Subtypes of Depressed Youth Admitted for Inpatient Psychiatric Care: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Depressed youth frequently present with comorbid symptoms. Comorbidity is related to a poorer prognosis, including treatment resistance, academic problems, risk of suicide, and overall impairment. Studies examining the latent structure of depression support the notion of multiple presentations of depressed youth; however, it is unclear how these presentations are represented among acutely impaired youth. Participants (n = 457) in this naturalistic study were admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit (Mean age = 14.33 years, SD = 1.94;76% female;46.6% Black/African-American). Selected subscales from the parent-report Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, were utilized as indicators in a latent profile analysis. Subgroups were validated based on their relationships with meaningful clinical correlates (e.g., family factors, discharge diagnosis) and further described by their associations with demographic variables. A five-class model provided the best balance of fit and parsimony. Subtypes of depressed youth included Predominantly Depressed (39.1%), Oppositional (28.2%), Severely Disruptive (12.3%), Anxious-Oppositional (11.6%), and Anxious-Withdrawn (8.8%). Comorbid symptoms were present in four of the five classes (60.9% of sample). High levels of externalizing symptoms were a prominent clinical feature associated with three classes (52.1% of the sample). Construct validity of the respective classes was demonstrated by differential association with clinical correlates, family characteristics, and demographics. Findings suggest that depressed youth presenting for acute inpatient psychiatric care displayed varied clinical presentations. The identified latent groups aligned with existing research reflecting comorbidity with anxiety, inattention, and externalizing disorders. Findings underscore the need for an increased clinical appreciation of comorbidity and encourage more targeted and effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Caregiver-reported psychological and behavioural functioning of children with suicidal thoughts and behaviour: A case-control design.

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory project aims to provide an empirical understanding of the caregiver-reported emotional and behavioural functioning of children 12 and under who present to an inpatient psychiatric unit with suicidal ideation and/or attempts. METHOD: A retrospective chart review was conducted, including all patients (n = 573) aged 12 and under admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit between September 2011-December 2015 for suicidal ideation without proximal attempt (n = 155) or a suicide attempt (n = 37). Inpatients without suicidal thoughts and behaviour in the same age range (n = 381) served as a control group. The three groups were compared on a range of variables, including patient history/demographics, caregiver-reported emotional/behavioural functioning, and discharge diagnoses. RESULTS: Children who were admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit following suicide attempts and/or ideation demonstrated clinically significant levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Children with suicidal thoughts and behaviour (STB) were more likely to be female and older than their peers without STB, more likely to report a history of sexual abuse and non-suicidal self-injury, and to be diagnosed with a depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Children with STB differ demographically, symptomatically, and diagnostically from their peers without STB with comparable levels of psychiatric impairment (i.e., necessitating inpatient admission). Results provide provisional information on this concerning group of children, which can be used to aid identification of risk factors, inform treatment, and stimulate future work.

Enhancing Quality of Care Through Evidence-Based Practice: Training and Supervision Experiences.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the preferred approach to treatment in mental health settings because it involves the integration of the best available research, clinical expertise, and patient values to optimize patient outcomes. Training on empirically supported treatments (ESTs) in mental health settings is an important component of EBP, and supervision of therapists' implementation of ESTs is critical for therapists to develop and maintain a strong EBP skill set. This study aimed to evaluate training and supervision histories of therapists in outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care settings as an essential first step in improving patient outcomes. METHODS: Electronic surveys were completed by 69 therapists, most of whom had a master's degree, within a psychiatry and behavioral sciences department at an academic institution. Participating therapists were recruited from several outpatient and inpatient mental health settings serving children, adolescents, and adults. RESULTS: Although most therapists reported completing some form of EST-related coursework, a majority did not receive any supervision related to implementation of ESTs (51% for cognitive-behavioral therapy cases, 76% for dialectical behavior therapy cases, and 52% for other EST cases) during graduate and postgraduate training. CONCLUSIONS: Although research from the past decade has supported the need for improvements in training on ESTs, and especially in supervision, problems related to limited exposure to training and supervision among therapists still exist. These findings have implications for how mental health centers can evaluate staff members' EST training and supervision experiences, training needs, and associated training targets to improve the quality of routine care.

Factors associated with a change in disposition for mental health patients boarding in an urban Paediatric emergency department.

AIM: Paediatric emergency departments (ED) nationwide experience a shared burden of boarding mental health patients. Whilst boarding, some patients have a change in disposition from hospitalization to discharge home. This phenomenon raises concern because EDs often have scarce resources for mental health patients. We sought to understand which patient and clinical factors are associated with a change in disposition outcome. METHODS: A nested age-sex-race frequency-matched case-control study was conducted including paediatric patients who presented to an urban PED for mental healthcare over a 36-month period. Control patients included patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility, whilst case patients were those discharged home. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to compare groups. RESULTS: Case patients were more likely to receive intramuscular Haloperidol (OR 2.2 [CI 1.1-4.4]) for agitation and a psychiatric consult (OR 2.3 [1.4-3.9]) whilst boarding. Case patients were also more likely to present with behavioural concerns (OR 1.8 [CI 1.1-3.1]) and have additional complexities such as medical comorbidities (OR 1.8 [CI 1.1-2.9]) or suicidal ideation/attempt (OR 2.6 [CI 1.1-6.1]). Amongst the most common themes for disposition change was improved patient status (58.8%). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that boarding mental health patients have different disposition outcomes and thus may benefit from patient-specific treatment interventions. Given that patients' statuses may change during the boarding period prompting discharge to home, more focus should be directed to developing brief evidence-based practises that may be implemented in the ED and effectively bridge the gap to outpatient mental health services.

The Role of Social Adjustment in a Collegiate Behavioral Activation Program.

The transition to college is associated with significant changes in social support networks and concomitant increases in depressive symptoms. First-year students who are more socially engaged within their new academic settings may experience greater overall wellbeing. Behavioral activation (BA) is an evidence-based intervention which promotes individuals' engagement with valued activities and has been examined as a possible primary prevention for depressive symptoms among first-year students. Yet, the important role of social adjustment, and its impact on students' activity level, has not yet been considered. The current study is a secondary data analysis of research evaluating a BA-based intervention embedded into a first-year orientation course. The aim of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of BA on improving social adjustment and the effect of social adjustment on subsequent depressive symptoms. A diverse sample of college students (n = 71) attending a state university in the mid-Atlantic region reported on their levels of depression, behavioral activation, and social adjustment. Students then received either BA or standard programming. Results suggest that improved engagement in valued activities at mid-intervention was associated with increases in students' perceptions of their own social adjustment. This, in turn, predicted steeper decreases in rates of depressive symptoms post-intervention. Findings also indicate that greater social adjustment improved the efficacy of a BA-based intervention in reducing depressive symptoms, but had no impact on depressive symptoms for students receiving the standard orientation programming.

Risk Factors for Seclusion in Children and Adolescents Inpatient Psychiatry: The Role of Demographic Characteristics, Clinical Severity, Life Experiences and Diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the risk factors for seclusion in a sample of children and adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit looking at demographic, clinical severity, life experience, and diagnostic characteristics. METHODS: An unmatched case-control retrospective analysis of psychiatric records in a pediatric inpatient unit from December 2011 to December 2015 (N = 1986) RESULTS: Individual characteristics, including demographics, clinical severity, and clinical presentation as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) jointly predicted seclusion in adolescents, with younger age, male sex, black race, having a prior admission, and having a disruptive behavior or bipolar and related disorder diagnoses being predictive of seclusion. While demographic and clinical severity factors were predictive of seclusion in multivariate models, clinical diagnoses only added modestly to the variance explained. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk demographic and clinical characteristics for seclusion events in children and adolescents can provide valuable information to guide interventions to prevent seclusion events during their hospitalization.

Acute psychiatric care for pediatric patients.

Higher level or acute psychiatric care for youth is intended to be active but short-term treatment focussing on crisis stabilisation, assessment, safety monitoring, and longer-term treatment planning. The focus of this article is on describing common challenges and the effort to address these challenges through new approaches to acute psychiatric care for children and adolescents. The review finds that (1) inpatient paediatric psychiatry beds are in high demand and often difficult to access, (2) there are a number of common challenges these units face including managing length of stays, readmissions, and adverse events, and (3) there are encouraging therapeutic approaches adapted for this setting. There is still much work to be done to advance the evidence-base for acute psychiatric care for youth particularly in defining and assessing an effective admission. Paediatric psychiatry patients are a vulnerable population and call for our best tools to be put to use to improve the quality and safety of care.

Family and Maternal Characteristics of Children With Co-Occurring ADHD and Depression.

Objective: This study examined differences between children with ADHD and comorbid depression (n = 26), ADHD only (n = 111), and a community control group (n = 130) on measures of family and maternal characteristics. Method: The present study utilized a large, community sample. Diagnoses required positive endorsements from multiple sources. ANOVAs and chi-square tests were conducted to determine group differences. Results: Compared with children with ADHD alone and community controls, mothers of depressed ADHD children reported decreased family cohesion, limited participation in social/recreational activities, increased maternal depressive symptoms, difficulty coping with parenting roles, and higher rates of bipolar and anxiety disorders. Mothers of children with ADHD (with or without comorbid depression) reported increased conflict, decreased cohesion, and poor maternal coping compared with community controls. Conclusion: Findings are consistent with prior literature suggesting that families of children with ADHD and depression demonstrate both similar and unique characteristics. Clinical implications are discussed.

Routine Psychological Screening for Parent Depressive Symptoms in an Outpatient Pediatric Specialty Burn Clinic.

Pediatric burn injuries are stressful for parents, yet few burn clinics report screening caregivers. We evaluated psychometric properties of a two-item depression screener administered to parents of children with burns during outpatient clinic visits. We also examined associations between parent depression symptoms and child characteristics. We used a retrospective review of pediatric patients with burn injuries (n = 496, age range: 0-21 years; M = 5.0 years, SD = 4.4 years) from an outpatient specialty burn clinic. Sample was 54.8% male; ethnicity was 42.4% Black/African American and 42.2% White. Most children (94.7%) had a burn TBSA of 10% or less and partial thickness burns (87%). Depression measure was administered at two time points as part of routine care: T1 (n = 496) and T2 (n = 121). Score range was 0 to 8. The means were 1.17 (SD = 1.74) at T1 and 0.81 (SD = 1.40) at T2. The majority scored ≤3 (89.9% caregivers) at T1. The measure demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency at T1 (Cronbach α = .74) and T2 (α = .82). Scores at T1 and T2 for a subsample (n = 121) were related (r = .61, p < .001). Parents of non-White children tended to report higher depression scores at T1. At T2, being female and greater burn degree were associated with higher depression scores. This brief two-item scale used with caregivers of pediatric burn patients is a reasonable method for screening parental depression in this setting. Given the association between parental depression and child characteristics, further studies are needed, including examination of predictive validity of parental depression with pediatric outcomes.

Parent-Youth Divergence (and Convergence) in Reports of Youth Internalizing Problems in Psychiatric Inpatient Care.

When compared to one another, multiple informants' reports of adolescent internalizing problems often reveal low convergence. This creates challenges in the delivery of clinical services, particularly for severe outcomes linked to internalizing problems, namely suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Clinicians would benefit from methods that facilitate interpretation of multi-informant reports, particularly in inpatient settings typified by high-cost care and high-stakes decision-making. 765 adolescent inpatients (70.3% female; Mage = 14.7) and their parents completed measures of adolescent internalizing problems. We obtained baseline clinical and treatment characteristics from electronic medical records. Latent class analysis revealed four reporting patterns: Parent-Adolescent Low (LL; 49.0%), Parent Low-Adolescent High (PL-AH; 11.5%), Parent High-Adolescent Low (PH-AL; 21.8%), Parent-Adolescent High (HH; 17.6%). Relative to the LL class, adolescents in the PH-AL and PL-AH classes were more likely to be admitted with suicidality. In terms of treatment characteristics and relative to the LL class, HH and PH-AL adolescents were more likely to receive standing antipsychotics, PH-AL adolescents were more likely to be in seclusion, and HH adolescents had longer hospital stays. At discharge and relative to the LL class, HH, PH-AL, and PL-AH adolescents were more likely to receive an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Further, HH, PH-AL, and PL-AH adolescents were more likely to receive partial hospitalization or care in another restrictive environment after inpatient treatment, relative to the LL class. This naturalistic study informs clinical decision-making by aiding our understanding of how multi-informant reports facilitate interpretations of adolescents' clinical presentations as well as predictions about treatment characteristics.

Use of Modified Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit for High-Risk Youths.

OBJECTIVE: Despite a call for the reduction and ultimate elimination of the use of seclusion and restraint, research on reduction of these practices in behavioral programs has been limited. This study sought to examine the effectiveness of a modified version of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (M-PBIS) implemented in a youth psychiatric inpatient unit to reduce use of seclusion and restraint. METHODS: This naturalistic, prospective study covered a four-year period (1,485 admissions). RESULTS: The number of seclusion and restraint events, mean duration of events, and percentage of patients placed in seclusion or restraint were reduced, as was the overall seclusion rate for the unit. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in the use of pro re nata (PRN) medications for agitation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that M-PBIS is a promising intervention to use in youth psychiatric inpatient units to reduce seclusion and restraint and PRNs.

Evaluation of the Environmental Supports Scale with a Community Sample of Adolescents.

Environmental sources of psychosocial support have been found to modulate or protect against the development of psychopathology and risk behavior among adolescents. Capturing sources of environmental support across multiple developmental contexts requires the availability of well-validated, concise assessments-of which there are few in the existing literature. In order to address this need, the current study explored the factor structure, concurrent and convergent validity of the Environmental Supports Scale (ESS; Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 117; 395-417, 1991) with a community sample of adolescents. An unconstrained exploratory factor analysis revealed a separate factor for home, school, and neighborhood settings. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated for each factor. Concurrent and predictive validity analyses revealed that the ESS was associated in the expected directions across a range of constructs relevant to adolescent development including internalizing symptoms, well-being, external influences, and engagement in risk behavior. Convergent validity for the neighborhood context was established with an assessment of neighborhood environmental adversity. A brief assessment of perceived environmental support across key developmental contexts provides an important tool for research on resilience processes during adolescence and may help illuminate key protective factors and inform intervention and prevention efforts.

Patterned changes in urge ratings with tic suppression in youth with chronic tic disorders.

BACKGROUND: Premonitory urges are central to emerging behavioral models of chronic tic disorders (CTD). Urge reduction has been proposed as a behavioral explanation for tic maintenance and exacerbation as well as the efficacy of behavioral treatments. Prior investigations have produced inconsistent findings despite common methodologies. The current study evaluated the possibility that data aggregation obscures distinct and meaningful patterns of change in urge ratings when tics are freely expressed versus suppressed. METHOD: Participants (n = 12) included children with moderate-to-marked tic severity and noticeable premonitory urges. Tic frequencies and urge ratings were obtained at 15 s and 10-s intervals, respectively, across an alternating sequence of 10-min tic freely and 40-min tic suppression conditions. Patterns were established using a two step approach. RESULTS: Five distinct patterns of urge rating change emerged, suggesting data aggregation may obscure meaningful patterns in the urge-tic relationship when tics are completed versus suppressed. LIMITATIONS: Eligibility criteria may have unintentionally excluded younger affected children and included older participants with more severe tic disorders than commonly seen. Additional research with less stringent eligibility criteria and a larger sample size will help validate the results. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between urges and tics is much more complex than previously theorized. Investigations that rely on global assessments of urge and tic severity and/or assume uniformity when aggregating participant data may obscure meaningful differences in the urge-tic relationship. Future investigations should examine the possibility that individual differences and/or developmental considerations modulate the functional urge-tic relationship.

Risk Factors for Seclusion and Restraint in a Pediatric Psychiatry Day Hospital.

The use of seclusion and restraints (SR) in acute hospital settings remains a controversial practice. Despite the focus on SR in the psychiatric services literature, data on SR use in pediatric day hospital settings is lacking. A case-control retrospective analysis for children admitted into a pediatric psychiatry day hospital in a 2-year span examined predictors of SR use. Demographic and clinical descriptors were examined in relation to SR events using univariate and multivariate regression models. Significant univariate risk factors for SR use were psychiatric morbidity, history of physical abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, having any anxiety disorder, and younger age. Knowledge of risk factors for SR use in pediatric psychiatric day hospitals can avert use of SR and lead to improved safety in a trauma-informed care model.

Characterizing subjective responses to alcohol among adolescent problem drinkers.

Theoretical models of alcoholism emphasize the acute reinforcing properties of alcohol as chief determinants of drinking, and animal research suggests adolescents are uniquely sensitive to these effects. Human studies of these phenomena, however, are virtually nonexistent. We used ecological momentary assessment methods to capture adolescents' subjective responses to alcohol in real time in their natural environments. Adolescent participants were 22 problem drinkers, ages 15 to 19 years (M = 18.3, SD = 0.09; 55% female; 55% alcohol dependent). Participants consumed alcohol on 38% of days during a 1-week monitoring period, with an average of 5 drinks per occasion. Momentary data revealed that adolescents experience decreased stimulation and increased sedation and "high" across the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve. Notably, greater craving predicted higher volumes of subsequent alcohol consumption during the episode, whereas greater "high" attenuated use. To test for developmental differences in these effects, we pooled these data with data from a similarly ascertained sample of 36 adult heavy drinkers, ages 24 to 64 years (M = 38.1, SD = 11.8; 50% female; 61% alcohol dependent). Adolescents were more sensitive to the stimulant effects of alcohol than adults. This study provides novel data on how adolescent problem drinkers experience alcohol in their natural contexts and illustrates how these effects, which appear to differ from adult problem drinkers, confer liability for future drinking.

Analogue study of peer influence on risk-taking behavior in older adolescents.

This experimental study aimed to examine whether adolescents act in a riskier manner in the presence of peers and whether peer presence alone influences risk behavior or if a direct influence process is necessary. Utilizing a behavioral task assessing risk-taking, 183 older adolescents (18­20 year olds) came to the laboratory alone once and then were randomized to one of three conditions as follows: alone, peers present, and peers encouraging. An interaction was found such that at baseline, there were no significant differences between the three conditions, but at the experimental session, there was a significant increase in risk task scores particularly for the encouraging condition. These findings challenge proposed models of the interaction between peer influence and risk taking by providing evidence that adolescents take more risks when being encouraged by peers, but that the presence of peers on its own does not lead to more risks than when completing the task alone.

Developmental trajectories of anxiety symptoms in early adolescence: the influence of anxiety sensitivity.

Children and adolescents seem to suffer from anxiety disorders at rates similar to adults. Interestingly, anxiety symptoms appear to generally decline over time within children as evidenced by lower rates in early and middle adolescence. There is some evidence that there may be heterogeneous subpopulations of adolescent children with different trajectories of anxiety symptoms, including a class of adolescents with elevated levels of anxiety that do not dissipate over time. Anxiety sensitivity has been identified as an important risk factor in the development of anxiety psychopathology. This study prospectively examined the development of anxiety symptoms in a sample of 277 adolescents (M age = 11.52; 44 % female, 56 % male) over a 3 year period including the influence of anxiety sensitivity on this development. Further, this study investigated whether there were distinct classes of adolescents based on their anxiety symptom trajectories and including anxiety sensitivity as a predictor. Consistent with other reports, findings indicated an overall decline in anxiety symptoms over time in the sample. However, three classes of adolescents were found with distinct anxiety symptom trajectories and anxiety sensitivity was an important predictor of class membership. Adolescents with elevated anxiety sensitivity scores were more likely to be classified as having high and increasing anxiety symptoms over time versus having moderate to low and decreasing anxiety symptoms over time. There are important implications for identification of adolescents and children who are at risk for the development of an anxiety disorder.

Emotional and behavioral functioning in children with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex: a developmental perspective.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the emotional and behavioral functioning of children with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex (BEEC), taking into account developmental and gender considerations. This study also sought to overcome methodological limitations of previous studies evaluating psychological well-being of children with BEEC. METHODS: Eighty-six children were consecutively evaluated using the parent report version of the Behavior Assessment System for Children during visits to a multidisciplinary urology clinic. RESULTS: Results indicated normative emotional and behavioral functioning across the sample. However, there was a significant effect of age, such that older children consistently had worse internalizing symptoms and adaptive functioning. Males tended to have more externalizing problems as they aged, and also tended to have lower levels of adaptive functioning but this was independent of age. The level of psychological impairment was unrelated to the specific type of BEEC, and was also unrelated to whether or not the patient had undergone continence surgery. CONCLUSION: Children with BEEC have a greater likelihood of experiencing a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems as they reach adolescence. These findings point to the need to prevent potential psychological distress by intervening with these children before they become clinically impaired.