Contribution of Risk and Resilience Factors to Suicidality among Mental Health-Help-Seeking Adolescent Outpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Peer victimization is an established risk factor for youth suicidal thoughts and behavior (suicidality), yet most peer-victimized youth are not suicidal. More data are needed pertaining to factors that confer resilience to youth suicidality. AIM: To identify resilience factors for youth suicidality in a sample of N = 104 (Mean age 13.5 years, 56% female) outpatient mental health help-seeking adolescents. METHODS: Participants completed self-report questionnaires on their first outpatient visit, including the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions, a battery of risk (peer victimization and negative life events) and resilience (self-reliance, emotion regulation, close relationships and neighborhood) measures. RESULTS: 36.5% of participants screened positive for suicidality. Peer victimization was positively associated with suicidality (odds ratio [OR] = 3.84, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.95-8.62, p < 0.001), while an overall multi-dimensional measure of resilience factors was inversely associated with suicidality (OR, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.11-0.59, p = 0.002). Nevertheless, high peer victimization was found to be associated with a greater chance of suicidality across all levels of resilience (marked by non-significant peer victimization by resilience interaction, p = 0.112). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence for the protective association of resilience factors and suicidality in a psychiatric outpatient population. The findings may suggest that interventions that enhance resilience factors may mitigate suicidality risk.

Left alone outside: A prospective observational cohort study on mental health outcomes among relatives of COVID-19 hospitalized patients.

Hospitalization due to COVID-19 bears many psychological challenges. While focusing on infected patients, their relatives are being largely neglected. Here, we investigated the mental health implications of hospitalization among relatives, over a one-month course. A single center study was conducted to assess relatives of COVID-19 patients during the first month from their admission to the hospital, and elucidate risk and protective factors for mental health deterioration. Ninety-one relatives of the first patients to be hospitalized in Israel were contacted by phone and screened for anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at three time points (25-72 hours, 7-18 days, and one month). We found that anxiety and depression decreased significantly during the first month from their admission. Risk factors for deteriorated mental health at one month included feelings of mental exhaustion, financial concerns, and social disconnection. Being an ultra-orthodox was a protective factor for anxiety and depression but not for PTSS. Our findings emphasize the importance of addressing the mental health status of close relatives and adjust support for the unique setting of COVID-19.

Trajectories of post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A one-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the mental health outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The aims of the study were: (1) to examine the trajectories of anxiety, depression, and pandemic-related stress factors (PRSF) of COVID-19 hospitalized patients one-month following hospitalization; (2) to assess the presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) a month after hospitalization; (3) to identify baseline risk and protective factors that would predict PTSS one month after hospitalization. METHODS: We contacted hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n = 64) by phone, at three time-points: during the first days after admission to the hospital (T1); after ~two weeks from the beginning of hospitalization (T2), and one month after hospitalization (T3). At all time-points we assessed the levels of anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as PRSF. At T3, PTSS were assessed. RESULTS: The levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms decreased one-month following hospitalization. Moreover, higher levels of anxiety (standardized ß = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.81-1.49, p < 0.001) and depression (ß = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.63-1.31 p < 0.001) symptoms during the first week of hospitalization, feeling socially disconnected (ß = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.37-0.81 p < 0.001) and experiencing a longer hospitalization period (ß = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.03-0.47 p = 0.026) predicted higher PTSS scores a month post-hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: We identified early hospitalization risk factors for the development of PTSS one month after hospitalization that should be targeted to reduce the risk for PTSS.