Irritability and Parenting Styles in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Controlled Study.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects functioning of the family, decreasing interactions and loyalty and increasing conflict between adolescents with ADHD and their families. Irritable mood and difficulties with emotional dysregulation are common in children with ADHD. The objective of the current study was to assess levels of irritability in adolescents with ADHD using self- and parent-report scales, and investigate the relationship between irritability levels and parental attitudes. A total of 47 adolescents with ADHD and 39 adolescents with typical development participated in the current study. Findings demonstrated that higher levels of parent-reported irritability were associated with decreased egalitarian attitudes in the ADHD group. Although other parental attitudes were not associated with self- and parent-reported irritability, evaluation of the relationship between parental attitudes and irritability in adolescents with ADHD, which can guide diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, is of critical importance. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(9), 33-43.].

Big Data in Adolescent Psychiatry: Do Patients Share Their Psychiatric Symptoms on Social Networking Sites?

BACKGROUND: Fascinating developments in big data technologies and unprecedented diffusion of social networking sites (SNSs) generate unseen opportunities for scientific fields, including psychiatry. This study focuses on the use of SNSs by adolescent psychiatric patients and the potential use of SNS-generated data to help medical practitioners diagnose and treat patients' mental health. Our objective is to understand and measure the psychiatric and individual conditions in which symptom-sharing occurs on SNSs and the frequency of these conditions. Based on literature, we hypothesized that the perceived value of social network sites positively affects adolescents' sharing of symptoms on these sites. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An empirical test of this hypothesis was conducted with a survey of 224 adolescents admitted to a psychiatry clinic in Turkey. The hypothesis was tested using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The perceived value of SNSs explained an additional 37.8% of variation in symptom sharing on SNSs above and beyond the control variables, which are gender, age, type of disorder, and amount of internet and SNS use. The findings suggested that adolescents share symptoms on SNSs only if they attribute value to the SNSs that they use. We also found that 72% of adolescents in our sample shared their symptoms on SNSs. CONCLUSIONS: There is an attractive opportunity for information technology companies to develop, together with health professionals; data analytics that are able to detect symptoms to support psychiatric diagnoses and pave the way for big-data enabled personalized medicine.

School going adolescents' perception of family climate and mental problems: Results from Kocaeli, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the perception of expressed emotion and psychopathology of school-going adolescents in a non-clinical sample. METHODS: The cross-sectional field study was conducted in Kocaeli, Turkey, and comprised high-school students during the 2014-15 school years. Data was collected using the Information Collection Form, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Shortened Level of Expressed Emotion Scale. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 487 subjects, 295(60.57%) were girls and 192(39.43%) were boys. The overall median age was 16 (inter-quartile range: 15-17 years). There were significant positive relationships between the scales in terms of emotional problems (p<0.001), behavioural problems (p<0.001), Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (p<0.001), and peer relationship problems (p<0.001). There was also a negative significant relationship between pro-social behaviours and expressed emotion (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The concept of perceived expressed emotion in non-clinical adolescents is useful in alarming clinicians and preventing mental disorders.

A prospective follow-up of quality of life, depression, and anxiety in children with lymphoma and solid tumors

Background/aim: The aim of this study was the determination and prospective follow-up of quality of life, depression, and anxiety in pediatric patients with cancer under chemotherapy, as well as the evaluation of related factors. Materials and methods: Fifty newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients and their parents were prospectively monitored before, during, and after therapy, and tests were used. Results: Significantly lower quality of life scores were recorded during treatment, in the group with CNS tumors, in the group receiving chemotherapy plus radiotherapy plus surgery, in the inpatient-only treatment group, in the group receiving treatment for longer than 6 months, and in the group of patients whose diagnosis was delayed for more than 3 months. Total quality of life scores for children and their parents were 82.95 ± 14.59 vs. 83.61 ± 14.60 before, 54.69 ± 16.51 vs. 55.78 ± 16.05 during, and 83.88 ± 12.44 vs. 84.19 ± 13.22 at the end of treatment (P < 0.05). Anxiety and depression scores were significantly higher during treatment, in patients whose diagnoses were delayed for more than 3 months, and among inpatients. Conclusion: The quality of life of a majority of our patients was severely affected, and depression and anxiety were more frequently seen especially during treatment.

Perceived Family Climate and Self-Esteem in Adolescents With ADHD: A Study With a Control Group.

Objective: In this study, our objective is to assess the perception of family environments by adolescents with ADHD based on perceived expressed emotion (EE) and the self-esteem of the adolescents. Method: Uludag University Medical Faculty Hospital completed this study with 41 adolescents with ADHD and 35 control group participants who were matched based on age and gender. Results: The total scores of perceived EE, described as a lack of emotional support, irritability, and intrusiveness, were significantly higher in ADHD group than in the control group. The group with ADHD also showed significantly lower self-esteem. There was a negative correlation between self-esteem scores and total perceived EE scores in the ADHD group and the control group. Conclusion: This study showed that the adolescents with ADHD perceive less emotional support and higher levels of intrusiveness, with patients also describing their families as more irritating. Other results in this study show that adolescents with less emotional support possess lower self-esteem, as do adolescents with more irritable parents.

Perceived Expressed Emotion, Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Self-Esteem in Obese Adolescents: A Case-Control Study

Objective: Obesity is a chronic disease which leads to medical and psychiatric complications. Family climate is a critical factor in the treatment of obesity and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In our study, perceived expressed emotion (EE), psychopathology, self-esteem and emotional and behavioural problems (BP) among obese adolescents were investigated and compared with their non-obese peers. Methods: The subjects were 49 obese adolescents and 47 non-obese adolescents served as the control group. All participants were requested to fill out the Socio-demographic Data Form, Shortened Level of Expressed Emotion Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire-Adolescent Form. Results: In our study, obese adolescents showed a significant difference in perceived EE (p<0.001). Subscales of EE, such as Lack of Emotional Support (p<0.001), intrusiveness (p<0.001), irritability (p<0.001), self-esteem (p<0.001), emotional and BP (p<0.001), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (p<0.001), problems in peer relationships (p<0.001) and social skills (p<0.001) were significantly worse when compared with the control group. There was a strong relationship between EE and emotional and BP and self-esteem. Conclusion: The higher rate of perceived EE, psychopathology and low self-esteem among obese adolescents showed that obesity prevention and treatment are also crucial for good mental health in adolescents. The important role of the family in mental health of obese adolescents was emphasized. It was shown that identification of risk factors in childhood that promote obesity should be done so that targeted intervention and prevention programs can be developed.