Mental health practices in rehabilitation for youth with physical disabilities: a chart review study.

PURPOSE: Evidence on co-occurring mental health problems in youth with physical disabilities is growing, however how services are provided remains unclear. This study examined current interprofessional rehabilitation practices for physical and mental health services. METHODS: Youth (aged 15-24) followed for a physical disability that had mental health problems were identified. Chart reviews were used to identify practices. Mental health-related diagnoses/symptoms, assessments, goals, interventions, and referrals were extracted for inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Sixty charts were reviewed. Mental health problems included anxiety (n = 53), depression (n = 25), neurodevelopmental (n = 19) and personality disorders (n = 8), often (n = 36) citing more than one. No mental health assessments were found, and in 43%, no goals or interventions were evident. Relevant goals (n = 98) targeted emotional management, autonomy/communication of needs, acceptance of physical condition, socialization, routines/energy levels, school/work supports, and leisure/calming environments. Interventions (n = 104) included emotional management, formal individual/group therapy, links with external supports, routines/activities, reflection/acceptance, and school/work support. Mental health services were received in-house (n = 24) and/or externally (n = 30), plus 18 referrals pending and 14 not referred. CONCLUSION: Many had more than one mental health problem, suggesting the complexity of their condition. While some mental health goals/interventions are documented, problems may often not be reported or addressed in this context.

Further attention can be directed to the needs of youth with physical disabilities and co-occurring mental health problems as they are not fully addressed by current interdisciplinary rehabilitation practices.Follow-up (services and referrals) should be adapted to the holistic needs of youth and their goals within the rehabilitation context.Rehabilitation professionals can be provided with training to build workforce capacity in mental health screening and have access to guidance when addressing situations related to mental health or referring to external services.

Core outcomes for speech-language services in Ontario schools: a group concept mapping study and guiding framework.

BACKGROUND: Establishing the most important outcomes for school-based speech-language therapy is essential to guide future research and program evaluation for these services. Many health disciplines have developed core outcomes sets (COS) for this purpose. A COS encompasses the most important outcomes for particular health services as identified by appropriate interested parties. These interested parties usually represent health care providers and those with the health condition. In this paper, we report the development of a guiding framework for a COS for speech-language therapy services in schools in a Canadian context. METHODS: Using a group concept mapping method, we identified the outcomes for inclusion in the COS guiding framework through the elicited opinions of key interested parties: speech-language therapists, teachers, and family members of children with speech, language, and communication needs. We extracted 103 statements (potential outcomes) from a previous data set of interview transcripts. We then asked participants to sort the statements into conceptually similar groups, which were aggregated and transformed into a cluster map using multidimensional scaling followed by hierarchical cluster analysis. Participants also rated each statement on 5-point scales for importance and feasibility. We calculated mean ratings for individual statements and for all statements in a cluster, for all participants and for participant groups separately. RESULTS: We identified seven core outcomes for school-based speech-language services in Ontario, Canada. These included: classroom-based services, a holistic approach, support for teachers, care coordination, accessible services, family supports, and student success. All outcomes were rated highly for importance. Feasibility ratings were consistently below importance ratings. All participant groups concurred that a holistic approach was the most important outcome and accessible services was the least feasible outcome to achieve. CONCLUSIONS: The seven outcomes identified in this study are recommended to guide the development of a full COS to direct future research and program evaluation for school-based speech-language services. These outcomes have not been widely included in previous research and should be incorporated into future research alongside specific intervention outcomes. Data for some outcomes may be available from non-traditional sources such as administrative data sets. Consequently, their use for program evaluations should be accompanied by appropriate institutional support to allow speech-language therapists to make meaningful use of appropriate outcomes data.

Continuity of mental disorders in children with chronic physical illness.

Data on the chronicity of mental disorder in children with chronic physical illness (CPI) are limited. We examined the prevalence and predictors of homotypic and heterotypic continuity of mental disorder in children with CPI. A sample of 263 children aged 2-16 years with physician-diagnosed CPI were recruited from outpatient clinics (e.g., dermatology, respiratory) at a Canadian pediatric academic hospital and followed for 24 months. Parent and child-reported mental disorders (mood, anxiety, behavioral, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. Marginal regression models were computed to identify clinical, parent, and demographic factors associated with mental comorbidity over time. Mental disorder was observed in 24-27% of children with CPI based on child reports and 35-39% based on parent reports. Parent-reported models revealed significant homotypic continuity for all mental disorders (ORs = 4.2-9.5), and heterotypic continuity between mood and anxiety disorders (OR = 2.2), ADHD and behavioral disorders (OR = 5.1), and behavioral and each mental disorder (ORs = 6.7-8.4). Child-reported models revealed significant homotypic continuity for mood (OR = 8.8) and anxiety disorder (OR = 6.0), and heterotypic continuity between anxiety and mood disorders (OR = 12.4). Child disability (ORs = 1.3-1.5) and parent psychopathology (ORs = 1.2-1.8) were the most consistent predictors of both child- and parent-reported mental disorder over time. Mental comorbidity was prevalent and persistent in children with CPI with homotypic and heterotypic continuity common across informants. Child disability and parent psychopathology may be priority targets within integrated family-centered models of care to prevent mental comorbidity in children with CPI.

Exploring the valued outcomes of school-based speech-language therapy services: a sequential iterative design.

Background: Achieving outcomes that community members value is essential to high-quality, family-centred care. These valued outcomes should inform the production and interpretation of research evidence. To date, outcomes included in studies of service delivery models for speech-language services in schools have been narrowly defined, and do not match the outcomes suggested as important by families, teachers, and children. The most important outcomes of school-based, speech-languages services have not been directly and systematically investigated. We aimed to address this gap by asking school community members what outcomes were most relevant to evaluating and improving the delivery of speech-language services in schools. Methods: A sequential, iterative mixed-method study was conducted using interviews with 14 family members, educators, and speech-language therapists that asked what outcomes or impacts of school-based services they considered most important or valuable. Summative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Structural topic modelling between rounds of qualitative analysis was used to describe both the quality and the quantity of the interview content. School community members' perspectives were compared through estimation of topic proportions within interviews from each member group and through qualitative comparison. Results: Structural topic modelling diagnostics and qualitative interpretation of topic output suggested a six-topic solution. This solution was estimated successfully and yielded the following topics: (1) meeting all needs appropriately, (2) teamwork and collaboration, (3) building capacities, (4) supporting individual student needs in context, (5) coordinating care, and finally (6) supporting core educational goals. Families focused on school-based services meeting all needs appropriately and coordinating care, while educators highlighted supporting individual student needs in context. By contrast, speech-language therapists emphasized building capacities and supporting core educational goals. All school community members agreed that current assessment tools and outcome measures were inadequate to capture the most important impacts of school-based services. Conclusions: Outcomes identified by school community members as important or valuable were broad, and included individual student outcomes, interpersonal outcomes, and systems-level outcomes. Although these outcomes were discussed by all member groups, each group focused on different outcomes in the interviews, suggesting differences in the prioritization of outcomes. We recommend building consensus regarding the most important outcomes for school-based speech-language services, as well as the prioritization of outcomes for measure development.

A Matched-Pair Analysis of Gross Motor Skills of 3- to 5-Year-Old Children With and Without a Chronic Physical Illness.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the gross motor skills of children with a chronic physical illness with those of their healthy peers. METHODS: Data for children with a chronic physical illness come from the Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life Course study, and data from children without a physical illness come from the Health Outcomes and Physical Activity in Preschoolers study. Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life Course and Health Outcomes and Physical Activity in Preschoolers included children ages 3-5 years and administered the Peabody Development Motor Scales-second edition. Participants were sex and age matched (20 male and 15 female pairs; Mage = 54.03 [9.5] mo). RESULTS: Gross motor skills scores were "below average" for 47% of children with a physical illness compared with 9% of children without a physical illness (P = .003). Matched-paired t tests detected significant differences in total gross motor scores (dz = -0.35), locomotor (dz = -0.31), and object control (dz = -0.39) scores, with healthy children exhibiting better motor skills, and no significant difference in stationary scores (dz = -0.19). CONCLUSIONS: This skill gap may increase burden on children with physical illness and future research should assess gross motor skills longitudinally to establish whether the gap widens with age.

Longitudinal examination of alcohol demand and alcohol-related reinforcement as predictors of heavy drinking and adverse alcohol consequences in emerging adults.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Behavioral economic theory predicts that high alcohol demand and high proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement are important determinants of risky alcohol use in emerging adults, but the majority of research to date has been cross-sectional in nature. The present study investigated prospective and dynamic relationships between alcohol demand and proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement in relation to heavy drinking days and alcohol problems. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort with assessments every 4 months for 20 months. SETTING: Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Emerging adults reporting regular heavy episodic drinking (n = 636, Mage = 21.44; 55.8% female). MEASUREMENTS: Heavy drinking days (HDD; Daily Drinking Questionnaire), alcohol problems (Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire), alcohol demand (Alcohol Purchase Task) and proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement (Activity Level Questionnaire). FINDINGS: Linear mixed effects models revealed that behavioral economic indicators and alcohol-related outcomes significantly decreased over the study, consistent with 'aging out' of risky alcohol use. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed significant between-person relationships, such that higher alcohol demand and alcohol-related reinforcement were positively associated with HDD and alcohol problems (random intercepts = 0.187-0.534, Ps < 0.01). Moreover, alcohol demand indicators (particularly the rate of change in elasticity of the demand curve, as measured by α, and the maximum expenditure, Omax) and proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement significantly forecasted changes in HDD at all time points (|ßs| = 0.063-0.103, Ps < 0.05) in cross-lagged relationships, with bidirectional associations noted for the rate of change in elasticity (ßs = -0.085 to -0.104, Ps < 0.01). Proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement also significantly forecasted changes in alcohol problems at all time points (ßs = 0.072-0.112, Ps < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple behavioral economic indicators (demand elasticity, maximum expenditure and reinforcement ratio) forecast changes in heavy episodic drinking and alcohol problems over the course of emerging adulthood. These results further implicate alcohol demand and proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement as etiologically and developmentally important mechanisms in alcohol use trajectories.

One-Day Peer-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Workshops for Postpartum Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Myriad treatment barriers prevent birthing parents with postpartum depression (PPD) from receiving timely treatment. We aimed to determine whether a peer-delivered online 1-day cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based workshop added to treatment as usual (TAU) improves PPD and its comorbidities and is more cost-effective than TAU alone. METHODS: This parallel-group, randomized controlled trial took place in Ontario, Canada (June 7, 2021, to February 18, 2022). Participants were ≥18 years old, had an infant ≤12 months old, and an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥10. Participants were allocated to receive the workshop plus TAU (n = 202) or TAU and waitlisted to complete the workshop 12 weeks later (n = 203). The primary outcome was change in PPD (EPDS score) from enrollment to 12 weeks later. The secondary outcome was cost-effectiveness and tertiary outcomes included anxiety, social support, partner relationship quality, the mother-infant relationship, parenting stress, and infant temperament. RESULTS: Participants had a mean age of 32.3 years (SD = 4.30) and 65% were White. The workshop led to a significant reduction in EPDS scores (15.95-11.37; d = 0.92, p < 0. 01) and was associated with higher odds of exhibiting a clinically significant decrease in EPDS scores (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.26-3.29). The workshop plus TAU was more cost-effective than TAU alone. It also led to improvements in postpartum anxiety, infant-focused anxiety, parenting stress, and infant temperament. CONCLUSIONS: Peer-delivered 1-day CBT-based workshops can improve PPD and are a potentially scalable low-intensity treatment that could help increase treatment access.

Adolescents' Depression and Anxiety Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Evidence From COMPASS.

PURPOSE: There is concern over the potentially detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' mental health. We examined changes in depression and anxiety symptoms from before (2018-19) to the early (2019-20) and ongoing pandemic (2020-21) responses among Canadian adolescents in the context of a natural experiment. METHODS: We used linked survey data from 5,368 Canadian secondary school students who participated in three consecutive waves of the cannabis use, obesity, mental health, physical activity, alcohol use, smoking, and sedentary behaviour study during the 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 school year. Separate fixed effects models examined whether changes in depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised-10) and anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7) symptoms differed between two cohorts. The cohorts differed in the timing of their second data collection wave; one cohort participated before the pandemic and the other cohort participated in the early pandemic (spring 2020). RESULTS: Depression and anxiety symptoms increased during the early and ongoing pandemic periods in the overall sample and both cohorts. The two cohorts experienced similar elevations in their symptoms. Females and younger respondents presented greater elevations over time. The proportion of adolescents with significant depressive (29.4%) and moderate-to-severe anxiety (17.6%) symptoms at baseline increased by 1.5 times, reaching 44.8% and 29.8% in the ongoing pandemic period, respectively. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that internalizing symptoms have consistently increased since before the onset of COVID-19, particularly in the ongoing pandemic period; however, we found no evidence of the increase being due to the pandemic in the early COVID-19 period when comparing the two cohorts. Ongoing evaluation of adolescents' mental health is necessary to capture potentially dynamic impacts over time.

School learning modes during the COVID-19 response and pre- to during pandemic mental health changes in a prospective cohort of Canadian adolescents.

PURPOSE: Considerable debate centered on the impact of school closures and shifts to virtual learning on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated whether mental health changes differed by school learning modes during the pandemic response among Canadian adolescents and whether associations varied by gender and perceived home life. METHODS: We used prospective survey data from 7270 adolescents attending 41 Canadian secondary schools. Conditional change linear mixed effects models were used to examine learning mode (virtual optional, virtual mandated, in-person, and blended) as a predictor of change in mental health scores (depression [Centre for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression], anxiety [Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7], and psychosocial well-being [Flourishing scale]), adjusting for baseline mental health and covariates. Gender and home life happiness were tested as moderators. Least square means were calculated across interaction groups. RESULTS: Students learning in a blended learning mode had greater anxiety increases relative to their peers in other learning modes. Females learning fully in-person and males learning virtually when optional reported less of an increase in depression scores relative to their gender counterparts in other learning modes. Learning virtually when optional was associated with greater declines in psychosocial well-being in students without happy home lives relative to other learning modes. CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrate the importance of considering gender and home environments as determinants of mental health over the pandemic response and when considering alternative learning modes. Further research is advised before implementing virtual and blended learning modes. Potential risks and benefits must be weighed in the context of a pandemic.

Agreement in reporting restrictions in life between children with epilepsy and their parents.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the parent-child agreement of the Hague Restrictions in Childhood Epilepsy Scale (HARCES) and identify the clinical factors associated with parent-child disagreement and the restrictions. METHODS: Data come from a clinical sample of 90 children ages 9-17 (mean age = 12.9, SD = 6.9, 54% male) attending a pediatric neurology clinic. Parents completed the HARCES, and children completed a modified child-friendly scale (HARCES-M). The parent-child agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and paired t-tests to compare parent and child responses. Logistic regression examined clinical factors associated with disagreement > 0.5 standard deviation. Associations between clinical factors and restriction scores were examined using linear regression. RESULTS: Parent-child agreement on the HARCES was poor (ICC = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.58), and parents reported fewer restrictions in daily activities (t(89) = 2.45, p = .016) and to attend parties (t(89) = 2.12, p = .038); however, the overall restrictions scores were not different (t(89) = 1.55, p = .125). The presence of convulsive seizures (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.75) and longer duration of epilepsy (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.41) were associated with parent-child disagreement. No clinical factors were significantly related to either the HARCES or HARCES-M scores. CONCLUSIONS: The disagreement in perceptions of restrictions highlights the need to use child-reported measures along with parental reports to comprehensively understand restrictions on children with epilepsy fully. More research is needed to understand what factors explain parent- and child-rated restrictions due to epilepsy.

Self-concept in Adolescents with Physical-Mental Comorbidity.

Objective: Little is known about self-concept in adolescents with physical-mental comorbidity. This study investigated whether physical-mental comorbidity was associated with self-concept in adolescents and examined if adolescent age or sex moderated the association between physical-mental comorbidity and self-concept. Methods: Study data were obtained from the Multimorbidity in Youth across the Life-course (MY LIFE), an ongoing Canadian study of adolescents with chronic physical illness who were recruited from outpatient clinics at a pediatric hospital. A total of 116 adolescents aged ≥ 10 years provided self-reports on key measures. Results: Adolescents with comorbidity (n = 48) had lower self-concept scores on the Self-Determination Questionnaire (SDQ; d = 0.62) and Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC; d = 0.53) vs. adolescents without comorbidity (n = 68). An age × comorbidity status interaction was found and age-stratified models were computed to investigate this moderating effect of age. Amongst older adolescents, comorbidity was associated with lower SDQ (B = -2.55, p < .001), but this association was not found among younger adolescents (B = -0.29, p = .680). A similar effect was found for SPPC among older (B = -0.48, p = .001) and younger adolescents (B = 0.03, p = .842). Adolescent sex was not found to be a moderator. Conclusions: Physical-mental comorbidity in adolescence was associated with lower self-concept and this association was moderated by age-differences between adolescents with vs. without comorbidity were greater for older adolescents and were clinically relevant. Opportunities to support positive self-perceptions for adolescents with comorbidity are warranted, especially when planning the transition from pediatric to adult health services.

Trajectories of parent well-being in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal cohort study aimed to identify trajectories of parent well-being over the first 2 years after their child's evaluation for candidacy for epilepsy surgery, and to identify the baseline clinical and demographic characteristics associated with these trajectories. Parent well-being was based on parent depressive and anxiety symptoms and family resources (i.e., family mastery and social support). METHODS: Parents of 259 children with drug-resistant epilepsy (105 of whom eventually had surgery) were recruited from eight epilepsy centers across Canada at the time of their evaluation for epilepsy surgery candidacy. Participants were assessed at baseline and 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year follow-up. The trajectories of parents' depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and family resources were jointly estimated using multigroup latent class growth models. RESULTS: The analyses identified three trajectories: an optimal-stable group with no/minimal depressive or anxiety symptoms, and high family resources that remained stable over time; a mild-decreasing-plateau group with mild depressive and anxiety symptoms that decreased over time then plateaued, and intermediate family resources that remained stable; and a moderate-decreasing group with moderate depressive and anxiety symptoms that decreased slightly, and low family resources that remained stable over time. Parents of children with higher health-related quality of life, fathers, and parents who had higher household income were more likely to have better trajectories of well-being. Treatment type was not associated with the trajectory groups, but parents whose children were seizure-free at the time of the last follow-up were more likely to have better trajectories (optimal-stable or mild-decreasing-plateau trajectories). SIGNIFICANCE: This study documented distinct trajectories of parent well-being, from the time of the child's evaluation for epilepsy surgery. Parents who present with anxiety and depressive symptoms and low family resources do not do well over time. They should be identified and offered supportive services early in their child's epilepsy treatment history.

Cannabis Use Frequency and Cannabis-Related Consequences in High-Risk Young Adults Across Cannabis Legalization.

Importance: A key concern about recreational cannabis legalization is increases in use and adverse consequences, particularly among young adults (aged 18-29 years) who have the highest prevalence of cannabis use, and especially in higher-risk, more vulnerable young adults. However, few longitudinal studies have examined patterns of cannabis consumption in high-risk young adults over the course of legalization. Objective: To examine changes in cannabis use frequency and cannabis-related consequences over recreational cannabis legalization in Canada in a longitudinal sample of high-risk young adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: Longitudinal observational cohort study following young adults in Ontario, Canada, aged 19.5 to 23.0 years who reported regular heavy episodic drinking (65% past-month cannabis use) at enrollment. Participants were surveyed every 4 months for 3 years between February 2017 and February 2020 (3 prelegalization waves, 4 postlegalization waves). Data were analyzed from March to May 2023. Exposures: Recreational cannabis legalization in Canada and 4 potential moderators of change: sex, income, education, and prelegalization cannabis use frequency. Main Outcomes and Measures: Cannabis use frequency and cannabis-related adverse consequences. Results: In a cohort of 619 high-risk young adults (baseline mean [SD] age, 21.0 [1.2] years; 346 female participants [55.9%]), omnibus model testing revealed significant overall decreases in both cannabis use frequency (F = 2.276, 3000.96; P = .03) and cannabis-related consequences (F = 10.436, 3002.21; P < .001) over time, but these changes were substantially moderated by prelegalization frequency (frequency: F = 7.5224, 3021.88; P < .001; consequences: F = 7.2424, 2986.98; P < .001). Follow-up tests showed individuals who used cannabis more frequently prelegalization significantly decreased their use and cannabis-related consequences postlegalization. In contrast, individuals who did not use cannabis prelegalization exhibited a small magnitude increase in frequency over time but nonsignificant changes in cannabis-related consequences. Sex, income, and education did not moderate changes over time. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of high-risk young adults, individuals using cannabis frequently prelegalization showed significant reductions in use and consequences over time, reflecting an aging out pattern. Small increases in use among participants with no prelegalization use were observed over time, but without parallel changes in cannabis-related consequences. The results did not reveal substantive adverse near-term outcomes across the legalization period, although a within-participants design cannot rule out the possibility of alternative trajectories in the absence of legalization.

Pre-Operative Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life Two Years After Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Seizure freedom is an important predictor of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after pediatric epilepsy surgery. This study aimed to identify the pre-operative predictors of HRQOL 2 years after epilepsy surgery in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS: This multicenter prospective cohort study assessed pre-operative predictors including child (demographics and clinical variables), caregiver (including caregiver depressive and anxiety symptoms) and family characteristics. HRQOL was assessed using the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE)-55 pre-operatively and 2-years after surgery. Univariable linear regression analyses were done to identify significant preoperative predictors of HRQOL 2-years after surgery, followed by multivariable regression. RESULTS: Ninety-five children underwent surgery, mean age was 11.4 (SD=4.2) years, and 59 (62%) were male. Mean QOLCE scores were 57.4 (95%CI: 53.8, 61.0) pre-operatively and 65.6 (95%CI: 62.0, 69.1) after surgery. Univariable regression showed fewer anti-seizure medications (ß=-6.1 [95%CI: -11.2, -1.0], p = 0.019), older age at seizure onset (ß=1.6 [95%CI: 0.8, 2.4], p<0.001), higher pre-operative HRQOL (ß=0.7 [95%CI: 0.5, 0.8], p<0.001), higher family resources (ß=0.6 [95%CI: 0.3, 0.9], p<0.001), better family relationships (ß=1.7 [95%CI: 0.3, 3.1], p = 0.017) and lower family demands (ß=-0.9 [95%CI: -1.5, -0.4], p<0.001) were associated with higher HRQOL after surgery. Caregiver characteristics did not predict HRQOL after surgery (p>0.05). Multivariable regression showed older age at seizure onset (ß=4.6 [95%CI: 1.6, 7.6], p = 0.003) and higher pre-operative HRQOL (ß=10.2 [95%CI: 6.8, 13.6], p<0.001) were associated with higher HRQOL after surgery. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of optimizing pre-operative HRQOL to maximize HRQOL outcome after pediatric epilepsy surgery.

Online peer-delivered group cognitive-behavioral therapy for postpartum depression: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to one in five mothers and birthing parents, yet just 10% receive evidence-based care. This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine if a synchronous online 9-week group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention delivered by mothers who have recovered from postpartum depression (i.e., peers) could effectively improve PPD and its comorbidities. METHODS: Participants (n = 183) in this study lived in Ontario, Canada, were ≥18 years-old, had an infant <12 months, were fluent in English, and scored ≥10 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). They were randomized to experimental (received intervention plus treatment as usual (TAU)) or waitlist control (TAU plus the intervention after a 9-week wait) groups. Depression, anxiety, social support, mother-infant bonding, and infant temperament were assessed at baseline and 9 weeks later. Outcomes were assessed in the experimental group 3 months post-intervention to assess stability. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions were observed in EPDS (B = 5.99; p < 0.001; d = 1.32) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 scores (B = 5.94; p < 0.001; d = 1.22), improvements that remained stable 3 months post-intervention in the experimental group. Maternal social support (p = 0.02; d = 0.40), infant-focused anxiety (p = 0.02; d = 0.54), and infant negative emotionality (p < 0.01; d = 0.23) also improved post-intervention and remained stable 3 months later. CONCLUSION: Online peer-delivered group CBT for PPD can effectively treat PPD and anxiety, and improve social support, infant-focused anxiety, and negative emotionality in infants. This intervention could provide the means to increase access to treatment for those experiencing PPD and improve outcomes for mothers, birthing parents, and families.

Online Public Health Nurse-Delivered Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Postpartum Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: Rates of postpartum depression (PPD) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, further highlighting the need for effective, accessible treatments for PPD. While public health nurses (PHNs) can be trained to help treat PPD, it is not known if they can effectively deliver evidence-based psychotherapies online to those with PPD.Methods: Mothers (n = 159) living in Ontario, Canada, with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 10 and an infant < 12 months of age were randomized to receive a 9-week group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention delivered by PHNs over Zoom, between October 2020 and November 2021. Experimental group participants received CBT plus treatment as usual (TAU), and control participants received TAU alone. Participants were assessed at baseline (T1), 9 weeks later (T2), and 6 months after T2 (T3). Primary outcomes were changes in EPDS score and current major depressive disorder (MDD) as measured by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Secondary outcomes included worry, social support, the mother-infant relationship, and infant temperament.Results: At T2, experimental group participants showed clinically and statistically significant reductions on the EPDS (d = 0.65) and decreases in postpartum worry (d = 0.38) and rejection and pathological anger toward their infant (d = 0.44). They were also less likely to meet diagnostic criteria for current MDD compared to control participants (OR = 5.09; 95% CI, 1.18-21.98; number needed to treat [NNT: 3.7]). These improvements remained stable 6 months later (T3).Conclusions: PHNs can be trained to deliver effective online group CBT for PPD to reduce depression and worry and improve aspects of the mother-infant relationship, and they represent an important way to increase access to effective treatment for PPD.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04928742.

Response shift in parent-reported psychopathology in children with chronic physical illness.

PURPOSE: Because physical-mental comorbidity in children is relatively common, this study tested for response shift (RS) in children with chronic physical illness using a parent-reported measure of child psychopathology. METHODS: Data come from Multimorbidity in Children and Youth across Life-course (MY LIFE), a prospective study of n = 263 children aged 2-16 years with physical illness in Canada. Parents provided information on child psychopathology using the Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioral Scales (OCHS-EBS) at baseline and 24 months. Oort's structural equation modeling was used to test for different forms of RS in parent-reported assessments between baseline and 24 months. Model fit was evaluated using root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), and standardized root mean residual (SRMR). RESULTS: There were n = 215 (81.7%) children with complete data and were included in this analysis. Of these, n = 105 (48.8%) were female and the mean (SD) age was 9.4 (4.2) years. A two-factor measurement model provided good fit to the data [RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.05 (0.01, 0.10); CFI = 0.99; SRMR = 0.03]. Non-uniform recalibration RS was detected on the conduct disorder subscale of the OCHS-EBS. This RS effect had negligible impact on the longitudinal change in externalizing and internalizing disorders construct over time. CONCLUSIONS: Response shift detected on the conduct disorder subscale of the OCHS-EBS, indicated that parents of children with physical illness may recalibrate their responses on child psychopathology over 24 months. Researchers and health professionals should be aware of RS when using the OCHS-EBS to assess child psychopathology over time.

Family Functioning and Health-Related Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Mental Illness.

Previous research suggests that family dysfunction may be related to lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in parent caregivers, but it is unknown if this association exists in the context of child mental illness. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare HRQoL between parent caregivers and Canadian population norms using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36); examine associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL; and investigate whether child and parental factors moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. Cross-sectional data were collected from children receiving mental healthcare at a pediatric hospital and their parents (n = 97). Sample mean SF-36 scores were compared to Canadian population norms using t-tests and effect sizes were calculated. Multiple regression was used to evaluate associations between family functioning and parental physical and mental HRQoL, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Proposed moderators, including child age, sex, and externalizing disorder, and parental psychological distress, were tested as product-term interactions. Parents had significantly lower physical and mental HRQoL versus Canadian norms in most domains of the SF-36, and in the physical and mental component summary scores. Family functioning was not associated with parental physical HRQoL. However, lower family functioning predicted lower parental mental HRQoL. Tested variables did not moderate associations between family functioning and parental HRQoL. These findings support the uptake of approaches that strive for collaboration among healthcare providers, children, and their families (i.e., family-centered care) in child psychiatry settings. Future research should explore possible mediators and moderators of these associations.