This study examined the association between depression and autobiographical memory deficits. Spec... more This study examined the association between depression and autobiographical memory deficits. Specifically, it evaluated the impact of depression, complexity of a distraction task, self-or other-referential set and positive or negative cue-word valence on the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories. A sample of 24 depressed women and 24 matched controls completed the Autobiographical Memory Task (AMT) before and after either a highor low-complexity distraction task. Compared with the control group, the depressed group retrieved fewer specific first memories and had longer retrieval latencies for these. In the selfreferential condition this pattern was more pronounced than in the other-referential condition. This suggests that depression is associated with a particular vulnerability in recalling specific self-referential memories. Distraction task complexity and cue-word valence did not affect AMT performance.
BackgroundMilitary personnel and frontline emergency workers may be exposed to events that have t... more BackgroundMilitary personnel and frontline emergency workers may be exposed to events that have the potential to precipitate negative mental health outcomes such as depression, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and even post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Programmes have been designed to build psychological resilience before staff are deployed into the field. This review presents a synthesis of the literature on these “pre‐deployment resilience‐building programmes”.ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of programmes that seek to build resilience to potentially traumatic events among military and frontline emergency service personnel prior to their deployment. These resilience programmes were compared to other interventions, treatment as usual or no intervention.Search methodsStudies were identified through searches of electronic databases including Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The initial search took place in January 2019, with an updated search completed at the end of September 2020.Selection criteriaOnly studies that used a randomised controlled trial (RCT)/cluster‐RCT methodology were included. The programmes being evaluated must have sought to build resilience prior to exposure to trauma. Study participants must have been 18 years or older and be military personnel or frontline emergency workers.Data collection and analysisStudies that met the inclusion criteria were assembled. Data extracted included methods, participants’ details, intervention details, comparator details, and information on outcomes. The primary outcomes of interest were resilience, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and PTSD. Secondary outcomes of interest included acute stress disorder, depression, social support, coping skills, emotional flexibility, self‐efficacy, social functioning, subjective levels of aggression, quality of sleep, quality of life and stress. Assessment of risk of bias was also completed. A total of 28 studies were included in a narrative synthesis of results.Main resultsAll 28 included studies compared an experimental resilience building intervention versus a control or no intervention. There was a wide range of therapeutic modalities used, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) informed programmes, biofeedback based programmes, stress‐management programmes, mindfulness and relaxation programmes, neuropsychological‐based programmes, and psychoeducational‐informed programmes. The main outcomes are specified here, secondary outcomes such as depression, social support, coping skills, self‐efficacy, subjective levels of aggression and stress are reported in text. No studies reported on the following pre‐specified outcomes; acute stress disorder, emotional flexibility, social functioning, quality of sleep and quality of life.ResilienceEight studies reported resilience as an outcome. We narratively synthesised the data from these studies and our findings show that five of these interventions had success in building resilience in their respective samples. Two of the studies that reported significant results utilised a CBT approach to build resilience, while the other three successful programmes were mindfulness‐based interventions.Symptoms of post‐traumatic stressOur narrative synthesis of results included eight studies. Two of the eight studies produced significant reductions in symptoms of post traumatic stress compared to controls. These interventions used neuropsychological and biofeedback intervention models respectively.PTSD casenessFour studies reported PTSD caseness as an outcome. Our narrative synthesis of results suggests that evidence is mixed as to the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing clinical diagnosis of PTSD. One study of a neuropsychology‐orientated Attention Bias Modification Training (AMBT) programme had success in reducing both symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and numbers of participants receiving a diagnosis of PTSD. A stress‐management programme reported that, when baseline differences in rates of pre‐deployment mental health issues were controlled for, participants in the control condition were at 6.9 times the risk of a diagnosis of PTSD when compared to the intervention group.Given the diversity of intervention designs and theoretical orientations used (which included stress‐management, neuropsychological and psychoeducational programmes), a definitive statement on the efficacy of pre‐deployment programmes at reducing symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and PTSD cannot be confidently offered.Authors' conclusionsWhile a number of evaluations of relevant programmes have been published, the quality of these evaluations limits our ability to determine if resilience‐building programmes 'work' in terms of preventing negative outcomes such as depression, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and diagnoses of PTSD. Based on our findings we recommend that future research should: a) report pre‐/post‐means and standard deviation scores for scales used within respective studies, b) take the form of large, RCTs with protocols published in advance, and c) seek to measure defined psychological facets such as resilience, PTSD and stress, and measure these concepts using established psychometric tools. This will provide more certainty in future assessments of the evidence base. From a clinical implications point of view, overall there is mixed evidence that the interventions included in this review are effective at safe guarding military personnel or frontline emergency workers from experiencing negative mental health outcomes, including PTSD, following exposure to potentially traumatic events. Based on this, practitioners seeking to build resilience in their personnel need to be aware of the limitations of the evidence base. Practitioners should have modest expectations in relation to the efficacy of resilience‐building programmes as a prophylactic approach to employment‐related critical incident traumas.
Persistent pain and postnatal depression (PND) following childbirth affects a significant proport... more Persistent pain and postnatal depression (PND) following childbirth affects a significant proportion of women and can have serious and long-term consequences. Within mainstream chronic pain research, psychosocial variables such as depression, anxiety, stress, pain catastrophising and perceived social support have frequently been associated with pain severity and pain coping. These psychosocial factors have also been linked to the occurrence of PND. The current study aimed to examine psychosocial predictors of persistent pain and PND following childbirth. Women (N=220) in the final two months of their pregnancies were recruited through an internet parenting site and to complete an online survey. Sociodemographic and medical information, along with measures of stress, anxiety, depression, perceived social support and pain catastrophising were collected. Approximately 12 weeks after reported due dates, women who agreed to participate in second part of the study (N=111) were followed up...
There has been an increasing move to involve consumers in the assessment of health services. Need... more There has been an increasing move to involve consumers in the assessment of health services. Needs assessment and consumer satisfaction of a recently setup community mental health team is described.
This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the... more This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSIR). The LSI-R is the primary risk/needs assessment instrument used by the Irish Probation Service in assessment. 231 Probation Service clients (131 male and 100 female) were included in this study for comparison purposes. Results showed that male offenders had higher levels of criminogenic needs in the areas of criminal history and substance abuse than females; the latter demonstrated higher levels of need in the areas of accommodation, emotional/personal and family/marital. Implications for effective treatment for female offenders are discussed.
Summary: This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measur... more Summary: This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSIR). The LSI-R is the primary risk/needs assessment instrument used by the Irish Probation Service in assessment. 231 Probation Service clients (131 male and 100 female) were included in this study for comparison purposes. Results showed that male offenders had higher levels of criminogenic needs in the areas of criminal history and substance abuse than females; the latter demonstrated higher levels of need in the areas of accommodation, emotional/personal and family/marital. Implications for effective treatment for female offenders are discussed.
Background The World Health Organization report that an estimated 793,000 people died by suicide ... more Background The World Health Organization report that an estimated 793,000 people died by suicide in 2016 globally. The use of digital technology has been found to be beneficial in the delivery of Web-based suicide prevention interventions. Research on the integration of digital technology within mental health services has indicated that despite the proliferation of technology, engagement by patients and professionals in adopting such technology can be poor. Objectives The current study aims to explore the experiences of 15 mental health professionals involved in integrating mobile health technology into their practice. A secondary aim was to identify the drivers and barriers to the adoption of such technology by mental health professionals, and to consider what theoretical models could best account for the data. Methods Semi-structured interviews, conducted from July to October 2019, were used to explore the experiences of mental health professionals engaged in the adoption of mobil...
BACKGROUND People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are over-represented in criminal justice ... more BACKGROUND People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are over-represented in criminal justice systems globally. This over-representation reveals itself at once in the demographic make-up of prison populations, as well as those detained in police settings as suspects of crime. While it is well-established in international literature that individuals who find themselves in the latter scenario face particular challenges in negotiating the forensic formalities routinely followed by the police at the pre-trial stage of criminal proceedings on account of their impairments, the specific difficulties experienced by PWID as suspects within Ireland's criminal justice system has yet to be explained, or indeed, understood. In seeking to address this research lacuna, this paper yields an account of a qualitative study which was aimed at identifying the unique challenges which PWID face in their interactions with Law Enforcement Officials (LEOs) in Ireland. AIMS This study aimed to elicit ...
Background: Many people at risk of suicide do not seek help before an attempt. mHealth interventi... more Background: Many people at risk of suicide do not seek help before an attempt. mHealth interventions are proposed as an effective means of addressing the two main obstacles to help seeking in suicidal individuals: stigma and geographical isolation. This study describes a collaborative project between CAATCH, a community-based suicide prevention initiative and the National University of Ireland, Galway, in the design, development and evaluation of a suicide-prevention app. The CAATCH app is freely available to download on both the Android and iOS platforms. Methods: The process of app development was informed by key standards in content development and software design. Steps involved included: a review of research and theory relevant to the area; involvement from community services and subject matter experts, user engagement in designing and developing the app followed by extensive ongoing evaluation to inform further development. A cross-sectional design was used with over 200 unive...
Background: Prison officers work in a unique and potentially hazardous environment and are a high... more Background: Prison officers work in a unique and potentially hazardous environment and are a high-risk occupational group for physical ill health and psychological difficulties. They face an increased likelihood of assault leading to acute and chronic pain conditions. The present study examined the experience of chronic pain conditions among Irish prison officers with particular reference to psychosocial predictors of pain outcomes. Methods: 152 Irish prison officers took part in the study with 48% of participants reporting chronic pain as defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain. Findings: Of the respondents reporting chronic pain, 38% of participants met the criteria for ‘probable depression’ while 51% met the criteria for ‘probable anxiety disorder’. In regression analyses, depression emerged as a prominent predictor of poor pain outcomes, with higher symptom ratings associated with increased levels of reported pain severity and significantly greater pain re...
Background Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide, particularly among young people. It w... more Background Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide, particularly among young people. It was the second leading cause of death among those aged 15-29 years globally in 2016. Treatment for patients with suicidal thoughts or behaviors often includes face-to-face psychological therapy with a mental health professional. These forms of interventions may involve maintaining and updating paper-based reports or worksheets in between sessions. Mobile technology can offer a way to support the implementation of evidence-based psychological techniques and the acquisition of protective coping skills. Objective This study aims to develop a mobile app to facilitate service users’ access to mental health support and safety planning. This process involved eliciting expert input from clinicians who are actively engaged in the provision of mental health care. Methods A survey was distributed to targeted health care professionals to determine what features should be prioritized in a new mobile a...
BACKGROUND Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide and this is particularly the case amon... more BACKGROUND Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide and this is particularly the case among young people. It was the second leading cause of death among 15–29 year-olds globally in 2016. Treatment for patients with suicidal thoughts or behaviour often includes face-to-face psychological therapy with a mental health professional. These forms of interventions may involve a patient maintaining and updating paper-based reports or worksheets in between sessions. Mobile technology can offer a way to support the implementation of evidence-based psychological techniques, and the acquisition of protective coping skills. OBJECTIVE The aim of this research project was to develop a mobile app to facilitate service users’ access to mental health supports and safety planning. This process involved eliciting expert input from clinicians who are actively engaged in the provision of mental health care. METHODS A survey was distributed to targeted healthcare professionals to determine what fea...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Annual suicide figures are critical in identifying trends and guiding research, yet challenges ar... more Annual suicide figures are critical in identifying trends and guiding research, yet challenges arising from significant lags in reporting can delay and complicate real-time interventions. In this paper, we utilized Google Trends search volumes for behavioral forecasting of national suicide rates in Ireland between 2004 and 2015. Official suicide rates are recorded by the Central Statistics Office in Ireland. While similar investigations using Google trends data have been carried out in other jurisdictions (e.g., United Kingdom, United Stated of America), such research had not yet been completed in Ireland. We compiled a collection of suicide- and depression-related search terms suggested by Google Trends and manually sourced from the literature. Monthly search rate terms at different lags were compared with suicide occurrences to determine the degree of correlation. Following two approaches based on vector autoregression and neural network autoregression, we achieved mean absolute e...
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess... more This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness of pre-deployment programmes for building resilience in military and front-line emergency service personnel.
This study examined the association between depression and autobiographical memory deficits. Spec... more This study examined the association between depression and autobiographical memory deficits. Specifically, it evaluated the impact of depression, complexity of a distraction task, self-or other-referential set and positive or negative cue-word valence on the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories. A sample of 24 depressed women and 24 matched controls completed the Autobiographical Memory Task (AMT) before and after either a highor low-complexity distraction task. Compared with the control group, the depressed group retrieved fewer specific first memories and had longer retrieval latencies for these. In the selfreferential condition this pattern was more pronounced than in the other-referential condition. This suggests that depression is associated with a particular vulnerability in recalling specific self-referential memories. Distraction task complexity and cue-word valence did not affect AMT performance.
BackgroundMilitary personnel and frontline emergency workers may be exposed to events that have t... more BackgroundMilitary personnel and frontline emergency workers may be exposed to events that have the potential to precipitate negative mental health outcomes such as depression, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and even post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Programmes have been designed to build psychological resilience before staff are deployed into the field. This review presents a synthesis of the literature on these “pre‐deployment resilience‐building programmes”.ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of programmes that seek to build resilience to potentially traumatic events among military and frontline emergency service personnel prior to their deployment. These resilience programmes were compared to other interventions, treatment as usual or no intervention.Search methodsStudies were identified through searches of electronic databases including Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The initial search took place in January 2019, with an updated search completed at the end of September 2020.Selection criteriaOnly studies that used a randomised controlled trial (RCT)/cluster‐RCT methodology were included. The programmes being evaluated must have sought to build resilience prior to exposure to trauma. Study participants must have been 18 years or older and be military personnel or frontline emergency workers.Data collection and analysisStudies that met the inclusion criteria were assembled. Data extracted included methods, participants’ details, intervention details, comparator details, and information on outcomes. The primary outcomes of interest were resilience, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and PTSD. Secondary outcomes of interest included acute stress disorder, depression, social support, coping skills, emotional flexibility, self‐efficacy, social functioning, subjective levels of aggression, quality of sleep, quality of life and stress. Assessment of risk of bias was also completed. A total of 28 studies were included in a narrative synthesis of results.Main resultsAll 28 included studies compared an experimental resilience building intervention versus a control or no intervention. There was a wide range of therapeutic modalities used, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) informed programmes, biofeedback based programmes, stress‐management programmes, mindfulness and relaxation programmes, neuropsychological‐based programmes, and psychoeducational‐informed programmes. The main outcomes are specified here, secondary outcomes such as depression, social support, coping skills, self‐efficacy, subjective levels of aggression and stress are reported in text. No studies reported on the following pre‐specified outcomes; acute stress disorder, emotional flexibility, social functioning, quality of sleep and quality of life.ResilienceEight studies reported resilience as an outcome. We narratively synthesised the data from these studies and our findings show that five of these interventions had success in building resilience in their respective samples. Two of the studies that reported significant results utilised a CBT approach to build resilience, while the other three successful programmes were mindfulness‐based interventions.Symptoms of post‐traumatic stressOur narrative synthesis of results included eight studies. Two of the eight studies produced significant reductions in symptoms of post traumatic stress compared to controls. These interventions used neuropsychological and biofeedback intervention models respectively.PTSD casenessFour studies reported PTSD caseness as an outcome. Our narrative synthesis of results suggests that evidence is mixed as to the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing clinical diagnosis of PTSD. One study of a neuropsychology‐orientated Attention Bias Modification Training (AMBT) programme had success in reducing both symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and numbers of participants receiving a diagnosis of PTSD. A stress‐management programme reported that, when baseline differences in rates of pre‐deployment mental health issues were controlled for, participants in the control condition were at 6.9 times the risk of a diagnosis of PTSD when compared to the intervention group.Given the diversity of intervention designs and theoretical orientations used (which included stress‐management, neuropsychological and psychoeducational programmes), a definitive statement on the efficacy of pre‐deployment programmes at reducing symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and PTSD cannot be confidently offered.Authors' conclusionsWhile a number of evaluations of relevant programmes have been published, the quality of these evaluations limits our ability to determine if resilience‐building programmes 'work' in terms of preventing negative outcomes such as depression, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress and diagnoses of PTSD. Based on our findings we recommend that future research should: a) report pre‐/post‐means and standard deviation scores for scales used within respective studies, b) take the form of large, RCTs with protocols published in advance, and c) seek to measure defined psychological facets such as resilience, PTSD and stress, and measure these concepts using established psychometric tools. This will provide more certainty in future assessments of the evidence base. From a clinical implications point of view, overall there is mixed evidence that the interventions included in this review are effective at safe guarding military personnel or frontline emergency workers from experiencing negative mental health outcomes, including PTSD, following exposure to potentially traumatic events. Based on this, practitioners seeking to build resilience in their personnel need to be aware of the limitations of the evidence base. Practitioners should have modest expectations in relation to the efficacy of resilience‐building programmes as a prophylactic approach to employment‐related critical incident traumas.
Persistent pain and postnatal depression (PND) following childbirth affects a significant proport... more Persistent pain and postnatal depression (PND) following childbirth affects a significant proportion of women and can have serious and long-term consequences. Within mainstream chronic pain research, psychosocial variables such as depression, anxiety, stress, pain catastrophising and perceived social support have frequently been associated with pain severity and pain coping. These psychosocial factors have also been linked to the occurrence of PND. The current study aimed to examine psychosocial predictors of persistent pain and PND following childbirth. Women (N=220) in the final two months of their pregnancies were recruited through an internet parenting site and to complete an online survey. Sociodemographic and medical information, along with measures of stress, anxiety, depression, perceived social support and pain catastrophising were collected. Approximately 12 weeks after reported due dates, women who agreed to participate in second part of the study (N=111) were followed up...
There has been an increasing move to involve consumers in the assessment of health services. Need... more There has been an increasing move to involve consumers in the assessment of health services. Needs assessment and consumer satisfaction of a recently setup community mental health team is described.
This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the... more This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSIR). The LSI-R is the primary risk/needs assessment instrument used by the Irish Probation Service in assessment. 231 Probation Service clients (131 male and 100 female) were included in this study for comparison purposes. Results showed that male offenders had higher levels of criminogenic needs in the areas of criminal history and substance abuse than females; the latter demonstrated higher levels of need in the areas of accommodation, emotional/personal and family/marital. Implications for effective treatment for female offenders are discussed.
Summary: This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measur... more Summary: This study examined gender differences between offenders on criminogenic needs as measured by the Level of Service Inventory – Revised (LSIR). The LSI-R is the primary risk/needs assessment instrument used by the Irish Probation Service in assessment. 231 Probation Service clients (131 male and 100 female) were included in this study for comparison purposes. Results showed that male offenders had higher levels of criminogenic needs in the areas of criminal history and substance abuse than females; the latter demonstrated higher levels of need in the areas of accommodation, emotional/personal and family/marital. Implications for effective treatment for female offenders are discussed.
Background The World Health Organization report that an estimated 793,000 people died by suicide ... more Background The World Health Organization report that an estimated 793,000 people died by suicide in 2016 globally. The use of digital technology has been found to be beneficial in the delivery of Web-based suicide prevention interventions. Research on the integration of digital technology within mental health services has indicated that despite the proliferation of technology, engagement by patients and professionals in adopting such technology can be poor. Objectives The current study aims to explore the experiences of 15 mental health professionals involved in integrating mobile health technology into their practice. A secondary aim was to identify the drivers and barriers to the adoption of such technology by mental health professionals, and to consider what theoretical models could best account for the data. Methods Semi-structured interviews, conducted from July to October 2019, were used to explore the experiences of mental health professionals engaged in the adoption of mobil...
BACKGROUND People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are over-represented in criminal justice ... more BACKGROUND People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are over-represented in criminal justice systems globally. This over-representation reveals itself at once in the demographic make-up of prison populations, as well as those detained in police settings as suspects of crime. While it is well-established in international literature that individuals who find themselves in the latter scenario face particular challenges in negotiating the forensic formalities routinely followed by the police at the pre-trial stage of criminal proceedings on account of their impairments, the specific difficulties experienced by PWID as suspects within Ireland's criminal justice system has yet to be explained, or indeed, understood. In seeking to address this research lacuna, this paper yields an account of a qualitative study which was aimed at identifying the unique challenges which PWID face in their interactions with Law Enforcement Officials (LEOs) in Ireland. AIMS This study aimed to elicit ...
Background: Many people at risk of suicide do not seek help before an attempt. mHealth interventi... more Background: Many people at risk of suicide do not seek help before an attempt. mHealth interventions are proposed as an effective means of addressing the two main obstacles to help seeking in suicidal individuals: stigma and geographical isolation. This study describes a collaborative project between CAATCH, a community-based suicide prevention initiative and the National University of Ireland, Galway, in the design, development and evaluation of a suicide-prevention app. The CAATCH app is freely available to download on both the Android and iOS platforms. Methods: The process of app development was informed by key standards in content development and software design. Steps involved included: a review of research and theory relevant to the area; involvement from community services and subject matter experts, user engagement in designing and developing the app followed by extensive ongoing evaluation to inform further development. A cross-sectional design was used with over 200 unive...
Background: Prison officers work in a unique and potentially hazardous environment and are a high... more Background: Prison officers work in a unique and potentially hazardous environment and are a high-risk occupational group for physical ill health and psychological difficulties. They face an increased likelihood of assault leading to acute and chronic pain conditions. The present study examined the experience of chronic pain conditions among Irish prison officers with particular reference to psychosocial predictors of pain outcomes. Methods: 152 Irish prison officers took part in the study with 48% of participants reporting chronic pain as defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain. Findings: Of the respondents reporting chronic pain, 38% of participants met the criteria for ‘probable depression’ while 51% met the criteria for ‘probable anxiety disorder’. In regression analyses, depression emerged as a prominent predictor of poor pain outcomes, with higher symptom ratings associated with increased levels of reported pain severity and significantly greater pain re...
Background Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide, particularly among young people. It w... more Background Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide, particularly among young people. It was the second leading cause of death among those aged 15-29 years globally in 2016. Treatment for patients with suicidal thoughts or behaviors often includes face-to-face psychological therapy with a mental health professional. These forms of interventions may involve maintaining and updating paper-based reports or worksheets in between sessions. Mobile technology can offer a way to support the implementation of evidence-based psychological techniques and the acquisition of protective coping skills. Objective This study aims to develop a mobile app to facilitate service users’ access to mental health support and safety planning. This process involved eliciting expert input from clinicians who are actively engaged in the provision of mental health care. Methods A survey was distributed to targeted health care professionals to determine what features should be prioritized in a new mobile a...
BACKGROUND Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide and this is particularly the case amon... more BACKGROUND Suicide is a prominent cause of death worldwide and this is particularly the case among young people. It was the second leading cause of death among 15–29 year-olds globally in 2016. Treatment for patients with suicidal thoughts or behaviour often includes face-to-face psychological therapy with a mental health professional. These forms of interventions may involve a patient maintaining and updating paper-based reports or worksheets in between sessions. Mobile technology can offer a way to support the implementation of evidence-based psychological techniques, and the acquisition of protective coping skills. OBJECTIVE The aim of this research project was to develop a mobile app to facilitate service users’ access to mental health supports and safety planning. This process involved eliciting expert input from clinicians who are actively engaged in the provision of mental health care. METHODS A survey was distributed to targeted healthcare professionals to determine what fea...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Annual suicide figures are critical in identifying trends and guiding research, yet challenges ar... more Annual suicide figures are critical in identifying trends and guiding research, yet challenges arising from significant lags in reporting can delay and complicate real-time interventions. In this paper, we utilized Google Trends search volumes for behavioral forecasting of national suicide rates in Ireland between 2004 and 2015. Official suicide rates are recorded by the Central Statistics Office in Ireland. While similar investigations using Google trends data have been carried out in other jurisdictions (e.g., United Kingdom, United Stated of America), such research had not yet been completed in Ireland. We compiled a collection of suicide- and depression-related search terms suggested by Google Trends and manually sourced from the literature. Monthly search rate terms at different lags were compared with suicide occurrences to determine the degree of correlation. Following two approaches based on vector autoregression and neural network autoregression, we achieved mean absolute e...
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess... more This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness of pre-deployment programmes for building resilience in military and front-line emergency service personnel.
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Papers by John Bogue