did not differ in sex, marital/relationship status, occupation, and socio-economic status. Finally, when examined in multivariate analyses, the variables associated with screening positive for CHR were: having an unhealthy family functioning (OR = 2.75, 95%CI 1.69-4.46), a higher risk associated with cannabis use (OR = 2.75, 95%CI 1.63-4.64), a lower level of education (OR = 1.55, 95%CI 1.003-2.54), having experienced a major natural disaster (OR = 1.94, 95%CI 1.18-3.16), having experienced a violent or unexpected death of a relative or friend (OR = 1.85, 95%CI 1.22-2.81), higher levels of childhood emotional abuse (OR = 1.88, 95%CI 1.09-3.25), physical neglect (OR = 1.68, 95%CI 1.08-2.61), and physical abuse (OR = 1.66, 95%CI 1.05-2.61), and higher COVID-related distress (OR = 1.10, 95%CI 1.01-1.20). An older age was a protective factor for screening positive for CHR (OR = 0.96, 95%CI 0.92-0.99). Overall, the findings highlight the importance of examining potential psychosocial contributors to psychosis vulnerability across different sociocultural contexts to delineate risk and protective processes relevant to specific populations and better target preventive intervention efforts.

Evaluation of an Audio-Visual Novela to Improve COVID-19 Knowledge and Safe Practices Among Spanish-Speaking Individuals with Schizophrenia.

In the United States, the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected the Latinx community. Within the Latinx community, people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are more susceptible to exposure to the virus. Given their increased risk of contracting and getting sick from the virus, efforts targeting the Latinx population should focus on increasing knowledge and safe practices associated with COVID-19. We developed a 10 min animated, Spanish-language audio-visual novela designed to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding COVID-19. Latinx adults with schizophrenia (N = 100) at a community mental health center in Los Angeles were randomly assigned to watch the novela or a non-COVID video (control group). Participants completed surveys immediately before and one month after viewing the material. One month after watching the audio-visual novela, subjects endorsed a greater likelihood of seeking a COVID-19 vaccine than control subjects. No other significant differences were observed between the two conditions. The findings of this study suggest that the presentation of health information in a relevant, engaging, and appealing manner may be useful way to improving salutary health behaviors of Latinx people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Therapy Utilization Among Racially/Ethnically and Socio-Economically Diverse Autistic Children.

PURPOSE: The purpose of current study was to evaluate change in hours of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy utilization for autistic children during the year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first three months of the pandemic (crisis phase), and the following 9 months of the pandemic (mitigation phase). Additionally, this study aimed to evaluate if change in therapy utilization differed based on child race, ethnicity, and primary payer of services. Finally, we aimed to identify potential mechanisms of ABA therapy disruption by interpreting findings using an extended version of Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model. METHODS: Retrospective clinical data on client demographics and therapy utilization (n = 283) were collected from ABA clinics in California and analyzed with four piecewise growth multi-level models. RESULTS: We found that therapy utilization dropped during the first three months of the pandemic (-10.65 h/month; p < .001) and increased during the following 9 months (2.39 h/month; p < .001). Moderator analyses revelated that Asian, Non-Latinx and school-district funded children had significantly different trajectories of change in therapy utilization compared to white, non-Latinx participants and private insurance funded participants, respectively. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that utilization of ABA therapy was disrupted for a full year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and that child race/ethnicity and primary payer influenced the degree to which autistic children were impacted by service disruption. These findings have implications for autistic children who lost therapy access during key developmental periods and for the ABA care delivery system.