Abstract: Background/Objectives: Caring for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often associated with elevated psychological distress and reduced life satisfaction. Mindfulness-based interventions may offer substantial benefits by enhancing emotional regulation, reducing maladaptive cognitive patterns, and strengthening mindful parenting. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examined the effectiveness of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program, enriched with mindful parenting practices, on parental mental health and parent-reported child behavior outcomes. Methods: Fifty-six parents of children with ASD were randomly assigned to an MBCT intervention group (n = 30) or a waitlist-control group (n = 26). Participants completed assessments at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and one-month follow-up (T2), including the DASS-21, PANAS, and SWLS. Parents rated the overall severity of their child’s behavior problems to explore indirect treatment effects. Results: All participants receiving MBCT (100%) completed the program successfully and reported high acceptability. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between groups. Compared to controls, the MBCT group demonstrated significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, alongside increases in positive affect and life satisfaction at T1. These improvements were further strengthened or maintained at T2. However, the control group showed no significant changes across time. Additionally, parents in the MBCT group reported indirect improvements in their children’s behavioral adjustment at T1 and T2. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that MBCT constitutes an effective intervention for reducing parental psychopathology and indirectly enhancing child positive behavior, emphasizing the importance of incorporating mindfulness and mindful parenting components into family-centered interventions for parents of children with ASD.

Abstract:

Background/Objectives: People living with depression often experience consistent disruptions in the experience of time, which contribute to their suffering, and are considered a diagnostic indicator. We present a scoping review on virtual reality (VR)-based interventions for depression addressing temporal processing or subjective experiences of time. The paper aims to explore the extent to which therapeutic interventions using virtual reality target the temporal dimension of patients' experiences. Methods: We conducted a scoping review, using the PRISMA 2020 standard. The literature search was extended using Research Rabbit and reference list searches. Seventeen papers were selected for final analysis. Results: Our scoping review indicates that the topic of time in VR-based therapeutic interventions for depression remains underrepresented. Of the seventeen papers reviewed, only two explicitly deal with this issue, while the rest touch upon it briefly or implicitly. The studies suggest that VR's main advantage in modifying the experience of time in depression is its potential to generate immersion and to scaffold imagination through visualization. The main limitations are methodological: most of the research is exploratory, reports short-term effects and utilizes a wide variety of empirical designs and therapeutic approaches.

Abstract: Social media addiction (SMA) and social phobia (SP) are significant adolescent mental health concerns. In Saudi Arabia, despite high social media penetration, the specific association between these two constructs remains under-researched, particularly in the Aseer region. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine this relationship, conducted from January–March 2025, recruiting 384 Saudi adolescents (aged 11–19) from schools using a multistage cluster sampling strategy. Participants completed validated self-report measures, including the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and the Al-Menayes Social Media Addiction Scale. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe social phobia was 15.3%. A significant, moderate positive correlation emerged between SP and SMA scores (Spearman’s rho = 0.294, p < .001). After adjusting for age, gender, and family income, adolescents with moderate social phobia had 2.17 times the odds of probable SMA compared to those with no social anxiety (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.17; 95% CI [1.03–4.59]; p = .043). Social phobia and social media addiction are significantly intertwined public health challenges among Saudi adolescents in the Aseer region. These findings support the urgent need for integrated mental health and digital literacy interventions that proactively screen for both conditions.

Abstract: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. While there have been many empirical studies of childhood ADHD, there have been few qualitative studies investigating first-hand accounts of the lived experiences of children with ADHD. This study addresses that gap with qualitative data from open-ended interviews with 12 children ages 8 to 14 years about the positive and negative aspects of their ADHD. Overarching themes were identified using Interpretive Description and Thematic Analysis. An important point to emerge was a discrepancy between the generally negative perception of ADHD by society and the medical profession (a psychiatric disorder that needs to be cured) and the more nuanced perceptions of children who themselves have ADHD, where they express positive as well as negative aspects. Positive aspects reported included having more energy, the ability to hyper-focus, and being more creative and more fun because of their ADHD. The children’s nuanced view of their ADHD is also at odds with an exclusively asset-based neurodiversity perspective that focuses only on strengths. The children perceived that some aspects of their ADHD are not advantageous. Implications are discussed with reference to rethinking how we understand ADHD, treatment practices for ADHD, and how to involve children with ADHD in future research.

Abstract: Adolescence is a critical period of vulnerability for the onset of mental health difficul-ties, presenting an urgent need for scalable prevention strategies. Diet is a universal, modifiable factor, yet its evidence base remains inconsistent. This systematic review synthesized evidence from controlled trials and prospective cohort studies investigat-ing the relationship between diet and mental health in adolescents aged 10–19 years. Searches were conducted to July 2025, and risk of bias was assessed. Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria: six intervention trials and thirteen cohort studies. Examined exposures included vitamin D, omega-3s, polyphenol-rich foods, Mediterranean-style diets, and overall diet quality. Across designs, healthier dietary patterns were often associated with fewer depressive symptoms, while poorer diet quality was linked to increased psychological distress. However, the current evidence is constrained by wide variation in assessments, small samples, and significant methodological limita-tions—particularly with high risk or some concerns noted in half of the included in-tervention trials—along with evidence suggesting that associations may differ by sex and are often sensitive to adjustment for socioeconomic status. Despite these chal-lenges, the findings confirm diet as a possible, actionable target for supporting ado-lescent mental health. This review concludes by proposing a detailed roadmap for fu-ture research, prioritizing harmonized symptom-based outcomes, biomarker-verified assessments, explicit analysis of sex and socioeconomic (SES) effects, and adequately powered trials to inform effective public health strategies for youth. Protocols were registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023413970) and archived on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/c6xze).

Abstract: Rapid methadone metabolism in patients with opioid use disorder could complicate methadone treatment. Toxicology screenings to monitor methadone levels may show negative for methadone, despite adherence regular regimen. A patient receiving treatment for opioid use disorder tested negative for methadone in 11 out of 22 toxicology screenings (50.0%). We hypothesized that the patient was a rapid methadone metabolizer. After tapering doses to a maintenance level and using supervised urine collection, the patient was negative for methadone in 7 out of 7 tests (100.0%) but positive for cocaine in 5 out of 7 tests (71.4%). Chronic cocaine use and genetic factors, particularly CYP2B6 polymorphisms, have been found to cause rapid methadone metabolism. Clinicians should be vigilant for unusual metabolic reactions and modify dose and monitoring schedules accordingly. More investigation into the physiological and genetic aspects of methadone metabolism is needed.

Abstract: The theory of geropsychosis reconceptualizes anxiety, mood, psychotic, and neurocognitive disorders as primarily emerging from the universal accumulation of metals, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs), and their hybrid complexes among post-pubescent individuals. These inputs drive self-reinforcing molecular feedback loops underlying clinically meaningful insults against the nervous system, thus extending the Conglomerate Theory of Aging to mental health. Through comprehensive analysis of molecular damage and neural function, we establish that psychiatric symptoms emerge from the same fundamental aging mechanisms that comprise systemic decline. This unified understanding provides a mechanistic foundation for reconceptualizing several mental disorders as emerging from similar sources rather than wholly disparate pathological routes. The geropsychosis framework thus reveals new therapeutic targets and intervention strategies that may directly address the fundamental causes of psychiatric pathology.

Abstract: Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth (VPTG) is a critical yet underexplored phenomenon among trauma-focused helping professionals. While secondary trauma (ST), compassion fatigue, and burnout are widely recognized negative aspects of working with trauma survivors, less is known about the potential benefits of this work and its contributions to well-being. This qualitative study examined whether VPTG parallels Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) across its five domains and explored the lived experiences of ST and VPTG among peer-support specialists. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, re-searchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, independently coded transcripts, and developed themes through consensus. Findings indicate that VPTG mirrors PTG, with participants reporting challenges to core beliefs, emotional distress, and transformative cognitive-emotional shifts that facilitated growth across the five PTG domains. Participants also described moving from an initial acclimation phase, characterized by heightened distress, into a thriving phase of work with trauma survivors, marked by meaning-making and enhanced well-being. Outcomes extended beyond the five PTG domains to include compassion satisfaction, hope, expanded coping skills, and improved mental health. These findings underscore the potential of work with trauma survivors to contribute to both growth and well-being, with important implications for supporting helping professionals.

Abstract: Background: Migrant children encounter numerous survival challenges during their development, which may contribute to difficulties in adapting to new school environments. Although existing research has confirmed that multiple risk factors within the family microsystem negatively affect their school adjustment, the cumulative impact of these risks and their underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. methods: A total of 2,498 students participated in this study, including 1,370 non-migrant children and 1,128 migrant children (mean age = 12.83 ± 1.21 years; 576 boys), recruited from three middle schools in Jiangsu Province; Results: The results showed that: (1) cumulative family risk had a significant negative predictive effect on school adjustment; (2) relative deprivation played a partial mediating role in this relationship; and (3) beliefs about adversity moderated the latter half of the mediation pathway, serving a protective function; Conclusion: Exposure to multiple family risk factors may heighten migrant children’s relative deprivation, thereby adversely influencing their school adjustment—a pathway further moderated by adversity beliefs. The present study not only contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of the link between cumulative family risk and school adjustment and its underlying mechanisms, but also offers practical insights for designing interventions aimed at enhancing school adjustment among migrant children.

Abstract: Background: Social inequalities and vulnerability associated with ethnic and social minority status are risk factors for health inequities. Objective: To assess associations be-tween psychosocial health, social discrimination, perceived social support, and resilience among people living in Portugal based on ethnic origin. Method: This is an observational investigation carried out with 756 individuals (M=39.3; SD=13.79), who responded to the Brief Symptom Inventory, Everyday Discrimination Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, along with a sociodemographic questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups, the first consisting of white Portuguese of European origin (majority group, n=609, 80.56%) and the second consisting of black individuals, Afro-descendants, Roma, and Portuguese Roma (minority group, n=147, 19.44%). Results: Sociodemographic markers remained inferior in the minority group. This group also had elevated scores for both psychological distress and social discrimination (p’s< .001). Perceived social support (majority: 5.58; minority: 6.09; p< .001) and resilience (majority: 2.64; minority: 3.17; p< .001) were statistically significantly different. Regression analyses indicated that minority ethnicity was a predictor of psychological distress. Conclusions: In summary, discrimination linked to ethnic origin predicted poor health indicators. Consequently, further work is needed to clarify the social context of individuals who experience any form of discrimination and to assist the governments in addressing this situation through public policies grounded in informed data to reduce the risk factors and enhance the health of these communities.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Gender differences in school stress and academic sat-isfaction among pre-adolescents remain underexplored, particularly in relation to physical activity as a potential protective factor. This study aimed to examine these dif-ferences and investigate the role of sports/exercise frequency in mitigating boredom and stress, controlling for school safety, using a large multinational dataset. Methods: Data from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being (ISCWeB, third wave; N=128,184 pre-adolescents aged 6-14 from 35 countries) were analyzed. Key variables included boredom and stress (0-10 scales), sports/exercise frequency (categorized as low: 0-2 days/week, medium: 3-4, high: 5-6), and school safety (0-4 scale). Descriptive statistics were stratified by gender and sports level. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tested combined effects of sports level, gender, and their interaction, followed by uni-variate ANOVAs (Type II). Results: Modest gender differences were found in stress (boys: mean=4.05; girls: mean=4.16) and academic satisfaction (boys: 8.50; girls: 8.66), with similar distributions in physical activity variables. Higher sports frequency was associ-ated with lower boredom (high: 4.00 vs. low: 4.46) and stress (high: 4.03 vs. low: 4.05). MANOVA confirmed a significant multivariate effect of sports level (Wilks' lamb-da=0.9984, F=49.74, p< 0.0001), with marginal gender effect (p=0.0525) and significant interaction (Wilks' lambda=0.9998, F=6.59, p< 0.0001); small effect sizes (partial η²≤0.014). School safety was a significant covariate (Wilks' lambda=0.9807, F=1262.84, p< 0.0001, partial η²≈0.013). Conclusions: Physical activity modestly protects against school-related boredom and stress in pre-adolescents, with modest gender moderation. Findings support universal school programs promoting daily exercise, with gender-sensitive adaptations, to enhance emotional well-being and academic satisfaction.

Abstract: Background: The connections between poverty, disability, and mental health are deeply intertwined and mutually reinforcing, potentially leading to poverty traps. Forced displacement can have enduring impacts on both mental health and poverty. Adults with disabilities experience mental distress more frequently than those without disabilities. However, the interplay between poverty, disability, mental health, and forced displacement remains not fully understood due to limited comparable data between displaced and non-displaced populations in the same context. This paper examines the mental health status, disability burden, cognitive bias of pessimism, subjective feeling of loneliness and self-esteem, and socio-economic factors including financial security, of both refugees and host communities in a low-income setting in Northern Mozambique. Methods: Poor adult refugees (n=134) and Mozambican nationals living in the vicinity (n=314) were identified based on a poverty score card employed by the World Bank for the targeting of Government social protection programs. They were administered a survey capturing symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), disability (Washington Group on Disability Statistics- Short Set), and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: Both refugees and hosts report high symptom levels of depression (34% and 29% respectively) and anxiety (25%) without significant differences between the groups. Women in both groups report more symptoms. Both refugees and Mozambicans face a high disability burden (25% and 22%). Individuals with disabilities are twice as likely to experience depression and three times as likely to suffer from anxiety. Financial security is inversely related to mental health issues: a one-unit increase in financial security corresponds to a 0.069 unit decrease in anxiety (p< 5%) and a 0.069 unit decrease in depression (p< 1%). Pessimism is positively associated with poor mental health for both refugees and hosts, increasing the prevalence of anxiety and depression more than 2.5 times compared to those who are not pessimistic. Loneliness is not a good predictor of depression or anxiety among the population studied while self-esteem is a good predictor of depression and anxiety with low self-esteem more than doubling the likelihood of the prevalence of GAD and depression. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the link between poverty and mental health, introducing disability as another contributing factor. This underscores the need for enhanced mental health and public health services for both refugees and hosts, with a particular focus on women. Policy actions to improve employment access and social inclusion for persons with disabilities are crucial for better mental health outcomes. Mental health interventions should be integrated into antipoverty measures alongside traditional economic interventions. Additionally, high levels of mental health issues can hinder the economic and social integration of refugees, which is essential for the economic growth and stability needed for long-term solutions.

Abstract: Gestalt therapy traditionally opposes categorical diagnostic labelling due to its fundamental inconsistency with phenomenological and process-oriented ontology. However, this epistemological rigour can limit integration with structured evidence-based interventions for complex personality organisations such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This paper proposes a hybrid theoretical model that integrates the clinical epistemology of Gestalt therapy with Linehan's biosocial theory of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and schema-focused interventions, while preserving the core principles of Gestalt. We present a model of theoretical integration that draws on Gestalt contact theory, the four modules of DBT (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) and the experiential techniques of Schema Therapy. The integration focuses on the dialectic of acceptance and change, which mirrors Gestalt's paradoxical theory of change. The proposed framework preserves the non-protocol dimension of Gestalt therapy while incorporating the pragmatic utility of DBT and Schema Therapy. Key innovations include: (1) conceptualising the “draft self” as the object and subject of therapeutic work, (2) integrating mindfulness and grounding as embodied processes within live Gestalt experiments, (3) activation techniques to explore the identity fragmentation endemic to DBP. This integration offers a coherent, embodied, and process-oriented framework for understanding and treating DBP that validates patients' lived experience, mobilises evidence-based interventions, and opens up meaningful intertheoretical dialogue.

Abstract:

This study examines the complex relationships among depressive symptoms, subjective well-being, pet attachment, and the human-animal bond. Using a moderated mediation model, we investigated whether pet attachment mediates the negative impact of depressive symptoms on subjective well-being, and whether the human-animal bond moderates these effects. Data were collected from 391 companion animal owners in South Korea and analyzed using Hayes’s Process Macro. Results indicated that pet attachment partially mediated the negative effects of depressive symptoms on subjective well-being, highlighting the emotional stability and stress relief that pets can provide. Additionally, the human-animal bond moderated the direct relationship between depressive symptoms and subjective well-being, demonstrating its protective role against psychological stress. However, its moderating effect on the indirect pathway through pet attachment was not statistically significant, suggesting that direct interactions with pets are particularly important for emotional comfort. No significant differences were found between dog and cat owners, indicating that the quality of the human-animal bond is more important than pet type in conferring psychological benefits. These findings suggest that strengthening human-animal relationships may be an effective strategy for improving mental health and well-being, with meaningful implications for clinical interventions and policy development.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that more than one in every eight adults and adolescents experience a mental disorder, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Reliable measures are needed to assess these conditions in youth. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-Youth version (DASS-Y) using the multidimensional Rasch Model. Methods: The study used the DASS-Y data publicly available on the Science Data Base for the analysis. The DASS-Y comprises 21 items on a 4-point scale and was administered to a sample of 575 (56.2% females, 43.7% males, and 0.2% others) youths aged 19 to 29 years (average age = 23.32), with data retrieved from the Science Data Bank Database. Using the multidimensional Rasch model and the TAM package in R, the analysis focused on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item fit statistics (Infit/Outfit residuals), dimensionality evaluation, category threshold evaluation, and person-item targeting across the depression, anxiety, and stress subscales. Results: The findings revealed that the DASS-Y has a multidimensional structure aligning with the theoretical subscales, with most items demonstrating acceptable fit statistics (1.400.6) and ordered category thresholds under the multidimensional framework, compared to the unidimensional model. The scale showed good targeting for this youth sample, providing evidence that supports the interpretation and use of DASS-Y in assessing emotional distress in youth using Rasch Rasch-based approach. Conclusions: These findings would contribute to the understanding of the scale’s measurement properties and its suitability for clinical and research use in youth mental health assessment.

Abstract: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) increases the risk for autism, and individuals with autism inconsistently exhibit increased or decreased volumes and functional connectivity of the whole amygdala and the whole hippocampus. Given heterogeneous structures of the amygdala and hippocampus and the heterogeneity of autism symptoms, it is worth examining how their subregions contribute to different autism phenotypes. T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI data were acquired from 32 young adults of mothers who were pregnant during, or within 3 months of, the 1998 Quebec ice storm. Their broad autism phenotype (BAP) was self-reported, including aloof personality, pragmatic language impairment and rigid personality. This sample has a wide range of scores on the BAP Questionnaire. Volumes of the amygdala nuclei and hippocampal subfields were calculated. Seed-to-voxel analysis was applied to examine functional connectivity of the amygdala nuclei and hippocampal subfields with the rest of the brain, and linear regressions were implemented to examine associations of volume and functional connectivity with the three autism phenotypes. We found that 1) pragmatic language impairment was associated with increased right medial amygdala volume; 2) rigid personality was associated with decreased left hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)1 volume; 3) pragmatic language impairment was associated with decreased left hippocampal CA1 connectivity with the supplementary motor area, and increased right hippocampal CA4 connectivity with the left putamen; and 4) rigid personality was associated with increased right central amygdala connectivity with the left inferior lateral occipital cortex (LOC); and increased left hippocampal CA3 connectivity with the right superior parietal lobule, increased right hippocampal CA4 connectivity with the left superior LOC, and increased right hippocampal dentate gyrus connectivity with the left superior LOC. In contrast, we found no associations with aloof 3 personality. Our results suggest that, within a sample exposed to PNMS, amygdala and hippocampal structure and function contribute differently to two different autistic-like characteristics, with amygdala volume and hippocampus-motor connectivity explaining variance in communication impairment, and with hippocampal volume, amygdala- and hippocampussensory connectivity sharing the common mechanism in rigid behaviors. Given these links between brain and autistic-like traits, future research should determine the extent to which brain volumes and connectivity mediate associations between PNMS and autistic-like traits in young adulthood.

Abstract: Background: Young children have experienced increased emotional difficulties including anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and tantrums. Limited access to mental health services has created an urgent need for accessible interventions to equip professionals with evidence-based strategies for managing children's strong emotions. This study piloted an innovative virtual reality (VR) simulation designed to teach professionals evidence-based emotion management techniques. Methods: Participants included 107 early childhood professionals (e.g., educational, healthcare, allied health) working with children aged 3-6 years from the southeastern United States. The multilingual VR simulation taught professionals’ evidenced-based emotion management strategies. Participants completed either a temper tantrum management simulation (n=71) or separation anxiety simulation (n=36). Participants’ responses to children's strong emotions were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up, along with a satisfaction survey. Results: Participants reported a significant increase in intent to use evidence-based strategies immediately following VR completion (Cohen's d = 0.51, p < 0.001). However, actual use of evidence-based strategies showed no significant change at one-month follow-up (Cohen's d = -0.03, p = 0.391). Being a Spanish-speaking professional was associated with significantly greater improvements in both intent (β = 0.17, p = 0.024) and actual use of evidence-based strategies at follow-up (β = 0.37, p < 0.001). Participants reported high satisfaction ratings (M = 4.59-4.74 on 5-point scale) with the VR simulations. Conclusions: VR simulations show promise as an innovative tool for teaching emotion management strategies, particularly benefiting Spanish-speaking early childhood professionals. While effective for immediate motivation, additional support mechanisms may be needed to sustain long-term behavior change in professional practice.

Abstract: Schizophrenia affects patients’ organizational thinking, as well as their ability to identify problems. The main objective of this study was to explore healthcare consultants’ application of AI mind maps to educate patients with schizophrenia regarding their perceptions of family function, social support, quality of life, and loneliness, and to help these patients think more organizationally and understand problems more effectively. The study used a survey research design and purposive sampling method to recruit 66 participants with schizophrenia who attended the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a hospital in central Taiwan. They needed to be literate, able to respond to the topic, and over 18 years old (inclusive), and they attended individual and group health education using AI mind maps over a 3-month period during regular outpatient clinic visits. The study results show that patients’ family function directly affects their quality of life (p < 0.05) and loneliness (p < 0.05), satisfaction with social support affects quality of life and loneliness directly (p < 0.05), and satisfaction with social support is a mediating factor between family function and quality of life (p < 0.05), as well as a mediating factor between family function and loneliness (p < 0.05). Therefore, this study confirms the need to provide holistic, integrated mental health social care support for patients with schizophrenia, showing that healthcare consultants can apply AI mind maps to empower patients with schizophrenia to think more effectively about how to mobilize their social supports.

Abstract: Migrant women diagnosed with schizophrenia face a range of challenges, including cultural dislocation, language barriers, limited healthcare access, and social stigma. These challenges often lead to delayed diagnoses, poor treatment adherence, and worsened mental health outcomes. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) offer significant promise in providing mental health support tailored to the needs of these marginalized groups. This qualitative inquiry synthesizes literature on AI-driven mental health interventions for migrant women with schizophrenia, focusing on technologies such as AI-based chatbots, symptom tracking, mood prediction algorithms, and wearable diagnostics. The review emphasizes studies published between 2010 and 2025, prioritizing those incorporating cultural and gender-sensitive designs. Although AI technologies hold promises for improving access to care and reducing cost barriers, current models often fail to account for the unique symptom profiles of women and the psychosocial complexities of migration. Ethical concerns, including algorithmic bias, data privacy, and informed consent, continue to pose significant challenges. This paper emphasizes the crucial importance of inclusive AI development practices that prioritize the needs of marginalized populations and adhere to human-centered design principles. While AI offers substantial potential for enhancing the mental health of migrant women with schizophrenia, its deployment must be guided by ethical, cultural, and clinical considerations.

Abstract: Schizophrenia affects patients’ organizational thinking, as well as their ability to identify problems. The main objective of this study was to explore healthcare consultants’ application of AI mind maps to educate patients with schizophrenia regarding their perceptions of family function, social support, quality of life, and loneliness, and to help these patients think more organizationally and understand problems more effectively. The study used a survey research design and purposive sampling method to recruit 66 participants with schizophrenia who attended the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a hospital in central Taiwan. They needed to be literate, able to respond to the topic, and over 18 years old (inclusive), and they attended individual and group health education using AI mind mapping over a 3-month period during regular outpatient clinic visits. The study results show that patients’ family function directly affects their quality of life (p &lt; 0.05) and loneliness (p &lt; 0.05), satisfaction with social support affects quality of life and loneliness directly (p &lt; 0.05), and satisfaction with social support is a mediating factor between family function and quality of life (p &lt; 0.05), as well as a mediating factor between family function and loneliness (p &lt; 0.05). Therefore, this study confirms the need to provide holistic, integrated mental health social care support for patients with schizophrenia, showing that healthcare consultants can apply AI mind mapping to empower patients with schizophrenia to think more effectively about how to mobilize their social supports.