Use In Adolescent Population Research Articles

Test-Retest Reliability of a Physical Activity Behavior, Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire in Adolescents

Background The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire, in adolescent populations, administered by teachers in school settings, in the Republic of Ireland. Methods A cross-sectional, mixed sample of 55 participants (45.5% males: Age, 13.94 (±.40) years) were included. The participants completed the questionnaire on two occasions (T1 and T2), on the same day and time, one week apart following identical procedures. Variables for testing included physical activity behavior (n=13), health (n=11) and wellbeing (n=2). Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire’s covariates, including family affluence and physical impairments were also examined. Results Systematic error (Bland-Altman plots) was found to be near to zero for each of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing variables. The combined mean coefficient of variation was lower for females (10.19%) in comparison to males (13.01%). The combined mean intraclass correlation coefficients were higher for females (0.901) than males (0.822). Similarly, the combined mean Cronbach alpha coefficient were higher for girls (0.908) than boys (0.821). Conclusions This study found the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire to be reliable for use in adolescent populations.

Test-Retest Reliability of a Physical Activity Behavior, Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire in Adolescents

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire, in adolescent populations, administered by teachers in school settings, in the Republic of Ireland. Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed sample of 55 participants (45.5% males: Age, 13.94 (±.40) were included. The participants completed the questionnaire on two occasions (T1 and T2), on the same day and time, one week apart following identical procedures. Variables for testing included physical activity behavior (n=13), health (n=11) and wellbeing (n=2). Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire’s covariates, including family affluence and physical impairments were also examined. Results: Systematic error (Bland-Altman plots) was found to be near to zero for each of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing variables. The combined mean coefficient of variation was lower for females (10.19%) in comparison to males (13.01%). Similarly, the combined mean intraclass correlation coefficients were higher for females (>.901) than males (>.822). Conclusions: This study found the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire to be reliable for use in adolescent populations.

A longitudinal examination of alcohol use and emotion dysregulation in adolescence.

Underage drinking is a serious public health concern with magnified physical and psychological risks. Previous research suggests that emotion dysregulation is one factor linked to alcohol use. Limited research has examined emotion dysregulation and alcohol use in adolescent populations, thus the present study aimed to examine the links by assessing the role of emotion dysregulation and its subscales in adolescent alcohol use over time. Participants were 695 high school students, with 309 students having completed Time 2 data collection at a 6-month follow-up. Participants completed measures that assessed Alcohol Use, Emotion Dysregulation, and Emotion Dysregulation subscales. In a negative binomial hurdle model, adolescents with greater emotion regulation difficulties at baseline had significantly greater odds of endorsing any alcohol use at baseline. Greater emotion dysregulation did not significantly predict drinking status or drinking level 6 months later when controlling for baseline alcohol use. Adolescents who reported greater emotional clarity difficulties at baseline were more likely to report any alcohol use at baseline. Among adolescents who drink, reporting greater difficulties accessing emotion regulation strategies was associated with greater alcohol use at baseline and 6 months later. These findings indicate that emotion dysregulation is a cross-sectional marker of alcohol use in adolescents; however, results did not show emotion dysregulation to be a prospective predictor of greater alcohol use. Future research is needed to replicate findings in a more diverse sample of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Test-Retest Reliability of a Physical Activity Behavior,Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire in Adolescents.

The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire, in adolescent populations, administered by teachers in school settings, in the Republic of Ireland. A cross-sectional, mixed sample of 55 participants (45.5% males: Age, 13.94 (±.40) years) were included. The participants completed the questionnaire on two occasions (T1 and T2), on the same day and time, one week apart following identical procedures. Variables for testing included physical activity behavior (n=13), health (n=11) and wellbeing (n=2). Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire's covariates, including family affluence and physical impairments were also examined. Systematic error (Bland-Altman plots) was found to be near to zero for each of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing variables. The combined mean coefficient of variation was lower for females (10.19%) in comparison to males (13.01%). The combined mean intraclass correlation coefficients were higher for females (0.901) than males (0.822). Similarly, the combined mean Cronbach alpha coefficient were higher for girls (0.908) than boys (0.821). This study found the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire to be reliable for use in adolescent populations.

Lurasidone for Adolescents With Complex Mental Disorders: A Case Series

Objectives: Lurasidone is a new second generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent with unique receptor affinity and side-effect profiles, but limited literature is available on its use in adolescent populations. Contrasting with research treatment trials which typically recruit patients by stringent selection criteria, this case series examined the effects and tolerability of using lurasidone in adolescents within real-life clinical settings in treating complex cases who had not responded to other therapy options. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-note audit of 6 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old attending community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who were prescribed lurasidone. Results: Lurasidone had been prescribed for a range of “hard-to-manage” conditions with complex comorbidities, in adolescents in relation to specific use of lurasidone on the basis of clinical and pharmacological indications after exhausting more conventional treatment options. Case-note review suggested response to lurasidone was clinically positive in 3 cases, equivocal/marginal in 2 cases, and ineffective in 1 case. There were no cases of poor tolerance or adverse effects. Notably, positive responses for depressive and irritable mood symptoms were specifically recorded by prescribing clinicians, indicative of benefits on symptom improvement. No lurasidone attributed weight gain, galactorrhoea, metabolic abnormalities, sexual dysfunction or intolerance were reported. Pro-cognitive effects were not detected; but our findings were constrained by the non-systematic and incomplete information ascertainment, typical in retrospective case-note review. Conclusion: This case series provides preliminary data supporting lurasidone’s potential use in adolescents of complex clinical needs (but without a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder) within real-life clinical settings. Lurasidone appears to show a weight-sparing effect, in addition to improving mood symptoms in some cases. Lurasidone deserves further study for its use in the adolescent population (outside the remit of FDA) given its potential more favorable risk-benefit profile in young people. The favorable tolerability appear to be borne out by the pharmacodynamic predictions in our complex patients who would be excluded in formal clinical trial studies.

Food and Drug Administration insights on clinical study of weight-loss devices intended for adolescent patients.

Medical devices intended for weight loss may provide clinically meaningful benefit to children who are overweight and have obesity; however, no device has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in patients below 18 years of age. Encouragingly, FDA regularly sees new device designs because the field of weight-loss devices is advancing rapidly. As more devices for weight loss are in development, their use in adolescent populations is expected to follow, but supporting data are needed. This report describes efforts that FDA has taken to understand the unmet clinical need, understand how pediatric patients might benefit from a weight-loss device, and provide considerations for how to best design weight-loss device clinical studies considering device-specific patient risk for adolescents. We review the recommendations provided to the FDA in 2005 via a Pediatric Advisory Committee meeting and discuss feedback received in 2018 through our Network of Experts programme. FDA encourages weight-loss device manufacturers and academic researchers to collect data through properly controlled trials so that more treatment options can be accessible to pediatric patients. FDA remains open to considering risk-based clinical study designs incorporating pediatric patients and will continue to take into account the risk to adolescent study participants when determining whether the benefit-risk evidence supports initiation of an adolescent weight-loss device study.

КОРОТКАЯ ОНЛАЙН БАТАРЕЯ ПРОСТРАНСТВЕННЫХ СПОСОБНОСТЕЙ (OSSAB): ПСИХОМЕТРИЧЕСКИЕ НОРМЫ ДЛЯ ШКОЛЬНИКОВ СТАРШЕГО ВОЗРАСТА

The need for STEM specialists is growing in current technologically-oriented economy. This calls for new approaches in evaluation and development of relevant abilities and skills. However, the current educational systems might miss some students who have high potential for this field or who can develop such potential. For example, according to the results of one Russian study, gifted children may be missed by existing methods of talent search, partially due to the lack of standardised psychometric tests, especially of abilities beyond verbal and numerical abilities. One important predictor of STEM, often neglected in education, is spatial ability. Recently an online short spatial ability battery (OSSAB) for use in adolescent popula-tions was developed. However, no published norms are available. The aim of this study was to develop normalised thresholds for spatial ability testing using OSSAB battery with Russian 13-17 year old schoolchildren. Schoolchildren from the Sirius Educational Centre, demonstrating high achievement in 3 different areas: science (N = 640; 238 females), sports (N = 436; 67 females) and art (N = 260; 204 females), and schoolchildren (N = 752; 350 females) from general education schools of the Russian Federation participated in the study. Age of participants: 13-17 (M = 15.01; SD = 1.18). The study identified thresholds for 8 spatial ability levels: from Very low ability to Extraordinary giftedness. These thresholds can be used by teachers and school psychologists to determine the level of spatial ability in schoolchildren of 13-17 years of age. Based on individual students’ current levels of spatial ability, teachers can provide individual support and recommendations. For high performance recommendations may include additional clas-ses in STEM or natural sciences, for example, electronics, robotics, programming, physics or chemistry. For lower performance recommendations may include computer games containing spatial components; sports; playing musical instruments; origami classes; and studying the Chinese language. More broadly, school curricula in different subjects should include more spatial elements, such as: inclusion of stereometric tasks in learning materials; computer pro-grams for modelling in teaching geometry and other subjects; adding visualizations (graphs and tables) when explaining material. Overall, the results of this study suggest that a significant number of children have very low or very high level of spatial ability in both mainstream schools and in educational centres for high-preforming students. The norms developed in this study can be used for identification and individualized support in all educational settings.

Preventing E-cigarette use among high-risk adolescents: A trauma-informed prevention approach

Exposure to childhood trauma increases the risk of tobacco use during adolescence. Recent studies have also reported potentially increased vulnerabilities to electronic cigarette (e‐cigarette) use among youth with a history of childhood trauma. While empirical evidence supporting the relationship between childhood trauma and adolescent e‐cigarette use is emerging, few effective preventive interventions are available to curb e‐cigarette use among adolescent victims of childhood trauma. This article reviews current evidence with respect to how childhood trauma could increase risk for nicotine dependence and e-cigarette use in adolescent populations. Furthermore, this paper describes the development, design, and implementation of Rise Above (RA), a randomized, controlled trial of a trauma-informed, e‐cigarette preventive intervention. Lessons learned are also discussed, including the challenges of implementing evidence-informed prevention work within communities vulnerable to traumatic events.

The Development of Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego - Auto-questionnaire for Adolescents (A-TEMPS-A) in a Serbian Sample.

Previous studies suggest that temperament features of adolescents may be good predictors of the development of future psychopathology in this population. The aim of the study was to adapt the content and validate the psychometric properties of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego - Auto-questionnaire in a sample of Serbian adolescents. The sample included 2113 adolescents, 56% girls and 44% boys, average age 16.73±0.47, attending 48 Serbian secondary schools. The base for the development of this scale included Serbian standardised versions as well as the TEMPS-I, Interview version. The final scale is comprised of 36 items, with six factors (depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable, and anxious-cognitive/somatic) explaining 39.9% of the total variance, the internal consistency coefficient α=0.77, and the average test-retest coefficient (rho=0.84). The correlations among the temperaments ranged from weak to moderate, with the highest positive correlations between the depressive, cyclothymic and anxious scales. The highest values were detected on hyperthymic and the lowest on depressive temperament. Significantly higher scores of depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperaments were detected in girls, whereas boys had higher scores on the hyperthymic scale. The scale has shown good psychometric properties, which encourages its further use in adolescent population. The results show certain specific features of this population, such as higher scores on all temperament types than the ones in student and adult population and a tendency of socially desirable answers.

2.16 EXAMINING THE WORLDWIDE USE OF KRATOM (MITRAGYNA SPECIOSA) IN THE ADOLESCENT POPULATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Kratom, also known as Mitragyna speciosa, has become an increasingly abused psychoactive substance worldwide because of its opiate and stimulant properties. However, the demographic data regarding kratom use among adolescent populations remain unclear. The purpose of this literature review is to closely examine epidemiology pertaining to kratom use in adolescent populations around the world.

PNS11 PATIENT-CENTERED METHODS: CONSIDERATIONS FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TO SUPPORT CONTENT VALIDITY WHEN DEVELOPING CLINICAL OUTCOME ASSESSMENT (COA) MEASURES APPROPRIATE FOR ADOLESCENT PATIENTS (AGED 12-17 YEARS OLD)

BACKGROUND: Published guidance from the FDA, EMA, and ISPOR Task Force acknowledge that developing COA measures for use in adolescent populations (aged 12-17 years old) presents unique challenges beyond those found in other age groups. Recognized as a very diverse age group in terms of academic ability, specific aspects of COA measure development should be considered to ensure outcome measures are appropriate across the age range, such as age-appropriate vocabulary, language comprehension, understanding of the health concept being measured, and duration of recall. To identify key considerations for including adolescent patients in qualitative COA development and selection of the most appropriate COA measures using example methods from several therapy areas. Many clinical studies have combined child or adult patient groups with adolescents, making it more challenging to determine adolescent-relevant outcomes. Grouping adolescents with either adult or pediatric patients can prove inappropriate from a measurement perspective; adolescent assessment may need to be conceptually different to that of adults (e.g. school vs work), while pediatric assessment techniques may not be well-received by older adolescents (e.g. faces response scale, juvenile language). Additional methodological considerations include issues around embarrassment and inhibition during interviews, use of creative tasks to elicit the concepts of interest, and proportionate representation within narrow age groupings to account for developmental differences and to determine the lower age limit at which patients can reliably self-report (i.e. observer-report is required). With a deeper understanding of the challenges faced when including adolescent patients in qualitative research, COA developers and researchers can better evaluate the content validity of assessments (concepts of interest) and appropriateness for the target population (context of use). Using patient-centered methods with adolescent patients in COA development will ensure the correct selection of COA measures to support endpoints in clinical trials with 12-17 year olds.

The performance of the K6 scale in a large school sample: A follow-up study evaluating measurement invariance on the Idaho Youth Prevention Survey.

Since 2013, Idaho has been building capacity and infrastructure through the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant to prevent substance abuse and related problems, namely psychiatric morbidity. As this federal initiative requires states to engage in data-driven strategic planning at the state and community levels, clinically validated instruments are particularly valuable in the context of school surveys that have limited space and require timely administration. Thus, the K6 scale was included on the 2014 Idaho Youth Prevention Survey as a measure of nonspecific psychological distress. To verify the unidimensional structure of the K6, principal axis and confirmatory factor analyses were performed in a school-based sample of Idaho students (n = 12,150). A series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were then performed to evaluate measurement invariance across gender, age, and race. Overall, the prevalence of serious psychological distress in the past 30 days was 17.2% in Idaho. Factor analyses confirmed the 1-factor solution of the K6. Four levels of measurement invariance were demonstrated across gender, age, and race. Together, these results further illustrate the construct validity of the K6 for use in adolescent populations. Other states are encouraged to include the K6 on their school surveys to facilitate policy planning and resource allocation as well as generate cross-state comparisons. (PsycINFO Database Record

Psychometric Properties of a German Version of the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ) in two Independent Samples of Adolescents

The Young Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ) is the most frequently used unidimensional measure to assess pathological Internet use. To date, investigations on the factorial validity of the YDQ using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are not available in the scientific literature. Empirical findings on the psychometric properties of the German translation of the YDQ are also lacking. Data were collected on two German samples of 1444 and 2713 adolescents. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. We also calculated reliability coefficients and correlations between the YDQ and external criteria of Internet use. The models showed excellent global goodness-of-fit and satisfying local parameters. A unidimensional model seems to fit the data very well. We observed rather low reliability coefficients. The results indicate an acceptable construct validity of the German YDQ. The German version of the YDQ is a suitable instrument for measuring pathological Internet use in adolescent populations.

Exposure to opiates in female adolescents alters mu opiate receptor expression and increases the rewarding effects of morphine in future offspring

Prescription opiate use and abuse has increased dramatically over the past two decades, including increased use in adolescent populations. Recently, it has been proposed that use during this critical period may affect future offspring even when use is discontinued prior to conception. Here, we utilize a rodent model to examine the effects of adolescent morphine exposure on the reward functioning of the offspring. Female Sprague Dawley rats were administered morphine for 10 days during early adolescence (post-natal day 30–39) using an escalating dosing regimen. Animals then remained drug free until adulthood at which point they were mated with naïve males. Adult offspring (F1 animals) were tested for their response to morphine-induced (0, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, s.c.) conditioned place preference (CPP) and context-independent morphine-induced sensitization. Naïve littermates were used to examine mu opiate receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area. Results indicate that F1 females whose mothers were exposed to morphine during adolescence (Mor-F1) demonstrate significantly enhanced CPP to the lowest doses of morphine compared with Sal-F1 females. There were no differences in context-independent sensitization between maternal treatment groups. Protein expression analysis showed significantly increased levels of accumbal mu opiate receptor in Mor-F1 offspring and decreased levels in the VTA. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a shift in the dose response curve with regard to the rewarding effects of morphine in Mor-F1 females which may in part be due to altered mu opiate receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens and VTA.

Modeling behavioral reactivity to losses and rewards on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART): moderation by alcohol problem severity.

The relationship between risk-taking behavior and substance dependence has proven to be complex, particularly when examining across participants expressing a range of substance use problem severity. While main indices of risk-taking in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) positively associate with problematic alcohol use in adolescent populations (e.g., MacPherson, Magidson, Reynolds, Kahler, & Lejuez, 2010), several studies have observed a negative relationship when examining behavior within adult substance using populations (Ashenhurst, Jentsch, & Ray, 2011; Campbell, Samartgis, & Crowe, 2013). To examine potential mechanisms that underlie this negative relationship, we implemented multilevel regression models on trial-by-trial BART data gathered from 295 adult problem drinkers. These models accounted for participant behavior on trials following balloon bursts or cash outs as indices of loss and reward reactivity, respectively, and included control variables including age, IQ, and individual delay discounting rate. Results revealed that individual trial pumping was significantly predicted by trial number, and by whether or not the previous trial was a big burst or a big cash out (i.e., large magnitude of potential gains) in a manner consistent with a "near-miss" effect. Furthermore, severity of alcohol problems moderated the effect of a previous trial big burst, but not of a big cash out, on subsequent trial behavior such that those with greater severity demonstrated relative insensitivity to this "near-miss" effect. These results extend previous studies suggesting that alcohol abusers are less risky on the BART by specifying a mechanism underlying this pattern, namely, diminished reactivity to large magnitude losses.

Hippocampal protein expression is differentially affected by chronic paroxetine treatment in adolescent and adult rats: a possible mechanism of “paradoxical” antidepressant responses in young persons

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly recognized as the pharmacological treatment of choice for patients with depressive disorders, yet their use in adolescent populations has come under scrutiny following reports of minimal efficacy and an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior in this age group. The biological mechanisms underlying these effects are largely unknown. Accordingly, the current study examined changes in hippocampal protein expression following chronic administration of paroxetine in drinking water (target dose = 10 mg/kg for 22 days) to adult and adolescent rats. Results indicated age-specific changes in protein expression, with paroxetine significantly altering expression of 8 proteins in adolescents only and 10 proteins solely in adults. A further 12 proteins were significantly altered in both adolescents and adults. In adults, protein changes were generally suggestive of a neurotrophic and neuroprotective effect of paroxetine, with significant downregulation of apoptotic proteins Galectin 7 and Cathepsin B, and upregulation of the neurotrophic factor Neurogenin 1 and the antioxidant proteins Aldose reductase and Carbonyl reductase 3. Phosphodiesterase 10A, a signaling protein associated with major depressive disorder, was also downregulated (-6.5-fold) in adult rats. Adolescent rats failed to show the neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects observed in adults, instead displaying upregulation of the proapoptotic protein BH3-interacting domain death agonist (4.3-fold). Adolescent protein expression profiles also suggested impaired phosphoinositide signaling (Protein kinase C: -3.1-fold) and altered neurotransmitter transport and release (Syntaxin 7: 5.7-fold; Dynamin 1: -6.9-fold). The results of the present study provide clues as to possible mechanisms underlying the atypical response of human adolescents to paroxetine treatment.

Predicting depression, anxiety and self-harm in adolescents: The role of perfectionism and acute life stress

Despite the growing evidence that perfectionism is associated with adolescent psychological distress, few studies have investigated this relationship prospectively with measures designed for use in adolescent populations. In the present study, within a diathesis–stress framework, we investigated the extent to which perfectionism and acute life stress predict depression, anxiety and self-harm among adolescent school children ( n = 515) over a 6 month period (Time 1–Time 2). Socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP), self-oriented perfectionism–critical (SOP-critical) and the associated interactions with acute life stress differentially predicted anxiety, depression and self-harm. Acute life stress was an independent predictor of depression, anxiety and self-harm. SPP predicted depression and interacted with acute life stress to predict self-harm. SOP-critical and the SOP-critical by acute life stress interaction predicted anxiety. Self-oriented perfectionism-striving (SOP-striving) did not predict any of the Time 2 measures of distress. The dimensions of perfectionism are differentially associated with psychological distress. Tailored clinical interventions focused on adolescent perfectionism should offer promise in tackling psychological morbidity in adolescence.

Evidence-Based Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorders in Adolescents

The prevalence of adolescent alcohol use and its related consequences underscore the need for evidenced-based treatments in this population. During the past decade, much progress has been made in treating adolescent alcohol use disorders with evidenced-based modalities developed specifically for adolescents. Controlled treatment outcome studies that compared > or = 1 modality, used random assignment to treatment conditions, and were published between 1990 and 2004 are discussed in this review. Psychosocial treatments such as family-based interventions, motivational enhancement therapy (motivational interviewing), behavioral therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as the limited pharmacotherapy studies, are discussed. All of the studies used assessment tools validated for use in adolescent populations. Overall, great strides have been made in the area of adolescent alcohol treatment, and the treatment modalities presented have more than adequate potential for replication.

Treating adolescent sexual offenders.

Treating adolescent sexual offenders.

Seventh-grade cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use: distribution in a north central U.S. metropolitan population.

Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use were examined in a seventh-grade population from a north central U.S. metropolitan community. Participation exceeded 94% and biological testing was used to increase the disclosure of drug use during the survey. Drug use was related to age, gender, race, family structure, and parental occupation in a series of logit analyses to identify high-risk groups. While univariate analyses uniformly supported earlier studies, the logit analyses revealed patterns not previously reported and at times contrary to previous reports. Significant associations were observed between drug use and each of the demographic factors; the likelihood of drug use increased by as much as 80-fold in subgroups defined by interactions among these variables. Native Americans, Hispanics, Black females, and adolescents whose mothers held white-collar jobs were substantially more likely to report drug use compared to other groups; females were generally similar to males in their level of use after adjustment for other factors. These results suggest that multivariate analyses which consider higher-order interactions may more adequately model the distribution of drug use in adolescent populations, compared to those based on univariate or first-order multivariate techniques.