Publications by authors named "Sourander Andre"

Background: There is a lack of studies examining the long-term outcomes of web-based parent training programs implemented in clinical settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The aim is to study 2-year outcomes of families with 3- to 8-year-old children referred from family counseling centers to the Finnish Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW), which provides digital parent training with telephone coaching aimed at treating child disruptive behaviors.

Methods: Counseling centers in Helsinki identified fifty 3- to 8-year-old children with high levels of disruptive behavioral problems.

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Background: Maternal nutritional deficiency is linked with several adverse outcomes in offspring but the link between maternal vitamin B12 levels and offspring schizophrenia remains unexplored.

Methods: In this nationwide population-based nested case-control design, 1145 schizophrenia cases were born between 1987-1997 and diagnosed by 2017 and each case were matched with a control. Maternal vitamin B12 levels during the first and early second trimesters of pregnancy were measured using chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay from maternal sera.

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Objective: The self-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used globally; hence, the validity of the intergroup comparisons is essential. This study examined the structure of the self-report SDQ in a large multinational adolescent sample, tested its measurement invariance across genders and countries, and compared youth mental health in 12 European and Asian countries.

Method: This study is part of the Eurasian Child Mental Health Study (EACMHS), a cross-cultural research study of child and adolescent well-being and mental health in 12 Asian and European countries.

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Background: Research suggests an association between parental psychiatric disorders and offspring anxiety disorders, yet comprehensive studies are limited. This study aims to investigate the associations between various parental psychiatric disorders and anxiety disorders in their offspring.

Method: Using Finnish register data, this nested case-control study analyzed 867,175 singleton live births from 1992 to 2006, identifying 21,671 cases of anxiety disorders diagnosed between 1998 and 2016.

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Our aim was to study enrollment and completion levels for the internet-based and telephone-assisted Finnish Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW) parent training intervention, for parents of young children with disruptive behavior before and after the COVID-19 lockdown period. Population-based screening was carried out on 39,251 children during routine check- ups at 4 years of age. The parents of children scoring at least 5 on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria.

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This time-trend study assesses changes in mental health and substance use among Finnish adolescents from 1998 to 2018. Representative samples of adolescents (N = 6,600) aged 13-16 years participated in school-based, almost identical cross-sectional studies in 1998 (n = 1,446), 2008 (n = 2,009), 2014 (n = 1,800) and 2018 (n = 1,345), respectively. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess mental health.

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Background: Findings from previous studies on maternal 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy and offspring schizophrenia are limited and inconsistent.

Methods: We used nationwide population-based register data with a nested case-control design to examine the association between maternal 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy and offspring schizophrenia. The cases of schizophrenia (n = 1145) were born from 1987 to 1997, and received a diagnosis of schizophrenia by 2017, and were matched with equal number of controls.

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Increasing evidence has shown that childhood anxiety can be effectively treated by Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT). Being able to predict why participants decide to drop out of such programs enables scarce resources to be used appropriately. The aim of this study was to report dropout predictors for a population-based ICBT intervention aimed at children with anxiety, together with the time they and their parents spent on the program and client satisfaction rates.

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The unmet need for mental health care is a global concern. There is a lack of cross-cultural studies examining adolescent help-seeking behavior from both formal and informal sources, including both high-and lower-income countries. This study investigates mental health help-seeking behavior in eight Asian and European countries.

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Background: Prenatal vitamin D deficiency is a common health concern among immigrants. No previous studies have examined the associations between prenatal vitamin D levels and developmental disorders of language, scholastic skills, and coordination in an immigrant sample.

Methods: The sample included 542 immigrant mothers of cases with language, scholastic, coordination or mixed developmental disorders, 443 immigrant mothers of controls without these disorders and 542 Finnish mothers of controls.

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Body image has an important role in the health and development of adolescents. Body dissatisfaction and dieting can become chronic and continue into adulthood. There is a lack of recent, comprehensive studies on ongoing trends on body dissatisfaction.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought drastic changes globally in the past three years, one of which is an increase in the use of digital media or electronic devices. Previous studies have shown that long screen time may stimulate the neurobiological system, resulting in various behavioural and emotional problems; however, there is insufficient population-based evidence. This study aimed to investigate the influence of screen time on behavioural and emotional problems in Indonesian adolescents at three time points: the pre-, peak, and post-peak periods of COVID-19.

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Background: Selective mutism (SM) is a childhood onset anxiety disorder, and the main symptom is not speaking in certain social situations. Knowledge about the duration and long-term outcomes of SM have been lacking and the aim of this systematic literature review was to address this gap in the literature. We investigated how long SM symptoms persisted as well as other psychiatric outcomes associated with SM in later life.

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Introduction: Transitional-aged youths (17-to-24-years-old) are prone to mental-health problems. Students in higher education, especially medical students, are more exposed to stressors and thus need training to increase resilience. However, there have been limited mental-health strengthening modules specifically developed for medical students of transitional age, and none in Indonesia.

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Psychiatric problems are risk markers for poor educational attainment. The number of adolescents receiving treatment has increased. We investigated whether the association between psychiatric problems in early adolescence and dropping out of school had changed.

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Non-genetic prenatal exposures have been associated with schizophrenia risk. However, the role of prenatal exposure to environmental neurotoxicants in offspring schizophrenia risk has been studied in only limited instances. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide metabolite p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) have been linked to neurodevelopmental outcomes, including impairments implicated in schizophrenia.

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This study examined the association between maternal serum vitamin B12 levels during early pregnancy and offspring autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and subtypes. Based on a Finnish national birth cohort, case offspring = 1558) born in 1987-2007 and diagnosed with ASD by 2015 were matched with one control on date of birth, sex and place of birth. Maternal vitamin B12 levels were measured during first and early second trimesters of pregnancy.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Previous research on the impact of in utero exposure to SSRIs and long-term anxiety or depressive behaviors in children has been inconsistent, prompting a new study utilizing Finnish national data to investigate these effects more clearly.
  • - The study will analyze a large cohort of over 1.2 million mothers and their children, comparing those exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy with various control groups, to assess the prevalence and severity of depression in offspring.
  • - By examining factors like maternal depression and family history of psychiatric disorders, the research aims to clarify the specific effects of SSRIs, providing valuable insights for public health and clinical guidance for treating pregnant women.
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Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions decreased the use of specialist psychiatric services for children and adolescents in spring 2020. However, little is known about the pattern once restrictions eased. We compared new psychiatric diagnoses by specialist services during pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

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The idea that risk for psychiatric disorders may be transmitted intergenerationally via prenatal programming places interest in the prenatal period as a critical moment during which intervention efforts may have a strong impact, yet studies testing whether prenatal interventions also protect offspring are limited. The present umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) of randomized controlled trials aimed to synthesize the available evidence and highlight promising avenues for intervention. Overall, the literature provides mixed and limited evidence in support of prenatal interventions.

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