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Background: Multiple forms of parental psychopathology have been associated with differences in child subcortical brain volume. Much of this work has relied on studies of individual forms of parental psychopathology without considering the role of comorbid disorders. Here, we examine the specificity of relationships between multiple forms of parental psychopathology and alterations in child subcortical brain structure. Method: We examined 6581 children from the ABCD study with no history of mental disorders. Hierarchical linear models were used to examine whether neuroanatomical correlates of parental history of depression, anxiety, mania, and alcohol/substance use are disorder-specific or general across different disorders, and whether interactions between parental disorders were associated with offspring brain structure. Results: There were several significant interactions such that the effects of parental histories of depression, anxiety, and substance use problems on the volume of the amygdala and striatal regions were moderated by comorbid parental history of another disorder. Additionally, a parental history of depression was associated with smaller amygdala volume and a parental history of mania was associated with larger amygdala, pallidum, thalamus, and total subcortical volume before and after controlling for histories of other parental disorders. Conclusion: Results suggest that effects of a parental history of various forms of psychopathology on offspring subcortical brain volume are moderated by comorbid history of other disorders, highlighting the importance of assessing multiple forms of psychopathology when examining neurobiological associations. A limitation is that measures of parental psychopathology did not come from gold standard interview assessments and lacked information of timing, duration, and severity.

BackgroundAdolescents from historically racial and ethnic minoritized and low-income communities have higher rates of early-life and chronic difficulties with anxiety and depression compared to non-Hispanic White youth. With mental health distress exacerbated during and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for accessible, equitable evidence-based programs that promote psychological well-being, strengthen one’s ability to adapt to adversity, and build self-efficacy prior to adolescence.MethodsAn evidenced-based resiliency-focused health coaching intervention was adapted using a health equity implementation framework to meet the needs of a Title I elementary school in rural Alabama (AL) that serves over 80% Black and Hispanic students. To ensure that the program met local community needs while maintaining core program educational activities, all adaptations were documented utilizing a standard coding system.ResultsLeveraging an existing academic-community partnership with Auburn University and a local AL school district, a new program, Advocates 4-All Youth (ALLY), was created. Three major adaptations were required: (1) the use of local community volunteers (ALLYs) to deliver the program versus health coaches, (2) the modification of program materials to meet the challenge of varying levels of general and health-related literacy, and (3) the integration of the Empower Action Model to target protective factors in a culturally-tailored delivery to ensure key program outcomes are found equitable for all students.ConclusionWith continued increases in youth mental health distress, there is a need for the development of universal primary prevention interventions to promote mental well-being and to strengthen protective factors among youth from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. ALLY was created to meet these needs and may be an effective strategy if deemed efficacious in improving program outcomes.

Purpose This study aims to determine the prevalence of insomnia as well as its association with the quality of life of the inmates in a Nigerian prison. Prisoners are a disadvantaged group of people whose needs are often unmet. Many authors have focussed on investigating the prevalence and pattern of psychiatric morbidity, as well as substance use among prisoners. However, sleep disorders, which can predispose or precipitate psychiatric disorders, have been largely neglected in research. The relationship between insomnia and quality of life (QoL) among the general population has been documented but similar investigations have yet to be conducted among the prisoner population. Design/methodology/approach This was a cross-sectional study with 300 male prisoners at the Ibara prison, Abeokuta, Nigeria who were not diagnosed with depressive, generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorders. Each respondent was interviewed with a sociodemographic proforma, Insomnia module of the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and the brief World Health Organisation Quality of Life questionnaire. Findings About half of the respondents (45.7%) met diagnostic criteria for insomnia. A diagnosis of insomnia and some sleep-related variables were significantly associated with QoL. Research limitations/implications All the possible correlates of insomnia could not be investigated. Further research should be conducted to identify more correlates and investigate the impact of insomnia on prisoners’ lives. Practical implications Improvement of prison climate (relationships in prison, safety and order, contact with the outside world, facilities, meaningful activities and autonomy) may mitigate insomnia among prisoners. Prison psychiatry in Nigerian correctional centres should be made a priority. Social implications The findings have brought to light the need to address the current social welfare system in place for Nigerian correctional centres. Originality/value The study provided information on the prevalence of insomnia and poor QoL among prisoners in a Nigerian correctional facility.