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Past studies demonstrated the efficacy of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for substance use disorder (SUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV) as well as high rates of depressive symptoms in this population. However, little is known about how depressive symptoms impact treatment outcomes. The authors hypothesized that integrated CBT, but not standard drug counseling (DC), would buffer the negative effects of depressive symptoms on treatment response.

A secondary analysis of a randomized trial compared men assigned to 12 weeks of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV (n = 29) to those in DC (n = 34).

Most (60%) of the sample reported any depressive symptoms. Controlling for baseline IPV, reporting any depressive symptoms was associated with more positive cocaine screens during treatment. Among men with depressive symptoms, integrated CBT but not DC was associated with fewer positive cocaine screens. Controlling for baseline alcohol variables, integrated CBT and depressive symptoms were each associated with less aggression outside of intimate relationships (family, strangers, etc.) during treatment. For men without depressive symptoms, integrated CBT was associated with less non-IPV aggression compared to DC. Effects were not significant for other substances, IPV, or at follow-up.

This study found some evidence for differential response to CBT by depressive symptoms on cocaine and aggression at end of treatment, which did not persist three months later. Future studies should explore mechanisms of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV, including mood regulation, on depressive symptoms in real-world samples.

Integrated CBT buffered depressive symptoms’ impact on cocaine use, yet only improved non-IPV aggression in men without depressive symptoms.

Although integrated CBT’s efficacy for improving SUD and IPV has been established, moderators of treatment response have not been investigated.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects both civilian and military populations following wartime experiences. However, despite an abundance of research investigating civilian and military populations separately, much less focus has been given to synthesizing and integrating findings to describe how civilian and military war survivors are comparatively affected by PTSD. This review is broken down into three sections covering (1) risk factors associated with PTSD, (2) relationships between PTSD and mental health outcomes, and (3) protective factors that can attenuate PTSD and its effects. Each section covers findings for civilians and military personnel and highlights similarities and differences between groups.

Children experience toxic stress if there is pronounced activation of their stress-response systems, in situations in which they do not have stable caregiving. Due to their exposure to multiple poverty-related risks, African American children may be more susceptible to exposure to toxic stress. Toxic stress affects young children’s brain and neurophysiologic functioning, which leads to a wide range of deleterious health, developmental, and mental health outcomes. Given the benefits of early care and education (ECE) for African American young children, ECE may represent a compensating experience for this group of children, and promote their positive development.

This chapter depicts the burden of suicidal behavior among African American males. It describes the public health approach to preventing suicidal behavior among African American males. This approach includes assessing and describing the problem; identifying causes or risk and protective factors; developing and evaluating programs and policies; and implementing and disseminating findings and activities. The chapter provides a review of the epidemiology of fatal and non-fatal suicidal behavior; a summary of what is known about the risk and protective factors of the problem; and a descriptive analysis of the circumstances associated with suicides among young African American males is presented. Lastly, the authors give a summary of evidenced-based prevention programs which could be applied in preventing male suicidal behavior.

This paper aims to identify the risk factors that affect depression in students who sought psychological consultation during lockdown period in the health department at a university in Colombia.

The sample consisted of 33 students (12 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 21 ± 2.5 years during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Convenience sampling was used. The beck depression inventory-II instrument and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used to determine levels of depression and associated risk factors. A Google Form was designed with the respective instruments and sent along with the informed consent by email.

The results indicated that the population is characterized by presenting a level of mild (24.2%), moderate (15.2%) and severe (21.2%) depression. Concerning the levels of depression and risk factors, a significant difference was found with a history of violence (p-value = 0.000), mainly during childhood and adolescence, as well as objection to psychological therapy, belonging to a medium–high socioeconomic stratum, lack of family support and recent significant losses coupled with the lockdown because of the pandemic, which increased symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation.

This research was conducted using Google Forms, which meant that some questionnaires were incomplete. In addition, this study did not count with the full participation of patients who attended psychological consultation.

Universities should generate programs for early detection of risk factors and prevention of depression in students, which could affect academic performance, school dropout, interpersonal relationships and trigger suicidal ideation. These results can also be applied to reducing family violence, which has increased since the pandemic, by improving students' family dynamics.

Because of the scarce research on this topic in Latin America, this study contributes to mental health in this population. The university becomes a fundamental scenario in which the ability to help students develop an adequate expression of emotions, positive coping strategies and sense of life as protective factors against depression can be enhanced.

This chapter examines the role of stress and emotional well-being as critical antecedents of important outcomes in the military context. In it, we provide a framework for understanding the sources of stress among military personnel. Using this model, we review the risk factors associated with combat and deployment cycles in addition to protective factors, such as personality characteristics and social support, which mitigate the effects of stress on emotional well-being and performance. Finally, we evaluate efforts by military organizations to enhance the emotional well-being of service members through training programs designed to build resiliency.

This instant study explores the relationship between weight-based teasing and depressive symptoms in Indian college students. It further investigates the moderating effect of gratitude on depressive symptoms occurring due to weight-based teasing.

The study is theoretically based on Fredrickson's broaden-and-built theory (2001). PROCESS macro in IBM SPSS v21 was used to analyze the effect of gratitude in moderation of weight-based teasing and depressive symptoms. The study used correlation and regression analysis to assess the relationship between weight-based teasing and depressive symptoms.

The study has confirmed that weight-based teasing results in the development of depressive symptoms in Indian college students. The study has also revealed that gratitude casts a significant moderating effect on depression due to weight-based teasing, i.e. a reduction in regression weight of weight-based teasing.

This study is the first of its kind in India and will significantly add to the national literature on teasing and depression. Further, the study will help stakeholders like educators and policymakers to formulate psychological programs based on positive psychology 2.0 and gratitude to combat the rising issue of body shaming in India.

The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in the experience of somatic symptoms by domain (exhaustion, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, heart distress) between psychologically abused and non-abused older persons, and to scrutinize associations between abuse and somatic symptoms while considering other factors (e.g. social support).

The design was cross-sectional. The participants were 4,467 women/men aged 60-84 years living in seven European cities. The data were analysed using bivariate/multivariate methods.

Psychologically abused participants scored higher on all somatic symptom domains than non-abused, and thus were more affected by the symptoms. The regressions confirmed a positive association between psychological abuse and most somatic symptom domains, but other factors (e.g. depression, anxiety) were more salient. Demographics/socio-economics were positively (e.g. marriage/cohabitation) or negatively (e.g. education) associated with somatic symptoms depending on the domain. Social support and family structure “protected” the experience of somatic symptoms.

The research focused on psychological abuse. It did not incorporate other abuse types calling for further research on the effects of other abuse types on somatic symptoms. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that psychological abuse is linked to somatic symptoms, but the role of other factors (e.g. depression, anxiety, social support) is also important.

Improvements in the older person's situation regarding somatic symptoms need to consider psychological abuse, co-morbidities, social support and living conditions.

The paper reports data from the ABUEL Survey, which collected population-based data on elder abuse.

The therapeutic community (TC) is a widely used treatment approach for substance use disorders. Several psychological theories have been used to explain its processes but have put less emphasis on the specific contributions of the person’s cognitive resources. This paper aims to offer a theoretical conceptualization using the locus-of-hope theory which expounds on the person’s goal-directed thinking and how it bolsters the TC process.

This paper reviewed contemporary theoretical perspectives on TCs and studies on locus-of-hope theory to provide arguments for locus-of-hope’s utility in understanding TCs. From this review, this paper discusses a formal conceptualization of TCs using the locus-of-hope model.

In this conceptualization, the authors explained that the TC becomes a co-agent in the person’s goal-pursuit by strengthening the individual’s beliefs regarding one’s capability to develop goals together with the will and strategies to attain these important recovery goals. The person’s hopeful thinking boosts the TC protocols in a dynamic fashion.

This paper offers a locus-of-hope perspective that considers the person’s contributions in bolstering the TC process. Reflections on clinical and research implications were provided. This paper aids further in unboxing of the TC.