[Depression in children: prospective studies]. / Prospektywne badania nad depresja u dzieci.

Prospective longitudinal observation of children socially and emotionally immature and depressive at entering school was carried on till their early adolescence. The study's aim was to describe: 1. childhood depression dynamics, 2. developmental changes in depression, 3. factors related to the depression course, 4. relation of childhood depression to adolescence depression. A screening study of representative population of school entering children led to identification of a risk group followed-up 3 and 6 years later. The Kraków Depression Inventory (AO "B1" and IO "B1") was used to diagnose, and for analysis of depression. Results of the study revealed a tendency to chronic course of depression in the studied group. Data collected at the first and the second stage showed coincidence of the depression chronicity and a set of nonspecific factors of "biological vulnerability" on the one hand, and dysfunctional family on the other. The latter was characterized by unclear family boundaries and difficult relational individuation. Data collected at the third stage of the study showed persistence of depression in the same individuals. Entering adolescence seemed to have no impact on depression prevalence in the studied group. It was, however, evident that cognitive and general activity disturbances increased among those studied who were not diagnosed depressive in the second and third stage. This finding requires further studies.

[Biological and family factors in the chronicity of childhood depression. Longitudinal study]. / Wplyw czynników biologicznych i rodzinnych na przewlekle utrzymywanie sie depresji u dzieci. Badania longitudinalne.

A prospective follow-up study was conducted of a group of 32 children diagnosed at 7 years of age as socially and emotionally immature and depressive. In the three year follow-up a group found still depressive was compared with those no longer depressive. Biological vulnerability, early childhood development, family internal and external boundaries and child relational individuation were taken into account. Chronicity of childhood depression can be related to vulnerability and to family disfunction. Mutual interrelation of those factors requires further studies.

[The dynamics of depression on children. A prospective follow-up study]. / Dynamika depresji u dzieci. Badania longitudinalne.

Prospective follow-up study of a group of 33 children diagnosed as socially and emotionally immature, and depressive at age 7 years were conducted. Results of assessment at 10 years of age revealed chronicity of depression in this group. Chronicity of depression was reflected in the change of symptomatology. The thesis about the dependence of depressive symptoms on the developmental stage was supported. Answers to the question about the nature of childhood depression should be looked for in farther longitudinal studies.

[Depression in children at the beginning of school education. Prevalence of the phenomenon and its relation to the child's adaptive capacity]. / Depresja u dzieci podejmujacych nauke szkolna. Rozpowszechnienie zjawiska i jego zaleznosc od mozliwosci przystosowawczych dziecka.

Depression in children has an unfavourable influence on the psychosocial development of the individual, therefore it requires suitable therapeutic and prophylactic approach. The dependencies between school-age immaturity and the prevalence of depression in children were evaluated in the prospective study. The school maturity, and one year later the prevalence of depression were studied in a representative sample of 502 "0"-grade children from the large urban population. The school immaturity was found in 10.56% of probands. More common symptoms were: withdrawal and antisocial behaviour. Depression was found in 32.79% of first-grade students, more frequent children with adaptation difficulties, especially among school-immature boys. The premature biological development, the symptoms of organic brain damage, and low I.Q. do not explain sufficiently neither the school-immaturity nor the prevalence of depression in children. It was found that emotional and social immaturity to the school duties facilitates the onset of depression among I grade students, while the role of the family and school in the genesis of both phenomena studied requires further investigations.

[Character disorders and social maladjustment]. / Caractéropathies et inadaptation sociale.

1020 juvenile delinquents were subjected to psychiatric examinations between 1960 and 1965 which in about 50 percent of them showed certain deviations from the psychic standard. The largest group (372) was that with disorders of the central nervous system (characteropathy). By special examinations (pneumoencephalography, arteriography, and electroencephalography) it was possible to find variations in the form of an internal hydrocephaly, cerebral atrophy, or anomaly in the electroencephalogram. The investigations also showed that characteropathic individuals more easily succumb to the demoralizing influence of a specific environment and also yielded to a secondary sociopathization. They constituted the most difficult element in the reformatories. From a scientific investigation of the problem of juvenile delinquents the practical conclusion is to be drawn that it is absolutely necessary to create medicopedagogic reform schools, the activities of which are based upon the latest achievements in psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and therapeutic education.