Depression in children with abdominal pain in the emergency department.

Objective: This cross-sectional study examined depression and associated impairment in youth presenting to a pediatric emergency department (PED) with abdominal pain.

Methods: Participants were 11-17 years old, presenting to a PED with idiopathic abdominal pain. Participants completed demographics, pain, pain-related impairment, and depression surveys.

The eACT study design and methods: A sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial of A novel adherence intervention for youth with epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is a common, chronic pediatric neurological condition predominately treated with anti-seizure medications (ASMs) to control or reduce seizures. Approximately 60 % of youth with epilepsy demonstrate suboptimal adherence to their ASM. This paper describes the methodology, recruitment, design, and baseline participant characteristics of a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) designed to test the effectiveness of a behavioral health intervention to improve adherence in families of young children with epilepsy.

Age, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Health Care Utilization.

Objectives: To assess whether the association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with pediatric health care utilization differs by age.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients completing primary care ACEs screening between January 2020 and September 2021. Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener Part 1 scores were categorized 0, 1 to 3, or ≥4 (none, low, and high, respectively).

Reducing Learning and Psychosocial Disparities in Latino Children with Cancer: A Randomized Intervention Trial.

Background: We developed a high-intensity parenting intervention (HIP) to help parents support the academic success of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), who often face post-treatment challenges affecting their school-related functioning. This randomized controlled trial (NCT03178617) evaluated HIP's efficacy compared to lower-intensity, single-session, treatment-as-usual services (LIP) in Latino families. Primary outcomes were parenting efficacy and CCSs' school functioning; secondary outcomes included parenting knowledge and measures of CCSs' academic performance, attention, and functioning outside of school.

Key predictors of epilepsy-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in youth with epilepsy.

Purpose: Epilepsy-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important outcome in youth with epilepsy (YWE). The PedsQL™ Epilepsy Module is the only caregiver-proxy and youth self-report epilepsy-specific HRQOL measure that can be used with youth 2-25 years. Multiple factors affect HRQOL, including epilepsy-specific characteristics, comorbid mental and behavioral health concerns, as well as sociodemographic factors.

Adolescent COVID-19 Vaccine Decision-Making among Parents in Southern California.

Adolescent COVID-19 vaccination has stalled at 53% in the United States. Vaccinating adolescents remains critical to preventing the continued transmission of COVID-19, the emergence of variants, and rare but serious disease in children, and it is the best preventive measure available to return to in-person schooling. We investigated parent-adolescent COVID-19 vaccine decision-making.

Learning experience design of an mHealth intervention for parents of children with epilepsy.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the iterative design, development, and evaluation of a novel mHealth learning environment for parents of children with epilepsy. The mHealth learning environment is a component of a broader behavioral intervention called eACT (Epilepsy Adherence in Children and Technology), which seeks to improve antiepileptic drug adherence in children with epilepsy. The eACT mHealth learning environment integrates theoretical principles from the learning sciences with user-centered design methods and advanced learning technologies to provide an efficient and appealing learning experience that is specifically tailored to adult learners.

Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infection Diagnoses Among US Youth With Perinatally and Nonperinatally Acquired HIV.

Background: Of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States, 50% occur among youth aged 15 to 24 years. Previous studies among youth with HIV (YHIV) do not distinguish STI trends among individuals with perinatally (YPHIV) and nonperinatally (YNPHIV) acquired HIV.

Methods: Among 3 Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) studies conducted between 2009 and 2015, we estimated incident diagnoses of trichomonal, bacterial, viral, and overall STIs stratified by sex assigned at birth, mode of HIV acquisition (perinatal [YPHIV] and nonperinatal [YNPHIV]), age (13-17 and 18-24 years), CD4 count (<200, 200-499, and ≥500/μL), and HIV viral load (VL) (<400 and ≥400 copies/mL).

Racial/ethnic differences in dietary intake among a diverse sample of adolescents: An experimental study.

Background: African-American (AA) and Hispanic/Latina (HL) females have higher obesity prevalence than do non-Hispanic Whites (NHW); this may be due to AA and HL consuming more energy-dense foods in response to stressors.

Objectives: This study examined racial/ethnic differences in dietary intake under controlled conditions (relaxation and stress) in a diverse sample of adolescent females.

Methods: Participants included 120 adolescent females (30% AA, 37% HL and 33% NHW) who participated in a laboratory food intake study.

The psychosocial impact of COVID-19 within the first six months of the pandemic on youth with epilepsy and their caregivers.

Objectives: We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on children with epilepsy and their families, focusing on epilepsy management, family routines, learning, and adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pandemic guidelines (e.g., social distancing, mask wearing) within the first six months of the pandemic.

Parent proxy assessment of sibling quality of life following pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Background: When a child undergoes hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), the impact extends to the entire family, including siblings. Assessment of the quality of life (QoL) of siblings is challenged by their general lack of availability for regular assessment by clinical providers. Thus, the use of parent proxy reporting may be useful.

Establishing clinical cutoffs for the PedsQL™ Epilepsy Module.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to establish clinical cutoffs for the PedsQL Epilepsy Module scales by dichotomizing scores into normative or impaired. We predicted that these cutoffs would be useful in identifying children at greater risk for impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) including those who exhibit effects of ongoing seizures, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and polytherapy.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-seven youth (2-18 years old) and their caregivers were recruited from five tertiary care hospitals across the United States.

Vulnerabilities to antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects in youth with epilepsy.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic, seizure-related, behavioral health, and antiepileptic drug (AED) adverse effect variables. The aim of this study was to examine whether there were significant differences on AED adverse effects between youth with normative and subclinical/clinical depressive and/or anxiety symptoms.

Methods: As part of a larger multisite validation study, 231 youth age 5 to 18 years diagnosed with epilepsy and their caregivers were recruited to participate for the current study.

Executive functioning phenotypes in youth with epilepsy.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to identify executive functioning (EF) phenotypes in youth with epilepsy and to examine whether phenotypes differ on psychosocial and medical outcomes (i.e., absence/presence of seizures in the past three months), health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and emotional and behavioral functioning.

Profiles of Risk Among HIV-Infected Youth in Clinic Settings.

Despite the rising number of new HIV infections among youth, few tailored interventions for youth living with HIV (YLH) have been developed and rigorously tested. Developing tailored interventions necessitates identifying different profiles of YLH and understanding how risk and protective factors cluster together. Obtaining this critical information requires accessing a sufficiently large sample of YLH from diverse geographic settings such as those available through the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN).

Barriers to medication adherence in behaviorally and perinatally infected youth living with HIV.

The study explored barriers to antiretroviral medication adherence in perinatally and behaviorally HIV infected adolescents and young adults in a cross-sectional, multisite sample. The study included a subset of a convenience sample from a cross-sectional analysis. Participants were youth with HIV ages 12-24 who were prescribed HIV medication and reported missing medication in the past 7 days (n = 484, 28.

Haemophilia utilization group study - Part Va (HUGS Va): design, methods and baseline data.

To describe the study design, procedures and baseline characteristics of the Haemophilia Utilization Group Study - Part Va (HUGS Va), a US multi-center observational study evaluating the cost of care and burden of illness in persons with factor VIII deficiency. Patients with factor VIII level ≤ 30%, age 2-64 years, receiving treatment at one of six federally supported haemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) were enrolled in the study. Participants completed an initial interview including questions on socio-demographical characteristics, health insurance status, co-morbidities, access to care, haemophilia treatment regimen, factor utilization, self-reported joint pain and motion limitation and health-related quality of life.

Desire for perioperative information and parental ethnicity.

Objectives: To examine the role of ethnicity, language, and socioeconomic variables in parental desire for information regarding children's surgery.

Aim:   To compare anesthetic and surgical information desired between English- and Spanish-speaking White and Hispanic mothers of children undergoing outpatient surgery.

Background:   Parents report wanting to receive detailed information regarding children's preoperative care; however, variables such as parent ethnicity and language spoken have not been accounted for in understanding desire for information.

Situational temptation for HIV medication adherence in high-risk youth.

Abstract This study explored the role of situational temptation, a component of self-efficacy, in adolescent and young adult (ages 16-24) HIV medication adherence by assessing participants' perceptions of their temptation to miss medications in various situations (e.g., when medication causes physical side effects, when there is fear of disclosure of HIV status).

Healthcare provider-child-parent communication in the preoperative surgical setting.

Objectives: Although preoperative preparation programs were once common, most children currently undergoing outpatient surgery are first exposed to the hospital on the day of the procedure. It is advocated that these outpatient children undergo the preparation just prior to surgery.

Aim: To assess the amount of time that healthcare providers spend with children and families on the day of surgery in the preoperative area.

How many parents should we let into the operating room?

Objective: This study compared anxiety of children with one and two parents present at anesthesia induction.

Methodology: Baseline measures of parent and child anxiety were obtained; parents were randomly assigned to the two study groups. Validated and reliable tools were used to assess the outcomes of interest.

A conceptual model of women's condom use intentions: Integrating intrapersonal and relationship factors.

We developed and tested a multifaceted model of condom use intentions with cross-sectional data from 435 heterosexual women at risk for HIV/STIs. In addition to traditional intrapersonal variables drawn from established models of HIV prevention (e.g.

Recruiting and retaining couples for an HIV prevention intervention: lessons learned from the PARTNERS project.

Intervening with both members of a couple has been recommended as an important strategy for human immunodeficiency virus prevention. Analyses of focus groups and in-depth interviews with project personnel involved in recruitment and retention for the Partners Against Risk-Taking: A Networking and Evaluation Research Study project identified, at the termination of the project, barriers and facilitators to recruiting couples. Barriers included logistical problems of coordinating two people's schedules, sensitivity of the topic and challenges related to recruitment efforts focused on one partner only.

He said, she said: concordance between sexual partners.

Background: Most studies of sexual behavior and risk are based on self-reports of individuals.

Goal: The goal of this study was to assess interpartner concordance on self-reported sexual behavior, condom use, and relationship characteristics; and agreement between individuals' perceptions of their partners' sexual risks and the partners' actual reports.

Study Design: Interviews were conducted separately but concurrently with 112 heterosexual couples at increased risk for HIV/sexually transmitted infections recruited through women at clinics and community locations.

Joint range-of-motion limitations among young males with hemophilia: prevalence and risk factors.

Chronic joint disease from repeated bleeding into joints is a serious complication of hemophilia. To measure the extent of and to identify risk factors for deviations from normal in joint range of motion (ROM), we used cross-sectional data collected from 4343 males with hemophilia aged 2 to 19 years who received care at 136 US hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs). Factors examined included age, race/ethnicity, family history, insurance status, age at diagnosis and first HTC visit, frequency of HTC visits, hemophilia type, bleeding frequency, prophylaxis use, inhibitor status, body mass index (BMI), and recent orthopedic procedures.