scholarly journals Who should we ask about mental health symptoms in adolescents with CFS/ME? Parent-child agreement on the revised children’s anxiety and depression scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-380
Author(s):  
Teona Serafimova ◽  
Maria Loades ◽  
Daisy Gaunt ◽  
Esther Crawley

Background: One in three adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) have mental health problems. Multi-informant perspectives are key to psychological assessment. Understanding parent-child agreement is crucial to accurate diagnosis, particularly where severe fatigue limits self-report. Methods: Agreement on the revised children’s anxiety and depression scale (RCADs) was assessed between parents and children with CFS/ME ( n = 93) using Bland-Altman plots, cross tabulations and regression analyses. Results: Diagnostic thresholds were met more frequently based on child-report. Parent- and child-report had similar sensitivity and specificity on RCADS compared to gold-standard diagnostic interviews. Regression analysis found similar accuracy between both reports. For anxiety diagnoses, odds ratio (OR) for child-report was 1.10 (CI = 1.06–1.14), and 1.10 (CI = 1.05–1.14) for parent-report. For depression, OR for child report was 1.26 (CI = 1.11–1.43), while for parent-report is was 1.25 (CI = 1.10–1.41). For total score, OR for child-report was 1.10 (CI = 1.05–1.13) while OR for parent-report was 1.09 (CI = 1.05–1.13). Conclusions: Reasonable agreement was observed between parent- and child-report of mental health symptoms in paediatric CFS/ME. While parent-report can facilitate psychological evaluation in CFS/ME, this is not a substitute for a child’s own report.

Author(s):  
Anders Dahlen Forsmo Lauvsnes ◽  
Mette Langaas ◽  
Alexander Olsen ◽  
Jasmin Vassileva ◽  
Olav Spigset ◽  
...  

Symptoms of ADHD are strongly associated with alcohol use disorders, and mental health symptoms attenuate this relationship. There is limited knowledge about how specific symptoms of inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity can explain this association. We aimed to identify self-reported executive cognitive functioning and mental health and variables that may help identify subjects with an elevated risk of alcohol dependence in the general population. Data included 3917 subjects between 19 and 30 years old in the 4th Trøndelag Health Study. The Adult ADHD Self report Scale—Screener, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and demographic variables were used as input variables. The alcohol screening instrument CAGE was used as the response variable for binary alcohol dependence risk. We used logistic regression and automated model selection to arrive at our final model that identified sex, age, inattentiveness, hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, and anxiety as predictors of having a CAGE score ≥2, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.692. A balanced accuracy approach indicated an optimal cut-off of 0.153 with sensitivity 0.55 and specificity 0.74. Despite attrition in the data, our findings may be important in the assessment of individual risk for alcohol dependency and when developing algorithms for risk triage in public health.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Somerville ◽  
Sarah E. MacPherson ◽  
Sue Fletcher-Watson

Camouflaging is a frequently reported behaviour in autistic people, which entails the use of strategies to compensate for and mask autistic traits in social situations. Camouflaging is associated with poor mental health in autistic people. This study examined the manifestation of camouflaging in a non-autistic sample, examining the relationship between autistic traits, camouflaging, and mental health. In addition, the role of executive functions as a mechanism underpinning camouflaging was explored. Sixty-three non-autistic adults completed standardised self-report questionnaires which measured: autistic traits, mental health symptoms, and camouflaging behaviours. In addition, a subset (n=51) completed three tests of executive function measuring inhibition, working memory, and set-shifting. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyse data. Results indicated that autistic traits are not associated with mental health symptoms when controlling for camouflaging, and camouflaging predicted increased mental health symptoms. Camouflaging did not correlate with any measure of executive function. These findings have implications for understanding the relationship between autistic traits and mental health in non-autistic people and add to the growing development of theory and knowledge about the mechanism and effects of camouflaging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad N. AlHadi ◽  
Mohammed A. Alarabi ◽  
Khulood M. AlMansoor

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s lives globally. The outbreak in Saudi Arabia worsened when the number of cases and deaths rose in March and April of 2020, leading to a national lockdown. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with mental health symptoms in a sample of people residing in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted an observational cross-sectional study using an online survey distributed via social media, completed by 3032 respondents from all Saudi regions. We collected demographic data, illness history, and scores of validated self-report scales to assess mental health symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, and coping strategies. Results In total, respondents indicated moderate to very severe symptoms during the pandemic as follows: 20.9% for depression, 17.5% for anxiety, and 12.6% for stress. Younger age, female gender, and history of mental illness were associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Intolerance of uncertainty and certain coping strategies (such as denial or self-blame) were associated with more severe symptoms. Conclusions Mental health is a key concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the identified vulnerable groups. Agencies concerned with mental health during crises may use the studied associated factors of mental health symptoms to generate targeted policies or interventions.


Author(s):  
Marlene Camacho-Rivera ◽  
Jessica Yasmine Islam ◽  
Denise Christina Vidot ◽  
Sunit Jariwala

Background: This study sought to evaluate COVID-19 associated physical and mental health symptoms among adults with allergies compared to the general U.S. adult population. Methods: Data for these analyses were obtained from the publicly available COVID-19 Household Impact Survey, which provides national and regional statistics about physical health, mental health, economic security, and social dynamics among U.S. adults (ages 18 and older). Data from 20–26 April 2020; 4–10 May 2020; and 30 May–8 June 2020 were included. Our primary outcomes for this analysis were physical and mental health symptoms experienced in the last seven days. The primary predictor was participants’ self-report of a physician diagnosis of an allergy. Results/Discussion: This study included 10,760 participants, of whom 44% self-reported having allergies. Adults with allergies were more likely to report physical symptoms compared to adults without allergies including fever (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.44–1.99), cough (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.60–2.26), shortness of breath (aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.71–2.43), and loss of taste or sense of smell (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.58–2.28). Adults with allergies were more likely to report feeling nervous (cOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.13, 1.60), depressed (cOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.11–1.57), lonely (cOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04–1.47), hopeless (cOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.21–1.72), or having physical reactions when thinking about COVID-19 pandemic (cOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.44–2.82), compared to those without allergies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, adults with allergies are more likely to report physical and mental health symptoms compared to individuals without allergies. These findings have important implications for diagnostic and treatment challenges for allergy physicians.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hammond ◽  
Richard Meiser-Stedman ◽  
Anna McKinnon ◽  
Tim Dalgleish ◽  
Patrick Smith ◽  
...  

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced by children can have a large impact on the wider family. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2018) recommend that parents are involved in their child’s PTSD treatment. Studies have found that parents themselves also report high levels of PTSD and other mental health symptoms but few have explored whether these symptoms reduce following their child receiving trauma-focused CBT. In this study, parents (N=29) whose children (ages 8-17 years) were randomly assigned to either 10 sessions of Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD) or a wait-list control condition (WL) completed the Post Traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; to measure depression), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28; to measure general mental health) for pre-post comparison. Parents whose children were allocated to CT-PTSD reported greater improvements on self-report PTSD, depression, anxiety and general mental health, relative to the WL condition. This trial provides preliminary support for the efficacy of CT-PTSD delivered to children for reducing parent PTSD, depression, anxiety and general mental health symptoms. Replication is needed as well as further exploration of parent factors and frequency of parental involvement required to predict improvements.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110653
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Westrupp ◽  
Christopher J Greenwood ◽  
Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Craig A Olsson ◽  
Emma Sciberras ◽  
...  

Objective: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July–October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes in Victoria vs non-Victoria and (2) identify baseline demographic, individual and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Methods: Online community sample of 2004 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 14 time-points over April 2020 to May 2021. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21), child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and child anxiety symptoms (four items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale). Results: Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β] = 0.09–0.46), parent/child diagnoses (β = 0.07–0.21), couple conflict (β = 0.07–0.18) and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness and loss of job (β = 0.12–0.15), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers ( https://lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/ ). Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms at a time coinciding with a second COVID-19 outbreak involving strict lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high-risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 100729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Kara L. Kerr ◽  
Robin L. Aupperle ◽  
Erin L. Ratliff ◽  
Danielle C. DeVille ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randolph B. Goossen ◽  
J. Douglas Staley ◽  
Michelle L. Pearson

This study reports the results of two self-report measures (PHQ & SF-12v2) completed before and at the end of a therapeutic intervention in a shared mental health care program. A significant reduction in symptoms was noted for 5 diagnostic categories, including depression. Statistically significant improvement was found for items assessing general health, interference in activities and work due to emotional problems or pain, feelings of calm and peace, level of energy, depression, and interference with social activities. The results suggest that integration of mental health therapists within primary care practice settings may significantly improve participants' mental health symptoms and functioning.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasturi Haldar

*Abstract. *Education is an important cornerstone of economic developmentin India. Mental health critically impacts education but its comprehensiveassessment at a population level, especially in children in rural areaspresents significant challenges. Mental health problems areunder-recognized in the community and the clinic. Assessment by clinicalpractitioners requires specialized expertise which (for both logistical andcost reasons) are not amenable to scale-up. Diversity in languages,cultures and variation in levels of literacy further compounds the problem.Consequently, despite universal recognition that mental health isimportant, tools to measure its overall prevalence at scale are limited.Here we report adaptation of a robust, internationally validated, mentalhealth assessment scale, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale(RCADS) into Hindi, the national language, spoken by the largest number ofIndians. First RCADS in Urdu1 was translated to Hindi (since spoken Urdu isclose to Hindi). In addition, iterative steps of field adaptation andtraining enabled conversion from self-report to a questionnaire-survey(qaRCADS-H) to facilitate inclusion of illiterate respondents and improvethe overall accuracy and acceptance of the tool. Pratham EducationalFoundation-ASER Center field workers administered qaRCADS-H as a homeinterview/survey in a largely agrarian village where in 2011 the Censusreported 35% illiteracy2. Over a period of three weeks, fourcollege-educated field workers with prior survey experience, targeted 115households with children of which 110 agreed, resulting in participation of130 children 10-17 years of age. Our findings are discussed in context ofscaling and sensitization needed to effectively assess mental healthprevalence in a vulnerable group in large regions of India.


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