During the pivotal college years, mental health emerges as a paramount concern, with implications for academic success, personal growth and overall well-being.

To investigate the dynamics of mindfulness and self-compassion, exploring their roles in enhancing the mental well-being of 246 young Iranian adults in full-time university study during the academic year of 2022–2023.

Utilising standardised questionnaires and structural equation modelling, we examined the relationships between participants’ mindfulness, self-compassion and cognitive emotion regulation and their mental health.

Mindfulness, self-compassion and adaptive cognitive emotion regulation showed positive correlations with mental health. Adaptive cognitive emotion regulation emerged as a key mediator in the relationship between self-compassion and mental health (P < 0.05). However, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation showed no significant relation.

Interventions aimed at enhancing mindfulness, self-compassion and adaptive cognitive emotion regulation hold promise in improving the mental health of young adults in full-time study.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse, neglect and household challenges, have been linked to various mental health outcomes, including psychosis and bipolar symptoms. Research indicates a 57–80% increased risk of psychosis among individuals exposed to ACEs.

This study examines the relationship between ACEs and psychotic/bipolar symptoms in Kenyan adolescents, assessing resilience as a potential moderator or mediator.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Nairobi and Kiambu counties, Kenya. A total of 1972 youth, aged 14–25 years, were recruited and completed questionnaires focusing on ACEs (Trauma and Distress Scale), psychosis/bipolar symptoms (Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis screen) and resilience (Adult Resilience Measure +16). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used to assess the relationships between ACEs and psychosis/bipolar symptoms. SPSS Process macro was employed to examine the moderating/mediating role of resilience.

Emotional abuse and physical abuse were significantly associated with higher psychosis and bipolar symptoms (P < 0.001). Emotional neglect negatively impacted bipolar symptoms (P = 0.042). Resilience moderated the relationship between sexual abuse and psychosis, but not bipolar symptoms. Mediation analysis showed that resilience partially mediated the relationships between sexual abuse and both psychosis and bipolar symptoms.

ACEs, particularly emotional and physical abuse, are significant predictors of psychosis and bipolar symptoms in Kenyan youth. Resilience may play a key role in moderating and mediating these relationships, particularly in cases of sexual abuse. Developing resilience-focused interventions could help mitigate the long-term effects of ACEs on mental health.

Studies have demonstrated that high job strain and low job satisfaction can lead to depression. However, less focus has been recorded on the effects of a worker’s perceived challenges related to their qualifications.

We aimed to investigate the association between perceived professional under-challenge or overload and depressive symptoms (also stratified by gender), based on nationally representative longitudinal data, thereby adding methodological novelty to previous cross-sectional research approaches.

This study used longitudinal data from the nationally representative German Ageing Survey covering community-dwelling individuals aged 40–64 years. The analytic sample included 7487 observations from 4362 individuals, spanning 4 survey waves (2008–2017). Key variables were depressive symptoms (measured with the 15-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), perceived occupational challenge (via self-report) and relevant time-varying covariates (age, marital status, net household income, self-rated health, chronic diseases). Linear fixed-effects regressions were used to analyse longitudinal associations.

Fixed-effects regressions showed that transitions towards overload were significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms (β = 1.39, P < 0.01), while transitions towards not being sufficiently challenged showed no significant associations. When stratified by gender, similar patterns were observed for men, with significant associations between overload and increased depressive symptoms (β = 2.16, P = 0.004).

Our study indicates that changes towards job overload are linked to increased depressive symptoms in middle-aged men, emphasising the importance of managing work challenges and fostering a healthy work environment for employees’ mental health.

Work characteristics play a crucial role in the mental well-being of physicians. However, limited research in Bangladesh has explored the association between these characteristics and specific mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety and stress among physicians, particularly in relation to gender differences.

This study aimed to explore the link between various work characteristics and mental health outcomes among male and female physicians in Bangladesh.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among physicians working in various healthcare settings in Bangladesh. The data were collected online between November 2023 and January 2024 using a convenience sampling technique. Work characteristics, including job characteristics, social characteristics and organisational characteristics, were assessed using previously validated scales. Mental health, on the other hand, was measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). We performed logistic regression analyses adjusted for the covariates, and further stratified by gender, to explore potential differences in work characteristics and mental health outcomes between male and female physicians.

In our study, social characteristics were significantly inversely associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio 0.37 (0.20–0.71)), anxiety (adjusted odds ratio 0.53 (0.30–0.92)) and stress (adjusted odds ratio 0.45 (0.26–0.81)). Organisational characteristics showed a significant inverse association only with stress (adjusted odds ratio 0.42 (0.24–0.74)). Among male physicians, organisational characteristics were significantly inversely associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio 0.42 (0.19–0.90)), anxiety (adjusted odds ratio 0.44 (0.21–0.91)) and stress (adjusted odds ratio 0.42 (0.20–0.89)), while social characteristics were significantly inversely linked only to stress (adjusted odds ratio 0.43 (0.19–0.97)). By contrast, among female physicians, only social characteristics demonstrated a significant inverse association with depression (adjusted odds ratio 0.30 (0.12–0.78)).

This study highlights the importance of social characteristics as a protective factor for psychological well-being in the healthcare context. Therefore, fostering a work culture that prioritises peer support and strong interpersonal relationships can be crucial in alleviating mental health challenges among physicians.

Unhealthy eating patterns, physical inactivity and alcohol misuse are commonly reported by individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) and significantly contribute to premature mortality. People with SMI could benefit from psychoeducational interventions focused on lifestyle modification.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the LIFESTYLE programme to improve dietary habits and physical activity levels and reduce alcohol use in individuals with SMI versus controls receiving a less structured psychoeducational programme (Italian Ministry of University and Research, trial registration number: 2015C7374S).

This multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted across six Italian universities and included 401 participants diagnosed with SMI, randomly allocated to either the test group or a comparison group.

At 1-year follow-up, generalised estimating equations showed that the trial intervention boosted the likelihood of higher weekly metabolic equivalents of task (METs) expended on total activity (odds ratio 1.43, 95% CI 1.08–1.89; p < 0.01), on walking (odds ratio 1.50, 95% CI 1.18–1.90; p < 0.001) and on moderate activity (odds ratio 1.85, 95% CI 1.24–2.77; p < 0.01). Improvements in dietary habits included increased intake of fish (odds ratio 1.67, 95% CI 1.45–1.97; p < 0.05), fresh fruit (odds ratio 1.36, 95% CI 1.05–1.76; p < 0.05) and vegetables (odds ratio 1.91, 95% CI 1.56–1.96; p < 0.05), along with reduced junk food consumption (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.63–0.99; p < 0.05) and daily alcohol use (odds ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.95; p < 0.05).

The LIFESTYLE intervention proved effective in promoting healthier lifestyles among individuals with SMI, with sustained benefits at 1 year. This structured programme could be a valuable addition to routine mental healthcare.

Although timely dementia diagnosis is a global healthcare priority, delays between symptom onset and formal recognition remain common, particularly in regions with limited awareness and high stigma. Such delays are associated with worse clinical outcomes, greater caregiver burden and increased healthcare costs. We report the first large-scale study of diagnostic delays in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider Middle East and North Africa, with findings relevant to other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, given the region’s unique demographic and cultural landscape.

To investigate the duration between dementia symptom onset and formal diagnosis, and to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with prolonged delays.

We retrospectively analysed 825 patients diagnosed with dementia over 10 years at a major governmental hospital in Abu Dhabi. The duration of undiagnosed symptoms (DUS) was calculated and multivariable regression was performed, adjusting for age, gender, nationality, dementia subtype and presenting symptoms.

The mean DUS was 34.7 months (s.d. = 28.8), with a median of 24 months (interquartile range 12–48 months). Older adults (≥65 years) experienced longer delays than younger patients. Symptom profile strongly influenced DUS: patients presenting with memory complaints (forgetfulness) had the longest delays, whereas those with behavioural or psychiatric symptoms, such as agitation, hallucinations or disinhibition, were diagnosed earlier. In multivariable regression, older age and memory-related presentations remained independent predictors of longer DUS while gender, nationality and dementia subtype were not significant.

Dementia diagnosis in the UAE is delayed by nearly 3 years, driven mainly by age and presenting symptoms. Reducing these delays through public awareness campaigns, clinician training and pilot primary care screening programmes could improve patient outcomes and reduce the growing health economic burden in the region.