NORDIC JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY

Use of the Return-to-Work-Readiness Questionnaire with patients undergoing psychiatric assessment of work ability - a pilot study
Heikinheimo S, Puustinen N, Kuoppala J, Kailasto V and Tuisku K
Our aim was to explore the predictive value of Return-to-Work-Readiness Questionnaire (RTW-RQ) among patients with mental disability.
'It provided me with a sense of safety that I hadn't felt in weeks.' A qualitative case study of service users' experiences with sensory rooms in psychiatric inpatient units
Kjær ML, Obarzanek CE, Præstegaard J and Bjørkedal STB
Sensory rooms are environments designed to provide sensory input to help service users regulate arousal and manage distress. Sensory rooms are widely implemented in psychiatric inpatient units, but limited knowledge exists on how the sensory rooms are perceived by those who use them. This study investigated service users' experiences with sensory rooms during admission.
Long-term psychopathology rates of children and adolescents and associated factors in the worst-sticken area of 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquake
Eroglu M and Yaksı N
Earthquakes are natural disasters that can have significant psychological impacts on individuals, particularly children. While physical injuries are often the immediate focus following an earthquake, the psychological effects can be long-lasting and profound. Understanding the psychiatric effects of traumatic experiences in children following earthquakes is crucial for developing effective interventions and support systems.
A comparative study of comorbidities, symptom profiles, and childhood trauma in PTSD and non-PTSD trauma patients at Oslo University Hospital
Mainali A, Søegaard EGI, Hauff E and Thapa SB
To explore the differences in mental health symptom profiles, trauma profiles, childhood trauma and comorbidities in patients with PTSD and those without PTSD.
Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in an Icelandic community sample
Skarphedinsson G and Njardvik U
The current paper aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Icelandic translation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, for both parent and teacher reports. SDQ is a widely used questionnaire for screening mental problems among youth. However, only a few studies have conducted a factor analysis on the youngest and oldest cohorts using an adequate sample size. This study aims not only to examine the traditional 5-factor model and alternative models suggested in prior research but also to establish norm data for the Icelandic population.
The Thoughtful program: a randomized controlled study of a mentalization-based mental health education intervention in a psychiatric outpatient population
Lundgaard P, Lundgaard L and Midgley N
P-factor and mentalizing theory and research set perspectives for transdiagnostic psychiatric treatments.
The influence of the contextual framing on physio- and occupational therapists' clinical reasoning in sensory rooms with patients admitted to psychiatry - a qualitative case study
Obarzanek CE, Kjær ML, Lee K, Præstegaard J and Bjørkedal SB
To investigate the influence of contextual framing on physio- and occupational therapists' clinical reasoning in sensory rooms for patients admitted to psychiatric units.
Long-term effectiveness of SBIRT by outreach visits on subsequent alcohol treatment utilization among inpatients from general hospital: a 36-months follow-up
Tryggedsson JSJ, Nielsen AS and Nielsen B
To investigate the long-term effect of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) on alcohol treatment utilization among general hospital inpatients.
Arts and mental health: assessment of changes in self-reported wellbeing, psychotic-like experiences, mentalisation and self-efficacy for persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders participating in the creative writing group intervention REWRITALIZE
Henningsson S, Brestisson JT, Printzlau GA, Rosenbaum B and Bundesen B
Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are associated with social difficulties that call for psychosocial interventions as supplement to standard treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess if there were changes in wellbeing, psychotic-like experiences, mentalisation and self-efficacy from pre- to post-intervention, in persons with SSD who took part in a creative writing group intervention in addition to their standard treatment.
Unravelling the complexity of suicidality: a network analysis of theory-driven and culturally relevant suicide risk factors in a country with high suicide rates
Rimkevičienė J, Grigienė D, Dadašev S, Skruibis P and Gailienė D
This study aimed to explore whether individual theory-based constructs are sufficient in explaining suicidality in a culture marked by high suicide rates and whether, if any, culturally relevant factors need to be considered additionally.
What do we know now about evidence-based treatment for psychosis and aggressive behaviour or criminality that we did not know when community care was implemented?
Hodgins S
Community care replaced institutional care for people with psychosis without guidance about what constituted effective treatment. In a Swedish birth cohort, many of those who developed schizophrenia or bipolar disorder as community care was being implemented were subsequently convicted of violent and non-violent crimes. Studies from other countries that were implementing community care at this time also reported elevated proportions of patients acquiring criminal convictions. Since community care was first implemented, much has been learned about factors that promote and treatments that limit aggressive/antisocial behaviour/criminality (AABC) among people with psychosis. Without the benefit of this knowledge, did mental health policy and practices that were in place as the asylums were closed inadvertently contribute to criminality?
Prevalence of psychotic-like experiences and their association with depression symptoms among patients entering adolescent psychiatric care
Granö N, Lintula S, Therman S, Marttunen M, Edlund V and Ranta K
Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are common in clinical adolescent samples and form a continuum based on their frequency and intensity. PLEs can have harmful effects on both behaviour and affect.
Comparisons between obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania in terms of autistic traits and repetitive behaviors in adolescents
Onat M, Nas Ünver AB, Şenses Dinç G, Çöp E and Pekcanlar Akay A
Our study aims to reveal the relationship between autistic traits and repetitive behaviors in adolescents diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and trichotillomania and to compare them to healthy controls.
Navigating complexity: healthcare providers' experiences with integrating physical health promotion in psychosis outpatient services in Sweden
Zerne Nilsson M, Sparud-Lundin C, Eeg-Olofsson K, Torgerson J and Holmberg C
Individuals with psychotic disorders face an increased risk of physical health issues, leading to reduced life expectancy. Despite recommendations to integrate physical health promotion into mental healthcare, challenges persist, and mortality from somatic diseases continues to rise. Understanding healthcare providers' perspectives is crucial to overcoming these barriers. This study aims to explore the experiences of healthcare providers working in direct patient care and as unit heads regarding factors influencing health promotion in Swedish psychosis outpatient units.
Evaluation of health services and treatment alliance among extensively hospitalized patients due to severe self-harm - results from the Extreme Challenges project
Langjord T, Pedersen G, Bovim T, Bremer K, Christensen TB, Hove O, Kildahl AN, Mork E, Norheim AB, Ramleth RK, Romm KL, Siqveland J, Schønning T, Stänicke LI, Torgersen T, Pettersen MS, Tveit T, Urnes Ø, Walby FA and Kvarstein EH
Extensive psychiatric hospitalization due to repeated severe self-harm (SH), is a poorly researched area, but a challenge within health services (HS). Recent studies have demonstrated high levels of involuntary treatment among patients with severe personality disorder (PD) and complex comorbidity. Keeping focus on extensively hospitalized SH patients, this study aimed to investigate patients' and clinicians' evaluation of HS and treatment alliance.
Brief report: ADHD Rating Scale-IV (parent/caregiver-report) norms for young Danish schoolchildren
Arildskov TW, Virring A, Lambek R, Sonuga-Barke EJS, Østergaard SD and Thomsen PH
The Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) assesses ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents. The original United States norms comprise percentiles. Yet, no Nordic percentile norms exist, and only T-scores, which (often falsely) assume normally distributed data, are currently available. Here, we for the first time provide Danish percentile norms for children aged 6-9 based on parent/caregiver-reports, and illustrate the potential consequences of T-scores when derived based on the expected skewed distribution of an ADHD scale in the population.
Mental health problems among Syrian refugees in Nordic countries: a systematic review
Ojha S, Thapa S and Thapa SB
The Syrian refugee crisis has led to significant population displacement, with many seeking refuge and asylum in Nordic countries. While these countries offer safety and stability, the resettlement process combined with the refugees' own traumatic experiences can exacerbate existing or precipitate new mental health issues.
Investigation of emotion regulation skills, salivary apelin, and serotonin levels in children in Türkiye: a cross-sectional study
Kırbaş ZÖ, Bayraktar B and Odabaşı Aktaş E
Little is known about the relationship between apelin and serotonin in emotion regulation. This study aimed to examine children's emotional regulation skills and salivary apelin and serotonin levels.
Facial emotion recognition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Varheenmaa M, Lehto SM, Rizzo P, Steinhausen HC, Drechsler R and Brem AK
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is defined as a persistent pattern of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning anofd development. Increased emotional reactivity and impaired emotion regulation are established findings in children with ADHD. Impairments in executive functions such as impulse control and working memory, in turn, have also been suggested to have a negative effect on emotion recognition. However, studies exploring suspected deficits in the ability to recognise facial emotions in ADHD have to date yielded controversial results. We sought to clarify the mechanism of possible emotion recognition dysfunction in children with ADHD.
A feasibility study of a participatory designed program for preventing cardiovascular disease in mentally vulnerable patients
Fisker Christensen L, Bilberg R, Birkemose I, Nielsen AS, Kaarsted T, Overgaard AK, Sheldrick-Michel TM, Nielsen B and Andersen K
To test the feasibility of a participatory design intervention aimed at reducing the risk of cardio-vascular disease among patients suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) or severe mental illness (SMI).
Patients' perception of the quality of psychiatric inpatient care in the Faroe Islands
Lundqvist LO, Gjógvará ML, Olgarsdóttir L, Veyhe AS and Schröder A
Evaluating the quality of psychiatric care from the patient's perspective is crucial to measure the effectiveness of the provided care. This study aimed to translate the original Swedish Quality in Psychiatric Care - Inpatient (QPC-IP) instrument into Faroese, adapting it to the specific context of psychiatric inpatient care in the Faroe Islands, conducting a detailed evaluation of its psychometric properties, and to describe patients' perception of quality of psychiatric care.