Background: Suicide remains a leading cause of death among young adults aged 18 to 25 years. Young adults experiencing suicidal ideation (SI) are increasingly using crisis text services (CTSs), a free and accessible option for crisis intervention. Little is known about CTSs from the young adult perspective. Objective: This study aimed to characterize young adults’ experiences with and perceptions of CTSs for SI. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews, by phone, Zoom, or text, with young adults (n=39) in the United States who had a lifetime history of SI. Participants included those who had or had not engaged with CTSs for SI. Semistructured interviews were conducted from January to July 2024. The data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: We constructed 5 key themes to characterize young adults’ perceptions of and experiences with CTSs for SI. Young adults perceived CTSs as a unique component of their mental health crisis management. They appreciated CTSs’ technological features, particularly the privacy they provided and the ability to reflect on and edit responses. However, they expressed dissatisfaction with the nonspecific nature of many CTS interactions. The perceived anonymity of CTSs served multiple functions, both as a motivator for CTS use and as a potential point of vulnerability, should it be lost during a CTS interaction. Participants’ perceptions of CTSs’ impact varied; some viewed them as beneficial, whereas others reported neutral or inconsistent effects over time. Conclusions: Among young adults with SI, CTSs are a key yet imperfect resource. Quality improvement and evaluation efforts may be needed to understand how responders can better tailor responses to improve conversational quality and consistency for young adult texters.
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The Child Mind Institute Marks Fourth Year of Empowering California High School Students with Resources for a Career in Mental Health Care through its Youth Mental Health Academy
The program — in partnership with the state of California — builds a diverse pipeline of future mental health professionals through hands-on training, mentorship, and paid internships.
Los Angeles, CA – This summer, the Child Mind Institute welcomed a new class of Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA) students for the 2026–2027 program. As part of a larger partnership with the state of California, YMHA connects high school students with education, mentorship, and career development opportunities across mental health professions. Since launching in 2023, the program has trained more than 2,700 high school students — prioritizing admission within communities that are historically underrepresented across mental health professions, including BIPOC, individuals from low-income backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ youth, and students living with disabilities.
More than half of the U.S. population lives in an area with a shortage of mental health professionals and, while a third of the U.S. population is Black or Hispanic, only about 10% of mental health professionals come from those communities. By exposing a diverse group of students to the field, and providing them with real career pathways, the Child Mind Institute believes YMHA helps address this shortage and lack of culturally relevant care.
“As the need for mental health care continues to grow, the Child Mind Institute is committed to helping build a future workforce that reflects the communities it serves,” said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, president and medical director at the Child Mind Institute. “We’re proud to welcome students into this year’s academy where they’ll get an inside look at the rewarding and diverse careers available in mental health, furthering our investment in the next generation of professionals who will make a difference in the field.”
YMHA spans 14-months and includes three phases: a paid five-week Summer Academy that introduces students to mental health careers and core skills; year-round mentorship and professional development workshops; and a paid internship placement with a mental health organization.
Over 850 students from the 2025 cohort are currently participating in paid internships across more than 100 mental health partner organizations. These students will log more than 8,000 collective working hours, gaining experience at organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Children’s Institute, Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Didi Hirsch. About 76% of program graduates plan to pursue a career related to mental health.
The 2026 Summer Academy welcomed a new cohort of students in June. This phase of the program culminated in a statewide celebration on July 23, with over 400 students across five sites presenting group capstone projects. The projects synthesized the skills students acquired throughout the summer, and focused on topics that are meaningful to them and their communities. Common themes included the mental health impact of social media, identity and economic background and its relationship to mental health outcomes, and the influence of generational trauma.
About 40 additional students are participating in the Summer Academy and mentorship program through Child Mind Institute’s partnership with the Bridge Builders Foundation, a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding STEM education, mentorship, and college scholarships for youth and communities of color.
“The partnership between Bridge Builders Foundation and the Child Mind Institute’s Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA) reflects a shared commitment to improving the mental health and well-being of young people while expanding access to education and career opportunities,” said Keith Parker, deputy executive director of the Bridge Builders Foundation. “Together, we are equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship needed to become future leaders and advocates in behavioral health.”
For visuals related to the YMHA program, please follow this link. For press questions, contact cmiscience@ssmandl.com or mediaoffice@childmind.org.
About Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is the leading nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families experiencing mental health and learning disorders. Since its founding in 2009, the Child Mind Institute has become a global institution reaching millions of families each year through excellence in evidence-based clinical care, renowned educational resources and training, and science to advance the next generation of treatment.
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For press questions, contact us at childmindinstitute@ssmandl.com or mediaoffice@childmind.org.
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Understanding Sensory Phenomena in OCD
By Goi Khia Eng, PhD
This article describes the results of a 2022 Michael Jenike Young Investigator Award, an IOCDF-funded research project.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition with diverse symptom presentations. OCD is often thought of as driven by fears, such as fear of germs leading to washing, or worries about safety driving checking. However, many people with OCD also experience sensory phenomena, which are uncomfortable and aversive sensory experiences, including sensory-based physical urges. Consider someone who experiences a compelling need to tap both sides of the body the same number of times until it feels “even”, not out of fear that something bad might happen if they do not, but because of an intense urge like a persistent itch demanding relief. Sensory phenomena affect as many as 60% of individuals with OCD (Miguel et al., 2000; Shavitt et al., 2014) and can drive compulsive behaviors such as touching, tapping, repeating, evening-up or arranging objects that are performed until they feel “just right” (Ferrão et al., 2012; Katz et al., 2022).
The Science Behind Sensory Urges
Sensory-based urges in OCD (and the urges before tics in Tourette disorder) are similar to everyday urges-for-action, such as the urge to blink or scratch an itch, both in how they feel and in the brain processes involved. Like everyday urges, sensory urges are internally generated and tend to intensify when they are suppressed or delayed (Berman et al., 2012; Neuner et al., 2014). Brain imaging studies in people without mental health diagnoses show that everyday urges-for-action activate a network of brain areas involved in movement preparation, as well as physical sensations and sensations arising from within the body. This brain network involves the insula and sensorimotor regions (including the postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, supplementary motor area, and cingulate cortex) (Jackson et al., 2011; Zouki et al., 2024). Most work examining brain regions related to pathological urges has been conducted in Tourette disorder, where studies found increased activation in a similar network of brain regions a few seconds prior to the onset of tics (Bohlhalter et al., 2006; Neuner et al., 2014). Our previous work examining the urge to blink in people with OCD also found activation in similar regions when participants were told to suppress blinking (Stern et al., 2020).
Current Treatments for Sensory Phenomena Are Lacking
Although they are common and distressing, sensory phenomena are not well addressed by first-line OCD treatments, behavioral therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP), and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medication (Abramowitz et al., 2003; Stein et al., 2007). Although these treatments help many people with OCD, symptoms like sensory phenomena without a fear component may be more challenging to treat, as behavioral therapies may not be as readily applicable and medications may be less effective (Foa et al., 1999; Stein et al., 2007). Even when sensory phenomena do respond to these treatments, only about half of patients achieve full recovery, underscoring the need to develop new approaches to targeting sensory symptoms in OCD.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
TMS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that involves placing a specialized coil against the scalp, which generates a magnetic field that induces small electrical currents in the brain (Hallett, 2007). Depending on the stimulation parameters, TMS can either increase or reduce brain activity in the targeted region.
TMS offers several research and clinical advantages. It requires no surgical intervention, no needles, and no substances entering the body beyond the magnetic field itself. Individuals remain seated while the coil is positioned against the scalp using anatomical landmarks or a neuronavigation system. Aside from clicking sounds and mild scalp sensations, TMS is generally well-tolerated with minimal side effects. TMS received FDA approval for treatment-resistant depression in 2008 and for OCD in 2018; it is typically delivered in multiple sessions over several days or weeks, and has an established safety profile across multiple psychiatric applications (Cotovio et al., 2023; Rossi et al., 2021).
From Eyeblinks to Clinically Relevant Sensory Urges
Our research began by studying eyeblink suppression as a model for investigating sensory-based urges (Bragdon et al., 2023; Eng et al., 2024; Stern et al., 2020). People with OCD failed to suppress eyeblinks more than control participants when instructed to do so (Stern et al., 2020). These failures were associated with more severe sensory phenomena (Eng et al., 2024), measured using the gold-standard University of São Paulo-Sensory Phenomena Scale (USP-SPS) (Rosario et al., 2009). Importantly, greater activation in several brain regions, including the postcentral gyrus (involved in processing sensory information), was associated with both eyeblink suppression failures and more severe sensory phenomena in OCD (Eng et al., 2025).
Building on these findings, we tested whether reducing activity in the postcentral gyrus could modulate sensory urges and brain activation. In an initial pilot sample of four participants with OCD, we delivered single-session inhibitory TMS to an individualized target in the postcentral gyrus on one day (active TMS) and sham (inactive) TMS on another (Eng et al., 2025). Active TMS, compared to sham, was generally associated with reduced activity in this brain region during eyeblink suppression and lower self-reported urge to perform compulsions.
Through funding from the Michael Jenike Young Investigator Award, we expanded data collection to include 12 additional participants, for a total sample of 16. Each participant completed i) one baseline brain-imaging session, during which they performed the eyeblink suppression task while their brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ii) two single-session TMS visits on different days, at least 5 days apart. Of these two TMS visits, one visit delivered active inhibitory TMS to an individualized target in the postcentral gyrus, and the other delivered sham TMS, which followed the same procedures but without actual brain stimulation. Participants were not told which condition they received. Immediately before and after each TMS session, participants rated the strength of their urge to perform compulsions using visual analogue scales (VAS). Changes in this rating served as the primary outcome, reflecting acute changes of clinically relevant OCD urges. Immediately after TMS and completing the VAS ratings, participants performed the eyeblink suppression task in the MRI scanner.
The Innovation
To our knowledge, this is the first study to use neuromodulation to specifically target sensory-based urges and the postcentral gyrus in individuals with OCD. Our selection of the postcentral gyrus as a target region is novel and supported by evidence linking higher activation there to more eyeblink suppression failures and more severe sensory phenomena. To tailor stimulation for each participant, we did not target the exact same brain location in everyone. Instead, we used each participant’s own brain scan to identify the specific “hotspot” within the postcentral gyrus that was most active during eyeblink suppression. To lessen discomfort, we delivered TMS in quick bursts rather than using traditional repetitive protocols, so that stimulation can be completed in under a minute. Neuronavigation technology, which is essentially a GPS system for the brain, was used throughout the session to track the TMS coil’s position in real time relative to the participant’s brain to ensure precise and consistent targeting. These approaches acknowledge individual differences in brain anatomy and apply principles of personalized medicine to neuromodulation.
Study Findings
Our study results, while preliminary given the small sample size, showed encouraging patterns across multiple measures. Most importantly from a clinical perspective, participants reported greater reductions in the strength of their urge to perform OCD-related compulsions following active TMS compared to sham, suggesting that modulating activity in the postcentral gyrus may have clinical relevance. In terms of brain activation, regions of the urge network including the postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, and insula showed less activation during eyeblink suppression following active TMS compared to sham.
Notably, there was individual variability in response. Some participants showed substantial decreases in the strength of their urge to perform compulsions following active TMS compared to sham, while others showed smaller decreases or minimal change. We found that participants who reported greater reduction in their urge to perform compulsions after active TMS (compared to sham) showed greater decreases in brain activity in regions associated with urges-for-action (including the postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, supplementary motor area, and insula), as well as regions involved in cognition and emotional processing, and reduced connectivity between the postcentral gyrus TMS target and these regions.
Conclusion and study implications
This proof-of-concept investigation represents an important step toward addressing a significant unmet clinical need. By demonstrating that modulating activity in the postcentral gyrus was associated with changes in both the urge to perform compulsions and underlying brain circuitry (with notable individual variability), we established a foundation for developing targeted neuromodulation approaches for sensory-based urges in OCD. These findings are promising and worthy of replication in a larger sample.
Although this study examined only short-term effects, these mechanistic findings will inform future clinical trials employing repeated (multi-week) sessions of individualized TMS to achieve longer-term modulation of sensory phenomena in OCD. Beyond TMS, the insights gained from this work are also guiding our exploration of other cutting-edge non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as low-intensity focused ultrasound, which can reach deeper brain structures and may ultimately expand treatment options for individuals with sensory phenomena.
About the Author
Goi Khia Eng, PhD, is a Research Scientist at Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. Her current research involves understanding the neural underpinnings of sensory phenomena in OCD and she aims to utilize non-invasive stimulation methods to elucidate the pathophysiology of these processes.
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RutiSafeNet: a behavioral risk and nursing workload monitoring tool for open-door acute inpatient mental health units
IntroductionOpen-door policies for acute inpatient mental health units (AIMHU) have shown promising results in reducing coercive measures, but concerns remain among patients and staff regarding increased workload, constant surveillance, and potential safety risks associated with these policies. This study aims to develop a monitoring tool to facilitate safety management in AIMHUs by monitoring behavioral risks and nursing workload.MethodsThis study employed a qualitative approach using the content analysis method. Data were collected through three in-depth interviews and two focus groups involving staff (n=19) from the AIMHU of the hospital.Results34 items were identified to define behavioral risks related to self-harm and suicide, aggressiveness, and absconding, alongside factors affecting nursing workload. These items were categorized into three levels of risk: low, moderate, and high.DiscussionRutiSafeNet is a preliminary, observation-based monitoring prototype intended to support, rather than to predict, structured risk and workload monitoring in acute inpatient mental health units. As a qualitatively developed instrument, it requires psychometric validation, including inter-rater reliability, construct and criterion validity, predictive value, and clinical feasibility, before it can be implemented as a validated scale in clinical practice.
Path and Bayesian network analyses in the complex design of a well-being survey via New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure
IntroductionIn mental health research involved with sensitive features and privacy issues, using integrated data offers an efficient alternative to traditional approaches such as interviews or in−person data collection. These conventional methods frequently face logistical barriers, including low response rates among study populations. Using integrated data from multiple existing administrative and survey sources provides protection for participants and economic savings for researchers, despite being constrained by the limitations of the original data sources. Our research questions were: 1) Can we conduct path and network analyses of school absenteeism, psychosocial factors, and mental health outcomes using the integrated survey data from New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI)? and 2) How can we account for the complex design of the General Social Survey (GSS) to ensure representative inference?Materials and methodsThe study population was New Zealand youth enrolled in school, aged 15 years and older in 2018, who participated in the 2018 GSS. The study analyzed the Ministry of Education data integrated with the 2018 GSS survey data from New Zealand’s IDI. To explore the relationship between outcomes of including the WHO-5, “perceived life worthwhileness”, “perceived general health”, and predictors including school absenteeism, psychosocial factors, and family factors, quantile mixed−effects regression, path analysis, and Bayesian network (BN) analysis were used. The complex survey design was calibrated using replicated weights from the GSS, a design-based method for complex sampling, in path and regression analyses, and bootstrap resampling, in BN analysis.ResultsIn descending order from the weighted path model, overall life satisfaction (standardized path coefficient: 0.36), perceived health condition (0.34), ease in accepting cultural identity (0.12), and trust in the education system (0.07) were all significantly (positively) related to students’ mental health well-being (WHO-5). Perceived life worthwhileness correlated with the WHO-5 but was only connected to overall life satisfaction. Similar factors were identified for perceived health, with additional attributing factors, such as fear of crime in the area and the family’s overall well-being.ConclusionThe integration of Bayesian networks and path analysis offers rigorous methods for detecting complex interrelationships among integrated mental health outcomes from population data and variables from a complex survey design.
The relationship between trait mindfulness and psychotic-like experiences in a brief AI-generated music listening context: the roles of presence, perceived interactivity, and emotional arousal
Background and objectiveWithin the interdisciplinary field of cyberpsychology and mental health, trait mindfulness has been associated with lower levels of subclinical anomalous symptoms, such as Psychotic-Like Experiences (PLEs), has gained increasing attention. However, in the context of daily digital human-computer interactions (e.g., listening to AI-generated music), the specific pathways through which Mindfulness operates (the involvement with Presence and Perceived Interactivity) and the boundary conditions of physiological arousal, remain to be clarified. This study aims to explore the direct predictive relationship between mindfulness and individuals’ PLEs, and to investigate the multipath effect of brief AI-generated music listening context (with Presence and Perceived Interactivity), along with the moderating effect of Arousal.MethodsWith a cross-sectional survey design, self-reported multimodal data were collected from 527 Chinese participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using Mplus 8.3 to empirically test the main effects (path coefficients) of the theoretical hypotheses and the moderation model.ResultsBoth the measurement and structural models demonstrated good fit. The path analysis results indicated that: (1) trait trait mindfulness was significantly and negatively associated with PLEs (p < 0.001); (2) regarding the main effect paths of brief AI-generated music listening context, mindfulness significantly and positively predict individuals’ Presence and Perceived Interactivity, while both significantly and negatively predict PLEs; (3) Arousal played a significant moderating role in the relationship between mindfulness and brief AI-generated music listening context, exhibiting a synergistic enhancement effect. Higher levels of Arousal significantly amplified the positive prediction of Mindfulness on both Presence and Perceived Interactivity (p < 0.01).ConclusionsWith the help the SEM, this study maps out the underlying multipath network through which mindfulness is associated with lower PLEs within a brief AI-generated music listening context. The observed associations suggest that presence and perceived interactivity may function as pivotal correlational nodes relevant to mental health correlates, while these results also nuance classic cognitive load assumptions by indicating a potential synergistic association between trait mindfulness and emotional arousal. These results provide a solid empirical foundation and prospective insights, for the mental health-oriented design of AI music products, such as the immersive acoustic environment construction and dynamic, arousal-based interaction recommendations.
Structuring Digital Mental Health Care Navigation: Co-Design Nominal Group Technique Study to Develop the MChart Definition and Typology of the Characteristics of Digital Mental Health Care Navigation Tools
<strong>Background:</strong> Australia’s mental health care system has been characterized by complexity and fragmentation, as highlighted by numerous reports, commissions, and inquiries. In response, digital mental health care navigation tools have emerged as a promising solution to help individuals locate appropriate mental health services. The rapid proliferation of these tools—without a clear understanding of their definitions and characteristics—risks creating confusion rather than clarity for users. Terms such as “navigation” and “navigators” are often used interchangeably, further complicating the landscape. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study addressed the need for a standardized definition and typology of the characteristics of digital mental health care navigation tools. <strong>Methods:</strong> This study was part of the development of a digital mental health care navigation tool for navigators and planners (MChart). It used a co-design approach using expert-based cooperative analysis, which is a nominal group technique to develop a definition and typology of the characteristics of digital mental health care navigation tools. This process was guided by the Technology Readiness Level for Implementation Sciences framework. The co-design process involved two 2-hour sessions with an expert panel comprising 28 participants, including representatives from mental health planning, primary health care, health care financing and delivery, community-managed organizations, clinical settings (psychiatrists, psychologists, and general practitioners), and consumers. <strong>Results:</strong> The expert panel collaboratively developed a consensus definition of digital mental health care navigation tools, outlining their scope and intended targets. Through the co-design process, the panel identified 157 characteristics of digital mental health care navigation tools. These characteristics were organized into 5 primary domains: type, management, content, design, and quality. The definition and typology characteristics provide a structured framework for understanding and evaluating the diverse range of digital mental health care navigation tools currently available. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> The co-designed definition and typology offer a foundational step toward reducing confusion in the digital mental health care navigation space. This study supports the development of quality standards that can be used to assess and compare existing and future tools. This framework has the potential to guide developers, end users, and policymakers in creating more effective, user-centered navigation solutions within Australia’s mental health care system and internationally.
Mobility Patterns and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Observational Study Using Smartphone Mobility Data
<strong>Background:</strong> The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted mobility globally, but its mental health implications remain difficult to characterize because most studies relied on lockdown status, population-level mobility indicators, or self-reported mobility. These approaches may miss individual differences in actual movement patterns and cannot fully examine bidirectional relationships between mobility and mental health. Individual-level smartphone geolocation data may provide a more objective and temporally aligned measure of mobility during periods of societal disruption. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to use individual-level Google location history (GLH) data and population-level Google community mobility reports (GCMRs) to examine concurrent and longitudinal relationships between pandemic-era mobility patterns and mental health symptoms in Hong Kong. <strong>Methods:</strong> This study analyzed data from the CU-COVID19 cohort study, an online longitudinal survey study of the psychological impact of the pandemic in Hong Kong. Mental health symptoms over the previous 14 days were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, and the 4-item PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Participants provided retrospective GLH data reflecting their mobility during the corresponding 14-day survey periods. The analytic sample included 145 participants with baseline GLH data, of whom 110 had 6-month follow-up data and 49 had data available at all 3 assessment waves. GLH data were used to derive mobility factors representing journey diversity, immobility, and remoteness. Population-level mobility during the same 14-day periods was measured using Hong Kong GCMR residential stay data. Concurrent mediation models examined whether individual mobility mediated associations between population-level residential stay and mental health symptoms. Longitudinal models examined bidirectional associations between changes in individual mobility and mental health across 6-month intervals. <strong>Results:</strong> Population-level residential stay was not directly associated with mental health. In concurrent mediation models, higher population-level residential stay was associated with lower individual journey diversity (β=–0.36; <i>P</i><.001), and lower journey diversity was associated with higher depression (β=–0.29; <i>P</i>=.02) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (β=–0.35; <i>P</i>=.002). Bootstrapped indirect effects suggested mediation through journey diversity for depressive symptoms (β=0.11, 95% CI 0.02-0.25) and PTSD symptoms (β=0.13, 95% CI 0.05-0.27), although the depression-related indirect effect became less robust after adjustment for local and individual COVID-19 infection indicators. Longitudinally, higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted subsequent reductions in journey diversity (β=–0.15; <i>P</i>=.02), and reductions in journey diversity predicted higher subsequent depressive symptoms (β=–0.43; <i>P</i>=.008). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Individual-level mobility patterns, particularly lower journey diversity, showed more consistent associations with mental health symptoms than population-level residential stay. Findings suggest bidirectional relationships between mobility and mental health and demonstrate the potential of smartphone geolocation data for digital phenotyping. However, the modest and self-selected sample, limited GCMR availability, and observational design require cautious interpretation.
Historical trauma as a contributor to postpartum depression among Indigenous mothers
IntroductionPostpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern. Moreover, research suggests that American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) mothers experience postpartum depression at higher rates than the general population (Heck, 2021; Ko et al., 2017). As a result, understanding the potential causes of higher PPD among AI/AN mothers is helpful to the development of better interventions to reduce PPD among AI/AN mothers. A potential cause of higher PPD symptoms among AI/AN mothers is historical trauma (HT). HT refers to the cumulative psychological wounding experienced across generations due to systemic oppression, colonization, slavery, and other traumatic events experienced by a group of individuals.MethodsTo test the theorized relationships between HT and PPD symptoms, we conducted an online survey of adult women who both identified as Indigenous and who give birth in the past five years (N = 56). The survey consisted of the psychometrically suitable measures of the Historical Loss Scale (HLS: Whitbeck at al, 2004) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox et al., 1987). .ResultsThe results indicated that a model of HLS scores as a predictor of PPD symptoms over and above the controls of income, mental health diagnosis, and the total number of children of the birth mother fit the data well (χ2 = 13.60; df = 10; p = .192; RMSEA = .081 [90% CI: .000, .178]; CFI = .949). Moreover, of all the predictors, the dimension of the HLS measuring mothers’ endorsement of the presence of oppressive governmental and institutional policies toward AI/AN was the strongest predictor of greater PPD (β = .28, p < .05). A Bollen Stine bootstrap test was also used to confirm the stability of the model. The Bollen Stine operates by comparing the theorized model to a model that perfectly fits the data. The results of the Bollen Stine test indicated that the theorized model was not significantly different than a model of perfect fit. .DiscussionSuch results suggest that a potential explanation of higher PPD symptoms among AI/AN mothers is the effects of HT. Future interventions to reduce PPD symptoms among AI/AN mothers may benefit from an additional focus on treating HT.
Resting-state functional connectivity of the sensorimotor network in medication-naïve Chinese children with ADHD: cross-sectional associations with hyperactivity/impulsivity and executive function
BackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, often—but not always—characterized by inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and deficits in executive functions (EFs); some individuals may also exhibit sensorimotor dysfunction. While SMN dysfunction has been implicated in ADHD, the patterns of SMN functional connectivity (FC) and their relationships with clinical symptoms and EFs remain inconsistent, partly due to methodological heterogeneity.MethodsThe study included 62 medication-naïve patients with ADHD (aged 6–15 years) and 46 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and IQ. Clinical symptoms and EFs were assessed using CPRS, IVA-CPT, and Stroop tests. Resting-state fMRI data were acquired, and ROIs within SMN, SN, DMN, and FPN were selected from the Dosenbach atlas. FC was analyzed using Network-Based Statistics (NBS). Partial correlations explored FC–behavior relationships in the ADHD group, controlling for age, sex, and IQ.ResultsThe ADHD group showed significantly higher CPRS hyperactivity/impulsivity scores and poorer IVA-CPT and Stroop performance. Compared to controls, ADHD showed increased FC within SMN (right posterior insula to left precentral gyrus/parietal lobe), between SMN–DMN (precentral gyrus, dorsal frontal cortex, temporal lobe, angular gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus), and SMN–SN (middle insula, superior parietal lobule, superior temporal gyrus, basal ganglia, and fusiform gyrus). Enhanced intra-SMN FC was negatively correlated with impulsivity/hyperactivity and hyperactivity index scores. Enhanced SMN–DMN FC was negatively correlated with hyperactivity symptoms and positively correlated with control quotients in IVA-CPT. Enhanced SMN–SN FC was negatively correlated with Stroop correct responses and positively correlated with omission errors.ConclusionsIn this medication-naïve pediatric sample, distinct SMN connectivity patterns differentially related to ADHD symptoms and executive function. However, given the cross-sectional design and modest sample size, these associations cannot establish causality; they require replication in longitudinal studies and larger cohorts to clarify whether they reflect developmental variation, neurobiological subtypes, or epiphenomena.