BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-14DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12087
Elad Refoua, Mor Bar, Hagar Falk, Shahar Weisel, Shaked Rabinowitz, Eshkol Rafaeli
{"title":"Psychometric validation of an ultra-short form test anxiety inventory: initial step towards a brief screening measure.","authors":"Elad Refoua, Mor Bar, Hagar Falk, Shahar Weisel, Shaked Rabinowitz, Eshkol Rafaeli","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Test anxiety affects up to 40% of university students and is associated with academic failure, depression and suicidal ideation, yet clinical screening and high-frequency research designs remain hampered by the burden of 20-item instruments such as the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). Although brief measures exist (e.g. the ten-item Westside Test Anxiety Scale and the five-item TAI), a validated, gender-invariant hierarchy of ultra-short forms tailored to contemporary undergraduates is lacking.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To develop and validate a hierarchy of brief TAI versions (ten-item Short Form, five-item Ultra-Short Form and three-item Micro Form) suitable for systematic screening and ecological monitoring in student mental health contexts.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A large sample of Israeli undergraduates (<i>N</i> = 1803) completed the Hebrew TAI. Items were selected based on exploratory factor analysis loadings. Structural validity and gender measurement invariance were confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The five-item Ultra-Short Form showed excellent fit (comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.995, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05) and the three-item Micro Form exhibited strong standardised factor loadings (≥0.79). Strict scalar invariance was established across genders for all versions. All versions maintained high internal consistency (α ≥ 0.85) and strong correlations with the full scale (<i>r</i> ≥ 0.88). Selected items prioritised somatic over cognitive distress, suggesting contemporary students experience test anxiety as a visceral, physiological 'survival threat' rather than cognitive rumination.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These validated brief measures offer a promising toolkit for 'agile assessment' in student mental health settings, enabling early identification of at-risk students, pending external criterion validation and independent replication.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e238"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-14DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12091
Matthew Severyn, Simon R White, Tamsin J Ford
{"title":"Associations of problematic teacher-pupil relationships with child mental health, psychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions as reported by parents and children: cross-sectional analysis.","authors":"Matthew Severyn, Simon R White, Tamsin J Ford","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12091","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Problematic teacher-pupil relationships (TPR) affect children's educational outcomes and mental health, particularly for children with psychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions, yet few population-based studies have explored this association.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To estimate the association between problematic TPRs and psychiatric disorder classifications including neurodevelopmental conditions and poor mental health, and whether this varied by informant.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A cross-sectional analysis of the Mental Health in Children and Young People 2017 survey (<i>n</i> = 6634) was performed. Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, whereas classification of psychiatric disorders, including neurodevelopmental conditions, was assessed using the Development and Well-Being Assessment. TPR quality was evaluated through reports from parents and children (aged >11 years). Bivariable and multivariable regression analyses were stratified by age (5-10 years, <i>n</i> = 3509; 11-16 years, <i>n</i> = 3010), controlling for covariates. Multiple imputation was used to address missing data.Data-set information: NatCen Social Research (2024), Mental Health in Children and Young People 2017, UK Data Service, SN 8467.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Problematic TPRs were associated with increased odds of any psychiatric disorder in children aged 5-10 years (adjusted odds ratio = 4.80, 95% CI: 2.74-8.40) and 11-16 years (adjusted odds ratio = 4.07, 95% CI: 2.76-6.01). Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total difficulties scores were higher by 4.26 points (95% CI: 3.09-5.42) and 3.93 points (95% CI: 3.04-4.83) for children aged 5-10 and 11-16 years, respectively. Problematic TPRs were also associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, with no significant differences between informant types. Teacher recognition of poor mental health did not moderate these associations.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings support the importance of TPRs in school policy and of supporting teachers to foster positive relationships in schools.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e237"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-10DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12097
Jo Howe, Maura MacPhee, Hafsah Habib, Geoff Wong, Sherifat Oduola, Annabel E L Walsh, Suzanne Higgs, Katherine Allen, Alex Kenny, Justine Lovell, Amy L Ahern, Max Carlish, Rachel Upthegrove, Gurkiran Birdi, Ian D Maidment
{"title":"Healthcare professional perspectives on antipsychotic-induced weight gain: realist evaluation from the RESOLVE study.","authors":"Jo Howe, Maura MacPhee, Hafsah Habib, Geoff Wong, Sherifat Oduola, Annabel E L Walsh, Suzanne Higgs, Katherine Allen, Alex Kenny, Justine Lovell, Amy L Ahern, Max Carlish, Rachel Upthegrove, Gurkiran Birdi, Ian D Maidment","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12097","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Weight gain is a common, distressing side-effect of antipsychotic medication prescribed for people with severe mental illness. National guidance for antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) encourages early intervention and physical health monitoring; healthcare professionals (HCPs) often struggle to implement these recommendations in routine care.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore how HCPs understand and respond to AIWG for patients.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This realist evaluation, part of the RESOLVE project, builds on a realist synthesis. Thirty HCPs participated in realist interviews. A programme theory with nine context-mechanism-outcome configurations (CMOCs) was generated, explaining how HCPs perceive non-pharmacological care provision for patients with AIWG. Clinical and lived experience stakeholders reviewed and refined the theory and CMOCs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The nine CMOCs spanned three areas: (a) systemic and professional challenges; (b) strategies to enhance individualised and meaningful support; and (c) the role and limitations of non-professional support. HCPs described how lack of training, siloed services and system-level constraints limited their ability to offer integrated care. They highlighted the importance of relational continuity, early and tailored conversations, and alignment with patients' values and motivations. Peer and family support were valued, but structural barriers undermined their consistent implementation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>AIWG was experienced as compromising professional values for HCPs working in mental health settings. Person-centred care was often undermined by fragmented systems, role ambiguity and insufficient training. These issues require investment in professional development, structural integration, and relationship-based approaches that support timely, collaborative action.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e236"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148918372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-09DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12096
Hataw Ahmed Sharif, Ibrahim Mohammed, Md Ismail Hossain, Urs Heilbronner, Thomas G Schulze, Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, Martin Hautzinger
{"title":"Persistent trauma three decades after the Halabja massacre: psychological symptom profiles and hair cortisol levels in gas attack survivors.","authors":"Hataw Ahmed Sharif, Ibrahim Mohammed, Md Ismail Hossain, Urs Heilbronner, Thomas G Schulze, Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, Martin Hautzinger","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12096","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Survivors of the 1988 Halabja chemical attack have experienced severe, chronic trauma, yet limited research has examined the long-term psychological and biological consequences of chemical warfare exposure more than three decades later.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To examine long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression/anxiety symptoms, somatic symptoms and perceived stress among survivors of the Halabja chemical attack, and to investigate the associations of trauma exposure, sociodemographic factors and hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) with psychological symptom severity and symptom profiles.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A total of 209 survivors of the Halabja chemical attack participated in structured interviews using culturally adapted and field-tested instruments, including the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, the Patient Health Questionnaire-13, the Perceived Stress Scale-14 and an adapted War and Adversity Exposure Checklist-26. Hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations were assessed as biomarkers of chronic stress. Data were analysed using correlations, independent-samples <i>t</i>-tests, multiple linear regression analyses, multinomial logistic regression and latent profile analysis (LPA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Survivors demonstrated a substantial long-term psychological symptom burden. Overall, 87.6% of participants exceeded the cut-off for probable PTSD symptoms, and 75.1% exceeded the cut-off for elevated depression/anxiety symptoms. Most participants (81.8%) reported exposure to 11 or more lifetime traumatic events. Men reported significantly greater cumulative trauma exposure, whereas women reported significantly greater somatic symptom severity. Higher educational attainment and employment were consistently associated with lower psychological symptom severity across multiple outcomes. HCCs were not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms or latent symptom-profile membership after adjustment for trauma exposure and psychosocial variables. The LPA identified four symptom-severity classes characterised by differing levels of PTSD and depression/anxiety symptoms. Greater cumulative trauma exposure and lower social support were associated with membership in more severe symptom classes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Survivors of the Halabja chemical attack continue to experience substantial psychological distress more than three decades after exposure. Long-term symptom severity appears to be more strongly associated with cumulative trauma exposure and psychosocial adversity than with HCCs. The findings highlight substantial heterogeneity in symptom presentation and support the need for long-term, culturally sensitive and trauma-informed mental health interventions for survivors of chemical warfare and mass violence.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e234"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-09DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12090
Muhanad Elnoor, Syed Ali Bokhari, Syed Fahad Javaid
{"title":"Antipsychotic-associated obsessive-compulsive symptoms and disorder: scoping review of mechanisms, comparative epidemiology and clinical implications.","authors":"Muhanad Elnoor, Syed Ali Bokhari, Syed Fahad Javaid","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12090","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antipsychotic agents play a paradoxical role in obsessive-compulsive phenomena, augmenting selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder yet also inducing or worsening obsessive-compulsive symptoms, mainly in psychotic but also in mood disorders. How strongly individual agents are implicated has not been compared.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To map the distribution and density of evidence on antipsychotic-associated obsessive-compulsive symptoms across all agents, including those without induction evidence, and to synthesise causality indicators and management strategies.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus were searched from inception to December 2025, supplemented by two regulatory pharmacovigilance databases (United States FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and World Health Organization VigiBase). Prespecified operational definitions, a four-dimension triangulation framework and a standardised dose metric were applied. Registered on the Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/R8ZFA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty-eight primary studies were included. Clozapine carried the densest, most consistent evidence (de novo prevalence 5.9-44.3%; total up to 77.9%); in the one controlled cohort with a drug-free comparator, the number needed to harm for clozapine (at least 6 months) was approximately 4 (95% CI: 2-8). Olanzapine and risperidone were intermediate, and predominantly antidopaminergic agents showed minimal literature. Pharmacovigilance placed aripiprazole, not clozapine, highest, discordant with its sparse clinical literature, indicating that the gradient partly reflects research concentration. Genetic associations supported a serotonergic-glutamatergic framework.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Evidence for inducing obsessive-compulsive symptoms varies across antipsychotics, being most consistent for clozapine and least for predominantly dopamine-blocking agents. Brief routine screening and a pragmatic response pathway may be considered in clozapine services, with vigilance for other agents as evidence accrues.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e233"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-09DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12100
Susan Ayers, Patricia M Moran, Una Hutton, Lily Strange, Helen Cheyne, Margaret Maxwell, Catherine Best, Andrea Sinesi, Rhiannon Tudor Edwards, Kalpa Pisavadia, Kodchawan Doungsong, Judy Shakespeare, Rose Meades
{"title":"Maternal anxiety and health service use after birth: cohort study.","authors":"Susan Ayers, Patricia M Moran, Una Hutton, Lily Strange, Helen Cheyne, Margaret Maxwell, Catherine Best, Andrea Sinesi, Rhiannon Tudor Edwards, Kalpa Pisavadia, Kodchawan Doungsong, Judy Shakespeare, Rose Meades","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Perinatal mental health problems are increasingly recognised, and specialist services are more widely available for support and treatment. However, little is known about how women use these services. This study examined the use of health and support services associated with perinatal anxiety, and possible inequities.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To determine the health service use and healthcare experiences of women with perinatal anxiety, and to examine regional differences and inequalities.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A prospective longitudinal follow-up of women recruited from 17 hospital trusts. Participants (<i>N</i> = 722) completed anxiety measures 6 weeks postpartum, and health service use and experience measures 6 months postpartum.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Anxiety 6 weeks postpartum was associated with more GP (incidence risk ratio (IRR) 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03) and health visitor (IRR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.02) visits for the mother but not for the infant. Effects were moderated by ethnicity for GP visits (IRR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.06) and by level of education for health visitor visits (IRR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03). Anxiety was associated with lower satisfaction with GP care for the baby, health visitor care and poorer overall healthcare experiences. Women with anxiety were more likely to attend specialist mental health (odds ratio 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12) or other support services (odds ratio 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.06). However, 29.2% of those referred to mental health services and 30.8% referred to other support services did not attend.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Perinatal anxiety increases health service use for mothers but not for infants. Anxiety also negatively impacts satisfaction with healthcare. Findings can inform strategies to improve access and experience of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e235"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-08DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12099
Syed Ali Bokhari, Mohamed Abdalhameed Osman Alnor, Syed Fahad Javaid, Muhanad Elnoor
{"title":"Time to clozapine initiation in treatment-resistant schizophrenia in the United Arab Emirates: retrospective cohort study with international benchmarking.","authors":"Syed Ali Bokhari, Mohamed Abdalhameed Osman Alnor, Syed Fahad Javaid, Muhanad Elnoor","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Clozapine is the only antipsychotic with demonstrated efficacy in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but remains underutilised worldwide, with limited data from the Middle East and North Africa.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>We examined clozapine initiation, delays and outcomes in a large United Arab Emirates (UAE) cohort.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients prescribed antipsychotics at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in the UAE (2018-2025). Treatment resistance was defined as two or more distinct sequential adequate antipsychotic trials, each for at least 6 weeks and at a drug-specific therapeutic dose (defined daily dose method). Outcomes were clozapine initiation, time to initiation, guideline concordance (within 3 months) and hospital admissions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 6256 patients with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses prescribed antipsychotics, 1738 (27.8%) met treatment-resistance criteria. Clozapine was initiated in 129 (7.4%; 95% CI 6.3-8.8%), comparably between expatriates and nationals (7.7 <i>v</i>. 7.1%; <i>p</i> = 0.72). Among 76 delayed initiators, median delay was 13.2 months (interquartile range 2.2-32.5) and 26.3% were guideline-concordant. The number of adequate trials most strongly predicted initiation (adjusted odds ratio 1.98, 95% CI 1.70-2.30; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Delayed initiation was associated with higher hospital admission rates (adjusted incidence rate ratios 2.5-2.6 for delays up to 24 months; <i>p</i> < 0.05), although an exploratory propensity-weighted analysis was underpowered (<i>β</i> = -2.57; <i>p</i> = 0.12).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Clozapine remains underutilised in this setting, with fewer than 1 in 12 treatment-resistant patients receiving it and only a quarter of delayed initiators achieving guideline-concordant timing. These findings highlight an evidence-to-practice gap and support strategies for earlier clozapine access.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e232"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148905034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-08DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12095
Medhi Akbari, Farhad Alijania, Shahram Mohammadkhani, Edward A Selby
{"title":"Invalidating environments and adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: longitudinal cross-lagged test of negative urgency and distress tolerance.","authors":"Medhi Akbari, Farhad Alijania, Shahram Mohammadkhani, Edward A Selby","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12095","DOIUrl":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent behavioural health concern during adolescence and has been consistently linked to emotionally invalidating interpersonal environments.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This study tested whether distress tolerance and negative urgency prospectively explained the link between invalidating environments and adolescent NSSI.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The study used a 2-wave longitudinal design with a 6-month interval; 300 Iranian adolescents (70% female, aged 13-17 years) participated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cross-lagged panel modelling showed that invalidating environments at wave 1 predicted higher NSSI at wave 2, when we controlled for baseline NSSI, and were associated with increases in negative urgency. Although both negative urgency and distress tolerance were related to later NSSI, only negative urgency significantly mediated this relationship; distress tolerance and the hypothesised serial pathway did not show significant associations. Sensitivity analyses indicated developmental differences across age groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings highlight impulsive response under distress as a central mechanism linking environmental invalidation to adolescent NSSI and identify negative urgency as a key intervention target.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e231"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148905036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-07DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12088
Pooja Saini, Ashline George, Laura Marie Sambrook, Em Avery, Deryn Basnett, Jessica Gallier-Booth
{"title":"'It wasn't just me'. Community voices of hope in suicide prevention: mixed-methods study of a community-based crisis service.","authors":"Pooja Saini, Ashline George, Laura Marie Sambrook, Em Avery, Deryn Basnett, Jessica Gallier-Booth","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>National policy frameworks, including the UK Government's Suicide Prevention Strategy (2023-2028), emphasise person-centred, relational approaches that prioritise therapeutic engagement, collaborative safety planning and a flexible understanding of psychosocial risk. Peer support and lived experience initiatives are increasingly recognised as vital components of suicide prevention and recovery support. Community-based suicide crisis (CBSC) support, which emphasises rapid access, person-centred care and lived experience integration, was established to provide immediate support without clinical criteria, barriers to access or waiting lists.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To examine outcomes of a CBSC intervention supporting individuals in suicidal crisis, with particular attention to differences in outcomes across National Health Service (NHS) and non-NHS/self-referral pathways.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was adopted to provide a comprehensive assessment of service impact and client outcomes among individuals (<i>n</i> = 9801) referred through the NHS (<i>n</i> = 2929, 30%) or non-NHS/self-referrals (<i>n</i> = 6872, 70%) between 2019 and 2025.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A subanalysis of 1387 (14%) client interventions showed significant improvements across all mental health recovery domains (<i>p</i> < 0.05), particularly among older clients (aged ≥65 years). Fifty interviews with clients, carers, staff and referrers generated three themes around accessibility, rapid response, continuity of care and the value of lived experience in building trust, reducing stigma and helping with long-term recovery.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>CBSC services would benefit from the expansion of NHS partnerships to extend regional reach, standardised monitoring and follow-up, and the strategic use of outcome data to strengthen advocacy and secure sustainable funding. Embedding this community-based model firmly within wider health systems has the potential to enhance its impact, ensure equitable access and inform broader systemic developments in suicide prevention.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e227"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BJPsych OpenPub Date : 2026-09-07DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.12072
Aurielle Goddard, Laura D Howe, Dheeraj Rai, Christina Dardani, Jack F G Underwood, Laura Hull, Paul Madley-Dowd
{"title":"Prevalence and outcomes of childhood trauma in people with intellectual disability and borderline intellectual functioning: findings from a prospective UK population-based cohort study.","authors":"Aurielle Goddard, Laura D Howe, Dheeraj Rai, Christina Dardani, Jack F G Underwood, Laura Hull, Paul Madley-Dowd","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2026.12072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There have been limited studies investigating psychiatric outcomes of childhood trauma in individuals with intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To investigate the associations of (a) intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning with childhood trauma up to age 11 years; and (b) childhood trauma with psychiatric diagnostic, prescribing and behavioural outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood among individuals with intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This was a prospective cohort study using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort with linked primary care data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 8661 participants, 310 had intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning and 107 had intellectual disability. We found increased odds of bullying (odds ratio = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.39<b>-</b>2.43) and sexual abuse (odds ratio = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.09<b>-</b>4.11) among individuals with intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning compared with those without. In the group with intellectual disability, the odds of bullying were attenuated (odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI: 0.97<b>-</b>2.86), and estimates for sexual abuse were imprecise (odds ratio = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.09<b>-</b>5.09). Among those with intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning, we found increased odds of challenging behaviour (odds ratio = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.05<b>-</b>6.57), psychotropic prescribing (odds ratio = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.55<b>-</b>4.81), and suicidal and self-harm behaviours (odds ratio = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.15<b>-</b>10.20) in individuals who had experienced bullying, and increased odds of challenging behaviour (odds ratio = 3.31, 95% CI: 1.28<b>-</b>8.53) in individuals who had experienced emotional abuse compared with those who had experienced no trauma.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We provide evidence of increased odds of childhood bullying and sexual abuse among those with intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning. In this group, bullying is associated with increased odds of challenging behaviour, psychotropic prescribing, and suicidal and self-harm behaviours.</p>","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"12 5","pages":"e229"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}