Prevalence of depression among HIV-positive pregnant women and its association with adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Vertical transmission of HIV remains one of the most common transmission modes. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) decreases the risk of transmission to less than 2%, but maintaining adherence to treatment remains a challenge. Some of the commonly reported barriers to adherence to ART include stress (physical and emotional), depression, and alcohol and drug abuse. Integrating screening and treatment for psychological problem such as depression was reported to improve adherence. In this study, we sought to determine the prevalence of depression and its association with adherence to ART among HIV-positive pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) clinics in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from March through November 2018. Participants were conveniently sampled from 12 health institutions offering ANC services. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to screen for depression and the Center for Adherence Support Evaluation (CASE) Adherence index to evaluate adherence to ART. Descriptive statistics was used to estimate the prevalence of depression during third-trimester pregnancy and nonadherence to ART. A bivariate logistic regression analysis was used to get significant predictors for each of the two outcome measures. The final multivariable logistic regression analysis included variables with a P<0.25 in the bivariate logistic regression model; statistical significance was evaluated at P<0.05. RESULTS: We approached 397 eligible individuals, of whom 368 (92.7%) participated and were included in the analysis. Of the total participants, 175(47.6%) had depression. The participants' overall level of adherence to ART was 82%. Pregnant women with low income were twice more likely to have depression (AOR = 2.10, 95%CI = 1.31-3.36). Women with WHO clinical Stage 1 disease were less likely to have depression than women with more advanced disease (AOR = 0.16, 95%CI = 0.05-0.48). There was a statistically significant association between depression and nonadherence to ART (P = 0.020); nonadherence was nearly two times higher among participants with depression (AOR = 1.88, 95%CI = 1.08-3.27). CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence of depression among HIV-positive pregnant women in the selected health facilities in Addis Ababa, and what was more concerning was its association with higher rates of nonadherence to ART adversely affecting the outcome of their HIV care. We recommend integrating screening for depression in routine ANC services.

Identifying challenges and recommendations for advancing global mental health implementation research: A key informant study of the National Institute of Mental Health Scale-Up Hubs.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored perspectives of researchers working with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Scale-Up Hubs, consisting of research partnerships for scaling up mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to: 1) identify common barriers to conducting impactful research on the implementation of evidence-based mental health services; and 2) provide recommendations to overcome these implementation challenges. METHODS: A sequential qualitative approach was employed. First, an open-ended survey was distributed to the 10 Scale-Up Hubs and NIMH program staff asking informants to identify challenges in conducting mental health implementation research in LMICs. Second, survey findings guided an in-person workshop to generate implementation recommendations to inform the field. RESULTS: In total, 46 respondents completed surveys, and 101 researchers attended the workshop. The workshop produced implementation recommendations for low-resource settings: 1) identifying impact of research on policy and practice; 2) sustaining careers of early researchers in global mental health; 3) engaging policymakers and donors to value mental health research; 4) supporting the workforce for delivering evidence-based treatments for mental disorders; and 5) promoting sustainability of programs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can strengthen collaboration between researchers and key stakeholders, and highlight important targets for improving mental health implementation research in LMICs.

Addressing the Consequences of the COVID-19 Lockdown for Children's Mental Health: Investing in School Mental Health Programs.

Children are likely to struggle with mental health consequences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures and home confinement increase the risk for emotional distress, domestic violence and abuse, and social isolation, as well as for disruption of sleep-wake and meal cycles, physical exercise routines, and health care access. As schools reopen, school mental health programs (SMHPs) incorporating universal approaches will be important for all children, and targeted approaches will be necessary for those more severely affected. Using their experience in Pakistan, the authors provide a roadmap for extending the World Health Organization's eastern Mediterranean region's SMHP to address the mental health consequences of COVID-19 among children globally.

Primary Care Practitioner Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PTCAP): A Cluster-Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Rural primary care practitioners (PCPs) have a pivotal role to play in frontline pediatric mental health care, given limited options for referral and consultation. Yet they report a lack of adequate training and confidence to provide this care. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Practitioner Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PTCAP) program, which was designed to enhance PCPs' pediatric mental health care confidence. The program includes brief therapeutic skills and practice guidelines PCPs can use to address both subthreshold concerns and diagnosable conditions, themselves. METHODS: The study design was a pilot, cluster-randomized, multicenter trial. Practices were randomly assigned to intervention (n practices = 7; n PCPs = 42) or to wait-list control (n practices = 6; n PCPs = 34). The intervention involved 8 hr of training in practice guidelines and brief therapeutic skills for depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and behavioral disorders with case discussion and video examples, while the control practiced as usual. A linear random-effects model controlling for clustering and baseline was carried out on the individual-level data to examine between-group differences in the primary (i.e., confidence) and secondary (i.e., attitude and knowledge) outcomes at 1-week follow-up. RESULTS: Findings were a statistically significant difference in the primary outcomes. Compared to the control group, the intervention group indicated significantly greater confidence in managing diagnosable conditions (d = 1.81) and general concerns (d = 1.73), as well as in making necessary referrals (d = 1.27) and obtaining consults (d = 0.74). While the intervention did not significantly impact secondary outcomes (attitudes and knowledge), regression analysis indicated that the intervention may have increased confidence, in part, by ameliorating the adverse impact of negative mental health care attitudes. CONCLUSION: PTCAP enhances PCPs' child/youth mental health care confidence in managing both general and diagnosable concerns. However, an 8-hr session focused on applying brief therapeutic skills was insufficient to significantly change attitudes and knowledge. Formal testing of PTCAP may be warranted, perhaps using more intensive training and including outcome assessments capable of determining whether increased PCP confidence translates to more effective management and better patient outcomes.

Pediatric Primary Care Providers' Use of Behavioral Health Consultation.

This column describes a qualitative study in which 32 primary care providers (PCPs) reported barriers to and facilitators of using a behavioral health (BH) consultation program. Barriers included program incompatibility with organizational culture, limited exposure to the program, existing access to referral sources, and negative beliefs about BH consultation. Reported facilitators included having personal relationships with BH program staff, exposure to program information, and positive beliefs about BH consultation. PCPs recommended outreach activities and optimal program features to increase use of BH consultation.

Trauma-Informed Medical Care: Patient Response to a Primary Care Provider Communication Training.

Trauma exposure predicts mental disorders and health outcomes; yet there is little training of primary care providers about trauma's effects, and how to better interact with trauma survivors. This study adapted a theory-based approach to working with trauma survivors, Risking Connection, into a 6-hour CME course, Trauma-Informed Medical Care (TI-Med), to evaluate its feasibility and preliminary efficacy. We randomized four primary care sites to training or wait-list conditions; PCPs at wait-list sites were trained after reassessment. Primary care providers (PCPs) were Family Medicine residents (n = 17; 2 sites) or community physicians (n = 13; 2 sites). Outcomes reported here comprised a survey of 400 actual patients seen by the PCPs in the study. Patients, mostly minority, completed surveys before or after their provider received training. Patients rated PCPs significantly higher after training on a scale encompassing partnership issues. Breakdowns showed lower partnership scores for those with trauma or posttraumatic stress symptoms. Future studies will need to include more specific trauma-related outcomes. Nevertheless, this training is a promising initial approach to teaching trauma-informed communication skills to PCPs.

An Open Trial of the Anxiety Action Plan (AxAP): A Brief Pediatrician-Delivered Intervention for Anxious Youth.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders in youth are among the most common psychiatric disorders, yet the majority of affected youth do not receive treatment. One approach to improving access to care is identification and intervention within the primary care setting. OBJECTIVE: This manuscript presents data from a single group pre-post open trial of the Anxiety Action Plan (AxAP), a brief pediatrician-delivered intervention to reduce anxiety in youth who present in the primary care setting. METHODS: Eleven pediatricians conducted the intervention with 25 youth (mean age 11.16 years; range 6-18 years) with elevated levels of anxiety in their primary care practice setting. RESULTS: Pediatricians' ratings of the AxAP training were positive (mean overall satisfaction was 4.82 on 5 point scale). Pediatricians and parents also reported high levels of intervention satisfaction and acceptability. Parents (but not children) who completed the intervention reported significant reductions from pre- to post-intervention on measures of child anxiety severity, impairment, and caregiver burden (Cohen's d 1.06, .75, .60, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that a brief, pediatrician-delivered intervention in primary care settings appears feasible and beneficial to patients. Additional controlled evaluation of the intervention's efficacy is needed.

Trauma-informed medical care: CME communication training for primary care providers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Trauma exposure predicts mental disorders, medical morbidity, and health care costs. Yet trauma-related impacts have not received sufficient attention in primary care provider (PCP) training programs. This study adapted a theory-based approach to working with trauma survivors, Risking Connection, into a 6-hour CME course, Trauma-Informed Medical Care (TI-Med), and evaluated its efficacy. METHODS: We randomized PCPs to training or wait-list (delay) conditions; wait-list groups were trained after reassessment. The primary outcome assessing newly acquired skills was a patient-centeredness score derived from Roter Interactional Analysis System ratings of 90 taped visits between PCPs and standardized patients (SPs). PCPs were family medicine residents (n=17) and community physicians (n=13, 83% family medicine specialty), from four sites in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. RESULTS: Immediately trained PCPs trended toward a larger increase in patient centeredness than did the delayed PCPs, with a moderate effect size (.66). The combined trained PCP groups showed a significant increase in patient centeredness from before to after training. CONCLUSIONS: This is a promising approach to supporting relationship-based trauma-informed care among PCPs to help promote better patient health and higher compliance with medical treatment plans.

Which African American mothers disclose psychosocial issues to their pediatric providers?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if parents' self-efficacy in communicating with their child's pediatrician is associated with African American mothers' disclosure of psychosocial concerns during pediatric primary care visits. METHODS: Self-identified African American mothers (n = 231) of children 2 to 5 years were recruited from 8 urban pediatric primary care practices in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Visits were audiorecorded, and parents completed phone surveys within 24 hours. Maternal disclosure of psychosocial issues and self-efficacy in communicating with their child's provider were measured using the Roter Interactional Analysis System (RIAS) and the Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions (PEPPI), respectively. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of mothers disclosed psychosocial issues. Mothers who disclosed were more likely to report maximum levels of self-efficacy in communicating with their child's provider compared to those who did not disclose (50% vs 35%; P = .02). During visits in which mothers disclosed psychosocial issues, providers were observed to provide more psychosocial information (mean 1.52 vs 1.08 utterances per minute, P = .002) and ask fewer medical questions (mean 1.76 vs 1.99 utterances per minute, P = .05) than during visits in which mothers did not disclose. The association between self-efficacy and disclosure was significant among low-income mothers (odds ratio 5.62, P < .01), but not higher-income mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that efforts to increase parental self-efficacy in communicating with their child's pediatrician may increase parents' likelihood of disclosing psychosocial concerns. Such efforts may enhance rates of identifying and addressing psychosocial issues, particularly among lower-income African American patients.

Acculturation differences in communicating information about child mental health between Latino parents and primary care providers.

Significant Latino-white disparities in youth mental health care access and quality exist yet little is known about Latino parents' communication with providers about youth mental health and the role of acculturation in influencing this communication. We estimated regression models to assess the association between time in the US and the number of psychosocial issues discussed with the medical assistant (MA) and doctor, adjusting for child and parent mental health and sociodemographics. Other proxies of acculturation were also investigated including measures of Spanish and English language proficiency and nativity. Parent's length of time in the US was positively associated with their communication of: their child's psychosocial problems with their child's MA, stress in their own life with their child's MA, and their child's school problems with their child's doctor. These differences were especially apparent for parents living in the US for >10 years. Parent-child language discordance, parent and child nativity were also significantly associated with communication of psychosocial problems. Greater provider and MA awareness of variation in resistance to communicating psychosocial issues could improve communication, and improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of youth mental illness.

Screening for behavioral health issues in children enrolled in Massachusetts Medicaid.

OBJECTIVES: To understand mandated behavioral health (BH) screening in Massachusetts Medicaid including characteristics of screened children, predictors of positive screens, and whether screening identifies children without a previous BH history. METHODS: Massachusetts mandated BH screening in particularly among underidentified groups. 2008. Providers used a billing code and modifier to indicate a completed screen and whether a BH need was identified. Using MassHealth claims data, children with ≥ 300 days of eligibility in fiscal year (FY) 2009 were identified and categorized into groups based on first use of the modifier, screening code, or claim. Bivariate analyses were conducted to determine differences among groups. BH history was examined by limiting the sample to those continuously enrolled in FY 2008 and 2009. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predictors of positive screens. RESULTS: Of 355,490 eligible children, 46% had evidence of screening. Of those with modifiers, 12% were positive. Among continuously enrolled children (FY 2008 and FY 2009) with evidence of screening, 43% with positive modifiers had no BH history. This "newly identified" group were more likely to be female, younger, minority, and from rural residences (P < .0001). Among children with modifiers; gender (male), age (5-7), being in foster care, recent BH history, and Hispanic ethnicity predicted having a positive modifier. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of newly identified Medicaid children with a BH need suggests that screening is performing well, particularly among underidentified groups. To better assess screening value, future work on cost-effectiveness and the impact on subsequent mental health treatment is needed.

Pediatric provider processes for behavioral health screening, decision making, and referral in sites with colocated mental health services.

OBJECTIVE: Validated behavioral health (BH) screens are recommended for use at well-child visits. This study aimed to explore how pediatricians experience and use these screens for subsequent care decisions in primary care. METHODS: The study took place at 4 safety net health centers. Fourteen interviews were conducted with pediatricians who were mandated to use validated BH screens at well-child visits. Interview questions focused on key domains, including clinic BH context, screening processes, assessment of screening scores, and decision making about referral to mental health services. Qualitative analysis used the Framework Approach. RESULTS: A variety of themes emerged: BH screens were well accepted and valued for the way they facilitated discussion of mental health issues. However, screening results were not always used in the way that instrument designers intended. Providers' beliefs about the face validity of the instruments, and their observations about performance of instruments, led to discounting scored results. As a result, clinical decisions were made based on a variety of evidence, including individual item responses, parent or patient concerns, and perceived readiness for treatment. Additionally, providers, although interested in expanding their mental health discussions, perceived a lack of time and of their own skills to be major obstacles in this pursuit. CONCLUSIONS: Screens act as important prompts to stimulate discussion of BH problems, but their actual scored results play a variable role in problem identification and treatment decisions. Modifications to scheduling policies, additional provider training, and enhanced collaboration with mental health professionals could support better BH integration in pediatric primary care.

Development of the Verona coding definitions of emotional sequences to code health providers' responses (VR-CoDES-P) to patient cues and concerns.

OBJECTIVE: To present a method to classify health provider responses to patient cues and concerns according to the VR-CoDES-CC (Del Piccolo et al. (2009) [2] and Zimmermann et al. (submitted for publication) [3]). The system permits sequence analysis and a detailed description of how providers handle patient's expressions of emotion. METHODS: The Verona-CoDES-P system has been developed based on consensus views within the "Verona Network of Sequence Analysis". The different phases of the creation process are described in detail. A reliability study has been conducted on 20 interviews from a convenience sample of 104 psychiatric consultations. RESULTS: The VR-CoDES-P has two main classes of provider responses, corresponding to the degree of explicitness (yes/no) and space (yes/no) that is given by the health provider to each cue/concern expressed by the patient. The system can be further subdivided into 17 individual categories. Statistical analyses showed that the VR-CoDES-P is reliable (agreement 92.86%, Cohen's kappa 0.90 (±0.04) p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Once validity and reliability are tested in different settings, the system should be applied to investigate the relationship between provider responses to patients' expression of emotions and outcome variables. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Research employing the VR-CoDES-P should be applied to develop research-based approaches to maximize appropriate responses to patients' indirect and overt expressions of emotional needs.

Coding patient emotional cues and concerns in medical consultations: the Verona coding definitions of emotional sequences (VR-CoDES).

OBJECTIVE: To present the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES CC), a consensus based system for coding patient expressions of emotional distress in medical consultations, defined as Cues or Concerns. METHODS: The system was developed by an international group of communication researchers. First, consensus was reached in different steps. Second, a reliability study was conducted on 20 psychiatric consultations. RESULTS: A Cue is defined as a verbal or non-verbal hint which suggests an underlying unpleasant emotion that lacks clarity. A Concern is defined as a clear and unambiguous expression of an unpleasant current or recent emotion that is explicitly verbalized with or without a stated issue of importance. The conceptual framework sets precise criteria for cues and concerns and for whom (health provider or patient) elicits the cue/concern. Inter-rater reliability proved satisfactory (agreement 81.5%, Cohen's Kappa 0.70). CONCLUSION: The VR-CoDES CC will facilitate comparative research on provider-patient communication sequences in which patients express emotional distress. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The VR-CoDES CC may be used to help clinicians in recognizing or facilitating cues and concerns, thereby improving the recognition of patients' emotional distress, the therapeutic alliance and quality of care for these patients.

A common factors approach to improving the mental health capacity of pediatric primary care.

To expand the mental health service capacity of pediatric primary care, we ask whether there are evidence-based skills to allow providers to 1) immediately begin treatment for children with emotional and behavioral problems while diagnostic procedures are being pursued, and 2) offer evidence-based care to children who do not meet criteria for a specific diagnosis. We discuss why the epidemiology of child mental health problems poses difficulties for disorder-specific mental health interventions, and review evidence that "common factors" contributing to the outcome of mental health treatments define a core set of skills that primary care providers might use to complement disorder-specific interventions.

Enhancing communication skills for pediatric visits through on-line training using video demonstrations.

BACKGROUND: Training in communication skills for health professionals is important, but there are substantial barriers to individual in-person training for practicing clinicians. We evaluated the feasibility and desirability of on-line training and sought suggestions for future courses. METHODS: Based on successful in-person curricula for communication skills and our previous on-line curricula, we created an on-line course consisting of 28 modules (4.75 hours CME credit) about communication skills during pediatric visits that included a mental health concern; each module included a brief case, a multiple choice question, an explanation, and a 1-2 minute video demonstrating key skills. Specific communication skills included: greeting, setting an agenda, discussing diagnosis and treatment, and managing negative interactions. The course was announced by emails in spring, 2007; the course was available on-line for 60 days; we aimed to enroll 50 clinicians. Outcomes were analyzed for those who evaluated the course within 75 days of its initial availability. RESULTS: Overall, 61 clinicians registered, of whom most were nurses (N = 24), physicians (N = 22), or psychologists or social workers (N = 12). Of the 36 (59%) clinicians who evaluated the course, over 85% agreed that all course objectives had been met; over 90% reported greater confidence in greetings and agenda-setting; and over 80% reported greater confidence in discussing diagnosis and treatment and managing negative interactions. Nearly all, 97% would recommend the course to other clinicians and trainees. Suggestions for improvement included a library of additional video vignettes and written materials to accompany the on-line training. CONCLUSION: On-line training in communication skills for pediatric mental health visits is feasible, desirable and associated with increased confidence in key skills. Positive feedback from clinicians suggests that a comparison of on-line versus in-person training is warranted.

Doctors' attachment style and their inclination to propose somatic interventions for medically unexplained symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the theory that general practitioners (GPs) offer somatic intervention to patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) as a defensive response to patients' dependence. We predicted that GPs most likely to respond somatically after patients indicated symptomatic or psychosocial needs had attachment style characterised by negative models of self and others. METHOD: Twenty-five GPs identified 308 patients presenting MUS and indicated their own models of self and others. Consultations were audio recorded and coded speech-turn-by-speech-turn. We modeled the probability of GPs proposing somatic intervention on any turn as a function of their models of self and other and the number of prior turns containing symptomatic or psychosocial presentations. RESULTS: Prior psychosocial presentations decreased the likelihood of GPs offering somatic intervention. The decrease was greatest in GPs with most positive models of self and, contrary to prediction, least positive models of others. The positive relationship between prior somatic presentations and the likelihood that GPs offered somatic intervention was unrelated to either model. CONCLUSION: Findings are incompatible with our theory that GPs propose somatic interventions defensively. Instead, GPs may provide somatic intervention because they value patients (positive model of others) but devalue their own psychological skills (negative model of self).

Doctors' responses to patients with medically unexplained symptoms who seek emotional support: criticism or confrontation?

OBJECTIVE: Consultations about medically unexplained symptoms (MUSs) can resemble contests over the legitimacy of patients' demands. To understand doctors' motivations for speech appearing to be critical of patients with MUSs, we tested predictions that its frequency would be related to patients' demands for emotional support and doctors' patient-centered attitudes as well as adult attachment style. METHODS: Twenty-four general practitioners identified 249 consecutive patients presenting with MUSs and indicated their own patient-centered attitudes as well as adult attachment style (positive models of self and others). Before consultation, patients self-reported their desire for emotional support. Consultations were audio recorded and coded utterance by utterance. The number of utterances coded as criticism was the response variable in the multilevel regression analyses. RESULTS: Frequency of criticism was positively related to patients' demands for emotional support, to doctors' belief in sharing responsibility with patients and to doctors' positive model of themselves. It was inversely associated with doctors' belief that patients' feelings were legitimate business for consultation and was unrelated to their model of others. CONCLUSIONS: From the perspective of doctors, speech that appears to be critical probably reflects therapeutic intent and might therefore be better described as "confrontation." Understanding doctors' motivations for what they say to patients with MUSs will allow for more effective interventions to improve the quality of consultations.