Background: The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) are designed to identify quickly and differentiate between the symptoms of depression and anxiety in the non-clinical population. Different versions (original and short) were validated in many cultures. Nevertheless, there are no data of factorial validity of the different versions of this scale in Polish culture. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and internal consistency of DASS-42 (original version) and two short versions (DASS-21 items and DASS-12 items) in the Polish population.Methods: The DASS-42 was administered to a non-clinical sample, broadly representative of the general Polish adult population (n = 1,021) in terms of demographic variables. The DASS-21 and DASS-12 version used in this study comprise seven and four items from each of the following corresponding three subscales of the Polish version of DASS-42.Results: There were two models that fitted best for DASS-42: (a) modified three correlated factors (depression, anxiety, and stress) with cross-loadings and (b) second order (general factor of psychological distress) and three factors with cross-loadings. There were also two models that fitted best for DASS-21 and DASS-12: (a) modified three correlated factors (depression, anxiety, and stress) and (b) second order (general factor of psychological distress) and three factors.Conclusions: All three versions of DASS appear to have an acceptable factorial structure. However, the shorter versions (DASS-21 and DASS-12) may be more feasible to use in general medical practice and also be less burdensome to participants.

Background: Cytokines have a major impact on the neurotransmitter networks that are involved in schizophrenia pathophysiology. First Episode Psychosis (FEP) patients exhibit abnormalities in cytokines levels prior to the start of treatment. Previous studies showed that antipsychotic treatment modulates cytokines levels. The aim of this meta-analysis is to further investigate this relationship. Methods: Several online databases were searched. For meta-analysis of selected studies, we analysed variables containing the number of cases, mean and standard deviation of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, IFN-γ levels before, and after, antipsychotic treatment. Results: 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our main results demonstrate that, in FEP patients, antipsychotic treatment is related to decreased concentrations of pro-inflammatory IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and anti-inflammatory IL-4, IL-10 cytokines. On the other hand, levels of pro-inflammatory IL-2 and IL-17 remain unaffected. Conclusions: When compared with other meta-analyses of studies involving FEP individuals, results we obtained are consistent regarding decrease in IL-1β, IL-6. Comparing outcomes of our study with meta-analyses of schizophrenic subjects, in general, our results are consistent in IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2. Our meta-analysis is the only one which indicates a decrease in anti-inflammatory IL-10 in FEP patients after antipsychotic treatment.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an imaging technique that uses magnetic resonance. It measures the diffusion of water molecules in tissues, which can occur either without restriction (i.e., in an isotropic manner) or limited by some obstacles, such as cell membranes (i.e., in an anisotropic manner). Diffusion is most often measured in terms of, inter alia, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). DTI allows us to reconstruct, visualize, and evaluate certain qualities of white matter. To date, many studies have sought to associate various changes in the distribution of diffusion within the brain with mental diseases and disorders. A better understanding of white matter integrity disorders can help us recognize the causes of diseases, as well as help create objective methods of psychiatric diagnosis, identify biomarkers of mental illness, and improve pharmacotherapy. The aim of this work is to present the characteristics of DTI as well as current research on its use in schizophrenia, affective disorders, and other mental disorders.

Background: Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with significant mental burden e.g., depression and anxiety, and difficulties with social, familial, and professional functioning. To date, few studies have examined variables which would allow for a comprehensive and detailed study of the relationship between personal resources and caregiver health status, with a majority of studies focusing on factors that contribute to increased caregiver’s burden. Moreover, the available evidence fails to address differences in the functioning of formal and informal carers. Paying proper attention to the problems of nursing home staff can help identify important risk factors. Therefore, this study compared mental health problems in informal and formal caregivers and examined the relationship between mental resources and mental health problems in both groups of caregivers. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 100 formal (n = 50) and informal (n = 50) caregivers of AD patients. Personal resources were measured with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SCQ), while mental health was assessed with the Depression Assessment Questionnaire (DAQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Multivariate stepwise regression was performed separately for both investigated groups. Results: There were no significant differences between informal and formal caregivers in terms of psychological variables, i.e., sense of coherence, social support, self-efficacy, or mental health problems. In contrast, there were different significant predictors of mental health problems in both groups. Comprehensibility (SCQ) was a significant predictor of mental health problems measured by DAQ and self-efficacy (GSES) was a significant predictor of mental health problems measured by GHQ in informal caregivers. For formal caregivers, emotional support (SSQ) and comprehensibility (SCQ) were significant predictors of mental health problems measured by DAQ, while tangible support (SSQ) and meaningfulness (SCQ) were significant predictors of mental health problems measured by GHQ. Conclusions: Personal resources are significant predictors of mental health outcomes in caregivers of AD patients. Preventive actions should therefore include assessment of factors affecting caregivers’ mental health in order to provide them with necessary care and create appropriate support groups.

Verbal fluency tasks have been used as tools to measure various cognitive processes, such as executive functions, memory, and language. Sex differences in verbal fluency performance have been mostly investigated in population studies. Little of this research has focused on young adults. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of sex and task category on word production and verbal strategies (i.e., cluster size and switches) in young adults. The phonemic (letter “k”, letter “f”) and semantic (animals, fruits, sharp objects) fluency measures were used. Men and women were compared in terms of the number of produced words and the use of verbal strategies (number of switches and mean cluster size controlled for produced words). Results revealed subtle sex differences in verbal fluency in young adults. Men performed slightly better in semantic fluency, producing more words, while there were no sex differences in verbal strategies. There were also no sex differences in word production and verbal strategies in the phonemic fluency tasks. Furthermore, there were differences in the number of produced words, mean cluster sizes, and switches between semantic tasks as well as between phonemic tasks. These results can be interpreted in the context of potential differences in mental lexicon and social roles. Moreover, our results suggest that assessment of verbal strategies and overall word production may be important in the context of sex differences in verbal fluency among young adults as well as in neuropsychological diagnosis

Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling mental illness whose etiology still remains unclear. The available literature indicates that there exist white matter (WM) abnormalities in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Recent developments in modern neuroimaging methods have enabled the identification of the structure, morphology, and function of the underlying WM fibers in vivo. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing evidence about WM abnormalities in individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) with the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information PubMed (Medline) and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition databases. Of 358 relevant articles identified, 25 papers published in the years 2008–2020 were ultimately included in the review. Most of them supported the presence of subtle aberrations in WM in UHR individuals, especially in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). These alterations may therefore be considered a promising neurobiological marker for the risk of psychosis. However, due to methodological discrepancies and the relative scarcity of evidence, further investigation is called for, especially into connectome analysis in UHR patients.