The BSI-18 contains the three six-item scales somatization, depression, and anxiety as well as the Global Severity Index (GSI), including all 18 items. The BSI-18 is the latest and shortest of the ...multidimensional versions of the Symptom-Checklist 90-R, but its psychometric properties have not been sufficiently clarified yet.
Based on a representative sample of N = 2516 participants (aged 14-94 years), detailed psychometric analyses were carried out.
The internal consistency was good: Somatization α = .82, Depression α = .87, Anxiety α = .84 and GSI α = .93. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three scales as second-order and GSI as first-order factors. The model fit based on RMSEA is good but that model fit based on CFI and TLI are too low.
Therefore, it is a very short, reliable instrument for the assessment of psychological distress. The BSI-18 can be used to reliably assess psychological distress in the general population. However, further studies need to evaluate the usefulness of standardization in clinical samples.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of children and adolescents worldwide. The German COPSY study is among the first population-based longitudinal studies to examine the mental ...health impact of the pandemic. The objective of the study was to assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in children and adolescents and to identify the associated risk and resource factors during the pandemic.
Methods
A nationwide longitudinal survey was conducted with two waves during the pandemic (May/June 2020 and December 2020/January 2021). In total,
n
= 1923 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years and their parents participated (retention rate from wave 1 to wave 2: 85%). The self-report and parent-proxy surveys assessed HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ with the subscales emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms (CES-DC, PHQ-2) and psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL). Mixed model panel regression analyses were conducted to examine longitudinal changes in mental health and to identify risk and resource factors.
Results
The HRQoL of children and adolescents decreased during the pandemic, and emotional problems, peer-related mental health problems, anxiety, depressive and psychosomatic symptoms increased over time, however the change in global mental health problems from wave 1 to wave 2 was not significant, and some changes were negligible. Socially disadvantaged children and children of mentally burdened parents were at particular risk of impaired mental health, while female gender and older age were associated with fewer mental health problems. A positive family climate and social support supported the mental health of children and adolescents during the pandemic.
Discussion
Health promotion, prevention and intervention strategies could support children and adolescents in coping with the pandemic and protect and maintain their mental health.
Empirical evidence concerning the psychosocial health outcomes after puberty suppression and gender-affirming (GA) medical interventions of adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) is scarce. The aim ...of the present study was to describe how dimensions of psychosocial health were distributed among different intervention groups of adolescents with a GD diagnosis from the Hamburg Gender Identity Service before and after treatment. Participants included
n
= 75 adolescents and young adults from a clinical cohort sample, measured at their initial intake and on average 2 years later (
M
treatment duration = 21.4 months). All cases were divided into four different intervention groups, three of which received medical interventions. At baseline, both psychological functioning and quality of life scores were significantly below the norm mean for all intervention groups. At follow-up, adolescents in the gender-affirming hormone (GAH) and surgery (GAS) group reported emotional and behavioral problems and physical quality of life scores similar to the German norm mean. However, some of the psychosocial health outcome scores were still significantly different from the norm. Because this study did not test for statistically significant differences between the four intervention groups or before and after treatment, the findings cannot be generalized to other samples of transgender adolescents. However, GA interventions may help to improve psychosocial health outcomes in this sample of German adolescents. Long-term treatment decisions during adolescence warrant careful evaluation and informed, participatory decision-making by a multidisciplinary team and should include both medical interventions and psychosocial support. The present study highlights the urgent need for further ongoing longitudinal research.
COVID-19 has affected our society at large, particularly vulnerable groups, such as children suffering from rare diseases and their parents. However, the psychosocial influences of COVID-19 on these ...have yet to be investigated. As such, the study's goal was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), quality of life (QoL), and mental health of children with rare congenital surgical diseases and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures.
A survey of n = 210 parents of children with rare congenital surgical diseases and a control group of n = 88 parents of children without rare diseases was conducted cross-sectionally between April 2020 to April 2021. Data on HRQoL, QoL, and mental health was collected using standardized psychometric questionnaires for children and parents presenting to the pediatric surgery department at a university hospital.
Mothers of children with rare pediatric surgical diseases showed significantly lower QoL and significantly higher impairment in mental health than a control group and norm data. For fathers, this was solely the case for their QoL. Children's parent-reported HRQoL and mental health were partially impaired. Social and disease-specific risk factors of the respective outcomes in affected families were identified through regression analysis models.
Parents of children with rare diseases report severe psychosocial impairment regarding themselves and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, affected families should receive attention and supportive care in the form of a family-center approach to alleviate the additional burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mental health problems (MHP) of parents are associated with an increased risk of psychological and developmental difficulties in their children. This study aims at analyzing population-based data of ...parents with MHP and their children and the effects of associated risk factors in order to further targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions.
The BELLA study is the mental health module of the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey among Children and Adolescents. MHP in parents and in their children as well as associated risk factors were examined in a sample of N = 1158 parents with children aged 11 to 17 years.
Parental MHP were identified in 18.6% of the sample. Risk factors associated with parental MHP were low SES, parental unemployment, stressful life events, parental daily strain, parental chronic disease, and child MHP. A rate of 19.1% of the children of parents with MHP reported MHP themselves, the corresponding rate among children of parents without MHP was 7.7%. In multiple regression analyses the risk for children of parents with MHP to report MHP themselves was almost two times higher than the risk of children of parents without MHP. Other significant associations with child MHP included gender, the parents' age, and stressful life events.
Parental MHP constitute a significant risk for the mental health of their children. Targeted screening methods and preventive interventions are needed.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract Background Preterm birth and survival rates of very low birth-weight (VLBW: <1.500 g) infants have increased. Although new parents are frequently affected by depressive symptoms, little is ...known about prevalence, risk, and predictors of parental postpartum depression (PPD) following VLBW birth. Furthermore, most studies assessing PPD in parents of preterm children relied on self-report only. Methods As part of the HaFEn cohort-study, data from the index groups of parents with VLBW infants and the control group of parents with term infants were cross-sectionally analysed. Families were recruited at the three largest centres of perinatal medical care in Hamburg, Germany. PPD was evaluated one month postpartum using standardized questionnaires and clinical interviews. Socioeconomic status, social support, risks during pregnancy, and psychiatric lifetime diagnoses were also assessed. A multiple random coefficient model was used to examine predictors of PPD in both parents simultaneously. Results 230 mothers and 173 fathers were included. Depending on the measure, the risk of being postnatally depressed was 4 to 18 times higher in mothers and 3 to 9 times higher in fathers from the index group. The most relevant risk factor for PPD was the birth of a VLBW infant, followed by female sex, lifetime psychiatric disorder, and low social support. Limitations Results presented here, are based on cross sectional data. Therefore no temporal relationships can be established. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of early screening for PPD in both parents of VLBW infants. Factors contributing to developing depression should also be considered in neonatal care.
Previous research suggests that the birth of a preterm child with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1,500 g) can be traumatic for both parents and lead to short-term consequences like clinical levels of ...posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) or even to the development of a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, little is known about possible mid- and long-term psychological consequences in affected parents. The purpose of this study were (a) to examine the prevalence of parental birth-related PTSS and PTSD in a group of parents with VLBW preterm infants compared to parents of full-term infants 5 years after birth and (b) to investigate potential associations with risk factors for parental PTSS at 5 years postpartum. Perinatal factors (VLBW preterm or term, perceived stress during birth), psychological factors (perceived social support and PTSS 4-6 weeks postpartum, psychiatric lifetime diagnosis) and sociodemographic characteristics (number of children, singleton or multiple birth, socio-economic status), were included in the analysis. The sample consisted of 144 families (77 VLBW, 67 term birth) who participated in the prospective longitudinal cohort study "Hamburg study of VLBW and full-term infant development" (HaFEn-study) and were initially recruited at three perinatal care centers in Hamburg, Germany. PTSD prevalence and PTSS of mothers and fathers were assessed with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), social support with the Questionnaire of Social Support (SOZU-K-22), and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID-I). Data were analyzed by hierarchic multiple regression analyses. Results showed that 5 years after birth none of the parents fulfilled the criteria for a birth-related PTSD diagnosis. For mothers, postnatal PTSS and a VLBW preterm birth significantly predicted PTSS 5 years postpartum. For fathers, psychiatric lifetime diagnosis and postnatal PTSS significantly predicted PTSS 5 years after birth. Early identification of parents with higher risk of PTSS, especially after VLBW preterm birth, and their clinical needs seems beneficial to reduce the risk of long-term consequences. More research is needed on the paternal perspective and on potential effects of preterm birth on both parents and their children's mental health outcomes.
Research provides inconclusive results on whether a social gender transition (e.g. name, pronoun, and clothing changes) benefits transgender children or children with a Gender Dysphoria (GD) ...diagnosis. This study examined the relationship between social transition status and psychological functioning outcomes in a clinical sample of children with a GD diagnosis. Psychological functioning (Child Behavior Checklist; CBCL), the degree of a social transition, general family functioning (GFF), and poor peer relations (PPR) were assessed via parental reports of 54 children (range 5–11 years) from the Hamburg Gender Identity Service (GIS). A multiple linear regression analysis examined the impact of the social transition status on psychological functioning, controlled for gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), PPR and GFF. Parents reported significantly higher scores for all CBCL scales in comparison to the German age-equivalent norm population. Peer problems and worse family functioning were significantly associated with impaired psychological functioning, whilst the degree of social transition did not significantly predict the outcome. Therefore, claims that gender affirmation through transitioning socially is beneficial for children with GD could not be supported from the present results. Instead, the study highlights the importance of individual social support provided by peers and family, independent of exploring additional possibilities of gender transition during counseling.
The preoperative experience in pediatric surgery can cause significant anxiety for both, children and their parents. To date there is no questionnaire available that assesses the child's self-report ...or both, the child's and parent's self-reported anxiety. The aim of this study was to perform a psychometric analysis of the State-Trait Operation Anxiety (STOA) which provides this option.
The data based on a randomized controlled study conducted with
= 90 child-parent dyads. The psychometric analyses were performed using classical test theory, including item statistics, Cronbach's α, factor analysis, and test-retest reliability.
The statistics of the anxiety items were good overall for both ratings following common guidelines. The item means indicated that the items tended to be rather difficult which reduces the reliability for lower anxiety levels. The given scale structure was confirmed overall for both informants. However, a one-factor structure instead of two factors was found for state anxiety. The internal consistencies and retest reliabilities were good to very good. Follow-up analyses confirmed the sensitivity to change for state anxiety. Child anxiety was hardly correlated with parental anxiety, and age and gender effects were rather small.
The STOA questionnaire is the first psychometrically tested questionnaire specifically for fears of surgery that can be used for self-report among children, adolescents, and their parents. Future studies should collect further evidence of its validity as well as comparative scores for specific patient groups and norm values to increase the utility of the instrument.
Background Advances in genetic and pharmaceutical technology and pediatric care have enabled treatment options for an increasing number of rare diseases in affected children. However, as current ...treatment options are primarily of palliative nature, the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and mental health of this impaired population and their siblings are of increasing importance. Among children and adolescents with rare diseases, those who are technology-dependent carry a high disease burden and are selected as the target population in our study. In a cross-sectional observational design, the children's HRQoL was assessed with the DISABKIDS (DCGM-37) as well as KIDSCREEN-27, while mental health was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) by both the affected children, their parents, and siblings. Results Results of the study sample were compared to normative data. Affected children scored significantly lower than the norm on almost all HRQoL subscales as reported by parent and child. From the parental perspective, more mental health subscales were significantly impaired compared to the child's perspective. Siblings showed no impairment in HRQoL as well as significantly fewer behavioral problems and higher prosocial behavior regarding their mental health compared to the norm. Conclusion Children and adolescents with rare diseases seem particularly impaired in social and emotional aspects of HRQoL and mental health. Interventions may focus primarily on promoting social skills, fostering prosocial behavior and peer relationships. Keywords: Health-Related Quality of Life, Mental health, Technologically dependent, Siblings
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