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1.
Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol ; 52(5): 713-725, 2024 May.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38109023

Depressed youth frequently present with comorbid symptoms. Comorbidity is related to a poorer prognosis, including treatment resistance, academic problems, risk of suicide, and overall impairment. Studies examining the latent structure of depression support the notion of multiple presentations of depressed youth; however, it is unclear how these presentations are represented among acutely impaired youth. Participants (n = 457) in this naturalistic study were admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit (Mean age = 14.33 years, SD = 1.94;76% female;46.6% Black/African-American). Selected subscales from the parent-report Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, were utilized as indicators in a latent profile analysis. Subgroups were validated based on their relationships with meaningful clinical correlates (e.g., family factors, discharge diagnosis) and further described by their associations with demographic variables. A five-class model provided the best balance of fit and parsimony. Subtypes of depressed youth included Predominantly Depressed (39.1%), Oppositional (28.2%), Severely Disruptive (12.3%), Anxious-Oppositional (11.6%), and Anxious-Withdrawn (8.8%). Comorbid symptoms were present in four of the five classes (60.9% of sample). High levels of externalizing symptoms were a prominent clinical feature associated with three classes (52.1% of the sample). Construct validity of the respective classes was demonstrated by differential association with clinical correlates, family characteristics, and demographics. Findings suggest that depressed youth presenting for acute inpatient psychiatric care displayed varied clinical presentations. The identified latent groups aligned with existing research reflecting comorbidity with anxiety, inattention, and externalizing disorders. Findings underscore the need for an increased clinical appreciation of comorbidity and encourage more targeted and effective prevention and treatment strategies.


Comorbidity , Inpatients , Humans , Female , Male , Adolescent , Inpatients/psychology , Inpatients/statistics & numerical data , Child , Latent Class Analysis , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Depressive Disorder/epidemiology , Depressive Disorder/therapy , Depressive Disorder/psychology
2.
Early Interv Psychiatry ; 17(6): 581-587, 2023 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37280060

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory project aims to provide an empirical understanding of the caregiver-reported emotional and behavioural functioning of children 12 and under who present to an inpatient psychiatric unit with suicidal ideation and/or attempts. METHOD: A retrospective chart review was conducted, including all patients (n = 573) aged 12 and under admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit between September 2011-December 2015 for suicidal ideation without proximal attempt (n = 155) or a suicide attempt (n = 37). Inpatients without suicidal thoughts and behaviour in the same age range (n = 381) served as a control group. The three groups were compared on a range of variables, including patient history/demographics, caregiver-reported emotional/behavioural functioning, and discharge diagnoses. RESULTS: Children who were admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit following suicide attempts and/or ideation demonstrated clinically significant levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Children with suicidal thoughts and behaviour (STB) were more likely to be female and older than their peers without STB, more likely to report a history of sexual abuse and non-suicidal self-injury, and to be diagnosed with a depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Children with STB differ demographically, symptomatically, and diagnostically from their peers without STB with comparable levels of psychiatric impairment (i.e., necessitating inpatient admission). Results provide provisional information on this concerning group of children, which can be used to aid identification of risk factors, inform treatment, and stimulate future work.


Caregivers , Suicidal Ideation , Humans , Child , Female , Male , Retrospective Studies , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Risk Factors
3.
J Autism Dev Disord ; 2023 Apr 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37022580

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuropsychiatric condition that may be associated with negative health outcomes. This retrospective cohort study reveals the odds of hospitalization and mortality based on ASD for a population of insured patients with COVID-19. The odds of hospitalization and mortality for people with ASD were found to be greater than individuals without ASD when adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Hospitalization and mortality was associated with a dose-response increase to comorbidity counts (1 to 5+). Odds of mortality remained greater for those with ASD when adjusting for comorbid health conditions. ASD is a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. Comorbid health conditions play a particular role in increasing the odds of COVID-19 related hospitalization and death for ASD patients.

4.
Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev ; 26(1): 259-271, 2023 03.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36609931

Aggressive behavior is one of the most common reasons for referrals of youth to mental health treatment. While there are multiple publications describing different types of aggression in children, it remains challenging for clinicians to diagnose and treat aggressive youth, especially those with impulsively aggressive behaviors. The reason for this dilemma is that currently several psychiatric diagnoses include only some of the common symptoms of aggression in their criteria. However, no single diagnosis or diagnostic specifier adequately captures youth with impulsive aggression (IA). Here we review select current diagnostic categories, including behavior and mood disorders, and suggest that they do not provide an adequate description of youth with IA. We also specifically focus on the construct of IA as a distinct entity from other diagnoses and propose a set of initial, provisional diagnostic criteria based on the available evidence that describes youth with IA to use for future evaluation.


Aggression , Impulsive Behavior , Adolescent , Child , Humans , Aggression/psychology , Mental Disorders , Psychotherapy
5.
J Dev Behav Pediatr ; 43(4): 181-187, 2022 05 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34657090

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation of universal suicide risk screening in pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) medical clinics, analyze demographic and clinical characteristics of eligible patients, describe outcomes of positive screenings, and describe factors that influenced participation in screenings. METHODS: A suicide risk screening protocol was developed and implemented for medical clinic patients aged 8 to 18 years. Registered nurses screened patients using the "Ask Suicide-Screening Questions" tool during triage. Positive screenings were referred for further assessment and mental health management. Demographics and clinical data were extracted from medical records using retrospective chart reviews. RESULTS: During the 6-month study period, 2961 individual patients presented for 5260 screening eligible patient visits. In total, 3854 (73.3%) screenings were completed with 261 (6.8%) positive screenings noted. Screenings were declined in 1406 (26.7%) visits. Parents of children with cognitive impairments were more likely to decline screening. Clinics serving children with autism spectrum disorder had higher rates of positive screenings compared with all other clinic attendees. Seventy-two of 187 children (38.5%) with positive screenings were identified and referred to outpatient mental health referrals. Seven (2.5%) of these children required acute psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSION: Routine screening, identification of increased suicide risk, and referral to mental health care among children with NDD are feasible. It remains unclear whether variation in rates among youth with and without NDD may indicate true differences in suicide risk or cognitive impairments or reflect psychiatric comorbidities. High rates of declined participation may have influenced identification of children with NDD and suicide risk. Preliminary findings identified groups of children with NDD at heightened risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. Further research is needed to assess the validity of suicide risk screening tools in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.


Autism Spectrum Disorder , Suicide Prevention , Adolescent , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis , Autism Spectrum Disorder/epidemiology , Child , Humans , Mass Screening , Outpatients , Retrospective Studies , Suicidal Ideation
6.
Psychiatr Serv ; 73(1): 26-31, 2022 Jan 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34126779

OBJECTIVE: Serious mental illness places a considerable burden on the mental health service system in the United States. To date, no research has examined the availability of psychiatric emergency walk-in and crisis services. The goal of this study was to examine temporal trends, geographic variation, and characteristics of psychiatric facilities that provide emergency psychiatric walk-in and crisis services across the United States. METHODS: The authors used cross-sectional, annually collected data covering the 2014-2018 period from the National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS), a representative survey of both public and private mental health treatment facilities in the United States. RESULTS: Overall, 42.6% of all U.S. mental health facilities did not offer any mental health crisis services between 2014 and 2018. A third of all facilities (33.5%) offered emergency psychiatric walk-in services, and just under one-half (48.3%) provided crisis services. When examining population-adjusted estimates, the authors noted a 15.8% (1.52-1.28 per 100,000 U.S. adults) and 7.5% (2.01-1.86 per 100,000 U.S. adults) decrease in walk-in and crisis services, respectively, from 2014 to 2018. Large geographic variation in service availability was also observed. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of psychiatric facilities in the United States do not provide psychiatric walk-in or crisis services. Availability of these services either has stayed flat or is declining. Disparities, particularly around U.S. borders and coasts, suggest policy efforts would be valuable for ensuring equitable service availability.


Emergency Services, Psychiatric , Mental Disorders , Mental Health Services , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Hospitals, Psychiatric , Humans , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/therapy , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States
7.
Am J Prev Med ; 60(5): e221-e229, 2021 05.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33648787

INTRODUCTION: Well-care use can positively impact adolescents' current and future health. Understanding adolescents' longitudinal well-care use is critical to determine to whom and when to target engagement strategies to improve healthcare access. This study describes prospective well-care use patterns from childhood through adolescence stratified by sex. METHODS: The sample (N=6,872) was drawn from the Child/Young Adult component of the household-based 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth consisting of biological children born to female respondents (1980-1997). Well-care use (routine checkup with a doctor within last year) data were assessed from age 5 years (1986-2003) until age 17 years (1998-2015). Conducted in 2019, latent class analyses stratified by sex identified well-care use patterns reported over 7 biennial time points adjusted for cohort, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, maternal education, and insurance. RESULTS: A total of 4 well-care use classes emerged for female adolescents: the majority belonged to Engaged (37%) and Moderately Engaged (39%) classes and the remainder belonged to Gradually Re-engaged (14%) and Disengaged-with-Rebound (10%) classes. A total of 3 classes emerged for male adolescents: the majority belonged to the Persistently Disengaged (48%) class and the remainder belonged to Engaged (34%) and Gradually Re-engaged (18%) classes. For both sexes, comparing each cohort with the first, Engaged class membership increased for subsequent cohorts. Less engaged well-care use classes had more non-Hispanic White adolescents living in rural areas with lower insurance coverage. Maternal education differentiated well-care use classes for male but not for female adolescents, being higher for male adolescents in the Engaged class than in other classes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight that well-care use patterns for both sexes changed during the transition from childhood to adolescence and that class membership differed by covariates. These results suggest that sex-specific strategies may be needed to enhance adolescents' well-care use engagement over time.


Ethnicity , Insurance Coverage , Adolescent , Child , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Prospective Studies , Young Adult
8.
Complement Ther Med ; 53: 102527, 2020 Sep.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33066848

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage among children with and without developmental disabilities (DD). Secondarily, the association between CAM usage and comorbid chronic medical conditions was explored among children with DD. DESIGN: Data come from the 2012 Child Complementary and Alternative Medicine Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative sample of children in the United States between the ages of 4 and 17 (n = 10,218).Main outcome measures Multiple logistical regression models provided insight into the relationships between parent-report CAM usage, DD, and chronic medical conditions. RESULTS: Children with developmental disabilities were more likely to use CAMs compared to their typically developing peers (21% vs 16%). Children with DDs and comorbid chronic medical conditions used CAMs at even higher rates (23% vs 18%). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that children with DD, especially those with a co-occurring chronic medical condition, use CAMs more often that typically developing children. Given scarcity of information on safety and effectiveness, clinical providers need to be alert to which children may be more likely to be exposed to CAMs. Communication between parents and providers needs to include discussion of CAM treatments.


Chronic Disease/therapy , Complementary Therapies/methods , Complementary Therapies/statistics & numerical data , Developmental Disabilities/therapy , Disabled Children/rehabilitation , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Comorbidity , Female , Humans , Male , Prevalence , United States
9.
J Psychosom Res ; 137: 110207, 2020 Jul 28.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32745641

OBJECTIVE: Mood disorders, child maltreatment, and medical morbidity are associated with enormous public health burden and individual suffering. The effect of mood disorders on medical morbidity, accounting for child maltreatment, has not been studied prospectively in a large, representative sample of community-dwelling US adults. This study tested the effects of mood disorders and child maltreatment on medical morbidity, and variation by subtypes. METHODS: Participants were noninstitutionalized US adults in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 43,093 wave 1, N = 34,653 wave 2). Mood disorders included lifetime DSM-IV episodes of depression, dysthymia, mania, or hypomania. Child maltreatment was defined as sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, or physical or emotional neglect before age 18. Survey-weighted zero-inflated poisson regression was used to study effects on medical morbidity, a summary score of 11 self-reported medical conditions. Results were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity/race, income, substance use disorders, smoking, and obesity. RESULTS: Mood disorders and child maltreatment additively associated with medical morbidity at study entry and three years later, with similar magnitude as obesity and smoking. Mania/hypomania (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10) and child sexual (IRR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.11) and emotional (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10) abuse were associated with higher medical morbidity longitudinally. CONCLUSIONS: Child maltreatment is common, and its long-range negative effect on medical morbidity underscores the importance of trauma-informed care, and consideration of early life exposures. History of mania/hypomania should be considered in medical practice, and physical health must be emphasized in mental health care.

10.
Psychol Serv ; 17(2): 207-216, 2020 May.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30475042

Previous literature is severely limited in evaluation of psychometric properties of suicide screening methods in American Indian (AI) populations, despite the disproportionate burden of suicide faced within AI communities. The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior (SIQ-JR) for AI youth using 2 community samples of AI adolescents from a Southwestern tribe. The present study sample was comprised of 114 participants (n = 91 and n = 23), ages 10-19 years of age, from 2 studies, both of which were administered the SIQ-JR within 90 days of an index suicide attempt. Findings indicated that a two-factor model resulted in appropriate fit indices with AI youth, a general ideation index and an active ideation index. Scores on the active ideation and general ideation indices were also related to cumulative stress, self-reported suicidal ideation and previous suicide attempt, providing a measure of convergent validity. Finally, use of cutpoint of 20, rather than published cutpoint of 31, evidenced marginally better positive and negative predictive values, with sensitivity within acceptable ranges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


American Indian or Alaska Native , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/standards , Psychometrics/standards , Suicidal Ideation , Suicide, Attempted , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Southwestern United States , Young Adult
11.
J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol ; 49(6): 787-803, 2020.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31343896

The goal of this study is to develop a rational data-driven definition of impulsive/reactive aggression and establish distinctions between impulsive/reactive aggression and other common childhood problems. This is a secondary analysis of data from Assessing Bipolar: A Community Academic Blend (ABACAB; N = 636, ages 5-18), Stanley Medical Research Institute N = 392, ages 5-17), and the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS; N = 679, ages 6-12) studies, which recruited youths seeking outpatient mental health services in academic medical centers and community clinics. Following Jensen et al.'s (2007) procedure, 3 judges independently rated items from several widely used scales in terms of assessing impulsive/reactive aggression. Principal components analyses (PCA) modeled structure of the selected items supplemented by items related to mood symptoms, rule-breaking behavior, and hyperactivity/impulsivity to better define the boundaries between impulsive/reactive aggression and other common childhood symptoms. In the rational item selection process, there was good agreement among the 3 experts who rated items as characterizing impulsive/reactive aggression or not. PCA favored 5 dimension solutions in all 3 samples. Across all samples, PCA resulted in rule-breaking behavior, aggression-impulsive/reactive (AIR), mania, and depression dimensions; there was an additional hyperactive/impulsive dimension in the LAMS sample and a self-harm dimension in ABACAB and Stanley samples. The dimensions demonstrated good internal consistency; criterion validity coefficients also showed consistency across samples. This study is a step toward developing an empirically derived nosology of impulsive aggression/AIR. Findings support the validity of the AIR construct, which can be distinguished from manic and depressive symptoms as well as rule-breaking behavior.


Aggression/psychology , Impulsive Behavior/physiology , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results
12.
Am J Obstet Gynecol ; 219(1): 78.e1-78.e9, 2018 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29630890

BACKGROUND: Sacral neuromodulation is an effective therapy for overactive bladder, urinary retention, and fecal incontinence. Infection after sacral neurostimulation is costly and burdensome. Determining optimal perioperative management strategies to reduce the risk of infection is important to reduce this burden. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify risk factors associated with sacral neurostimulator infection requiring explantation, to estimate the incidence of infection requiring explantation, and identify associated microbial pathogens. STUDY DESIGN: This is a multicenter retrospective case-control study of sacral neuromodulation procedures completed from Jan. 1, 2004, through Dec. 31, 2014. We identified all sacral neuromodulation implantable pulse generator implants as well as explants due to infection at 8 participating institutions. Cases were patients who required implantable pulse generator explantation for infection during the review period. Cases were included if age ≥18 years old, follow-up data were available ≥30 days after implantable pulse generator implant, and the implant was performed at the institution performing the explant. Two controls were matched to each case. These controls were the patients who had an implantable pulse generator implanted by the same surgeon immediately preceding and immediately following the identified case who met inclusion criteria. Controls were included if age ≥18 years old, no infection after implantable pulse generator implant, follow-up data were available ≥180 days after implant, and no explant for any reason <180 days from implant. Controls may have had an explant for reasons other than infection at >180 days after implant. Fisher exact test (for categorical variables) and Student t test (for continuous variables) were used to test the strength of the association between infection and patient and surgery characteristics. Significant variables were then considered in a multivariable logistic regression model to determine risk factors independently associated with infection. RESULTS: Over a 10-year period at 8 academic institutions, 1930 sacral neuromodulator implants were performed by 17 surgeons. In all, 38 cases requiring device explant for infection and 72 corresponding controls were identified. The incidence of infection requiring explant was 1.97%. Hematoma formation (13% cases, 0% controls; P = .004) and pocket depth of ≥3 cm (21% cases, 0% controls; P = .031) were independently associated with an increased risk of infection requiring explant. On multivariable regression analysis controlling for significant variables, both hematoma formation (P = .006) and pocket depth ≥3 cm (P = .020, odds ratio 3.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-8.89) remained significantly associated with infection requiring explant. Of the 38 cases requiring explant, 32 had cultures collected and 24 had positive cultures. All 5 cases with a hematoma had a positive culture (100%). Of the 4 cases with a pocket depth ≥3 cm, 2 had positive cultures, 1 had negative cultures, and 1 had a missing culture result. The most common organism identified was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (38%). CONCLUSION: Infection after sacral neuromodulation requiring device explant is low. The most common infectious pathogen identified was methicillin-resistant S aureus. Demographic and health characteristics did not predict risk of explant due to infection, however, having a postoperative hematoma or a deep pocket ≥3 cm significantly increased the risk of explant due to infection. These findings highlight the importance of meticulous hemostasis as well as ensuring the pocket depth is <3 cm at the time of device implant.


Device Removal/statistics & numerical data , Fecal Incontinence/therapy , Prosthesis-Related Infections/epidemiology , Spinal Nerve Roots , Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiology , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation , Urinary Bladder, Overactive/therapy , Urinary Retention/therapy , Adult , Aged , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Prosthesis-Related Infections/therapy , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Sacrum , Spinal Nerves , Staphylococcus aureus
13.
J Atten Disord ; 22(5): 435-445, 2018 03.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25870202

OBJECTIVE: Given the link between negative body image and depression symptoms, body image may affect the association between ADHD and depression symptoms. We evaluated the degree to which a variety of body image constructs mediated the association between ADHD and depression symptoms. METHOD: Participants were undergraduate psychology students ( N = 627, age: M = 20.23, SD = 1.40, 60% female, 47% European American) who completed an online assessment. RESULTS: Results indicated that ADHD symptoms were indirectly associated with increased depression symptoms, and that negative evaluation of physical appearance, overweight preoccupation, and body dissatisfaction mediated the association between ADHD and depression symptoms. ADHD symptoms were also directly associated with increased depression symptoms. CONCLUSION: Body image appears to play a role in the association between ADHD and depression symptoms for college students. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.


Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Body Image/psychology , Depression/psychology , Students/psychology , Body Dysmorphic Disorders/psychology , Cognition , Emotions , Female , Humans , Male , Overweight/psychology , Universities , Young Adult
14.
Psychiatry Res ; 257: 150-155, 2017 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28755606

Because suicide attempts are multi-determined events, multiple pathways to suicidal behaviors exist. However, as a low-frequency behavior, within group differences in trajectories to attempts may not emerge when examined in samples including non-attempters. We used longitudinal latent profile analysis to identify subtypes specific for suicide attempters based on longitudinal trajectories of childhood clinical symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and aggression measured in 2nd, 4th-7th grades) for 161 young adults (35.6% male; 58.6% African American) who attempted suicide between ages 13-30 from a large, urban community-based, longitudinal prevention trial (n = 2311). Differences in psychiatric diagnoses, suicide attempt characteristics, criminal history and traumatic stress history were studied. Three subtypes emerged: those with all low (n = 32%), all high (n = 16%), and high depressive/anxious, but low aggressive (n = 52%) symptoms. Those with the highest levels of all symptoms were significantly more likely to report a younger age of suicide attempt, and demonstrate more substance abuse disorders and violent criminal histories. Prior studies have found that childhood symptoms of depression, anxiety and aggression are malleable targets; interventions directed at each reduce future risk for suicidal behaviors. Our findings highlight the link of childhood aggression with future suicidal behaviors extending this research by examining childhood symptoms of aggression in the context of depression and anxiety.


Aggression/psychology , Anxiety/psychology , Depression/psychology , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aggression/classification , Anxiety/classification , Anxiety/epidemiology , Depression/classification , Depression/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Prospective Studies , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Substance-Related Disorders/classification , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Suicide/classification , Suicide/trends , Suicide, Attempted/classification , Suicide, Attempted/trends , Young Adult , Suicide Prevention
15.
J Sch Psychol ; 61: 89-102, 2017 04.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28259246

Chronic absence is a significant problem in schools. School climate may play an important role in influencing chronic absence rates among schools, yet little research has evaluated how school climate constructs relate to chronic absence. Using multilevel latent profile analysis, we evaluated how profiles of student perceptions of school climate at both the student and school level differentiated school-level rates of chronic absence. Participants included 25,776 middle and high school students from 106 schools who completed a district administered school climate survey. Students attended schools in a large urban school district where 89% of 6th through 12th grade students were African-American and 61% were eligible for the federally subsidized school meals program. Three student-level profiles of perceptions of school climate emerged that corresponded to "positive," "moderate," and "negative" climate. Two predominant patterns regarding the distribution of these profiles within schools emerged that corresponded to the two school-level profiles of "marginal climate" and "climate challenged" schools. Students reporting "moderate" and "negative" climate in their schools were more likely to attend schools with higher chronic absence rates than students reporting that their school had "positive" climate. Likewise, "climate challenged" schools had significantly higher chronic absence rates than "marginal climate" schools. These results suggest that school climate shares an important relation with chronic absence among adolescent students attending urban schools. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.


Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Child Behavior/psychology , Models, Statistical , Schools , Students/psychology , Absenteeism , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male
16.
Prev Sci ; 18(2): 174-182, 2017 02.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27678381

The pediatric emergency department (ED) is a critical location for the identification of children and adolescents at risk for suicide. Screening instruments that can be easily incorporated into clinical practice in EDs to identify and intervene with patients at increased suicide risk is a promising suicide prevention strategy and patient safety objective. This study is a retrospective review of the implementation of a brief suicide screen for pediatric psychiatric ED patients as standard of care. The Ask Suicide Screening Questions (ASQ) was implemented in an urban pediatric ED for patients with psychiatric presenting complaints. Nursing compliance rates, identification of at-risk patients, and sensitivity for repeated ED visits were evaluated using medical records from 970 patients. The ASQ was implemented with a compliance rate of 79 %. Fifty-three percent of the patients who screened positive (237/448) did not present to the ED with suicide-related complaints. These identified patients were more likely to be male, African American, and have externalizing behavior diagnoses. The ASQ demonstrated a sensitivity of 93 % and specificity of 43 % to predict return ED visits with suicide-related presenting complaints within 6 months of the index visit. Brief suicide screening instruments can be incorporated into standard of care in pediatric ED settings. Such screens can identify patients who do not directly report suicide-related presenting complaints at triage and who may be at particular risk for future suicidal behavior. Results have the potential to inform suicide prevention strategies in pediatric EDs.


Emergency Service, Hospital , Hospitals, Pediatric , Suicidal Ideation , Suicide Prevention , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment/methods , Young Adult
17.
J Youth Adolesc ; 46(1): 136-150, 2017 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27438003

Distress tolerance and emotion regulation deficits are associated with many emotional and behavioral concerns and may be important deficit areas for college students especially during the transition to college. However, little is known about how distress tolerance and emotion regulation relate to each other or what typical profiles of these deficit areas might be. We took a variable-centered (i.e., exploratory factor analysis) and a person-centered approach (i.e., latent profile analysis) to identify the overlap and distinctiveness of distress tolerance and emotion regulation deficits and then evaluated how the profiles related to several emotional and behavioral concerns. Participants were undergraduates (N = 627; age M = 20.23, SD = 1.40; 60 % female; 47 % European-American) who completed an online assessment. The exploratory factor analysis of distress tolerance and emotion regulation subscales demonstrated three factors with one factor corresponding to distress tolerance and two factors defined by emotion regulation. Subscales demonstrated significant multidimensionality across the factors. The latent profile analysis with distress tolerance and emotion regulation subscales produced three profiles corresponding to "Functional", "At Risk", and "Challenged" levels of distress tolerance and emotion regulation abilities. Internalizing symptoms (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal ideation) had significantly higher symptom severity in the "At Risk", and "Challenged" profiles than in the "Functional" profile. ADHD symptoms and hostility showed a similar pattern. Conduct problems and substance use were much less related to the deficit profiles. Implications for the etiology of mental health, for prevention and treatment of college students are discussed.


Emotional Adjustment , Mental Health , Problem Behavior/psychology , Students/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adult , Anxiety/psychology , Female , Hostility , Humans , Male , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Universities
18.
Suicide Life Threat Behav ; 46(3): 255-65, 2016 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26395337

The trajectory of suicidal ideation across early adolescence may inform the timing of suicide prevention program implementation. This study aimed to identify developmental trajectories of suicidal ideation among an urban cohort of community-residing African Americans (AA) longitudinally followed from middle school through early adulthood (ages 11-19 years). Subtypes based on the developmental course of suicidal ideation from late childhood through mid-adolescence were identified using longitudinal latent class analysis (LLCA) with 581 AA adolescents (52.7% male; 71.1% free or reduced school meals). The developmental trajectories of suicidal ideation were then used to predict suicide attempts in young adulthood. Our LLCA indicated two subtypes (i.e., ideators and nonideators), with 8% of the sample in the ideator class. This trajectory class shows a peak of suicidal ideation in seventh grade and a steady decline in ideation in subsequent grades. Additionally, suicidal ideation trajectories significantly predicted suicide attempt. Results of these analyses suggest the need for suicide prevention approaches prior to high school for AA youth.


Black or African American/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Suicide, Attempted/trends , Urban Population , Adolescent , Baltimore , Child , Female , Forecasting , Humans , Male , Prospective Studies , Suicide, Attempted/prevention & control , Suicide Prevention
19.
Atten Defic Hyperact Disord ; 7(1): 39-47, 2015 Mar.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24858733

Previous research demonstrates that ADHD symptoms are related to increased risky sexual behavior. Distress intolerance (DIT) has also been linked to risk behavior and may also be related to increased risky sexual behavior. Thus, we evaluated the degree to which DIT moderated the link between ADHD symptoms and number of casual and monogamous sexual partners. Participants were undergraduate psychology students (N = 660; 30 % male; M = 20.23, SD = 1.40; 47 % European American) who completed an online assessment. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that several DIT constructs, specifically tolerance, appraisal, and regulation, moderated the link between ADHD symptoms and casual sex partners. Only regulation moderated the association between ADHD symptoms and monogamous sex partners. Results suggest that difficulty managing distress moderates the link between ADHD symptoms and number of sexual partners. These results have important implications for prevention and intervention program development.


Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Sexual Partners , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Unsafe Sex/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/complications , Female , Humans , Male , Stress, Psychological/complications , Young Adult
20.
J Atten Disord ; 19(8): 703-14, 2015 Aug.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24470539

OBJECTIVE: ADHD appears to increase risk for both depression and suicidal ideation, while ADHD and depression are also associated with emotion regulation deficits. Thus, we evaluated the degree to which depression mediated the association between ADHD and suicidal ideation, as well as the degree to which emotion regulation deficits moderated the association ADHD shared with depression and suicidal ideation in a nonclinical sample. METHOD: Participants were undergraduate psychology students (N = 627; age: M = 20.23, SD = 1.40; 60% female; 47% European American) who completed an online assessment. RESULTS: Results indicated that ADHD indirectly increased suicidal ideation through depression. Emotion regulation deficits of accepting negative emotions, emotional awareness, and goal-oriented behavior moderated the indirect effect of ADHD on suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Depression appears to play an important mediating role in suicidal ideation for college students with ADHD, and specific emotion regulation deficits appear to amplify the effects of ADHD on depression and suicidal ideation.


Depression/psychology , Emotions , Students/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Adolescent , Adult , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Depression/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Risk , Young Adult
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