This systematic review aimed to assess the current knowledge of human–animal interactions (HAIs) in disaster settings and identify areas for future research. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses search was conducted on three multidisciplinary databases, identifying English-language journal articles published between January 2000 and February 2022 that explored the benefits of and challenges associated with HAI in disasters and emergencies. The review analyzed 94 articles using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The review found a paucity of universal terminology to describe the bidirectional relationship between humans and animals during disasters and a failure to include all animal types in every stage of disaster and emergency management. Additionally, research predominantly focused on the health and well-being benefits of HAI for humans rather than animals. Efforts to promote social and environmental justice for humans and their co-inhabitants should support the welfare of both humans and animals in disaster settings. Four recommendations were developed based on these findings to increase the inclusion of HAI in research, policy, and practice. Limitations of the review included the exclusion of pre-2000 articles and all grey literature, limited research examining different combinations of animal and disaster types, and limited research outside of North America.

This scoping review will map the peer-reviewed and grey literature, to clarify the concept of mental health literacy (MHL). MHL is an emerging area of study within mental health promotion, as programming and policy efforts devoted to promoting mental health emerge. Enhancing MHL in the general population is a strategy for promoting mental health by reducing stigma and empowering individuals to recognize, interpret, and understand their mental health, and know when to seek help for themselves and others. Despite the positive outcomes associated with MHL, conceptualization varies in scope, purpose, process, and outcome; there is little consensus of what “counts” as MHL. A clearly defined conceptualization of MHL is needed to support research, programing, and policy in mental health promotion. Papers on the theoretical and conceptual principles underlying MHL and primary studies documenting MHL initiatives, and methods, will be included. A scoping literature search will be performed following the search protocol for scoping reviews by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) to identify all relevant literature on MHL. Searches will be conducted in three scientific databases; there will be no time limit imposed, although all sources must be written in English. Identifying the conceptualizations of MHL in the literature that is guiding mental health interventions will provide conceptual clarity ultimately advancing knowledge of mental health literacy.

Objective: Frailty and late-life depression (LLD) often coexist and share several structural brain changes. We aimed to study the joint effect LLD and frailty have on brain structure. Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Academic Health Center Participants: Thirty-one participants (14 LLD+Frail and 17 Never-depressed+Robust) Measurement: LLD was diagnosed by a geriatric psychiatrist according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition for single episode or recurrent major depressive disorder without psychotic features. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale (0–5), classifying subjects as robust (0), prefrail (1–2), and frail (3–5). Participants underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in which covariance analysis of subcortical volumes and vertex-wise analysis of cortical thickness values were performed to access changes in grey matter. Participants also underwent diffusion tensor imaging in which tract-based spatial statistics was used with voxel-wise statistical analysis on fractional anisotropy and mean diffusion values to assess changes in white matter (WM). Results: We found a significant difference in mean diffusion values (48,225 voxels; peak voxel: pFWER=0.005, MINI coord. (X,Y,Z) = −26,−11,27) between the LLD-Frail group and comparison group. The corresponding effect size (f=0.808) was large. Conclusion: We showed the LLD+Frailty group is associated with significant microstructural changes within WM tracts compared to Never-depressed+Robust individuals. Our findings indicate the possibility of a heightened neuroinflammatory burden as a potential mechanism underlying the co-occurrence of both conditions and the possibility of a depression–frailty phenotype in older adults.

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