Identifying potential catalysts to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among adolescents living in Nigeria.

Investing in adolescents in Africa holds great promise for the development of the continent. The steps involved in identifying factors linked to interventions that may accelerate the attainment of multiple SDGs for adolescents in Nigeria are described. Data from a survey to investigate the well-being of 1800 adolescents aged 10-19 years in Southwest Nigeria was analysed. A four-step process was employed: 1) Mapping of variables deemed as suitable proxies for SDG targets; 2) Mapping hypothesised protective factors (accelerators) from the study instruments. Consequently, SDG targets related to elimination of hunger, good health, gender equality and peace; and seven accelerators (safe schools, parenting support, good mental health, no survival work, food security, stable childhood, and regular physical activity) were identified; 3) evaluating associations using bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression, 4) calculating adjusted probabilities. The mean age of the adolescents was 15.02 ± 2.27 years (48.6% female). Good mental health, not doing survival work, safe schools, stable childhood and parental support were significantly associated with at least two SDG targets. For example, food security was significantly associated with the highest number of SDG outcomes: one SDG target related to child survival (no substance use: x2 = 3.39, p = <0.001); three SDG targets related to educational outcomes (school progression: x2 = 5.68, p = 0.017, ability to concentrate in school: x2 = 26.92, p = <0.001, and school attendance: x2 = 25.89, p = <0.001); and four SDG targets related to child protection (no risky sexual behaviours: x2 = 16.14, p = <0.001, no perpetration of violence: x2 = 15.74, p = <0.001, no community violence: x2 = 39.06, p =<0.001, and no sexual abuse: x2 = 7.66, p = 0.006). Interventions centred around good mental health, not doing survival work, safe schools, small family size, stable childhood and parental support are potential accelerators for the attainment of SDG outcomes by adolescents living in Nigeria.

Risk factors and outcomes of delirium in hospitalized older Ghanaians.

OBJECTIVES: Delirium has been rarely studied in older West Africans. We sought to investigate its correlates and outcomes in hospitalized older Ghanaians. METHODS: This was a one-month prospective observational study. Delirium prevalence was assessed within 24 h of admission using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Incident delirium was determined with repeat CAM assessments on post-admission days 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28, after censoring participants with prevalent delirium. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore risk factors. Estimates of adjusted hazard ratios for mortality were derived with the discrete time version of the Cox regression model for time invariant explanatory variables. RESULTS: Among 483 participants, 250 (51.8%, 95% CI: 47.3-56.3) had prevalent delirium while 10 of the remaining 233 (4.3%, 95% CI: 2.1-7.8) developed incident delirium. Being older than 80 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2-3.6), having no formal education (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.4), stroke (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1-3.0), infection (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.0), and high Triage Early Warning Score (OR = 6.9, 95% CI: 2.5-19.0) predicted delirium. Delirium (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0-3.3) and high TEWS (HR = 4.6 (95% CI: 1.7-12.7) at baseline predicted mortality. These factors also predicted longer hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Over half of hospital-treated older Ghanaians in the present study had delirium on the first day of admission. The syndrome prolonged hospitalisation and increased mortality risk. Future studies in West Africa may investigate the epidemiology of delirium in primary care and community settings.

Accelerating progress towards the sustainable development goals for adolescents in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Since the adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN), the search has been on to identify interventions that have effects on multiple SDG-targets simultaneously. Like other developing countries, Ghana has a youthful population and would require creative, urgent, youth-focused interventions to be able to attain the SDGs by 2030. This paper describes the application of the accelerator model on data from a sample of Ghanaian adolescents to identify potential accelerators towards selected SDG targets involving youth. The data for 944 adolescents, 10-19 years (mean age 12.31 ± 3.51 years), extracted from two cross-sectional surveys on children and adolescents aged 6-19 years in Kumasi, Ghana, were analysed in this paper. Variables considered suitable proxies for SDG targets and potential accelerators were identified from the study instruments. Consequently, four aligned SDG targets (good mental health, access to ICT, school completion and no open defaecation) and five accelerators (cognitive stimulation, no relative poverty, low student-teacher ratio, high caregiver education and safe water) were extracted. Associations between accelerators and SDG targets were assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for sociodemographic covariates and multiple testing. Cumulative effects were tested by marginal effects modelling. The three hypothesised accelerators identified were cognitive stimulation, low student-teacher ratio, and no relative poverty. A combination of all three accelerators was associated with a higher likelihood of adolescents having access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by +73% (CI 0.72-0.74), no open defecation by +44% (CI 0.43-0.46), school completion by +27% (CI 0.26-0.27) and good mental health by +9% (CI 0.08-0.10). Three hypothesized accelerators showed association across all four SDG aligned targets. The accelerator model has been further validated in this dataset from Ghana. Robust interventions designed around these accelerators may represent an opportunity for achieving the SDGs in Ghana.

A Systematic Review of the Validity and Reliability of Assessment Tools for Executive Function and Adaptive Function Following Brain Pathology among Children and Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Minimal but increasing number of assessment instruments for Executive functions (EFs) and adaptive functioning (AF) have either been developed for or adapted and validated for use among children in low and middle income countries (LAMICs). However, the suitability of these tools for this context is unclear. A systematic review of such instruments was thus undertaken. The Systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist (Liberati et al., in BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 339, 2009). A search was made for primary research papers reporting psychometric properties for development or adaptation of either EF or AF tools among children in LAMICs, with no date or language restrictions. 14 bibliographic databases were searched, including grey literature. Risk of bias assessment was done following the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) guidelines (Mokkink et al., in Quality of Life Research, 63, 32, 2014). For EF, the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF- multiple versions), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Go/No-go and the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) were the most rigorously validated. For AFs, the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS- multiple versions) and the Child Function Impairment Rating Scale (CFIRS- first edition) were most validated. Most of these tools showed adequate internal consistency and structural validity. However, none of these tools showed acceptable quality of evidence for sufficient psychometric properties across all the measured domains, particularly so for content validity and cross-cultural validity in LAMICs. There is a great need for adequate adaptation of the most popular EF and AF instruments, or alternatively the development of purpose-made instruments for assessing children in LAMICs.Systematic Review Registration numbers: CRD42020202190 (EF tools systematic review) and CRD42020203968 (AF tools systematic review) registered on PROSPERO website ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ).

Assessment Tools for Executive Function and Adaptive Function Following Brain Pathology Among Children in Developing Country Contexts: a Scoping Review of Current Tools.

Several tools have been developed to assess executive function (EFs) and adaptive functioning, although in mainly Western populations. Information on tools for low-and-middle-income country children is scanty. A scoping review of such instruments was therefore undertaken.We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis- Scoping Review extension (PRISMA-ScR) checklist (Tricco et al., in Annals of Internal Medicine 169(7), 467-473, 2018). A search was made for primary research papers of all study designs that focused on development or adaptation of EF or adaptive function tools in low-and-middle-income countries, published between 1st January 1894 to 15th September 2020. 14 bibliographic databases were searched, including several non-English databases and the data were independently charted by at least 2 reviewers.The search strategy identified 5675 eligible abstracts, which was pruned down to 570 full text articles. These full-text articles were then manually screened for eligibility with 51 being eligible. 41 unique tools coming in 49 versions were reviewed. Of these, the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF- multiple versions), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Go/No-go and the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) had the most validations undertaken for EF tests. For adaptive functions, the tools with the most validation studies were the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS- multiple versions) and the Child Function Impairment Rating Scale (CFIRS- first edition).There is a fair assortment of tests available that have either been developed or adapted for use among children in developing countries but with limited range of validation studies. However, their psychometric adequacy for this population was beyond the scope of this paper.

Neuroimaging the consciousness of self: Review, and conceptual-methodological framework.

We review neuroimaging research investigating self-referential processing (SRP), that is, how we respond to stimuli that reference ourselves, prefaced by a lexical-thematic analysis of words indicative of "self-feelings". We consider SRP as occurring verbally (V-SRP) and non-verbally (NV-SRP), both in the controlled, "top-down" form of introspective and interoceptive tasks, respectively, as well as in the "bottom-up" spontaneous or automatic form of "mind wandering" and "body wandering" that occurs during resting state. Our review leads us to outline a conceptual and methodological framework for future SRP research that we briefly apply toward understanding certain psychological and neurological disorders symptomatically associated with abnormal SRP. Our discussion is partly guided by William James' original writings on the consciousness of self.

Child and adolescent psychiatry training curriculum: a global trainee's perspective.

This article is a summary of perspectives on training curricula from child and adolescent psychiatry trainees globally. We aimed to identify the relative strengths, weaknesses and gaps in learning needs from a trainee's perspective. The 20 early-career child psychiatrists who contributed are from 16 countries and represent all the five continents. We could identify some global challenges as well as local/regional challenges that need to be addressed to develop competent child psychiatrists.

Prevalence and patterns of mental disorders among primary school age children in Ghana: correlates with academic achievement.

Background: There is limited data on the prevalence of child and adolescent mental health disorders (CAMHD) in Ghana. Recent reports suggest a decline in academic achievement in basic education. This paper sought to determine the prevalence of CAMHD in Ghanaian primary school children and to draw correlates with academic achievement.Methods: We conducted a pilot cross-sectional survey of 303 grade 3 pupils aged 7-15 years in the city of Kumasi. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) were used to assess for CAMHD in 2016, and data on performance in examinations over the prior academic year were analysed.Results: Overall, current prevalence of CAMHD was 7.25%, with depressive disorder = 1.31%, anxiety disorders = 1%, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) = 1.64%, conduct disorder = 1.97%, and intellectual disability = 1%. Co-morbid disorders, such as seizure disorder (1%), were also noted. There was a greater prevalence of CAMHD in public schools (11.6%) compared to private schools (0.7%), with p < 0.001. Even when adjusted for other factors, children with CAMHD had a lower average academic score by 10.5 units (p < 0.001). Thus, having a dual diagnosis was most predictive of academic underachievement.Conclusions: The results of this study document the prevalence of CAMHD in Ghana for the first time and shows correlates with academic underachievement.

Building Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Expertise in Ghana Through Training and Knowledge Dissemination: a Review of the Initial Collaboration Stages, Opportunities, and Challenges.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Improving child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) is a priority worldwide. The majority of children with psychiatric conditions in low-middle-income countries (LMIC), like Ghana, receive no treatment due largely to limited resources and few CAMH training opportunities. The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and University of Michigan (UM) established a partnership to expand CAMH training for general psychiatrists in Ghana. Lessons learned from the early stages of the collaboration can serve as an adaptable roadmap for similar efforts to expand CAMH training in LMIC. RECENT FINDINGS: Previous articles have discussed global academic partnership, training, and capacity building programs; however, early challenges, opportunities, and preparatory stages involved in creating a mutually beneficial collaboration aimed at improving child psychiatry expertise in a LMIC are under explored in the global mental health literature. This article seeks to fill that gap by using examples to highlight unique considerations for institutions in the initial stages of establishing their global partnership. The early stages of a global partnership can impact the success of the collaboration. Collaborations should be bi-directional, sensitive to local culture, and flexible and establish achievable sustainable goals.