scholarly journals Psychiatric Symptoms and Parental Stress in Children and Adolescents With Epilepsy

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Felicia Operto ◽  
Grazia Maria Giovanna Pastorino ◽  
Federica Pippa ◽  
Chiara Padovano ◽  
Valentina Vivenzio ◽  
...  

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify the presence of emotional and behavioral symptoms in children and adolescents with epilepsy, to measure the stress levels in their parents, and to determine if and how parental stress was linked to emotional and behavioral symptoms of their children.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study including 103 children and adolescents with different form of epilepsy and 93 sex-/age-matched controls. Parental stress and emotional and behavioral symptoms were assessed through two standardized questionnaires: the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), respectively. We also considered the following variables: age, sex, maternal education level, family history of psychiatric disorders, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, seizure type, and number of antiseizure medications.Results: The statistical comparison showed that the epilepsy group obtained significantly higher scores than controls in almost all the CBCL and the PSI scales (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the PSI Total Stress scale and the following CBCL scales: total problems, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems (p < 0.05). An earlier age of seizure onset was related to a greater presence of externalizing problems, total problems, and total stress (p < 0.05).Conclusion: In the epilepsy group, we found higher levels of parental stress and higher presence of emotional and behavioral symptoms compared to controls, mainly represented by internalizing problems (anxiety and depression symptoms). Therefore, it is important to precociously detect these symptoms and monitor them over time, in order to prevent psychiatric problems. In addition, parents of children with epilepsy should be offered psychological support to cope with parental stress and to improve the relationship with their children.

Author(s):  
Gianluca Sesso ◽  
Eleonora Bonaventura ◽  
Bianca Buchignani ◽  
Stefania Della Vecchia ◽  
Caterina Fedi ◽  
...  

The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse psychological effects on children and parents. While parenting is essential for positive development, increased parental distress has interfered with children’s wellbeing. In our study, we aimed to identify the predictors of parental distress in families of children with neuropsychiatric disorders during lockdown. Seventy-seven parents of children with neuropsychiatric disorders were asked to fill three online questionnaires (a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Parental-Stress-Index (PSI-4-SF) to explore the relationship between parental distress, emotional/behavioral problems in children and quarantine-related factors through univariate analyses and multiple mediation models. Significant positive associations between CBCL-internalizing-problems and all PSI-4-SF subscales, and between CBCL-externalizing-problems and “Difficult Child” subscales were found. “Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction” subscale and teachers–child relationship quality resulted negatively associated, as well as the “Difficult Child” subscale and peers–child relationship quality. The effect of teachers–child relationship quality on “Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction” was mediated by children internalizing problems, while the effect of peers–child relationship quality on “Difficult Child” by the child internalizing/externalizing problems. Internalizing problems in children with neuropsychiatric disorders were among the strongest predictors of parental stress during lockdown, mediating the indirect effects of quarantine-related factors, thus suggesting the importance of their detection during and after emergency situations to provide assistance and reduce parenting pressure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jaime Humberto Moreno Méndez ◽  
José Pedro Espada Sánchez ◽  
Inmaculada Gómez Becerra

The purposes of this study were to perform a psychometric analysis of the Parental Educational Styles Questionnaire and to evaluate its predictive validity on externalizing and internalizing problems in Colombian children. Participants were 680 parents (M= 37.34; SD= 9.2) of children aged between 8 and 12 years enrolled in public schools in Bogota, Colombia. The parental educational styles questionnaire and the child behavior checklist -parents format- were applied to the participants. The resulting model presents the best indicators of favorable fit according to confirmatory factorial analyses. These values show an internal consistence of the instrument. The results indicate that dysfunctional reaction to disobedience, communication difficulties and conflicts predicted internalizing and externalizing problems.


2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvana C. C. Robbers ◽  
Meike Bartels ◽  
Floor V. A. van Oort ◽  
C. E. M. (Toos) van Beijsterveldt ◽  
Jan van der Ende ◽  
...  

AbstractResearch on twin-singleton differences in externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood is largely cross-sectional and yields contrasting results. The goal of this study was to compare developmental trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems in 6- to 12-year-old twins and singletons. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) maternal reports of externalizing and internalizing problems were obtained for a sample of 9651 twins from the Netherlands Twin Register and for a representative general population sample of 1351 singletons. Latent growth modeling was applied to estimate growth curves for twins and singletons. Twin-singleton differences in the intercepts and slopes of the growth curves were examined. The developmental trajectories of externalizing problems showed a linear decrease over time, and were not significantly different for twins and singletons. Internalizing problems seem to develop similarly for twins and singletons up to age 9. After this age twins' internalizing symptoms start to decrease in comparison to those of singletons, resulting in less internalizing problems than singletons by the age of 12 years. Our findings confirm the generalizability of twin studies to singleton populations with regard to externalizing problems in middle and late childhood. The generalizability of studies on internalizing problems in early adolescence in twin samples should be addressed with care. Twinship may be a protective factor in the development of internalizing problems during early adolescence.


1997 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianne Fisher ◽  
Elinor W. Ames ◽  
Kim Chisholm ◽  
Lynn Savoie

Behaviour problems in Romanian orphans adopted to Canada were examined through parents’ interview reports of specific problems, and children’s scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, Edelbrock, & Howell, 1987) completed by their parents. Three groups of children were studied. Romanian orphanage (RO) children had spent at least 8 months in a Romanian orphanage. Parents’ reports of RO children’s problems were compared to parent reports from 2 comparison groups: (1) Canadian-born children (CB) who were not adopted and never institutionalised; and (2) children who would have gone to a Romanian orphanage had they not been adopted before 4 months of age (Romanian Comparison: RC). RO children scored higher than CB and RC children for Total problems and Internalizing problems on the CBCL. No significant differences were found for any group comparison on Externalizing problems. CBCL scores were positively correlated with RO children’s total time in orphanage. According to parent interview, RO children had more eating problems, medical problems, and stereotyped behaviour problems than both CB and RC children. These problems were distinctive ones, rarely if ever being reported for CB or RC children. It is suggested that these distinctive RO problems arise out of a normal developmental base, and reflect either continuations of orphanage behaviours, reactions to stimuli different from those experienced in orphanage, or lack of opportunity for development or learning within the orphanage.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel A. Bordin ◽  
Ivens H. Pires ◽  
Cristiane S. Paula

Objective. To verify if emotional/behavioral problems are associated with lifetime paid work in poor urban children, when taking into account other potential correlates.Methods. Cross-sectional study focused on 9-to-13-year-old children (n=212). In a probabilistic sample of clusters of eligible households (women 15–49 years and son/daughter<18 years), one mother-child pair was randomly selected per household (n=813; response rate = 82.4%). CBCL/6-18 identified child emotional/behavioral problems. Potential correlates include child gender and age, socioeconomic status/SES, maternal education, parental working status, and family social isolation, among others. Multivariate analysis examined the relationship between emotional/behavioral problems and lifetime paid work in the presence of significant correlates.Findings. All work activities were non-harmful (e.g., selling fruits, helping parents at their small business, and baby sitting). Children with lower SES and socially isolated were more involved in paid work than less disadvantaged peers. Children ever exposed to paid work were four times more likely to present anxiety/depression symptoms at a clinical level compared to non-exposed children. Multivariate modeling identified three independent correlates: child pure internalizing problems, social isolation, and low SES.Conclusion. There is an association between lifetime exposure to exclusively non-harmful paid work activities and pure internalizing problems even when considering SES variability and family social isolation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 845-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. van der Jagt-Jelsma ◽  
M.R. de Vries-Schot ◽  
Rint de Jong ◽  
C.A. Hartman ◽  
F.C. Verhulst ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground:This study investigated the association between the religiosity of parents and pre-adolescents, and pre-adolescents’ psychiatric problems.Method:In a clinic-referred cohort of 543 pre-adolescents at least once referred to a mental health outpatient clinic mental health problems were assessed using self-reports (Youth Self-Report; YSR), parent reports (Child Behavior Checklist; CBCL), and teacher reports (Teacher's Report Form; TRF) of child behavioral and emotional problems. Paternal, maternal, and pre-adolescent religiosity were assessed by self-report. MANCOVAs were performed for internalizing and externalizing problems as dependent variables, with maternal religiosity, paternal religiosity, pre-adolescent religiosity, parental religious harmony, and gender as independent variables, and socioeconomic status and divorce as covariates.Results:Internalizing problems. Pre-adolescents of actively religious mothers had more internalizing symptoms than pre-adolescents of nonreligious mothers. Harmony and gender did not significantly affect the association between maternal religiosity and internalizing problems. Externalizing problems. No associations between religiosity of pre-adolescents, religiosity of mothers, religiosity of fathers and/or harmony of parents and externalizing problem behavior have been found.Discussion and conclusions:Overall, associations between mental health and religiosity were modest to absent. Results are discussed in the context of a clinic-referred cohort, the quest phase of internalizing religious beliefs and role modeling of parents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (05) ◽  
pp. 294-299
Author(s):  
Daniel Ebrahimi-Fakhari ◽  
Justine Hussong ◽  
Marina Flotats-Bastardas ◽  
Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari ◽  
Michael Zemlin ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim To assess the role of the TAND (tuberous sclerosis complex [TSC] associated neuropsychiatric disorders) checklist as a screening tool for neuropsychiatric pathology, to evaluate behavioral and psychiatric symptoms and related parental stress in children with TSC, and to analyze associations between parental stress, TAND findings, and TSC pathology. Method This is a prospective cohort study including 22 individuals from a national TSC surveillance study in Germany using demographic and clinical data, the TAND checklist, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Results Mean (standard deviation) age at follow-up was 4 years (3 years 9 months), and 13/22 of patients were male. Seventeen children had epilepsy (focal: 9; generalized: 4; infantile spasms: 4). Developmental delay was diagnosed in 12/22 patients. The most prevalent TAND items were anxiety and mood swings in 10/22 children. At least one TAND item was reported by 17/22 patients, internalizing symptoms by 10/22, and externalizing symptoms by 11/22. In contrast, only one patient had a clinically relevant score in the CBCL scales. Of 22 parents, 12 reported clinically relevant parental stress due to both child and parenting factors. Higher total parental stress was associated with a higher TAND externalizing score (r = 0.49; p = 0.028) and TAND total score (r = 0.51; p = 0.016), a higher CBCL total score (r = 0.59; p = 0.005), and the number of antiepileptic drugs (r = 0.50; p = 0.017). Developmental delay was correlated with child stress factors (r = 0.48; p = 0.023). Interpretation The TAND checklist appears to be a promising screening tool for neuropsychiatric problems in very young children with TSC. Parental stress in children with TSC is modified by TSC-related pathology, both neuropsychiatric and neurological.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne S. de Wolff ◽  
Anton G. C. Vogels ◽  
Sijmen A. Reijneveld

The DSM-oriented approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a relatively new classification of problem behavior in children and adolescents. Given the clinical and scientific relevance of the CBCL, this study examines similarities and dissimilarities between the empirical and the DSM-oriented approach of the CBCL. We used data from 7,852 children aged 5 and 6 years, whose parents completed the Dutch version of the CBCL/4–18. Spearman rank order correlations, kappas, and logistical regressions were used to examine the similarities and dissimilarities between empirical and DSM-oriented scales of the CBCL. For Total Problems, Internalizing Problems, and Externalizing Problems, we found a substantial agreement between the two approaches of the CBCL. The DSM-oriented syndromes showed a slight overlap with the empirical syndrome scales. With regard to Total Problems, Internalizing Problems, and Externalizing Problems, the same child and family characteristics were associated with elevated scores in both approaches: sex, ethnicity, parental educational level, family composition, and the physician’s identification of the child’s psychosocial problems. Our study shows that both approaches of the CBCL are meaningfully related, but do not identify exactly the same groups of children as deviant. Future studies should explore the differences between the two approaches by examining the correlates and predictive power of both types of scales.


Author(s):  
İldeniz B. Arslan ◽  
Nicole Lucassen ◽  
Pol A. C. van Lier ◽  
Amaranta D. de Haan ◽  
Peter Prinzie

Abstract Purpose A vast amount of studies suggest that internalizing or externalizing problems are related to individual functioning, and often co-occur. Yet, a focus on their additive and interactive effects is scarce. Furthermore, most research has focused on a limited number of developmental domains and mostly on maladaptive functioning. Therefore, the current prospective study examined whether early childhood (ages 4–8) internalizing and externalizing problems and their interaction were related to a broad range of (mal)adaptive functioning outcomes in emerging adulthood (ages 20–24). Methods Data from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality and Development were used. At Time 1 (1999) mothers of 374 children (45% boys) and fathers of 357 children (46% boys) rated internalizing and externalizing problems through the Child Behavior Checklist. Outcomes in emerging adulthood were measured through self-reports 16 years later across the following domains: psychological functioning, social functioning, work, physical health, and self-concept. Results Early externalizing problems were related to maladaptive outcomes on the psychological and social domains. With regard to adaptive functioning, externalizing problems were associated with lower satisfaction regarding general health on the physical domain. Early internalizing problems were not associated with any emerging adulthood outcomes. The interaction of (father reported) internalizing and externalizing problems was related to aggressive behavior. Conclusion Early childhood externalizing problems were associated with maladaptive and adaptive functioning over a time span of 16 years. The results add to studies on the implementation of prevention and intervention programs in early childhood and to the value for developing personalized interventions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia L Robinson ◽  
Constanza Marín ◽  
Henry Oliveros ◽  
Mercedes Mora-Plazas ◽  
Betsy Lozoff ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with depression and schizophrenia in adults. The effect of VDD in childhood on behavioral development is unknown. Objectives We aimed to study the associations of VDD and vitamin D binding protein (DBP) in middle childhood with behavior problems in adolescence. Methods We quantified plasma total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and DBP in 273 schoolchildren aged 5–12 y at recruitment into a cohort study in Bogota, Colombia. Externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were assessed after a median 6-y follow-up by parental report [Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)] and self-report [Youth Self-Report (YSR)]. We estimated mean problem score differences with 95% CIs between exposure categories using multivariable linear regression. We also compared the prevalence of clinical behavior problems (score &gt;63) between exposure groups. We assessed whether the associations between DBP and behavior problems were mediated through VDD. Results Mean ± SD CBCL and YSR externalizing problems scores were 56.5 ± 9.3 and 53.2 ± 9.5, respectively. Internalizing problems scores averaged 57.1 ± 9.8 and 53.7 ± 9.8, respectively. VDD [25(OH)D &lt;50 nmol/L] prevalence was 10.3%. VDD was associated with an adjusted 6.0 (95% CI: 3.0, 9.0) and 3.4 (95% CI: 0.1, 6.6) units higher CBCL and YSR externalizing problems scores, respectively, and an adjusted 3.6 (95% CI: 0.3, 6.9) units higher CBCL internalizing problems scores. The prevalence of clinical total externalizing problems was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 3.1) times higher in children with VDD than that in children without VDD. DBP concentration below the population median was related to higher YSR aggressive behavior and anxious/depressed subscale scores and to higher prevalence of clinical total externalizing problems. The associations between DBP and behavior problems were not mediated through VDD. Conclusions VDD and low DBP in middle childhood are related to behavior problems in adolescence.


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