Search Results (7,538)

Depression and anxiety are increasingly understood to involve systemic biological processes, where chronic stress, immune dysregulation, and vascular dysfunction converge on brain-relevant symptoms. Fermented foods are widely studied as psychobiotic candidates, yet results remain inconsistent because products vary in chemistry, viability, sodium, and biogenic amines, and trials often rely on broad symptom outcomes without exposure verification. A major gap is the lack of a reusable, mechanism-first framework that links what a product delivers to barrier, endothelial, and neurovascular target engagement. As a narrative and conceptual review rather than a systematic review, the article integrates mechanistic evidence into a conceptual framework rather than undertaking quantitative evidence synthesis. It addresses that gap by treating fermented vegetables, dairy, soy, and selected Brazilian cassava ferments and artisanal cheeses as metabolite-engineering platforms mapped onto a tri-barrier remodeling axis from gut epithelium to endothelium and platelets to the blood–brain barrier. We synthesize dosing-resolved metabolite modules, including short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan-derived indoles, bile acids, neuroactive small molecules, and peptide and exopolysaccharide fingerprints, and align them with interpretable readouts for permeability, endotoxemia proxies, endothelial activation, immunothrombosis, and epigenetic aging pace. Here we highlight how this modular framework converts heterogeneous food studies into testable exposure hypotheses, guides comparator design and phenotype stratification, and clarifies why null results can be informative. To maintain a focused scope, the review uses selected fermented-food families as representative test platforms rather than attempting a complete survey of global fermented foods. The emphasis is therefore placed on mechanisms, exposure verification, and trial-design principles that can be transferred to other products. Full article

Background/Objectives: Routine depression screening is recommended in primary care, yet depression may remain underdetected among Filipino American patients. Provider-level factors, including culturally responsive preparation, communication challenges, workflow constraints, and attitudes toward mental health screening, may influence opportunities for early identification and referral. This exploratory cross-sectional study examined provider perspectives on barriers to depression screening and mental health discussions with Filipino American patients using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) framework as an implementation-informed organizing lens. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare providers (N = 81) with experience caring for Filipino American patients in the United States. Survey items assessed provider confidence, perceived adequacy of mental health training, cultural and communication barriers, perceived stigma-related concerns, comfort discussing mental health, and interest in additional culturally responsive resources. Items from the adapted Attitudes Toward Assisting Filipino American Patients with Mental Health Symptoms (ATFA) scale and one item from the Mental Illness Clinicians’ Attitudes scale were conceptually mapped to the COM-B domains. Descriptive statistics, internal consistency estimates, and nonparametric tests were used to summarize findings and explore differences by provider characteristics. Results: Most providers recognized that Filipino cultural beliefs and customs may influence mental health help-seeking and symptom expression. Although many providers reported confidence identifying mental health symptoms, fewer reported adequate training to assess mental health concerns among Filipino American patients. Communication barriers, stigma-related concerns, and interest in additional culturally tailored resources were commonly reported. COM-B domain scores were not significantly associated with provider role or years of clinical experience. Providers who identified as Filipino reported greater perceived capability and opportunity related to initiating mental health discussions compared with non-Filipino providers. Conclusions: Findings suggest that provider motivation to address mental health concerns may be present, while capability- and opportunity-related barriers, including culturally responsive training, communication support, workflow integration, and referral resources, may remain important targets for future implementation efforts. Because this exploratory study used a modest convenience sample and an adapted measure that requires further psychometric validation, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Larger studies using validated instruments are needed to examine further provider-level determinants of culturally responsive depression screening among Filipino American patients. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh between February and May 2024. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria, which include muscle mass, grip strength, and gait speed. Polypharmacy was defined as taking 5 medications or more. Depressive symptoms were examined using the Arabic version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 with a cutoff score of >5. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the possible risk factors for sarcopenia. Results: A total of 182 participants were enrolled and analyzed in the current study. Approximately 11% (n = 20) of participants were identified as having sarcopenia based on the AWGS criteria. Individuals with sarcopenia were older, with a mean age of 68.6 years, and a higher percentage were female (75.0% vs. 41.4% in the non-sarcopenia group; p = 0.004). Compared with the non-sarcopenia group, the sarcopenia group showed a higher prevalence of polypharmacy (≥5 medications) (55% vs. 16%; p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (55% vs. 13.6%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study identified an increased prevalence of sarcopenia among the geriatric population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using the AWGS criteria. The associated risk factors for sarcopenia included older age, polypharmacy, and depressive symptoms. These associations underscore the complex systemic interplay between physical health, mental well-being, and therapeutic management in geriatric care. Routine assessment for sarcopenia should be implemented into primary healthcare protocols for the older population, along with medication review and depressive symptom screening. Full article

Background: With accelerated population aging, depressive symptoms in later life have become a major public health issue. The Chinese version of the MIND (cMIND) diet is a neuroprotective dietary pattern adapted to Chinese dietary habits. Previous studies have found that adherence to the cMIND diet is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, but the underlying statistical association patterns remain unclear. This study adopted a statistical moderated mediation framework to characterize cross-sectional associations, to examine the direct association between cMIND diet adherence and depressive symptoms, the statistical associational mediating pattern of social participation, and the exploratory moderating effect of exercise on the first segment of the statistical mediation chain. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), including 8578 adults aged 65 years and older. Cross-sectional mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using Model 4 and Model 7 of the PROCESS macro, with 5000 bootstrap resamples to test the significance of cross-sectional statistical indirect effects. Results: cMIND diet adherence was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (B = −0.414, p < 0.01). Social participation showed a statistical partial mediation pattern in this association, with the statistical indirect effect accounting for 14.02% of the total effect. Exploratory moderated mediation analysis showed that exercise moderated the first segment of the statistical mediation chain (B = 0.283, p < 0.01). The positive association between cMIND diet adherence and social participation was stronger among exercisers (simple slope = 0.635, p < 0.01) than among non-exercisers (simple slope = 0.352, p < 0.01). Correspondingly, the indirect association between cMIND diet adherence and depressive symptoms through social participation was stronger in the exercise group (indirect effect = −0.064, 95% CI [−0.079, −0.050]) than in the non-exercise group (indirect effect = −0.036, 95% CI [−0.045, −0.026]). Conclusions: Among Chinese older adults, higher adherence to the cMIND diet is significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, and this association shows a partial statistical mediation pattern linked to higher social participation. The positive association between cMIND diet adherence and social participation is more pronounced among adults who engage in regular exercise, which corresponds to a more pronounced statistical indirect association with depressive symptoms through social participation. As these findings are based on cross-sectional data and reflect only associational patterns, and given the limited effect magnitude, they provide only preliminary theoretical reference for the development of intervention strategies integrating dietary improvement and social participation promotion for late-life depressive symptoms. Full article

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with visceral obesity and chronic low-grade inflammation. However, the role of inflammatory mediators in anxiety and depressive symptoms remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate associations between body fat distribution, circulating inflammatory mediators, and affective symptoms in schizophrenia. In this cross-sectional study, 67 patients with schizophrenia were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), with anxiety (G2) and depression (G6) items analyzed separately. Body composition, including visceral fat area (VFA), percent body fat (PBF), and skeletal muscle mass (SMM), was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Serum concentrations of 38 immune mediators were determined using Multiplex technology. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of affective symptoms. Among all analyzed immune mediators, only interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) was consistently associated with adiposity measures, showing the strongest correlation with VFA (rho = 0.53; p < 0.001). Higher VFA was independently associated with greater anxiety severity (β = 0.32; p = 0.017), whereas depressive symptom severity was associated with higher PBF (β = 0.32) and younger age (β = −0.25). Visceral adiposity was associated with anxiety severity in schizophrenia and may represent a potential marker warranting further investigation. The observed association between IL-1ra and adiposity supports a potential immunometabolic link between metabolic status and affective symptoms in this population. Full article

Depressive symptoms are prevalent among college students. This study examined cross-domain associations among depressive symptom dimensions, physical activity, Big Five personality traits, and goal orientation using network analysis, latent profile analysis (LPA), multi-group network analysis, and multiple linear regression. LPA was conducted using behavioral, personality, and motivational variables only, with depressive symptom indicators excluded from class extraction. Data from 911 Chinese undergraduates were analyzed. The results showed that psychological equivalents, a cognitive-related depressive subdimension, had the highest strength centrality in the overall network, while neuroticism showed prominent positive bridge expected influence between personality traits and depression-related indicators. In the regression models, task orientation, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were negatively associated with depressive symptoms to varying degrees. MVPA and sedentary time were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in the total-sample model, whereas walking showed a subgroup-specific negative association only in the maladaptive, low-motivation, inactive profile. Three behavioral–personality–motivation profiles were identified, and the maladaptive profile showed relatively higher depressive symptom levels and stronger neuroticism-related associations. These findings provide associative, network- and profile-based evidence for understanding depressive symptoms among college students and may inform future longitudinal and intervention studies targeting behavioral–personality–motivation heterogeneity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a clinically important perinatal mental health condition affecting maternal functioning and early mother–infant interaction. Prospective studies using clinically diagnosed PPD outcomes while jointly assessing antenatal psychosocial resources and obstetric context remain limited. This study examined antenatal psychosocial and obstetric factors associated with clinically diagnosed PPD at 6 weeks postpartum. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 85 pregnant women assessed at ≥24 weeks of gestation in a tertiary university hospital. Women receiving psychiatric treatment during pregnancy or meeting DSM-5 criteria for current depressive disorder at baseline were excluded; women with elevated antenatal depressive symptom scores but no current clinical depressive disorder were retained. Antenatal depressive symptoms, perceived stress, perceived social support, psychological resilience, pain catastrophizing, and clinician–patient relational empathy were assessed using standardized measures. Obstetric and neonatal data were extracted from medical records. PPD was assessed at 6 weeks postpartum using a structured DSM-5-based psychiatric interview. Group comparisons, univariable logistic regression analyses, and an exploratory two-domain adjusted logistic regression model were performed. Results: PPD was diagnosed in 25 women (29.4%). Women who developed PPD had higher parity, more frequent maternal obstetric comorbidity, lower infant birth weight and head circumference, higher depressive symptom severity, perceived stress, and pain catastrophizing, and lower perceived social support and psychological resilience. In the exploratory adjusted model, greater perceived social support was associated with lower odds of PPD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35–0.96), whereas higher parity was associated with higher odds (aOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.17–4.28). Conclusions: Clinically diagnosed PPD was associated with antenatal psychosocial vulnerability and obstetric context. Antenatal assessment of perceived social support, parity, and broader psychosocial vulnerability indicators may help identify women requiring closer postpartum monitoring. Full article

Background: Depression-related liability is frequently accompanied by reduced physical function, yet the shared genetic architecture linking mood-related traits and physical-function decline remains incompletely characterized. Methods: We applied genomic structural equation modeling to European-ancestry GWAS summary statistics for five constituent phenotypes: depressive symptoms, depression diagnosis, grip strength, appendicular lean mass, and walking pace. A Depression–Physical Function shared genetic factor was constructed as a cross-trait genetic covariance dimension and evaluated using LDSC-based validation and leave-one-trait-out sensitivity analyses. We then performed factor GWAS, FUMA locus annotation, Bayesian fine-mapping, MAGMA gene-based analysis, transcriptome-wide association analysis, pathway enrichment, CELLECT/MAGMA cell-type specificity analysis, partitioned heritability analysis, and gsMap spatial transcriptomic mapping. Results: The shared factor showed good model fit and retained 755,397 quality-controlled variants for downstream analysis. The factor was positively genetically correlated with depression-related traits and negatively correlated with physical-function-related traits. FUMA identified 245 genome-wide significant SNPs, 44 lead SNPs, and 38 genomic risk loci, with 127 positional mapped genes. Fine-mapping prioritized one high-confidence locus. MAGMA identified 19 Bonferroni-significant genes and 326 FDR-significant genes, while TWAS identified 322 FDR-significant expression-associated genes. Integrating FUMA positional mapping, MAGMA gene-level association and TWAS expression-level association prioritized eight convergent genes: TMEM106B, CENPW, DRD2, LRFN5, NCAPG, DCAF16, SGIP1, and FAM120A. Functional enrichment highlighted postsynaptic structure, neuron spine, synaptic plasticity, and synapse organization. CELLECT/MAGMA prioritized brain non-myeloid neurons and glial populations, with additional endocrine-metabolic and immune-hematopoietic signals. Spatial transcriptomic mapping localized top signals to brain and spinal cord regions in the embryonic neuro-muscle reference. Partitioned heritability analysis showed enrichment in conserved, intronic, promoter, and chromatin-related genomic annotations. Conclusions: These findings support a shared polygenic covariance dimension linking depression-related liability with reduced physical-function-related genetic propensity. Downstream analyses prioritized candidate loci, genes, and biological contexts, with enrichment patterns consistent with neuronal, synaptic, and regulatory genomic processes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Perinatal loss is a profoundly distressing life event associated with grief, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and long-term psychosocial challenges among bereaved parents who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death. Although psychotherapeutic interventions are increasingly used to address these adverse outcomes, there is limited synthesis on how characteristics consistent with a patient-centered care perspective are reflected in such interventions and how they may relate to psychosocial well-being. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize evidence on psychotherapeutic interventions following perinatal loss and to examine patient-centered care–related dimensions reported across the included reviews, including therapeutic communication, patient engagement, therapeutic relationships, emotional validation, and meaning-making processes. Methods: An umbrella review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2019 and 2025 were identified through searches of PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to 31 May 2026. Eligible reviews examined psychotherapeutic, psychosocial, and psychological support interventions designed to improve grief, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, psychological distress, coping, and psychosocial well-being among bereaved parents following perinatal loss. In accordance with the predefined secondary exploratory objective, a secondary interpretive synthesis examined patient-centered care–related dimensions described within the included reviews. Results: Five systematic reviews and meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, bereavement counseling, psychosocial support programs, narrative interventions, supportive counseling, and digitally delivered psychological therapies. Across reviews, psychotherapeutic interventions were generally associated with beneficial effects on grief, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and broader indicators of psychosocial well-being. Communication-, support-, and engagement-related characteristics consistent with a patient-centered care perspective, including empathy, therapeutic alliance, individualized support, emotional validation, and continuity of communication, were identified through secondary interpretive synthesis as recurring features of beneficial interventions. Digital modalities, such as internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy and telephone-delivered counseling, were consistently described as supporting accessibility, engagement, and continuity of care. Conclusions: Psychotherapeutic interventions following perinatal loss appear to improve a range of psychosocial outcomes. A patient-centered care perspective may help interpret how communication, emotional validation, patient engagement, and supportive therapeutic relationships are described in relation to psychological adaptation after loss. These dimensions should be understood as interpretive characteristics identified across the included reviews rather than as directly measured mechanisms of intervention effectiveness. Future research should examine communication processes, therapeutic alliance, and patient engagement using validated measures, assess how these factors relate to intervention effectiveness, and support the development of integrated, patient-centered models of perinatal bereavement care. Full article

Background: Depression is among the most prevalent psychiatric conditions and markedly disrupts everyday functioning. Its origins are multifactorial, with biological, psychological, and contextual influences jointly shaping the course of recovery and the response to treatment. Personality has been proposed as a relatively stable factor that may reflect developmental influences on emotional and cognitive functioning and may be associated with long-term clinical outcomes in depression. The present study aimed to examine the association between implicit personality characteristics in women hospitalized for depressive disorder and their long-term psychosocial functioning, using a performance-based measure of personality (the Rorschach Inkblot Method, RIM). Subjects and Methods: At baseline (T1), 58 women hospitalized for depressive disorder completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM); Rorschach protocols were scored using the Ego Impairment Index—second revision (EII-2), a behaviorally derived index spanning perceptual accuracy, executive integrity, and social cognition. Demographic and clinical information was abstracted from medical records, and an independent rating of functioning was obtained with the Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF). Four years later (T2), patients were re-administered the BDI-II and the GAF, and major life events occurring during the follow-up interval were quantified with the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). Results: Baseline implicit personality organization showed a significant association with psychosocial functioning four years after the index hospitalization. Among the variables examined, personality structure at admission outperformed both initial depressive symptom severity and the burden of intervening life events in predicting later functional status. In particular, EII-2 accounted for an additional 10.3% of the variance (ΔR² = 0.103, p < 0.05) over and above age, chronicity, stress, and depressive symptom severity when predicting four-year GAF-rated functioning. Among the predictors examined, age was the most influential variable in the final model (β = 0.442), indicating that demographic factors carry substantial weight alongside personality functioning in shaping long-term outcomes. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the view that a patient’s personality may influence the course of recovery and suggest that personality-level factors deserve attention when planning care for this clinically complex disorder. The present results indicate that implicit cognitive–perceptual features—assessed through performance-based methods that bypass conscious self-report—may be associated with long-term psychosocial functioning in women hospitalized for depression. These findings suggest that performance-based personality assessment deserves further study as a potential prognostic aid, although replication in larger and more diverse samples is needed before clinical application. Full article

Objectives: To analyze evolutionary predictors of post-COVID syndrome (PCS). Methods: This Cohort study was conducted from April 2021 to December 2023. PCS persistence was defined as a score of ≥2 points on the post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale (range 0–4, where higher scores indicate more limitations). Symptom clusters were identified using correspondence analysis. The association between PCS persistence and symptoms and symptom clusters were assessed using multivariable analysis, considering both the acute infection period and the baseline PCS visit variables. Results: The 112 included patients showed a mean of 6.1 symptoms (standard deviation [SD] 3.2), most commonly dyspnea (67.9%), asthenia (67.0%), fatigue (57.1%), and myalgia (49.1%). Regarding baseline functional status, 59.8% scored 2 points on the PCFS; 40.2%, 3 points; and 2.6%, 4 points. Moreover, 68.7% had depression and 83.0%, anxiety. Two symptom clusters emerged: anxiety + depression + severe PCFS, and palpitations + hyporexia + dyspnea. At a mean of 12.1 months (SD 9.2), the persistence rate was 33.9% (cumulative persistence time 20 months [SD 11.9]). Persistence was significantly associated with the absence of rhinitis (odds ratio [OR] 3.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–10.52) during acute infection, and the presence of fatigue (OR 4.88, 95% CI 1.77–13.44) and depression (moderate: OR 4.28, 95% CI 1.05–17.44; severe: OR 10.31, 95% CI 2.60–40.90) at the baseline visit. The model multivariable demonstrated a good fit (likelihood ratio test 30.1, p < 0.001) and predictive capacity (area under the receiver operating curve 0.804). The anxiety + depression + severe PCFS cluster was significantly associated with persistence (OR 3.26, 95% CI 1.21–8.76; p = 0.012). Conclusions: A third of patients with PCS still experience significant functional impairment 20 months after onset. Persistence is associated with the absence of rhinitis during acute infection and with severe anxiety, depression, and functional impairment measured by the PCFS on detection of PCS. Full article

Perimenopause is a complex, multidimensional biopsychosocial transition characterized by endocrine fluctuations that interact with psychological vulnerabilities, sleep disturbances, and physical symptoms, significantly impacting women’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL). While hormonal therapies remain a viable option, there is an increasing demand for acceptable and accessible non-pharmacological interventions. This structured narrative review synthesizes recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence evaluating integrative non-pharmacological interventions for mental health and HRQoL during the menopausal transition. A structured search was performed in MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for RCTs published between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2026. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale: Nineteen RCTs met the eligibility criteria and were categorized into five domains: (i) lifestyle and structured exercise interventions, (ii) psychological, educational, and coaching-based interventions, (iii) mind–body and meditative movement interventions, (iv) acupuncture and traditional technique-based interventions, and (v) herbal and nutraceutical interventions. Overall, physical activity, Mediterranean- or DASH-oriented dietary counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), health coaching, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), yoga, and Tai Chi were associated with favorable findings for depressive and anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, insomnia, sexual functioning, and menopause-specific quality of life. Acupuncture, moxibustion, and specific nutraceuticals yielded positive but highly heterogeneous or formulation-specific outcomes. The breadth of reported effects appeared to vary according to comparator selection, with broader findings generally observed against inactive controls than against active or sham comparators. Current evidence supports integrating tailored non-pharmacological strategies within patient-centered perimenopausal care. However, substantial heterogeneity in perimenopause definitions, small sample sizes, high attrition in select trials, and a lack of long-term follow-up limit generalizable conclusions. Future research requires standardized staging, active comparative-effectiveness designs, and implementation evaluation within multidisciplinary healthcare settings. Full article

Background: Obesity and mental disorders are associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis and gut–brain axis dysfunction. This secondary analysis evaluated the effects of a 12-week weight loss program (WLP) based on a hypocaloric traditional Mexican diet (TMD) and moderate-intensity exercise on gut microbiota, body composition (BC), and metabolic parameters in Mexican adults with obesity with and without depression and anxiety symptoms. Methods: A total of 106 adults with obesity were classified based on the presence or absence of depressive and anxiety symptoms into an obesity control group without symptoms (OCG), improved symptoms (OIS), and persistent symptoms (OPS). Stool samples were analyzed by sequencing the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Longitudinal changes in serum biochemistry, BC, intestinal permeability markers, and gut microbiota were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Differential taxa were identified using linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), and associations between bacterial genera, biochemical variables, and dietary components were explored using MaAsLin 2. Results: The WLP significantly improved metabolic, inflammatory, intestinal permeability, and BC markers, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms, although participants remained in WHO grade I obesity. These improvements were accompanied by selective, group-dependent modulation of bacterial genera rather than broad microbiota restructuring. LEfSe identified 22 taxonomic biomarkers: 16 in OPS, 5 in OIS, and 1 in OCG. Conclusions: The culturally adapted WLP, which combined a hypocaloric TMD with exercise, promoted improvements in metabolism and BC in all participants, along with group-specific gut microbiota remodeling that may be associated with differential changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms in the context of persistent obesity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Depression ranks among the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide. Numerous studies have linked the C-1019G (rs6295) polymorphism in the serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor gene to increased susceptibility to depression. In this study, sociodemographic variables and clinical characteristics were integrated with targeted genotyping of the C-1019G polymorphism to identify risk factors associated with depressive symptoms in a Mexican cohort. Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from 257 volunteers (202 healthy controls, 55 with depressive symptoms). Genotyping for C-1019G was performed using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Sociodemographic variables, clinical characteristics, and genotype frequencies were analyzed relative to Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) scores. Results: BDI scores were significantly lower among males, participants aged < 40 years, unmarried individuals, and those with a high school education (p < 0.05). Females were three times more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms than males (p = 0.004; OR = 3.08). Compared with participants aged < 40 years, those aged 40–65 and >65 years were two (p = 0.026; OR = 2.19) and five times (p < 0.001; OR = 5.71) more likely to report depressive symptoms, respectively. Participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus had twice the odds of depressive symptoms (p = 0.025; OR = 2.38). Odds increased twelvefold among those with diabetes plus arterial hypertension (p < 0.001; OR = 12.25). Among males, the C/C genotype was observed exclusively in controls (p = 0.010). Furthermore, the genotypic distribution of this study population differed from that of European and Asian populations. Conclusions: These findings advance the understanding of depressive symptoms’ multifactorial etiology and may inform targeted screening and prevention strategies. Full article

Though perinatal mental health has been frequently examined in the context of maternal depression, research has minimally explored the degree to which a partner’s perinatal mental diagnosis influences perinatal mood and anxiety disorder incidence. Drawing on Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, we examine co-occurring symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety (PPD/A) and support dynamics within couples through a cross-sectional mixed-methods study. In the summer of 2024, birthing and non-birthing caregivers (n = 907) across the United States completed a survey including a modified Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and additional questions about partner support, screening, and communication. Post-survey interviews (n = 17) revealed further insight into the relational dynamics of co-occurring PPD/A symptoms among couples. Survey analyses indicated correlations between birthing and non-birthing partner experiences of PPD/A. Further, co-occurrence was associated with diminished emotional support and increased distress for birthing parents. Participants who desired more partner support or felt afraid to express their feelings had significantly higher EPDS scores. Qualitative findings reinforced these patterns, highlighting the roles of relational strain, gender norms, and lack of systemic support for perinatal mental health. Findings suggest couple-based screening practices and interventions that recognize the bidirectional emotional impact of PPD/A may hold promise for improving outcomes across the entire family system. Full article