Aim
Little is known about the mental health status of children in Japan whose roots are in foreign countries. The differences in language that are used every day may be a factor that makes adaptation ...difficult for these children. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to examine the mental health status of children who use foreign languages at home via a cross‐sectional survey in a large cohort.
Methods
The survey was conducted among children who attended public elementary and junior high schools in a large city in Japan. Data were received from 20,596 elementary school‐aged (above 4th grade) and 19,464 junior high school‐aged children. We compared mental health status evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire‐4 in the group based on language usage at home (only Japanese, only foreign languages, and both languages).
Results
We found that children who used foreign languages at home exhibited worse mental health status than children who used only Japanese at home. In addition, mental health status was slightly better among junior high school‐aged children who used only foreign languages at home than among elementary school‐aged children. This tendency was not observed in the group of children who used both languages at home.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that children in Japanese society who use foreign languages at home have worse mental health, therefore there is a need for support for these children living in Japan.
The aim of the present study was to examine the mental health status of children who use foreign languages at home via a cross‐sectional survey in a large cohort. In the present study, the survey was conducted among children who attended public elementary and junior high schools in a large city in Japan. The results of our survey suggest that children in Japanese society who use foreign languages at home have worse mental health.
Social support in children and adolescents is fundamental for preventing mental health problems. Differences in sources and types of social support may lead to differential effects on psychosocial ...outcomes; however, tools to assess these differences are lacking in Japan. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) in 1,068 students aged 9–15 years. A confirmatory factor analysis showed robustness for the five‐factor model, while the third‐order factor model, which integrated the overall scale and four subdomains (types: emotional, informational, appraisal, and instrumental) within the five domains (sources: parent, teacher, classmate, close friend, and school) above, also met criteria for good model fit. The overall scale and all domains and subdomains demonstrated sufficient internal consistency (α = .76–.98). For construct validity, there were significant correlations between CASSS scores and prosocial behavior, internalizing or externalizing problems as assessed by the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and depressive symptoms assessed by the Depression Self‐Rating Scale for Children (DSRS‐C). The agreement rate between these correlation coefficients and the prespecified hypothesis was 89.6%. These results suggest that the Japanese version of the CASSS has adequate reliability and validity and can be used to assess perceived social support among Japanese early adolescents.
Although the mean score of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) differs between countries, there are no normative data for the CSHQ of Japanese preschoolers based on a community sample. ...The aims of this study were therefore to present normative data for the CSHQ and determine the prevalence and characteristics of sleep problems in Japanese preschoolers. Parents or the primary caregiver of 482 preschoolers aged 4-5 years completed the CSHQ and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Approximately 80% of preschoolers scored above the cut-off for sleep disturbance on the CSHQ. In addition, co-sleeping was prevalent in Japanese preschoolers but the habit of co-sleeping contributed little to behavioral and emotional problems. Sleep problems appear to be prevalent in Japanese preschoolers based on the CSHQ, and could be associated with the Japanese sleep habit of co-sleeping.
Background
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been found to negatively impact adult mental health outcomes. Numerous studies have highlighted on ACEs in family and community settings. However, ...few have examined the impact of ACEs in school settings, despite the potential influence on social participation. Hikikomori, characterized by severe social withdrawal, was first studied in Japan and has gained recognition in recent years. The present study aims to present the concept of ACEs specific to schools and investigate the impact of both school ACEs and traditional ACEs on adult mental health and Hikikomori.
Methods
A total of 4,000 Japanese adults, aged 20–34, were recruited through an Internet survey form. All data were obtained in October 2021. Participants answered questions regarding their ACEs in the family (10 items), school ACEs (five teacher-related items and two bullying-related items), depressive/anxiety symptoms, and Hikikomori (remaining at home for more than 6 months).
Results
A significant association with depressive/anxiety symptoms was shown in both ACEs and school ACEs. An increase of one point in the ACE scores was associated with a 24% increase in the risk of depressive/anxiety symptoms. School ACE scores also demonstrated a significant association with depressive/anxiety symptoms, with an increase of one point associated with a 44% increase in the risk of these symptoms. As for Hikikomori, a significant association was shown in the school ACEs only: a 29% increased risk of Hikikomori for every one-point increase in school ACE scores. Both school ACE scores for teacher-related and bullying-related factors revealed a significant association with Hikikomori; the rates of increased risk were 23 and 37%, respectively.
Conclusion
These results suggest that school ACEs, rather than ACEs in the family, are associated with the risk of Hikikomori. School ACEs are important for social adaptation, and reducing traumatic experiences in school settings may have the potential to prevent problems in later life, specifically in terms of social participation.
Little is known about the trajectory patterns and sex differences in adaptive behaviors in the general population. We examined the trajectory classes of adaptive behaviors using a representative ...sample and examined whether the class structure and trajectory patterns differed between females and males. We further explored sex differences in neurodevelopmental traits in each latent class. Participants (
= 994) were children in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study)-a prospective birth cohort study. Adaptive behaviors in each domain of communication, daily living skills, and socialization were evaluated at five time points when participants were 2.7, 3.5, 4.5, 6, and 9 years old using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition. Parallel process multigroup latent class growth analysis extracted sex-specific trajectory classes. Neurodevelopmental traits of children at age 9, autistic traits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits, and cognitive ability were examined for females and males in each identified class. A 4-class model demonstrated the best fit. Moreover, a 4-class model that allowed for differences in class probabilities and means of growth parameters between females and males provided a better fit than a model assuming no sex differences. In the communication domain, females scored higher than their male counterparts in all four classes. In the daily living skills and socialization domains, the two higher adaptive classes (Class 1: females, 18.6%; males, 17.8%; Class 2: females, 48.8%; males, 49.8%) had similar trajectories for males and females, whereas in the two lower adaptive behavior classes (Class 3: females, 27.5%; males, 29.4%; Class 4: females, 5.1%; males, 3.0%), females had higher adaptive scores than their male counterparts. In Class 4, females were more likely to have autistic and ADHD traits exceeding the cutoffs, while males were more likely to have below-average IQ. Different trajectories in females and males suggest that adaptive skills may require adjustment based on the sex of the child, when standardizing scores, in order to achieve better early detection of skill impairment.
Early detection and intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders are effective. Several types of paper questionnaires have been developed to assess these conditions in early childhood; however, the ...psychometric equivalence between the web-based and the paper versions of these questionnaires is unknown.
This study examined the interformat reliability of the web-based parent-rated version of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS), Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) among Japanese preschoolers in a community developmental health check-up setting.
A set of paper-based questionnaires were distributed for voluntary completion to parents of children aged 5 years. The package of the paper format questionnaires included the ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, parent-reported SDQ (P-SDQ), and several additional demographic questions. Responses were received from 508 parents of children who agreed to participate in the study. After 3 months, 300 parents, who were among the initial responders, were randomly selected and asked to complete the web-based versions of these questionnaires. A total of 140 parents replied to the web-based format and were included as a final sample in this study.
We obtained the McDonald ω coefficients for both the web-based and paper formats of the ASSQ (web-based: ω=.90; paper: ω=.86), ADHD-RS total and subscales (web-based: ω=.88-.94; paper: ω=.87-.93), DCDQ total and subscales (web-based: ω=.82-.94; paper: ω=.74-.92), and P-SDQ total and subscales (web-based: ω=.55-.81; paper: ω=.52-.80). The intraclass correlation coefficients between the web-based and paper formats were all significant at the 99.9% confidence level: ASSQ (r=0.66, P<.001); ADHD-RS total and subscales (r=0.66-0.74, P<.001); DCDQ total and subscales (r=0.66-0.71, P<.001); P-SDQ Total Difficulties and subscales (r=0.55-0.73, P<.001). There were no significant differences between the web-based and paper formats for total mean score of the ASSQ (P=.76), total (P=.12) and subscale (P=.11-.47) mean scores of DCDQ, and the P-SDQ Total Difficulties mean score (P=.20) and mean subscale scores (P=.28-.79). Although significant differences were found between the web-based and paper formats for mean ADHD-RS scores (total: t
=2.83, P=.005; Inattention subscale: t
=2.15, P=.03; Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscale: t
=3.21, P=.002), the effect sizes were small (Cohen d=0.18-0.22).
These results suggest that the web-based versions of the ASSQ, ADHD-RS, DCDQ, and P-SDQ were equivalent, with the same level of internal consistency and intrarater reliability as the paper versions, indicating the applicability of the web-based versions of these questionnaires for assessing neurodevelopmental disorders.
It is often difficult to differentiate between the depressive states seen in late-life depression and late-onset Alzheimer' disease (AD) in the clinical setting.
Thirty-four outpatients were ...recruited, all fulfilling the criteria of aged 65 years or above, scores of 14 or more on the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D), and 26 or less on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). At the initial visit, they were administered the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (COGNISTAT). At 1 month, a diagnosis of either senile depression (n = 24) or Alzheimer' disease (n = 10) was made.
The COGNISTAT revealed that the late-life depression group showed significantly higher scores in orientation and comprehension subtests compared with the AD group. At the study endpoint (6 months after treatment), MMSE detected significant improvements in the late-life depression group (n = 15), but no changes in the late-onset AD group (n = 7). Scores for memory, similarities, and judgment on the second COGNISTAT were significantly improved in the depressed group, whereas calculation scores deteriorated significantly in the AD group.
The COGNISTAT could prove useful in differentiating late-life depression from late-onset AD, despite similar scores on MMSE.
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been used clinically as a direct measure of arterial stiffness. We investigated the inhibitory effects of defatted safflower seed extract (SSE) and serotonin derivatives ...(N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin, N-feruloylserotonin; CS+FS), which are the active components in SSE, on hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, using PWV in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic (KHC) rabbits. SSE and CS+FS were supplemented with a commercial diet containing 0.5% cholesterol for 8 weeks in male KHC rabbits, aged 2 months. Pulse waves were recorded at different aortic positions using two catheters with micromanometers under pentobarbital anesthesia. The atherosclerotic lesioned area in the aorta was significantly reduced in the SSE and CS+FS groups, without significant changes in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels among the three groups after supplementation. Local PWV (LPWV) in the middle thoracic and distal abdominal aortas was significantly smaller in the SSE and CS+FS groups than in the control group. PWV in the entire aorta was also significantly lower in the SSE and CS+FS groups, compared with that in the control group. Pressure-strain elastic modulus, an index of wall distensibility, was significantly lower in the middle thoracic and middle abdominal aortas in the SSE and CS+FS groups than in the control group. Wall thickness was also significantly smaller in the middle thoracic aorta in the SSE and CS+FS groups compared with that in the control group. Serotonin derivatives inhibited the progress of atherosclerosis and ameliorated wall distensibility, which contributed, in part, to the lowering of LPWV. Serotonin derivatives may be beneficial in improving vascular distensibility and in reducing cardiovascular risk.
The psychological aspects of treatment-resistant and remitted depression are not well documented.
We administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to patients with ...treatment-resistant depression (n = 34), remitted depression (n = 25), acute depression (n = 21), and healthy controls (n = 64). Pessimism and optimism were also evaluated by MMPI.
ANOVA and post-hoc tests demonstrated that patients with treatment-resistant and acute depression showed similarly high scores for frequent scale (F), hypochondriasis, depression, conversion hysteria, psychopathic device, paranoia, psychasthenia and schizophrenia on the MMPI compared with normal controls. Patients with treatment-resistant depression, but not acute depression registered high on the scale for cannot say answer. Using Student's t-test, patients with remitted depression registered higher on depression and social introversion scales, compared with normal controls. For pessimism and optimism, patients with treatment-resistant depression demonstrated similar changes to acutely depressed patients. Remitted depression patients showed lower optimism than normal controls by Student's t-test, even though these patients were deemed recovered from depression using HAM-D.
The patients with remitted depression and treatment-resistant depression showed subtle alterations on the MMPI, which may explain the hidden psychological features in these cohorts.
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