Disturbances In Children Research Articles

Commentary: The evidence base regarding the long-term effects of childhood mental disorder treatments needs to be strengthened - reply to Dekkers etal. (2023).

In their reply to our editorial (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023, 64, 464), Dekkers etal. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023, 64, 470) argue that treatment is the best choice for children with mental disorders because there is 'sound evidence' that interventions are effective, also in the long term. We agree that there is sound evidence for treatment effectiveness in the short-term and there is some evidence for longer-term effects of certain specific treatments, such as behavioral parent training in children with behavioral disorders, as acknowledged in our editorial. However, we strongly disagree that there is sound evidence for long-term effectiveness.

Diagnostic trajectories of mental disorders in children and adolescents: a cohort study.

Mental disorders in children and adolescents may follow different trajectories, such as remission, change of diagnosis, or addition of two or more comorbid diagnoses, showing a heterotypic pattern. This study aims to describe the main diagnostic trajectories across a broad range of mental disorder diagnostic categories, from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to young adulthood in a clinical population. A prospective study was conducted among a clinical sample of children and adolescents who were aged 3-17years at the face-to-face baseline interview. Electronic health records of these participants were reviewed 10years later. The diagnostic stability over time was examined using the kappa coefficient, and factors associated with stability were explored using simple logistic regression. The study included a sample of 691 participants. The kappa coefficient for diagnostic stability across all diagnoses was 0.574 for the transition from childhood to adulthood, 0.614 from childhood to adolescence, and 0.733 from adolescence to adulthood. Neurodevelopmental diagnoses had the highest stability. Factors associated with higher diagnostic stability included family history of mental disorders, receiving psychopharmacological treatment, and symptom severity at baseline. We found a variable diagnostic stability across different diagnoses and age categories. The different life transitions represent complex periods that should not be overlooked from a clinical standpoint. An appropriate transition from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services may have a positive impact on children and adolescents with mental disorders.

Probability of change in diagnosis among adult patients diagnosed with childhood mental disorders

BACKGROUND. The problem of changing a psychiatric diagnosis is a reality.
 AIM. To study the frequency and probability of changing the exposed patient at the age of psychiatric illness when moving under the supervision of a psychiatrist served by a large population.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS. We analyzed 246 cases of patients who first applied to a psychiatrist in childhood (adolescence), then taken for consultative or dispensary registration. The study was follow-up in nature, was carried out with the help of the analysis of electronic databases of the RCPB. acad. V.M. Bekhterev of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan), as well as by studying primary medical documentation (outpatient cards and case histories). The results of the study were processed on the basis of Statistica 6.0 and MS Excel 2020.
 RESULTS. The main variants of the outcomes of mental disorders diagnosed in childhood of patients are described. It is shown that in more than half of clinical cases the confirmation of a psychiatric diagnosis at an early age is not final, and the issue of further diagnostic search remains unresolved and requires revision. Using the methods of multifactorial statistics, the main transnosological (dimensional) models of algorithms for the development of mental disorders are modeled.

An Overview of the Mental Health Services in England and the Role of the Psychotherapist in this Context

The article discusses the increasing prevalence of antidepressant use in the UK and concerns surrounding the reliance on psychotropic medication. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is also mentioned, along with the increasing rates of probable mental disorders in children and young people.

Can we diagnose mental disorders in children? A large-scale assessment of machine learning on structural neuroimaging of 6916 children in the adolescent brain cognitive development study.

Prediction of mental disorders based on neuroimaging is an emerging area of research with promising first results in adults. However, research on the unique demographic of children is underrepresented and it is doubtful whether findings obtained on adults can be transferred to children. Using data from 6916 children aged 9-10 in the multicenter Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, we extracted 136 regional volume and thickness measures from structural magnetic resonance images to rigorously evaluate the capabilities of machine learning to predict 10 different psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (BD), psychotic symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder. For each disorder, we performed cross-validation and assessed whether models discovered a true pattern in the data via permutation testing. Two of 10 disorders can be detected with statistical significance when using advanced models that (i) allow for non-linear relationships between neuroanatomy and disorder, (ii) model interdependencies between disorders, and (iii) avoid confounding due to sociodemographic factors: ADHD (AUROC=0.567, p=0.002) and BD (AUROC=0.551, p=0.002). In contrast, traditional models perform consistently worse and predict only ADHD with statistical significance (AUROC=0.529, p=0.002). While the modest absolute classification performance does not warrant application in the clinic, our results provide empirical evidence that embracing and explicitly accounting for the complexities of mental disorders via advanced machine learning models can discover patterns that would remain hidden with traditional models.

The possibilities of osteopathic correction using for the treatment of children with attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder

Introduction. Attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed in childhood and is the most common mental disorder in children — about 5–7 % among school-age children. None of the treatment methods, as clinical observations showed, is completely effective for the treatment of ADHD. In most cases, the main method of treatment is pharmacotherapy. But despite the proven short-term effectiveness, pharmacotherapy may have limitations: partial response or no response, side effects, questionable long-term benefi ts, poor adherence to the treatment regimen, negative attitude of parents. Limitations of existing pharmacological treatment methods emphasize the need to develop effective non-pharmacological interventions that improve short- and long-term results in regard to neuropsychological defi ciency symptoms and disorders of other general activity fi elds. Currently, there are publications noting the positive clinical effect of osteopathic correction on the children′s health state in various mental sphere disorders. But only a few studies are aimed at studying the effect of osteopathic correction in ADHD. At the same time, there are no publications about the osteopathic correction use in the ADHD treatment without pharmacotherapy.The aim of the study is to investigate the possibility of osteopathic correction using for the treatment of children with attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder.Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the medical organization «Health′ Clinic» Tver from March 2021 to February 2022. Inclusion criteria: children age 7–10 years; established ADHD diagnosis; absence of diseases and conditions that are an absolute contraindication for osteopathic correction; parental consent to osteopathic examination and correction. Criteria for non-inclusion: age of children younger than 7 and older than 10 years; not confi rmation of the diagnosis according to the «ADHD Assessment Scale — ICD-10 criteria»; the presence of diseases and conditions that are an absolute contraindication for osteopathic correction. Exclusion criteria: failure to attend repeated examinations. The total number of children was 38 people. The patients were distributed by randomization envelopes into 2 groups of 19 people each. The main group: the osteopathic correction and the behavioral psychotherapy were used. The comparison group: the drug hopanthenic acid and the behavioral psychotherapy were used. Before and after the treatment, osteopathic status was assessed in both groups, and the severity of ADHD was assessed according to the ADHD assessment scale (ICD-10 criteria), and an attention test was conducted in the form of a Bourdon correction test.Results. At the beginning of the study, the patients were characterized by regional biomechanical disorders of the head region — in 100 % of participants in both groups, as well as the neck (structural component) — in 63 % of participants in both groups, and the dura mater — in 89 % of participants in the comparison group and 79 % of the main group. After the course of treatment, a signifi cant (p<0,05) positive dynamics was observed in the main group according to the three above indicators, and there was no signifi cant dynamics in the comparison group. After the treatment, the statistically signifi cant (p<0,05) positive dynamics was observed in both groups with respect to the severity of ADHD and the main characteristics of attention: the indicators of the ADHD assessment scale (ICD-10 criteria) decreased, the accuracy coeffi cients and concentration of attention increased, and the fatigue index decreased. At the same time, in the main group, the fatigue index decrease was statistically signifi cant (p<0,05) more pronounced than in the comparison group.Conclusion. The obtained results allow us to recommend osteopathic correction in the treatment of children with ADHD, especially in the cases where, for some reasons, there are restrictions on the medications use.

The polyfactorial model of autism and the question of causality.

After recalling the different pediatric, psychopathological and child psychiatric models of mental disorders in children and adolescents, the author presents in detail the so-called polyfactorial model, which includes primary, secondary, and mixed factors. This model is the epistemological heir of the Freudian concept of "complementary series." The example of autism is then explored as a paradigm of the usefulness of this polyfactorial model. Finally, we reflect on the notion of causality, from Aristotelian causality to epigenetic causality, which could 1 day re-legitimize psychoanalysis and the impact of the relationship on genome expression.

Surveillance of Child and Youth Mental Disorders and Associated Service Use in Canada.

Surveillance of Child and Youth Mental Disorders and Associated Service Use in Canada.

Application of data fusion for automated detection of children with developmental and mental disorders: A systematic review of the last decade

Mental health is a basic need for a sustainable and developing society. The prevalence and financial burden of mental illness have increased globally, and especially in response to community and worldwide pandemic events. Children suffering from such mental disorders find it difficult to cope with educational, occupational, personal, and societal developments, and treatments are not accessible to all. Advancements in technology have resulted in much research examining the use of artificial intelligence to detect or identify characteristics of mental illness. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic review of nine developmental and mental disorders (Autism spectrum disorder, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Schizophrenia, Anxiety, Depression, Dyslexia, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Tourette syndrome, and Obsessive–compulsive disorder) prominent in children and adolescents. Our paper focuses on the automated detection of these developmental and mental disorders using physiological signals. This paper also presents a detailed discussion on signal analysis, feature engineering, and decision-making with their advantages, future directions and challenges on the papers published on mental disorders of children. We have presented the details of the dataset description, validation techniques, features extracted and decision-making models. The challenges and future directions present open research questions on signal or availability, uncertainty, explainability, and hardware implementation resources for signal analysis and machine or deep learning models. Finally, the main findings of this study are presented in the conclusion section.

Association between childhood trauma and mental health disorders in adolescents during the second pandemic wave of COVID-19, Chiclayo-Peru.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected mental health, with children and adolescents being particularly vulnerable. Evidence on the association between childhood trauma and mental health outcomes in schoolchildren during the pandemic is limited. This study aimed to evaluate this relationship in Chiclayo city, northern Peru, during the second wave of COVID-19. A cross-sectional secondary data study was conducted, measuring childhood trauma using the Marshall's Trauma Scale, depressive symptomatology (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptomatology (GAD-7). Additional variables assessed were alcohol use (AUDIT), resilience (abbreviated CD-RISC), and socio-educational data. Prevalence ratios were estimated using generalized linear models. Among 456 participants, 88.2% were female, with a mean age of 14.5 years (SD: 1.33). Depressive symptomatology prevalence was 76.3% (95%CI: 72.14-80.15) and increased by 23% in schoolchildren with childhood trauma (PR: 1.23; 95%CI: 1.10-1.37). Factors positively associated with depressive symptomatology included increasing age, seeking mental health help during the pandemic, and severe family dysfunction. Anxiety symptomatology prevalence was 62.3% (95%CI: 57.65-66.75) and increased by 55% in schoolchildren with childhood trauma (PR: 1.55; 95%CI: 1.31-1.85). Anxiety symptomatology was positively associated with mild, moderate, and severe family dysfunction. Schoolchildren exposed to childhood trauma are at increased risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health is vital. These findings can assist schools in establishing effective measures to prevent mental health outcomes.

Examining associations between obesity and mental health disorders from childhood to adolescence: A case-control prospective study

Childhood obesity and mental disorders often co-exist. To date, most of the studies are cross-sectional, involve the assessment of a specific disorder, and rely on self-report questionnaires. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive psychological assessment to examine the concurrent and prospective association between childhood obesity and mental health problems. We compared 34 children with obesity with 37 children with normal weight at baseline, and at a five-year follow-up, to examine the development of mental health disorders from childhood (8–12 years) to adolescence (13–18 years). Both assessments included a clinical interview and self-reported measures of psychosocial and family markers. Findings showed that the obesity group had a higher prevalence of mental disorders, and psychological comorbidity increased in five years. Prospectively, childhood obesity was associated with a psychological diagnosis in adolescence. Moreover, the obesity group displayed higher severity of symptoms at both times. Finally, body esteem contributed to predicting mental health disorders in adolescence regardless of weight status, while eating symptomatology was a specific marker for the obesity group. Therefore, in the management of childhood obesity is suggested to address also psychosocial variables such as weight-related teasing and body esteem, to prevent the onset or development of mental health problems.

Adverse childhood experiences – characteristics and links with mental disorders, suicidal behaviours and self-injury among children and adolescents

Adverse childhood experiences encompass different forms of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect), household dysfunctions (e.g. mental disorders, substance abuse) and social challenges (e.g. poverty, ethnic discrimination, community or school violence). All these factors contribute to the life-long risk of mental health problems, including mental disorders, suicidal behaviour and self-harm. Children and adolescents exposed to various forms of adverse events are more than four times more likely to develop mental disorders already before adulthood and to suffer from psychopathology that will persist into adulthood. The majority of research on the relationships between adverse childhood experiences and mental disorders have been conducted among adults and assessed the role of isolated factors. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assess the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the functioning of children and adolescents, with particular emphasis on at least several co-occurring factors related to both abuse and household dysfunctions. The most commonly considered theoretical concept of the origin of disorders, i.e. the diathesis–stress model, emphasises the role of interaction between genetic predispositions and environmental factors, assuming that a combination of individual predispositions and exposure to stress arising from adverse events increases the risk of psychopathological symptoms. In turn, contemporary mental health models take into account the role of mutual interactions between risk factors and protective factors, as particularly reflected in the concept of resilience. More recent approaches point to the dynamics of relationships between adverse childhood experiences and mental disorders, and at the same time to the limitations of inference from the available research.

Attachment representations in 7-year-old children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: Associations with mental disorders and daily functioning: The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study, VIA 7-A population-based cohort study.

Attachment quality may affect psychological functioning. However, evidence on attachment representations and their correlates in children born to parents with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is sparse. We compared attachment representations in a Danish sample of 482 children aged 7 years at familial high risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and population-based controls and examined associations between attachment and mental disorders and daily functioning. Attachment representations were examined with the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP). Mental disorders were ascertained in diagnostic interviews. Daily functioning was assessed with the Children's Global Assessment Scale. We found no between-group differences in attachment. Higher levels of secure attachment were associated with decreased risk of concurrent mental disorders in the schizophrenia high-risk group. Higher levels of insecure and disorganized attachment were associated with increased risk of mental disorders across the cohort. Higher levels of secure and insecure attachment were associated with better and poorer daily functioning, respectively. In the current study, results regarding defensive avoidance could not be reported due to methodological limitations. Familial high risk of schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) or bipolar disorder is not associated with less secure or more insecure attachment at age 7. Insecure and disorganized attachment representations index risk of mental disorders and poorer functioning. Secure attachment may be a protective factor against mental disorders in children at FHR-SZ. Validation of the SSAP is needed.

Predictors of neurocognitive and psychological disorders in children after intensive care admission: A prospective cohort study.

Children admitted in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often deal with long-term morbidities affecting physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and psychiatric symptoms. We aimed to identify the internal and external factors which predict the occurrence of neurocognitive and psychological disorders in survivors at 3 months after PICU discharge. We identified 53 critically ill children, ages 4-18 years old, admitted in PICU for more than 24 h, and survived. We evaluated neurocognitive disorder with Pediatric Cerebral Perfomance Category (PCPC) and psychological disorders with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at the time of PICU discharge and repeated in 3 months afterward. We evaluated the internal and external risk factors related to neurocognitive and psychological disorders in PICU survivors. The internal risk factors were age, gender, family composition, and socioeconomic status. The external risk factors were: surgical intervention, neurological disease, predicted death rate by pediatric index mortality (PIM)-2 score, PICU length of stay (LOS), days of mechanical ventilation, and the number of therapeutic interventions. There were significant improvement in neurocognitive disorders (p < 0.001), peer problems, (p = 0.01), and prosocial behaviors (p = 0.00) in children at 3 months after the PICU discharge. Age of 4-5 years has a significant effect on neurocognitive disorders (p = 0.04), while male gender (p = 0.02), low-social economy, non-intact family composition (p = 0.01), neurological disease (p = 0.04), surgical intervention (p = 0.01), and TISS score (p = 0.00) have a significant effect on psychological disorders in children at 3 months after the PICU discharge. Neurocognitive disorders, peer problems, and prosocial behaviors improved in a few patients 3 months after PICU discharge. Age of 4-5 years was a risk factor of the persisted neurocognitive disorder, whereas male gender, low-social economy, non-intact family composition, neurological disease, surgical intervention, and TISS score were risk factors of persisted psychological disorder at 3 months after PICU.

Suicidal Ideation and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Following Early Childhood Psychotic Experiences in Preadolescent Children at Familial High Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder-The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study, VIA 11.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in youth and is often preceded by suicidal ideation (SI) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Identifying early markers of risk for SI and NSSI could improve timely identification of at-risk individuals. Children (mean age 11.9, SD 0.2) at familial high risk of schizophrenia (N = 171), or bipolar disorder (N = 104), and controls (N = 174) were assessed for psychotic experiences (PE), SI, NSSI, and Axis I mental disorders in face-to-face interviews in early and middle childhood (age 7 and 11). Having 2 types of early childhood PE predicted middle childhood SI after accounting for previous SI, NSSI, and mental disorders (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1-6.9; P = .03). Two PE predicted NSSI (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2-7.7; P = .02) in excess of previous SI, NSSI, mental disorders, and familial risk. Persistent and incident PE predicted SI (OR 3.2, 95% CI, 1.1-8.8; P = .03; OR 3.8, 95% CI, 1.3-11.5; P = .02) in the fully adjusted model. Nineteen percent of children with persistent PE reported middle childhood SI vs 3.8% of those who never reported PE. In children with early childhood mental disorders, those who reported 2 PE had 4.4-fold increased odds of later SI (95% CI, 1.2-16.7; P = .03) after adjustments. PE were nondifferentially associated with outcomes across familial risk groups. Early childhood PE index elevated risk for subsequent SI and NSSI beyond what can be attributed to presence of mental disorders. Mental health screenings and clinical assessments should include early childhood PE.

Evidence-Based and User-Centred Development of an Ecounseling & Learning-System for Parents of Children with ADHD.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. It is characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity as the main symptoms. These can lead to increased stress in everyday life for the entire family. The e-counseling and e-learning application is being developed within the ELSA project to support parents of ADHD-diagnosed children in everyday life. The requirements identified included, for example, advice on children's restlessness or measures against sibling rivalry.

The Association Between Adolescent Vaping and Subsequent Use of Other Substances and Risk Factors for Polysubstance Use

Abstract Objectives Adolescent vaping has become a public health concern. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between adolescent vaping and subsequent use of other substances and risk factors for polysubstance use. Methods The Well-being and Experiences Study is a longitudinal, intergenerational study conducted in Manitoba, Canada. The sample for this study consisted of adolescents and emerging adults who participated in Waves 1 (N = 1,002; 2017-18; aged 14–17 years) and 2 (n = 756; 2019; aged 15–20 years). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed. Results Adolescent vaping was associated with continued use of alcohol, cannabis, and cigarettes (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] range: 12.92–19.39), new onset use of cannabis (aRRR: 6.04) and cigarettes (aRRR: 3.66), and concurrent and simultaneous polysubstance use (aRRR range: 3.14–24.25). Several risk factors were identified for concurrently using three or four substances in the past year (aRRR range: 1.76–2.86) and simultaneously using alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine (aRRR range: 1.99–3.11). Among those who reported vaping nicotine at Wave 2, 33.6% of males and 24.2% of females reported doing so as a coping mechanism. Conclusions Adolescent vaping is a risk factor for subsequent use of other substances and polysubstance use. Efforts are needed to prevent vaping initiation and help adolescents with cessation. Strategies should include selective interventions for those with histories of childhood adversity and mental health disorder.

LITERATURE REVIEW: ECTOPIC URETER IN CHILDHOOD

Ectopic ureter is a rare and often overlooked disorder of the urinary tract that can cause urinary incontinence. Ectopic ureter is thought to be caused by the ureteral bud failing to separate from the mesonephric duct, resulting in more caudal insertion. This anomaly is related to genitourinary tract embryogenesis, which results in differences in anatomical and clinical manifestations between male and female. Delayed diagnosis and treatment resulted in years of suffering and disruption to social development and school years. The urinary incontinence due to this anomaly can also cause stress urinary incontinence and psychological disorders in children.&#x0D; Keywords: ectopic ureter, congenital anomaly, the urinary incontinence

Statistical Study on the Impact of Computer-use on Child-health in the Arab-community

United States of America (USA), Australia, and Canada recommending children computer-use should be imperfect. It obligated a strong influence on children’s lives. The problem was for stuck in the computer-use for a long time per day. The goal was to follow child-health in the Arab-community to notice its influence on the child-health. The method was through a arithmetical study by sending Internet questionnaire and receiving the parents' advice. The results were in the 500 parent answers and 14 comments. The first was "You have a child up to 13 years old?"; 83.6%. The second was "Your child used a computer?"; 80.8%. The third was "Your child used the computer for a long time?"; 67.9%. The fourth was "The computer caused a health problem for your child?"; 70.3%. The fifth was "The computer caused your child mental disorder?"; 68.5%. The sixth was "The computer caused your child trouble seeing?"; 77.2%. The seventh was "The computer caused your child trouble sleeping?"; 72.0%. The eighth 8 was "The computer caused your child feeding problem?"; 69.5%. The ninth was "The computer caused your child family relationship problem?", 72.0%. The tenth was "Prevent your child from using the computer to protect his health?"; 79.0%. It was concluded that the extent of the harms of child computer-use from a health and psychological point. They have young and sensitive tissues. The computer-use affected them, child-health. It was recommended the parents instructions will protect children from the computer-use for long periods. That will reduce child-health and psychological problems.

Gender inequalities in the prevalence of low mood and related factors in schooled adolescents during the 2019–2020 school year: DESKcohort project

BackgroundMood disorders are the second most prevalent mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. Many undiagnosed people manifest subthreshold symptoms, like low mood, and present worse prognoses than asymptomatic healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of low mood, gender inequalities, and associated factors, in 12- to 18-year-old adolescents in the rural and medium-sized urban areas of Central Catalonia during the 2019–2020 academic year. MethodsCross-sectional study with data from a cohort of high-schooled students (2019–2020), with a convenience sample of 6428 adolescents from the Central region of Catalonia (48.3 % boys and 51.7 % girls). Prevalence of low mood was estimated by gender and exposure variables, and ratios were obtained using Poisson regression models, adjusting for several exposure variables one by one, and for all of them jointly. ResultsThe prevalence of low mood was 18.6 %, with statistically significant differences between genders (11.6 %, 95 % CI: 10.5–12.8 in boys and 25.1 %, 95 % CI: 23.7–26.6 in girls). Being an immigrant, dieting, and daily tobacco smoking were only associated with low mood in girls, whereas risky alcohol consumption was only associated in boys. Sexual violence was found to account for 36.2 % of low mood problems in girls. LimitationsThe main limitation of the study is its cross-sectional design, which means that no casual relationships can be extracted of this study. ConclusionsThe prevalence of low mood varies between the sexes, highlighting the importance of developing gender-specific interventions to reduce its incidence in young people, considering the factors associated with this condition.