Prevention of Childhood Adversities and Children's Common Mental Disorders and School Grades.

Importance: Adversity during childhood can limit children's chances of achieving their optimal developmental and psychological outcomes. Well-designed observational studies might help identify adversities that are most implicated in this, thereby helping to identify potential targets for developing interventions. Objective: To compare the association between preventing childhood poverty, parental mental illness and parental separation, and the population rate of offspring common mental disorders (ages 16-21 years) or average school grades (age 16 years). Design, Setting, and Participants: A population-based, longitudinal cohort study using Swedish registries was conducted. A total of 163 529 children born in Sweden between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 1997, were followed up until their 21st birthday. They were linked to registries using Sweden's national personal identification number. Children were linked to birth parents, hospital records, and school data. Parents were linked to registries containing health, income, sociodemographic, and obstetric data. Analyses were conducted between January 10, 2021, and August 26, 2022. Exposures: Childhood adversities of relative poverty (household disposable income <50% of the median), parental inpatient admission for a mental illness, or parental separation. Adversities were categorized into developmental periods: ages 0 to 3, 4 to 7, 8 to 11, and 12 to 16 years. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were children's hospital records with a diagnosis of anxiety or depression between ages 16 and 21 years and school grades at the end of compulsory education (age 16 years). The parametric g-formula modeled population changes in outcomes associated with the counterfactual, hypothetical preventing adversity exposures, accounting for fixed and time-varying confounders. Adjustments were made for parental demographic characteristics, obstetric variables, and socioeconomic data at birth. Results: A total of 163 529 children were included in the cohort (51.2% boys, 51.4% born in 1996). Preventing all adversities was associated with an estimated change in the prevalence of offspring common mental disorders from 10.2% to 7.6% and an improvement in school grades with an SD of 0.149 (95% CI, 0.147-0.149). Preventing parental separation provided for the greatest improvement, with an estimated 2.34% (95% CI, 2.23%-2.42%) fewer children with a common mental disorder and an improvement in school grades by 0.127 SDs (0.125-0.129). Greater improvements were shown by hypothetically targeting adolescents (age 12-16 years) and those whose parents had a mental illness when the child was born. Conclusions and Relevance: The results of this cohort modeling study suggest that preventing childhood adversity could provide notable improvements in the rates of common mental disorders and school grades. Many children might achieve better life outcomes if resources are properly allocated to the right adversities (parental separation), the right groups (children with parental mental illness), and at the right time (adolescence).

Development and validation of a short form psychometric tool assessing the caregiving Challenge of Living with Cystic Fibrosis (CLCF-SF) in a child.

OBJECTIVE: Caring for a child with cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rigorous daily commitment for caregivers and treatment burden is a major concern. We aimed to develop and validate a short form version of a 46-item tool assessing the Challenge of Living with Cystic Fibrosis (CLCF) for clinical or research use. DESIGN: A novel genetic algorithm based on 'evolving' a subset of items from a pre-specified set of criteria, was applied to optimise the tool, using data from 135 families. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Internal reliability and validity were assessed; the latter compared scores to validated tests of parental well-being, markers of treatment burden, and disease severity. RESULTS: The 15-item CLCF-SF demonstrated very good internal consistency [Cronbach's alpha 0.82 (95%CI 0.78-0.87)]. Scores for convergent validity correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory (Rho = 0.48), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-State, Rho = 0.41; STAI-Trait, Rho = 0.43), Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised, lung function (Rho = -0.37), caregiver treatment management (r = 0.48) and child treatment management (r = 0.45), and discriminated between unwell and well children with CF (Mean Difference 5.5, 95%CI 2.5-8.5, p < 0.001), and recent or no hospital admission (MD 3.6, 95%CI 0.25-6.95, p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The CLCF-SF provides a robust 15-item tool for assessing the challenge of living with a child with CF.

Development and preliminary validation of the challenges of living with cystic fibrosis (CLCF) questionnaire: a 46-item measure of treatment burden for parent/carers of children with CF.

OBJECTIVE: Treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) are complex, labour-intensive, and perceived as highly burdensome by caregivers of children with CF. An instrument assessing burden of care is needed. DESIGN: A stepwise, qualitative design was used to create the CLCF with caregiver focus groups, participant researchers, a multidisciplinary professional panel, and cognitive interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preliminary psychometric analyses evaluated the reliability and convergent validity of the CLCF scores. Cronbach's alpha assessed internal consistency and t-tests examined test-retest reliability. Correlations measured convergence between the Treatment Burden scale of the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) and the CLCF. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing CLCF scores in one vs two-parent families, across ages, and in children with vs without Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). RESULTS: Six Challenge subscales emerged from the qualitative data and the professional panel constructed a scoresheet estimating the Time and Effort required for treatments. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were adequate. Good convergence was found between the Total Challenge score and Treatment Burden on the CFQ-R (r=-0.49, p = 0.02, n = 31). A recent PA infection signalled higher Total Challenge for caregivers (F(23)11.72, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The CLCF, developed in partnership with parents/caregivers and CF professionals, is a timely, disease-specific burden measure for clinical research.

The predictors of and reasons for non-adherence in an observational cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis commencing methotrexate.

OBJECTIVE: In order to develop interventions to optimize MTX use for the treatment of RA we evaluated the rate of, reasons for and predictors of MTX non-adherence during the first 6 months of therapy. METHODS: The Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Study (RAMS) is a prospective multicentre cohort study of incident MTX users in the UK. Prior to MTX commencement demographic, clinical and psychological data were collected. A weekly patient-completed diary recorded MTX dose, possible side effects and adherence over 26 weeks. The number of non-adherent weeks was calculated. Potential baseline predictors of ever non-adherence (⩾1 week non-adherent) during the first 6 months of MTX therapy were identified using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: 606 patients with RA were included; 69% female, mean (s.d.) age 60 (13) years and DAS28 score 4.2 (1.2). Over the first 6 months following MTX initiation, 158 (26%) patients were ever non-adherent (71% intentional, 19% non-intentional, 10% unexplained) and mean (s.d.) number of non-adherent weeks was 2.5 (2.1). Multivariable predictors of ever non-adherence included DAS28 [odds ratios (OR) 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.4], fatigue (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.2 per cm), ⩾2 comorbidities vs no comorbidities (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1, 3.5) and high medication concerns despite perceived need (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.1 per unit decrease in need/concern differential). CONCLUSION: This is the largest study evaluating early intentional and non-intentional non-adherence to MTX, which has identified that patient beliefs and multi-morbidity strongly link with non-adherence. These findings can direct the design of and provide potential targets for interventions to improve patient adherence.

Effects of parental mental illness on children's physical health: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Children of parents with mental disorder face multiple challenges. AIMS: To summarise evidence about parental mental disorder and child physical health. METHOD: We searched seven databases for cohort or case-control studies quantifying associations between parental mental disorders (substance use, psychotic, mood, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic stress and eating) and offspring physical health. Studies were excluded if: they reported perinatal outcomes only (<28 days) or outcomes after age 18; they measured outcome prior to exposure; or the sample was drawn from diseased children. A meta-analysis was conducted. The protocol was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42017072620). RESULTS: Searches revealed 15 945 non-duplicated studies. Forty-one studies met our inclusion criteria: ten investigated accidents/injuries; eight asthma; three other atopic diseases; ten overweight/obesity; ten studied other illnesses (eight from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs)). Half of the studies investigated maternal perinatal mental health, 17% investigated paternal mental disorder and 87% examined maternal depression. Meta-analysis revealed significantly higher rates of injuries (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.26), asthma (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.12-1.41) and outcomes recorded in LMICs (malnutrition: OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.74-3.73; diarrhoea: OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.65-2.84). Evidence was inconclusive for obesity and other atopic disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Children of parents with mental disorder have health disadvantages; however, the evidence base is limited to risks for offspring following postnatal depression in mothers and there is little focus on fathers in the literature. Understanding the physical health risks of these vulnerable children is vital to improving lives. Future work should focus on discovering mechanisms linking physical and mental health across generations. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None.

Systematic review of the predictors of statin adherence for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research has shown that statin adherence for the primary prevention of CVD is lower compared to secondary prevention populations. Therefore the aim of this systematic review was to review predictors of statin adherence for the primary prevention of CVD. METHODS: A systematic search of papers published between Jan 1984 and May 2017 was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMbase and CINAHL databases. A study was eligible for inclusion if; 1) it was a study of the general population or of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes or arthritis; 2) statins were prescribed; 3) adherence was defined and measured as the extent to which patients followed their statin regimen during the period of prescription, and 4) it was an original trial or observational study (excluding case reports). A study was subsequently excluded if 1) results were not presented separately for primary prevention; 2) it was a trial of an intervention (for example patient education). Papers were reviewed by two researchers and consensus agreed with a third. A quality assessment (QA) tool was used to formally assess each included article. To evaluate the effect of predictors, data were quantitatively and qualitatively synthesised. RESULTS: In total 19 studies met the inclusion criteria and nine were evaluated as high quality using the QA tool. The proportion of patients classed as "adherent" ranged from 17.8% to 79.2%. Potential predictors of statin adherence included traditional risk factors for CVD such as age, being male, diabetes and hypertension. Income associated with adherence more strongly in men than women, and highly educated men were more likely and highly educated women less likely to be adherent. Alcohol misuse and high BMI associated with non-adherence. There was no association between polypharmacy and statin adherence. The evidence base for the effect of other lifestyle factors and health beliefs on statin adherence was limited. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that patients with more traditional risk factors for CVD are more likely to be adherent to statins. The implications for future research are discussed.

Prediction of primary non-response to methotrexate therapy using demographic, clinical and psychosocial variables: results from the UK Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Study (RAMS).

BACKGROUND: Methotrexate (MTX) remains the disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug of first choice in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but response varies. Predicting non-response to MTX could enable earlier access to alternative or additional medications and control of disease progression. We aimed to identify baseline predictors of non-response to MTX and combine these into a prediction algorithm. METHODS: This study included patients recruited to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Study (RAMS), a UK multi-centre prospective observational study of patients with RA or undifferentiated polyarthritis, commencing MTX for the first time. Non-response to MTX at 6 months was defined as "no response" using the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criteria, discontinuation of MTX due to inefficacy or starting biologic therapy. The association of baseline demographic, clinical and psychosocial predictors with non-response was assessed using logistic regression. Predictive performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration plots. RESULTS: Of 1050 patients, 449 (43%) were classified as non-responders. Independent multivariable predictors of MTX non-response (OR (95% CI)) were rheumatoid factor (RF) negativity (0.62 (0.45, 0.86) for RF positivity versus negativity), higher Health Assessment Questionnaire score (1.64 (1.25, 2.15)), higher tender joint count (1.06 (1.02, 1.10)), lower Disease Activity score in 28 joints (0.29 (0.23, 0.39)) and higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety score (1.07 (1.03, 1.12)). The optimism-corrected AUC was 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first model for MTX non-response to be developed in a large contemporary study of patients commencing MTX in which demographic, clinical and psychosocial predictors were considered. Patient anxiety was a predictor of non-response and could be addressed at treatment commencement.

Psychological factors predict adherence to methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis; findings from a systematic review of rates, predictors and associations with patient-reported and clinical outcomes.

Treatment response to methotrexate (MTX) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not universal and non-adherence may partially explain this. The aims of this systematic review were to: (1) summarise existing rates of adherence to MTX, (2) identify predictors of adherence to MTX, and (3) assess the association between non-adherence and patient outcomes. The authors conducted a systematic search of papers published from January 1980 to February 2015 in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL databases. Studies were eligible for inclusion if: (1) MTX was used as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies, (2) MTX was used in an RA or inflammatory polyarthritis population, (3) adherence was defined and measured as the extent to which patients followed their MTX regimen during the period of prescription, and (4) it was an original piece of research. In total, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and 8 were evaluated as high quality. Rates of adherence ranged from 59% to 107%, and exposed differences in definitions of adherence, study methodologies and sample heterogeneity. A number of potential predictors of MTX adherence were identified; the strongest being related to beliefs in the necessity and efficacy of MTX, absence of low mood, mild disease and MTX monotherapy. Furthermore, 3 studies tested the association of adherence with disease activity as an outcome measure; all 3 found non-adherence associated with poor treatment response. This systematic review shows the importance of adherence to MTX treatment and summarises the associated modifiable factors.