Search Results (463)

Background: Previous research has confirmed that dietary diversity is positively linked to mental health outcomes in older populations. Nevertheless, relevant evidence focusing specifically on Chinese older adults remains limited, and the internal mechanisms underlying this association I confirm. are not fully understood. Against this background, this study intended to investigate the association between dietary diversity and mental health among Chinese older individuals, explore the chain mediating roles of sleep quality and self-perceived quality of life, and further test whether gender moderates the above direct and mediating pathways. Methods: Using 2018 CLHLS data, 10,089 older adults aged 60 and above were selected as valid samples. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to determine the relationships between key variables. Hayes’ PROCESS macro Model 6 was used for baseline serial mediation analysis, and Model 85 was used for moderated serial mediation with gender as the moderator, adopting 5000 bootstrap samples. Results: The results revealed significant positive correlations (p < 0.01) between key variables, including dietary diversity, sleep quality, self-rated quality of life, and mental health. Model 6 showed that dietary diversity serves as a positive and significant predictor of mental health (B = 0.130, p < 0.001). Three significant mediating pathways were identified through which dietary diversity affects mental health: (1) sleep quality (B = 0.076, 95% CI: 0.062, 0.092), (2) self-rated quality of life (B = 0.100, 95% CI: 0.083, 0.118), and (3) sleep quality and self-rated quality of life (B = 0.020, 95% CI: 0.016, 0.025). The total mediating effect of the three pathways reached 59.94%. Model 85 found that the interaction term of dietary diversity x gender was non-significant (p > 0.05), demonstrating no statistically significant gender moderation of any pathway. Gender-stratified conditional effects revealed numerical differences across subgroups. Conclusions: Higher dietary diversity is significantly correlated with better mental health among Chinese older adults. Sleep quality and self-rated quality of life play significant roles as serial mediators in this association. Although gender does not statistically moderate the whole association mechanism, subtle gender heterogeneity exists in the pathway effect magnitude. The above findings offer novel insights into the underlying mechanisms. Strategies aimed at improving dietary diversity, combined with targeted interventions to enhance sleep quality and self-rated quality of life, with slight gender-differentiated auxiliary suggestions, may effectively promote mental health and contribute to active aging in later life. Full article

Perinatal mental illness affects up to 20% of new mothers worldwide, yet despite a growing research interest over the past decade, the etiology is still not fully understood, and clinical treatment guidelines remain inconsistent across countries and services. In this review, recent findings on neurobiological processes and evolutionary mechanisms, as they occur during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and breastfeeding, are discussed. The intention is to raise awareness of physiological changes in pregnancy that might be relevant to the differential diagnosis and clinical treatment of perinatal psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD after childbirth, bipolar relapse, postpartum psychosis, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, substance-use disorders, and suicidality. Areas addressed include the activities of the immune system, thyroid gland, cortisol, sleep and individual sensitivity to ovarian hormone fluctuations. Evolutionary biological mechanisms intended to sustain pregnancy and to ensure the survival of the newborn are assumed to have potent effects on the maternal brain. These non-pathological adaptations could provide grounds for a better understanding of risk factors and the etiology of perinatal mental illness. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) results in progressive neural degeneration that causes cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms (NCSs). While cognitive symptoms commonly prompt a formal diagnosis, NCSs also contribute significantly to disability, caregiver burden, and overall disease progression. NCSs are rooted in both physiological and psychological consequences of AD, resulting in apathy/motivation loss, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, agitation, and sleep disturbances. Despite progresses in pharmaceutical management of NCSs, variable efficacy, unwanted side effects, and lack of symptom-wide effectiveness often limit therapeutic practicality for people with AD, suggesting a need for the identification of practical adjunctive treatments. Mechanistic evidence of using music interventions as complementary treatment to manage cognitive symptoms in AD has been established, but the potential benefits for NCSs are less clear. Music interventions have the potential to adaptatively alter mechanisms underlying NCSs that span both physiological and psychological domains of symptomology. Physiologically, music has been shown to alter autonomic activity, neurotransmitter release in various brain regions, and mediate hormonal regulation. Psychologically, music interventions have been shown to enhance mechanisms related to motivation, emotional regulation, and resilience to mental stress. Behavioral and neuroimaging evidence further supports this and suggests that the mechanisms of music-induced benefits may aid in counteracting NCSs in people with AD. While the neuromechanistic rationale for music-induced benefits towards NCSs in AD is promising, findings are largely fragmented, leaving therapeutic application difficult. Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to integrate current mechanistic evidence and clinical findings for a rationale and framework for the therapeutic application of music interventions to combat NCSs in AD. Overall, evidence largely supports the use of music as an adjunctive, feasible, and non-invasive therapeutic tool to improve various aspects of NCSs in AD. The translation of mechanistic findings to therapeutic utility are further highlighted. Limitations, challenges, and future directions necessary to fully realize music benefits on NCSs in AD are also discussed with a goal of therapeutic translation. Full article

Background: Mental health problems often begin in adolescence, yet early detection and intervention remain limited. This study assesses the prevalence of psychological distress and its correlates among high-school students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and explores whether specific symptom clusters of depression, anxiety and bipolar/mania can be identified using the General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2025–2026 academic year using stratified cluster sampling. A total of 535 students aged 15–18 years completed a questionnaire containing the validated Arabic GHQ-30 and demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle items. The GHQ-30 was scored with binary 0-0-1-1 scoring (cut-off ≥ 6) to define cases of psychological distress. Item clusters were used to screen for probable depression, anxiety and bipolar/mania. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample. Associations were examined using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Overall, 70.5% of participants screened positive for psychological distress. The prevalences of probable depression, anxiety and bipolar/mania were 33.1%, 28.2% and 31.2%, respectively. In adjusted models, female gender, insufficient sleep, lack of physical activity and exposure to bullying were associated with increased odds of psychological distress; longer sleep was protective. History of mental health conditions was a strong predictor of probable depression, whereas medication use was protective. Older age and higher paternal education were protective for anxiety. Bullying was the most consistent predictor across all symptom clusters. Conclusions: Psychological distress is highly prevalent among Makkah high-school students. Key determinants include gender, sleep duration, lack of physical activity and bullying. Routine school-based mental health screening, sleep-hygiene education, anti-bullying initiatives and early referral pathways are warranted. Further research should examine and validate GHQ-30 item clusters for specific disorders. Full article

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental period for emotional health, and anxiety disorders are a major public health concern. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated with improved mental health outcomes in adults; however, evidence in adolescents remains limited. Methods: We analyzed data from 86 adolescents participating in the KLOTHO birth cohort. Dietary quality was assessed using the KIDMED index, whereas maternal adherence to the Mediterranean diet during pregnancy was evaluated using a Mediterranean diet score. Psychological outcomes included behavioral difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), anxiety symptoms (Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale), and mood-related outcomes (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire). Associations were examined using Spearman’s correlation analyses and multivariate linear regression models adjusted for sex, body mass index (BMI), sleep duration, and physical activity. Results: Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet in adolescents was inversely associated with anxiety levels in correlation analyses (ρ = −0.294, p = 0.029). However, after adjustment for sex, body mass index, sleep duration, and physical activity, the association with total anxiety score was attenuated and no longer statistically significant associated with lower anxiety levels in correlation analyses (ρ = −0.294, p = 0.029). In adjusted models, the KIDMED score was not associated with total anxiety score but was independently associated with lower scores in specific anxiety domains, including social phobia and separation anxiety. Maternal adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower overall anxiety in offspring but not with specific anxiety subdomains. Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet during adolescence is modestly associated with lower levels of specific anxiety symptoms, suggesting a modest domain-specific association between dietary patterns and emotional health. Full article

Background/Objectives: Physical activity is a cornerstone of preventive health, yet its practice often coexists with the consumption of alcoholic beverages like beer and wine. While these beverages contain bioactive compounds with potential health properties, alcohol itself carries significant risks. This systematic review aimed to synthesize and critically assess the evidence on physical activity and beer and wine consumption. Specifically, we examined their combined effects on metabolic syndrome components (body composition, blood pressure, lipids, glucose metabolism); inflammation and oxidative stress markers; mental health outcomes (cognitive function, mood, sleep); and physical performance, neuromuscular recovery, and fluid balance. Methods: Following a pre-registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD420261281945), a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus was conducted for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Included studies were randomized controlled trials or observational studies involving physically active adults (aged ≥ 18 years) who consumed beer or wine. Studies focusing solely on sedentary populations were excluded. Outcomes assessed included metabolic syndrome components, inflammation, oxidative stress, mental health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Risk of bias was evaluated using Cochrane RoB 2 for RCTs and ROBINS-I for non-randomized studies. Results: Eight studies were included. Moderate beer or wine consumption did not substantially negate the beneficial effects of exercise on cardiometabolic health, body composition, or cognitive function. Higher alcohol intake was associated with elevated blood pressure. Acute post-exercise consumption of alcoholic beer impaired rehydration and neuromuscular recovery, whereas non-alcoholic beer did not. Conclusions: Given the small number of studies and risk of bias, these findings should be interpreted with caution. In physically active populations, moderate beer or wine consumption does not clearly undermine the benefits of regular exercise on metabolic syndrome components (body composition, blood pressure, lipids, glucose metabolism). No additional benefits on inflammation or oxidative stress were observed, nor on mental health outcomes (cognitive function, mood, or sleep). However, acute post-exercise alcohol intake impairs rehydration and neuromuscular recovery, whereas non-alcoholic beer represents a safer alternative. Full article

Daylight Saving Time (DST) creates abrupt, externally imposed circadian disruptions that can impair sleep regulation, hormonal balance, cognitive performance, and emotional stability. Although these effects are known in the general population, individuals with chronic mental illness, whose circadian systems are often intrinsically dysregulated, may face increased neuropsychological consequences. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence from chronobiology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and population health to examine how DST-related circadian misalignment impacts cognitive functioning, mood regulation, suicidality risk, and symptom exacerbation across psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and psychotic disorders. Following the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) guidelines, a search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar was conducted to identify studies published from 2000–2026 examining DST, circadian rhythm disruption, neuropsychological outcomes, and chronic mental illness. Empirical, theoretical, and mechanistic studies were included to ensure comprehensive synthesis. Across conditions, DST, particularly spring forward transitions, is associated with increased sleep disturbance, impaired executive functioning, reduced attention and working memory, heightened emotional reactivity, increased depressive symptoms, elevated risk of manic episodes, and short-term increases in suicidality. Neurobiological mechanisms include altered melatonin secretion, cortisol dysregulation, Hypothalamus Pituitary Axis (HPA-axis) activation, and clock-gene desynchrony. DST may function as a modifiable negative environmental influence capable of affecting neuropsychological functioning in vulnerable populations. These findings underscore the need for clinical awareness, preventive strategies, and policy reconsiderations, including calls to eliminate seasonal time changes. Standardizing DST-related research outcomes and expanding longitudinal, multi-site studies will be essential for advancing this emerging field. Full article

Adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines (24-HMG), which integrate physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour, and sleep, may be relevant to university students’ mental health, yet evidence in this population remains limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate adherence to the 24-HMG, identify associated correlates, and examine whether meeting a greater number of guidelines was associated with more favourable mental health profiles in Spanish university students. A total of 1469 students (mean age = 21.6 ± 3.14 years; 71% women) completed validated self-report measures of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep duration, psychological distress, self-esteem, and resilience. Adherence was defined according to the Canadian adult 24-HMG, and a global adherence index (0–3) was calculated. Concurrent adherence to all three guidelines was low and varied markedly across academic fields, ranging from 22% in Sport Sciences to 1.6% in Engineering and Architecture. Women showed lower odds of meeting the physical activity recommendation and of meeting all three guidelines. Greater adherence was associated with a lower likelihood of unfavourable mental health profiles, particularly low self-esteem and low resilience. These findings suggest that adherence to the 24-HMG was low in this sample of university students and support the development of integrated, context-tailored interventions targeting movement behaviours and mental health in university settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Sleep disorders and depressive symptoms are common among college students and can negatively impact quality of life. Physical activity is recommended as a non-pharmacological approach to support sleep and mental health; however, findings regarding regular evening aerobic exercise in young adults are limited. This study aimed to examine changes in sleep quality, depressive symptoms and sleep–wake preferences among university students participating in an eight-week evening aerobic exercise program. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 51 university students who were assessed before and after an eight-week intervention. Participants engaged in 60 min of aerobic exercise three days a week in the evening (between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM). Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and morning–evening type using the Morning–Evening Questionnaire (MEQ). Results: At the end of the eight-week period, a significant improvement was observed in total PSQI scores; significant changes were also noted in the subscales of sleep onset latency, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction (p < 0.05). A significant decrease was observed in BDI scores (median: from 17 to 9; p < 0.001), and the proportion of students with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms decreased. A significant increase was also observed in MEQ scores (p < 0.001), which was found to be consistent with a shift toward an earlier sleep–wake preference. Conclusions: While these findings suggest that an eight-week evening aerobic exercise program may offer potential benefits in improving sleep quality and reducing depressive symptoms among university students, it is thought that changes in sleep–wake preferences may reflect short-term behavioral adaptation. Full article

Background: High quality pediatric sleep is shaped by multiple factors, including duration, restoration, and continuity. Multiple socio-ecological factors that are typically enforced by caregivers (e.g., bedtime routines) also determine the likelihood of attaining optimal pediatric sleep health. Consistent with the extant sleep literature on pre-pubertal children, this qualitative study targeted caregivers to identify factors influencing children’s sleep quality. Methods: Participants were recruited from Project G-SPACE, a US-based study exploring the influence of greenspace on sleep and mental health among elementary school-aged children. A racial, ethnic, and socio-economically diverse sample of caregivers (n = 21) participated in virtual semi-structured interviews about their perceptions of determinants of child sleep quality and behavior. Template-style thematic analysis was employed to synthesize the interviews. Results: Caregivers report that busy days for their children, especially characterized by high levels of physical activity, facilitate sleep continuity and good sleep quality. Sibling dynamics can be disruptive, resulting in poor sleep quality. To promote sleep health, parents employ rules regarding screentime, food/drink, and bed/wake time schedules, though the latter seems to be more flexible when children are not in school (e.g., weekends). Conclusions: Caregivers demonstrated great variability regarding implementing strategies to enhance their children’s sleep quality, suggesting that parents may be unsure of how to optimize the strategies they employ, which are most effective, or how to manage resistance from their children. Clinicians should discuss how to address these practical challenges with caregivers. Future research investigating the developmentally unique differences in determinants of sleep quality among elementary school-aged children is prudent. Full article

Background: Children and adults with disabilities are widely acknowledged to have poorer health and emotional wellbeing than their non-disabled peers, which is further compounded by less access to health services and health-promoting activities. A relatively untried solution is to mobilize community initiatives such as sports to promote better health. Method: Special Olympics (SO) is an international sports organization present in over 200 countries and jurisdictions, engaging with just under four million athletes with intellectual disabilities annually. Research on the perceptions of sports coaches around incorporating health promotion within their sports training has been scarce. Likewise, little attention has been paid to identifying athletes’ understanding of what health means to them and actions that would make them healthier. A qualitative, descriptive study was conducted with eight national SO programs involving 62 coaches and 47 athletes. Group interviews were conducted via Zoom and a thematic content analysis was made of their responses. Results: In all countries, coaches and athletes agreed that the most common needs were healthy eating, healthy weight and exercise. Good mental wellbeing and sleeping well were also named. Ideas were sought from both sets of participants regarding how coaches could assist their athletes to attain better health and the barriers they might face in doing so. Conclusions: Three main conclusions emerged. Athletes and coaches were aware of health deficits and knew of ways to reduce them. Both appreciated the contribution that coaches could make through motivating athletes and providing training activities but were dependent on suitable resources being available to them. Engagement with families and available health and social care services was essential. Health-oriented, sporting activities offer promise in improving the health and wellbeing of persons with developmental disabilities, particularly in less affluent countries with fewer health professionals and poorly developed primary care services. Full article

Objective: While the benefits of physical activity are well-documented, the internal mechanisms linking sports interest to adolescent Subjective Well-being (SWB) remain under-explored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the association between Sports Learning Interest and SWB and examining the serial mediating roles of Social Anxiety and Sleep Quality. Methods: Using a stratified random sampling method, 1764 primary and secondary students were surveyed with validated instruments, including the PSQI and the Index of Well-Being. Data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 6) to test the hypothesized chain mediation effects. Results: Sports Learning Interest significantly and positively predicted SWB. The model identified three significant indirect pathways: independent mediation by Social Anxiety, independent mediation by Sleep Quality, and a serial chain from Social Anxiety → Sleep Quality (total indirect effect = 0.18, 95% CI [0.15, 0.21]). Notably, Sleep Quality emerged as the core mediator, accounting for 29.9% of the total effect. Conclusions: Enhancing sports interest is positively associated with SWB through a “psychological-physiological” dual channel—specifically by its association with lower social anxiety and subsequently better sleep. These findings provide empirical evidence for designing school-based interventions that integrate physical education with mental health promotion. Full article

Undergraduate students often engage in nighttime activities and electronic device usage that may adversely affect sleep quality and academic performance; therefore, factors associated with sleep quality are important. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality in undergraduate students. Four hundred and five undergraduate students participated in a cross-sectional study and had no history of psychological disorders or use of medications affecting sleep. Data was collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire, electronic device usage questionnaire and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze the factors associated with poor sleep quality. Among the undergraduate students in this study, 65.93% reported having poor sleep quality. The factors associated with poor sleep quality were stress (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01–1.06) and musculoskeletal discomfort (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.23–2.99) after controlling for other variables. Undergraduate students frequently experience poor sleep quality, with stress and musculoskeletal discomfort being major contributors. These findings highlight the importance of mental health support and stress management programs in improving sleep quality and overall well-being, as well as in preventing long-term detrimental consequences for undergraduate students’ mental health, physical health and academic performance. Full article

Background: Early screening of cognitive impairment is essential for timely clinical intervention; however, conventional cognitive tests such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) rely on fixed thresholds that may not be optimal in real-world screening settings. Methods: This study developed a threshold-aware multimodal screening framework integrating MMSE item-level scores with wearable-derived sleep and physical activity lifelog data. A dataset of 174 adults was analyzed and categorized into cognitively normal (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, with MCI and dementia combined as an impaired group. A CatBoost-based binary classification model was trained using five-fold cross-validation. The optimal decision threshold was determined by maximizing balanced accuracy using out-of-fold predictions. Results: The optimized threshold (0.49) achieved an accuracy of 0.818 and a balanced accuracy of 0.728 on the validation set. The recall values were 0.885 for CN and 0.571 for the impaired group, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.676. Feature importance and stability analyses showed that variability-related sleep and activity features were consistently selected across folds. Conclusions: These findings suggest that threshold optimization combined with multimodal lifelog integration may improve the interpretability of screening decisions. Variability-based lifelog features may provide complementary information alongside MMSE, although their role remains exploratory and requires further validation in larger and longitudinal cohorts. Full article

Background/Objectives: The American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) is a tool proposed to categorize overall cardiovascular health (CVH), ranging from 0 to 100 and classifies CVH as low (<50), moderate (50–79) or high (≥80), based on the following health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure and sleep) and health factors (body mass index—BMI, lipid levels, glycemic profile and blood pressure). Although used in the general population, it is not part of the health assessment routine in the workplace. We assessed CVH of healthcare workers using an LE8-based score through a mobile application. Methods: Cross-sectional pilot study with adults working at a tertiary hospital in Brazil. We used an app for self-reporting LE8 metrics. Additionally, data on age, sex, and mental health (10-item Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-10) were collected. Results: Sixty-five adults (58.5% female; mean age 36 ± 9.01 years) were included. The mean LE8 overall score was 69.39 ± 12.63. The proportion of participants in the low, moderate and high cardiovascular health categories were 6.2%, 69.2% and 24.6%, respectively. Diet quality (34.76 ± 24.3) and physical activity (45.38 ± 40.58) were in the “low cardiovascular health” category. “Health behaviors” had a significantly lower mean score than “health factors” (58.90 ± 20.53 vs. 79.88 ± 15.55, p < 0.001). The mean PSS-10 score was 19.01 ± 7.49, indicating moderate perceived stress. Overall LE8 and PSS-10 scores were not significantly correlated (r_s = −0,0.17; p = 0.161). There was no significant difference in the mean overall LE8 score in the linear regression model adjusting for age, sex and perceived stress. Conclusions: Among employees of a Brazilian tertiary hospital, the adapted LE8 score indicated overall moderate CVH. Health behaviors—particularly diet quality and physical activity—were the main vulnerable areas. Implementation of an LE8-based assessment in the workplace may be useful for targeted prevention strategies in Brazil. Future larger and longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Full article