Psychiatric disorders have a multifactorial etiology and have increasingly been associated with metabolic and bioenergetic changes that go beyond traditional models focused exclusively on neurotransmission. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between energy metabolism and psychiatric disorders, emphasizing the main biochemical mechanisms involved and their potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications in primary and secondary health care. An integrative literature review was conducted, covering publications from 2021 to 2026, retrieved from the PubMed/ MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and SciELO databases. Evidence was analyzed primarily related to major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The results demonstrated that alterations in mitochondrial function, oxidative phosphorylation, ATP production, glucose and lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, immunometabolism, and insulin resistance are associated with the disorders under investigation. Mitochondrial dysfunction emerged as a possible transdiagnostic mechanism, interacting with reactive oxygen species, inflammatory processes, and alterations in neuronal plasticity. Metabolomics has shown potential for identifying biomarkers and characterizing biological phenotypes, although its clinical application still depends on further standardization and validation. Strategies targeting energy metabolism-including nutritional interventions, antioxidants, mitochondrial modulators, and metabolic therapies-have shown promising, though still heterogeneous, results. It was concluded that energy metabolism constitutes a relevant component in the contemporary understanding of psychiatric disorders and that its integration into care may facilitate more individualized approaches. The coordination between primary and secondary care has proven to be fundamental for the screening and management of cardiometabolic changes, monitoring the effects of psychotropic medications, and promoting comprehensive mental health care.
Objectives: Domestic violence is a growing public concern today, but little attention is given to the effect it has on children who are exposed to it. The effect of domestic violence on their psychological well-being, academic work and quality of life is often neglected the study aims to determine the impact of domestic violence on the psychological wellbeing, academic performance and quality of life of children in Calabar metropolis located in southern Nigeria. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out among secondary school students in Calabar municipality. A stratified random sampling technique was used to recruit respondents. The following instruments were administered to 400 respondents: Socio-demographic questionnaire, Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale (CEDV), General Health questionnaire-12(GHQ-12), Academic Performance Rating Scale (APRS) and World Health Organisation Quality of Life -Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). The Cut-off point used for psychological distress is GHQ-12 score greater or equals to 14 while that of poor academic performance is academic score below the 25th percentile. The cutoff point for poor quality of life is domain score below 50 points. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25, and the p-value was set at <0.05. Findings: The study recruited 400 participants. The mean age of the participants was 14.8± 2.0. The proportion of male respondents was 45.3%, while that of the females was 54.7%. The prevalence rate of children’s exposure to domestic violence was 27.3%. There was a statistically significant relationship between children’s exposure to domestic violence and psychological distress(p=0.00), academic performance(p=0.00) and quality of life(p=0.00). The study showed that the predictors of exposure to domestic violence in children include age 15years and above, polygamous family setting, married/divorced parents and poor social relations. Protective factors for exposure to domestic violence in children include respondent with average academic performance, those with no witness of domestic violence in the past and those with no psychological distress. Conclusions: The result of the study shows that exposure to domestic violence in children has far-reaching implications on both their physical and psychological well-being. Efforts should be made to reduce children’s exposure to domestic violence and give them a healthy environment in which to grow. In addition, there is need for school-based screening program to identify children exposed to domestic violence
This narrative review is a series of summaries of studies on the big five personality types published in 2023-2025. It includes 29 studies that can be categorized as: 1) psychometric properties of the Big Five Personality Inventory-20 and heritability of the big five personality types; 2) positive effects of the big five personality types; and 3) negative effects of the personality types. The big five personality types have been described as four positive domains including openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness and one negative domain neuroticism. The positive effects of the big five personality types include number of friends, health apps, innovation behavior, academic achievement, religiosity, self–efficacy, self-esteem, life satisfaction and joy. The negative behaviors include excessive Facebook time, aggression, bullying, obsessive compulsive disorder and healthcare utilization. The negative feelings include burnout, negative quality of life, dark tetrad, tinnitus, stress, allostatic load, poor sleep, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The number of negative behaviors and feelings that have appeared in this literature exceed the number of positive behaviors, likely because medical and psychological research has focused on and has been funded for studying problems/conditions. Several methodological limitations can be noted for this recent literature. They include the almost exclusive sampling of university students as convenience samples, the uneven distribution of positive and negative qualities on the big five personality inventory and the cross-sectional data versus longitudinal data that cannot determine directionality or causality.
This narrative review includes summaries of recently published studies on features/qualities of social robots, as well as positive and negative effects of social robots on humans. The most effective features of the social robots include their human-like faces and voices. Other qualities that have been attributed to social robots include their intelligence and responsivity. Positive effects have been reported for children and adolescents being physically and verbally interactive with social robots and their stress and anxiety decreasing following interactions with the robots. In older adults, decreased loneliness, depression and agitation have been self-reported as well as increased physical activity. Increased oxytocin and decreased cortisol have also been noted following exposure to social robots, likely related to increased physical activity and decreased depression. In at least one study, socialization with humans was not decreased in older adults who were interacting with social robots. The negative effects of exposure to social robots include concerns about their cost and availability, fear of losing autonomy and stigma associated with owning a social robot. Methodological limitations of this current literature include the almost exclusive sampling of young children, adolescents and older adults as well as the variability of the robots used in the studies and the infrequent observational research on interactions between humans and social robots.
This narrative review of research on marital relationships research published in 2024-2025 includes papers on positive effects, risk factors for marital dissatisfaction, buffers and interventions. The positive effects include less loneliness, greater intimacy, less cognitive decline, less depression and better quality of life. Other effects include greater activity in older couples but less activity in younger couples, overweight in younger couples and better sleep. The risk factors for marital dissatisfaction include being ultrasensitive, lonely and ambivalent, having marital strain, experiencing stressors especially partner distress and being discordant on alcohol use with one's partner. The buffers include mindfulness, positive humor, cognitive function, sharing work experiences, having friends and affectionate touch. Only three intervention studies appeared including rational-emotive therapy, solutions-focused therapy and teletherapy. Methodological limitations include samples that have combined short-term and long-term marriages and same-sex and different-sex couples that would be expected to differ and the absence of seemingly obvious risk factors like sexual dysfunction and infidelity.
