Prolonged war-related adversity places Ukrainian university students at heightened risk of psychological distress. Scalable, low-intensity interventions such as WHO Self-Help Plus (SH+) show promise, yet evidence of their implementation and short-term effectiveness during active conflict is limited.

A multicenter longitudinal study was conducted across five universities. Students with mild-to-moderate distress (PSS-10) joined a 5-week offline Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based SH+ course led by trained non-specialist facilitators. Outcomes included psychological distress (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5), well-being (WHO-5), daily functioning (WHODAS 2.0), and resilience (CD-RISC-10), assessed at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and 3-month follow-up (T3). Analyses used non-parametric longitudinal tests on 297 completers.

SH+ participation significantly reduced perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress from T1 to T2. Well-being and daily functioning improved, with all gains sustained at T3. Resilience remained stable. Implementation barriers included security threats, power outages, and exam overlaps, contributing to attrition.

WHO SH+ is an effective, scalable first-line psychosocial intervention for university students in wartime. It alleviates distress, enhances functioning, and maintains benefits over 3 months. SH+ can be rapidly deployed by non-specialists within stepped-care university frameworks during humanitarian crises. Flexible delivery and alignment with academic schedules are essential to overcome conflict-driven barriers.

End-of-life care for persons living with dementia in home hospice relies heavily on coordination between family care partners (FCPs) and clinicians (e.g., hospice social workers and nurses). FCPs and clinicians have reported support and knowledge gaps in end-of-life dementia care. Interventions are needed to improve FCPs’ support and clinicians’ educational gaps.

A pilot randomized controlled trial was designed to examine implementation outcomes for a dementia-focused end-of-life intervention for FCPs (n = 37) and clinicians (n = 15). Data on survey completion and acceptability were collected at baseline, during 4 follow-up visits, and at the conclusion of the study.

Twenty-eight (75%) caregivers completed the post-study survey, and 10 (27%) reported using the structured worksheet. Thirteen (87%) clinicians completed the post-training survey, 8 (53%) completed the post-study survey, and 8 (100%) used the worksheet. Clinicians (n = 8) were satisfied or highly satisfied with the instructional videos, and half (50%) used the information frequently with patients. Both groups reported the worksheet helpful, easy to use, and satisfactory, though clinicians rated helpfulness slightly higher (mean = 3.88 vs. 3.70 for FCPs). Clinicians liked the worksheet’s structured guidance and the enhanced collaboration.

This study provides preliminary evidence for implementation outcomes of a dementia-focused end-of-life intervention in home hospice. Findings suggest the intervention can be implemented in a hospice setting, with moderate worksheet uptake and perceived value among FCPs and clinicians.

The prevalence and burden of depression are increasing among young people. Despite this, relatively few treatments specifically target this critical developmental period, and under-addressed mental health difficulties in youth often have lifelong consequences. Social isolation is commonly reported by young adults and is both a risk and maintenance factor for depression. There is a need for accessible, engaging interventions that can reduce depressive symptoms and improve social connectedness.

Building on evidence of the therapeutic potential of social dance-based activities for depression, this randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week salsa dance intervention for young adults (aged 18–24 years) with mild to moderately severe depressive symptoms. 121 participants were randomly assigned to either a salsa intervention or a waitlist control. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a validated measure of depressive symptoms, and additional mental health measures at baseline, during, and after the intervention.

Participants in the salsa dance condition showed a significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms than the waitlist control, with a −2.45 PHQ-9 point between-group difference, exceeding the criterion for clinical significance. Both groups reported improvements in social anxiety, generalized anxiety, loneliness, and daily happiness, but salsa participants had significantly greater reductions in social anxiety and greater improvements in daily happiness.

These findings support the value of social dance as a novel, accessible intervention for reducing depressive symptoms. Implementing such programs within a suite of wellbeing-oriented interventions for young people could provide cost-effective mental health benefits.

Media coverage of suicide can influence population suicide rates. While reports of suicide deaths are often associated with increased suicides (Werther effect), stories of survival may be associated with reductions (Papageno effect). On 11 September 2024, news outlets widely reported musician Jon Bon Jovi intervening to stop a woman’s suicide attempt in Tennessee.

To assess whether this highly publicised intervention was associated with contemporaneous reductions in suicide deaths in Tennessee and 19 comparison states.

We conducted quasi-Poisson time-series analyses of monthly suicide deaths from 2014 to 2024, adjusting for macroeconomic indicators and seasonality. To ensure geographic and temporal specificity, we employed a two-stage validation framework including temporal placebo testing (116 iterations) and comparison across 19 states (60 subgroups, by total and gender) using Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction.

In Tennessee, a significant reduction in suicide mortality occurred in September 2024 (risk ratio 0.78; percentile: 0.9%). The effect was most robust among Tennessean males (risk ratio 0.74), at the 0.9th percentile of the historical distribution. This was the only subgroup among 60 examined to maintain statistical significance after FDR adjustment (p < 0.001). No significant deviation was observed among Tennessean females or within comparison states after multiple testing corrections.

This study provides the first evidence of a Papageno effect following a widely publicised, real-life survival story. The localised impact suggests a local exposure and/or resonance factor, while the male-specific reduction may reflect identification with the male intervener (i.e. Bon Jovi). Survival narratives may represent an underutilised opportunity for suicide prevention and warrant further study and should be integrated into responsible media reporting guidelines.

Mathematical computation skills are a common vulnerability in those born very preterm (VP), but the underlying cognitive mechanisms have not been established. Using causal mediation methods, we aimed to investigate whether working memory, processing speed, and selective attention at 7 years of age could mediate the relationship between VP birth and mathematics computation performance at 13 and 20 years of age.

Participants completed standardized measures of working memory, processing speed, and selective attention at 7 years. At 13 and 20 years, participants completed a standardized measure of mathematical computation. Using an interventional effects approach, we estimated the extent to which differences in mathematic performance could be reduced by hypothetically intervening on working memory, processing speed, and selective attention in childhood.

The VP group performed lower than the FT group on mathematic computation at 13 and 20 years. Improving working memory, processing speed, and selective attention separately in the VP group to the level of the FT group reduced the difference in mathematics performance at both 13 and 20 years. If all cognitive domains were to be simultaneously intervened on so that the VP group matched the FT group, there would be a reduction in difference in mathematic performance by 68.7% at 13 years and 44.1% reduction at 20 years.

Findings from our causal mediation analyses suggest that interventions targeting working memory, processing speed, and selective attention in childhood for those born VP have potential for improving mathematical outcomes in adolescence born VP, especially if implemented concurrently.

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is characterised by disabling motor, sensory and/or seizure symptoms. Contemporary models highlight the possible involvement of altered affective and autonomic regulation and interoceptive processing in FND. However, accessible, mechanism-informed interventions remain limited.

This study sought to examine the feasibility, acceptability and possible benefits of tailored somatic yoga for people with FND, aiming to directly target altered emotional and bodily regulation in this group.

This single-site, two-arm randomised feasibility trial allocated adults with FND to 6 weeks of either somatic yoga (weekly remote sessions plus home practice manual) or a music-based relaxation control. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, adherence and acceptability. Secondary outcomes, assessed at baseline, week 3, week 6 and 3-month follow-up, included FND symptom burden, psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, dissociation), general functioning, health-related quality-of-life, interoceptive awareness and autonomic symptoms.

Seventy-six enquiries were received. Thirty participants consented (100%), 27 were randomised (90%), 23 commenced the trial (77%) and 21 completed it (70%). Recruitment and retention targets were met, with 100% retention in the yoga arm. Adherence was high across both groups, although digital logging of home practice posed usability challenges. Exploratory analyses indicated large effect sizes for self-reported FND symptom improvement and interoceptive awareness in the yoga group, with effects sustained at follow-up.

Individually delivered somatic yoga was found to be feasible, acceptable and safe for people with FND. Our results also suggest potential benefits of somatic yoga for FND symptom improvement and interoceptive awareness, supporting progression to a fully powered trial.

This article reports on the feasibility, acceptability of a trial design and results of ¡Coma, Muévase y Viva!, an adapted version of the Eat, Move, Live! Curriculum, a 10-week diet and lifestyle change intervention for low-income Latina and Indigenous Mexican women in rural Inland Southern California.

A pilot randomised intervention and wait-list controlled parallel trial.

Latina and Indigenous Mexican women participated in ¡Coma, Muévase y Viva!, the adapted version of the curriculum customised for Spanish speakers with a focus on health literacy, cultural norms and values, and delivered by community health workers/promotoras.

Participants were randomised into the intervention (n 19) or wait-list control (n 16). Most were Latino (88 %), mothers (75 %) and foreign-born (87 %).

The adapted intervention was feasible and acceptable with 87·5 % of participants retained at three months. The intervention was delivered with high fidelity. Intervention compared to control participants reported success with predetermined prioritised goals (OR = 0·25, 95 % CI: 0·06, 0·99, P = 0·03) and showed a greater likelihood of cooking healthier food (OR = 4·87, 95 % CI: 1·04, 22·90, P = 0·05), enjoyment of cooking healthy meals (OR = 3·94, 95 % CI: 0·87, 17·92, P = 0·08) and doing physical activities (OR = 5·30, 95 % CI: 1·16, 24·24, P = 0·03). Healthy eating and physical activity as primary outcomes indicated the intervention group was more likely to eat healthy and be active (OR = 2·08, 95 % CI: 1·12, 3·89, P = 0·02).

The adapted intervention was feasible and acceptable and indicated an effect on dietary and lifestyle behaviour change with significant changes in meeting desired goals and engaging in healthy eating and physical activity.