Parent and child mental health during COVID-19 in Australia: The role of pet attachment

Restrictions, social isolation, and uncertainty related to the global COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the ways that parents and children maintain family routines, health, and wellbeing. Companion animals (pets) can be a critical source of comfort during traumatic experiences, although changes to family routines, such as those caused by COVID-19, can also bring about challenges like managing undesirable pet behaviours or pet-human interactions. We aimed to examine the relationship between pet attachment and mental health for both parents and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. A total of 1,034 parents living with a child under 18 years and a cat or dog completed an online cross-sectional survey. Path analysis using multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine associations between objective COVID-19 impacts, subjective worry about COVID-19, human-pet attachment, and mental health. After adjusting for core demographic factors, stronger pet-child attachment was associated with greater child anxiety (parent-reported, p<.001). Parent-pet attachment was not associated with self-reported psychological distress (p=.42), however, parents who reported a strong emotional closeness with their pet reported greater psychological distress (p=.002). Findings highlight the role of pets during times of change and uncertainty. It is possible that families are turning to animals as a source of comfort, during a time when traditional social supports are less accessible. Alternatively, strong pet attachment is likely to reflect high levels of empathy, which might increase vulnerability to psychological distress. Longitudinal evidence is required to delineate the mechanisms underpinning pet attachment and mental health.

A parent-led intervention to reduce anxiety in autistic children with a severe to profound intellectual disability: protocol for the LADDERS pilot feasibility trial

Background There is a need for evidence-based approaches to reduce anxiety experienced by autistic children with severe to profound intellectual disability (ID). Avoidance of anxiety triggers, as a response to pronounced anxiety, occurs irrespective of age, background and neurodiversity. When avoidance is unhelpful, evidence-based anxiety reduction approaches aim to reduce it gradually (graded exposure), subsequently reducing anxiety. Combining graded exposure with emotional regulation techniques may be effective and acceptable for autistic children with severe to profound ID, if sensitive to needs and characteristics of autistic children. We have developed a 16-week, parent-led intervention (LADDERS) to reduce anxiety in this population of autistic children. LADDERS consists of psychoeducation, graded exposure-based tasks, and skills building, delivered utilising a person-centred approach. This study aims to assess whether LADDERS 1) reduces anxiety and 2) whether autistic children and parents find it acceptable and feasible. Method A single-site, multiple baseline, single case experimental study will be conducted. Participants will be parents of autistic children aged between 4-15 years. A minimum of 8 participants will be recruited through a research participant database, the Autistica Discover Network and social media. Once eligibility is confirmed, participants will be assessed at baseline, during the intervention and at a 2-month follow-up (week 24). The primary outcome measure will be a daily diary that assesses child anxiety. Discussion The study will provide preliminary evidence of whether LADDERS reduces anxiety in autistic children with severe to profound ID. Qualitative data from parents and child engagement will provide data on acceptability and feasibility.

Psychometric Properties of Scared-C Scale in a Romanian Community Sample and Its Future Utility for Dental Practice

The psychological management of children and adolescents in need of pedodontics or orthodontic treatments continues to be an essential objective in dental activity because along with the accuracy of the techniques that are used, anxiety reduction, and knowledge of how to approach the patient are necessary for the treatment to be successful. Therefore, our study aimed to validate the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders questionnaire, the child version of 41 items (SCARED-C) in the Romanian population for later use in pediatric dentistry. The instrument showed moderate to good internal consistency (α Cronbach from 0.63 to 0.91 for the total scale) and good test–retest reliability (0.70) on a subset of a sample comprising 85 children. A confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the factor structure of the Romanian version of the SCARED-C; the results showed that SCARED-C has good psychometric properties that can be used for screening anxiety in Romanian children and adolescents. The implications of using the SCARED-C in dental practice are discussed. Future studies need to be conducted to explore the convergent and discriminative validity of the instrument and its sensitivity to current DSM-V criteria. Application on a pediatric dental sample is also required.

Active And Avoidant Coping Profiles In Children And Their Relationship With Anxiety And Depression During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

Active and avoidant coping styles are important dispositional factors for the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Children use both active and avoidant coping together in daily life. No studies have investigated the relationship between active-avoidant coping profiles and internalizing symptoms of children in the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate children’s active-avoidant coping profiles and assess the relationship of active-avoidant coping profiles to anxiety and depression symptoms in the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 322 Chinese children in mainland China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist – Revised1 in Time 1 and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in Time 1 and 6 months later (Time 2). Four active-avoidant coping profiles were revealed: Low Active copers, High Active copers, Balanced copers, and Avoidant copers. Low and High Active copers were related to lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than Balanced copers and Avoidant copers. Avoidant copers showed less decrease in depression symptoms than Balanced copers and High Active copers. It is important to improve children's active-avoidant coping profiles for relieving anxiety and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in Greek Adolescents

The psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-47) are established cross-culturally but lacking for the Greek population. The present study examined RCADS internal consistency and validity (structural and concurrent) in Greek adolescents, and tested measurement invariance across sex and age groups. We recruited 619 secondary school students ( n = 321 females), aged 12–18 years ( n = 318, 12–14-year-olds). Besides RCADS, all students completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a subsample ( n = 300) completed Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), whereas a non-overlapping subsample ( n = 219) completed Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS). Structural validity was examined with Confirmatory Factor Analysis and measurement invariance was assessed with Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) modeling. Convergent and divergent validity were examined using Spearman correlations between RCADS subscales and DSRS, SCARED, and SDQ validators. The six-factor model fitted the data best, validating the originally proposed RCADS structure. Three items displayed differential item functioning for sex, another three for age group, and one item for both, albeit with trivial effect sizes ( d < 0.2). Cronbach’s alpha was .94. Convergent and divergent validity were also established. In conclusion, the RCADS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing anxiety and depression symptoms in Greek adolescents.

The Effectiveness of Adjunctive Mindfulness Therapy with a Unified Protocol on the Emotional Disorders and Sleep Problems of Adolescents

Background and Objective: The results of different studies have indicated the comorbidity between emotional disorders and sleep problems. However, no study has compared the outcome of mindfulness and unified protocol on the emotional problems and the sleep quality of the adolescents with emotional disorders. Materials and Methods: The current investigation was a quasi-experimental study with a control group, which was conducted in 2019. The participants included adolescents with emotional disorders in control (n = 15) and experimental (n = 16) groups. Both groups received 14 sessions of therapy. The assessments were performed in three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The measurements included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED). Results: The mean age of the participants in the experimental and control groups was 13.06 and 13.05 years, respectively. Given the results, both treatments alleviated the sleep and emotional problems of the adolescents diagnosed with emotional disorders. However, the combined treatment of mindfulness and the unified protocol led to more improvements. The calculated effect size of this treatment was 0.21 for sleep quality and 0.24 for the SCARED questionnaire. Conclusion: Based on the findings, utilizing mindfulness as a supplementary therapeutic method can enhance the chances of reductions in the emotional problems and the improvements of sleep quality in the adolescents with emotional disorders.

Maternal cannabis use is associated with suppression of immune gene networks in placenta and increased anxiety phenotypes in offspring

While cannabis is among the most used recreational drugs during pregnancy, the impact of maternal cannabis use (mCB) on fetal and child development remains unclear. Here, we assessed the effects of mCB on psychosocial and physiological measures in young children along with the potential relevance of the in utero environment reflected in the placental transcriptome. Children (∼3 to 6 y) were assessed for hair hormone levels, neurobehavioral traits on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) survey, and heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during auditory startle. For a subset of children with behavioral assessments, placental specimens collected at birth were processed for RNA sequencing. Hair hormone analysis revealed increased cortisol levels in mCB children. In addition, mCB was associated with greater anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity. Children with mCB also showed a reduction in the high-frequency component of HRV at baseline, reflecting reduced vagal tone. In the placenta, there was reduced expression of many genes involved in immune system function including type I interferon, neutrophil, and cytokine-signaling pathways. Finally, several of these mCB-linked immune genes organized into coexpression networks that correlated with child anxiety and hyperactivity. Overall, our findings reveal a relationship between mCB and immune response gene networks in the placenta as a potential mediator of risk for anxiety-related problems in early childhood.