Non-suicidal self-injury and attachment trauma in adolescent inpatients with psychiatric disorders.

This study examined how non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSID) differs with respect to mental disorders, gender and attachment status in adolescent psychiatric patients. In particular, we analyzed attachment-related traumatic material underlying adolescent NSSID. Our sample consisted of 137 in-patient adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (73% female, Mage = 15.09, SD = 1.44; 27% male, Mage = 14.65, SD = 1.53). Forty-four patients (32.1%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for NSSID according to the DSM-5 and ninety-three patients (67.9%) did not meet diagnostic criteria for NSSID. Our results revealed a higher prevalence of NSSID in female patients and in patients with mood disorders. In the total sample, 52% of our in-patients were classified with an unresolved attachment status. The diagnostic subgroup analysis demonstrated a higher percentage of unresolved attachment status only in patients with eating disorders and NSSID. However, our in-depth analysis of the total sample revealed that patients with NSSID demonstrated more traumatic material in their attachment interviews indicating a greater severity of attachment trauma. In particular the theme of helplessness in interpersonal conflicts left them in a state of attachment dysregulation. Intervention strategies targeting traumatic attachment-related themes might be useful to reduce the number of adolescents engaging in NSSI.

[Attachment-Related Affect Regulation of Mothers in a Psychiatric Parent-Child Ward - A Case Study]. / Bindungsbezogene Affektregulierung von Müttern einer kinderpsychiatrischen Eltern-Kind-Station ­ eine Fallstudie.

Attachment researchers propose that the term affect regulation is associated with attachment-related defensive processes resulting from attachment experiences with primary caregivers. They serve to regulate attachment-related inner states. The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) is a reliable and valid tool to classify attachment patterns and it allows to assess these attachment-related defensive processes. It provides information about the defensive processes that help clinicians to understand complex symptoms and interaction patterns in the parent-child relationship that can be integrated into psychiatric treatment. The present case study deals with a mother of a child with a feeding disorder. We will illustrate how information on attachment-related affect regulation can successfully be integrated into psychotherapeutic intervention in a psychiatric parent-child ward.

[Attachment Based Short Intervention During Inpatient Treatment of Adolescents]. / Bindungsbezogene Kurzintervention im Rahmen stationärer Behandlung bei Jugendlichen.

Attachment Based Short Intervention During Inpatient Treatment of Adolescents In clinical attachment research the established and economic Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) has been increasingly used in the past few years to assess the attachment representations in adults and recent studies demonstrated sufficient validity for assessing attachment representations in adolescents. Apart from coding attachment classifications, the AAP provides useful and clinically valid information concerning attachment related defences, aspects of capacity to act and synchrony in relationships and emotion regulation strategies with respect to attachment related traumatic experiences. These valuable aspects with respect to individual resources led to the conceptualization to implement the AAP in the therapeutic setting as a feedback tool. In this pilot case we report on an adolescent patient in an inpatient setting. The therapist received an individualized feedback on the patients' AAP to focus on specific attachment related themes used as a short intervention respective an add-on treatment. This paper presents the first results of this new approach by demonstrating the potential therapeutic effects and process of therapy.

Treatment of psychiatric comorbidities and interaction patterns in Coffin-Siris syndrome: A case report of a 4-year-old girl.

Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a rare genetic disorder and often co-occurs with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum (ASD). The present case study illustrates possible therapeutic interventions of these common psychiatric comorbidities taking into account the family interaction patterns. This can contribute to improve holistic management and overall level of functionality.

[Transitional psychiatric needs and identity development of adolescents in Tyrol]. / Transitionspsychiatrische Bedürfnisse und Identitätsentwicklung von Adoleszenten in Tirol.

BACKGROUND: Due to the structural separation of child and adolescent psychiatric treatment and adult psychiatric treatment, a switch between these two systems upon the age of 18 is necessary. Considering the importance of an organized transition, patients from an age of 17 were asked about their transition needs and aspects of their identity development. Thus future improvements in the treatment structures in this sensitive phase should derive. METHODS: With the help of the Transition Readiness and Appropriateness Measure (TRAM), the transition-specific needs of 17 to 24-year-old patients (N = 42) at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy in Hall in Tirol were surveyed. In addition, the connection between identity development and transition was examined using the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA). RESULTS: Almost 80% of the patients stated that they needed further care. 'Patient-related factors' and 'family support' were described as barriers to the willingness to transition. A significant connection was found between identity development and the willingness or need for transition (r = 0.431, p < 0.01), although this was more pronounced in relation to the need for transition (r = 0.821 p < 0.01). In addition, those affected stated that they were frequently and severely burdened by stress, 45% reported self-injurious behavior, 48% suicidal thoughts or behavior in the last six months. In terms of psychopathology, anxiety and depression were among the most common symptoms. In terms of functional impairment, the 'relationships' area was the most affected. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides initial insights into the transition-specific characteristics and needs of patients in transition age. The integration of standardized measuring instruments in institutional care systems, which individually record the transition-related needs, the willingness and need of young people in transition age, can facilitate targeted and needs-based treatment or transition. Interdisciplinary cooperation between child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry as well as a continuous transfer of the therapeutic relationships in the transition process should also be guaranteed.

[Characteristics of the population of a parent-child unit: early interaction-based treatment as a chance in child and adolescent psychiatry]. / Merkmale der Inanspruchnahmepopulation einer Eltern-Kind-Station: Frühe interaktionszentrierte Behandlung als Chance in der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie.

BACKGROUND: In inpatient child psychiatric parent-child treatment, the child is admitted as a patient and the parents as accompanying persons. Due to the importance of parent-child interaction in the development and maintenance of mental disorders in children, parents are integrated more centrally in the treatment of children with emotional or behavioral disorders. In order to further expand this form of treatment in the future and to make it more effective, the characteristics of the previous utilization population of a child psychiatric parent-child unit in Tyrol were examined with regard to child symptomatology and the burden on parents. METHODS: The Child Behavior Checklist 1 ½-5, Child Behavior Checklist 6-18R, and Tröster's (2011) Parent Stress Inventory scores of 96 parent-child pairs were used to examine child symptom expression and parent stress. RESULTS: The 6-10 year old patients had higher T­scores (M = 76.9, SD = 7.1) than the 0-5 year old patients (M = 63.1, SD = 12.4) on the CBCL total scale, t (50) = -3.52, p < 0.001. On the EBI total scale, the 0-5 year old patients and the 6-10 year old patients did not differ in terms of T­scores, t (54) = -0.75, p = 0.459, as well as in the EBI child domain t (54) = -1.75, p = 0.087 and in the EBI parent domain, t (54) = 0.19, p = 0.846. Also, the four diagnostic groups did not differ in the EBI total scale, F (4,58) = 1.34, p = 0.266, nor in the parent domain of the EBI, F (4,58) = 1.44, p = 0.232, nor in the child domain of the EBI, F (4,58) = 2.81, p = 0.033. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification and treatment of behavioral or mental disorders in very young children seems crucial to prevent long-term negative consequences as well as chronicity. Parent-child therapies should generally focus on identifying and changing current dysfunctional patterns of interaction between parent and child.