Alpha Psychiatry
November 2024
This is the first Dutch study investigating symptoms of five DSM-IV-classified anxiety disorders and depression in a large sample of pre-adolescent children with and without a migration background, adjusting for socioeconomic position (SEP) and social preference. Both are potential explanatory factors for differences in mental health among migrant children. We measured anxiety and depression scores with the self-report Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in 2063 children (aged 8-13 years, 55% girls) in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Children of lower-educated parents and children in schools with a relatively high percentage of peers with lower-educated parents (lower parental education schools) are more likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems compared to children in higher-educated households and schools. Universal school-based preventive interventions, such as the Good Behaviour Game (GBG), are generally effective in preventing the development of emotional and behavioural problems, but information about potential moderators is limited. This study examined whether the effectiveness of the GBG in preventing emotional and behavioural problems differs between children in lower- and higher-educated households and schools.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a psychological intervention that seeks to address common mental disorders among individuals exposed to adversity. Thus far, the potential for delivering PM+ by mobile phones has not been evaluated.
Aims: To adapt PM+ for telephone delivery (ten weekly sessions of about 45 min each) and preliminarily evaluate its acceptability and feasibility with young people living with HIV (YLWH) in coastal Kenya.
This study examined (a) whether growing up with lower-educated parents and attending lower parental education schools associated with children's problem development within the behavioral, emotional, and peer relationship domains; and (b) whether the association of lower individual-level parental education with children's development within these three domains depended upon school-level parental education. To this end, 698 children (M = 7.08 in first grade) from 31 mainstream elementary schools were annually followed from first grade to sixth grade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpaired social-emotional reciprocity is a defining feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Deficits in reciprocity can be difficult to assess, particularly in adults with average or above average intelligence. The recently developed Interactive Drawing Test (IDT) measures reciprocity in children and adolescents with and without ASD based on spontaneous non-verbal interactions during the joint creation of a drawing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Clinicians increasingly serve youths from societal/cultural backgrounds different from their own. This raises questions about how to interpret what such youths report. Rescorla et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPakistan is considered to be relatively unsafe for journalists; however, little is known about how working in situations that involve a high risk of trauma exposure and personal threat impacts journalists' mental health. The present study aimed to examine the associations among reporting on topics that carry a high risk of trauma exposure; work-related personal threat exposure; and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of Pakistani journalists. Participants completed online assessments to report the extent of their exposure to trauma and threat in the last 6 months with regard to reporting on militancy, crime, bomb blasts, and natural disasters and exposure to electronic, verbal, and physical threats; stalking; kidnapping; and detention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In sub-Saharan Africa, there is paucity of research on substance use patterns among young people living with HIV (YLWH). To address the gap, we sought to: i) determine the prevalence of substance use, specifically alcohol and illicit drug use, among YLWH compared to their HIV-uninfected peers; ii) investigate the independent association between young people's HIV infection status and substance use; iii) investigate the risk indicators for substance use among these young people.
Methods: Between November 2018 and September 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted at the Kenyan coast recruiting 819 young people aged 18-24 years (407 HIV-positive).
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, common mental disorders (CMDs) like depression and anxiety are under-investigated amongst young people living with HIV (YLWH). To address the gap, in Kenya we: a) determined the prevalence of CMDs among YLWH compared to their uninfected peers; b) investigated HIV status as an independent predictor of CMDs in young people; c) investigated CMDs risk and protective indicators with more focus on YLWH.
Methods: Between November 2018 and September 2019, 819 young people aged 18-24 years (407 HIV-infected) were recruited from two Counties on the Kenyan coast.
Child Psychiatry Hum Dev
April 2022
We examined the mental health and quality of life (QoL) outcomes and their correlates of school-aged survivors of neonatal jaundice (NNJ), hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and a comparison group. The Child Behavior Checklist and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory were administered to assess the mental health and QoL of 375 children (134 with NNJ, 107 with HIE, and 134 comparison group) aged 6 to 12 years [Median age 9 (interquartile range 7 to 11)]. The results showed that survivors of NNJ and HIE have mental health problems and QoL similar to the comparison group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Depression remains under-investigated in people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa due to paucity of adequately validated measures. This study aimed to validate an adapted version of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among adults living with HIV compared to those from the community in Kilifi, Kenya.
Methods: Analysis of data from 450 adults living with HIV and 337 adults from the community was conducted examining the reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance and discriminant validity of interviewer-administered PHQ-9, Swahili version.
Background: There is little data on the long-term neurocognitive and educational outcomes among school-aged survivors of neonatal jaundice (NNJ) and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in Africa. This study investigates the long-term neurocognitive and educational outcomes and the correlates of these outcomes in school-aged survivors of NNJ or HIE in Kilifi, Kenya.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on neurocognitive and educational outcomes among school-aged survivors (6-12 years) of NNJ (n = 134) and HIE (n = 107) and compared them to a community comparison group (n = 134).
Background: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is under-investigated in people living with HIV/AIDS from sub-Saharan Africa. In part, this is due to paucity of culturally appropriate measures for GAD which are psychometrically robust. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability, factorial structure, and validity of Swahili version of the 7-item GAD questionnaire (GAD-7) among adults living with HIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important metric of perceived wellbeing in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). However, research on HRQoL among PLWHA in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. This study investigates factors associated with HRQoL among PLWHA in Kilifi, coast of Kenya.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Millennium Developmental Goals ensured a significant reduction in childhood mortality. However, this reduction simultaneously raised concerns about the long-term outcomes of survivors of early childhood insults. This systematic review focuses on the long-term neurocognitive and mental health outcomes of neonatal insults (NNI) survivors who are six years or older.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neonatal jaundice (NNJ) is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and it is associated with sepsis. Despite the high incidence, little has been documented about developmental impairments associated with NNJ in SSA. In particular, it is not clear if sepsis is associated with greater impairment following NNJ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis commentary is on the original article by Boldyreva et al. on pages https://doi.org/10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The study evaluated the efficacy of phototherapy and 20% albumin infusion to reduce total serum bilirubin (TSB) in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia. The primary outcome was a reduction of TSB at the end of treatment. The secondary outcomes were the need for exchange transfusion, inpatient mortality, neurological outcomes at discharge, and development outcomes at 12-months follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical social behavior but vary in their social interaction style (SIS), ranging from social aloofness to awkward social approaches. In a 4-year follow-up study, we examined longitudinal stability and change of SIS in children and adolescents with ASD and a normal intellectual ability (n = 55; mean age Time 1: 13 years; mean age Time 2: 17 years). Children's SIS was assessed with a parent questionnaire, the Wing Subtypes Questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChild Psychiatry Hum Dev
February 2020
This study aimed to identify factors that predict quality of life (QoL), over and above potential improvements in QoL related to a decrease in psychopathology, in children and adolescents with psychiatric problems. Two hundred and thirty one referred children and adolescents, aged 7-19 years, were followed up across a 1-year period. QoL and psychopathology were assessed, as were a broad range of child, parent, and family/social network factors.
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