Assessing Psychopathology in Children of Psychiatrically Disturbed Parents: A Pilot Study

The diagnostic status of 28 children of psychiatrically disturbed parents was evaluated using structured diagnostic interviewing procedures. We examined the relationship between children's interviews and mothers' interviews about their children, in order to determine the level of diagnostic agreement. The results of this comparison indicated a moderate level of diagnostic agreement between mothers and children on children's psychiatric disorders. A 43% prevalence of psychiatric disorders in this high-risk sample was also found. The need for obtaining and combining information from mother and child informants for optimal diagnostic assessment is stressed. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Communicative Competence in Parents of Children with Autism and Parents of Children with Specific Language Impairment

While the primary language deficit in autism has been thought to be pragmatic, and in specific language impairment (SLI) structural, recent research suggests phenomenological and possibly genetic overlap between the two syndromes. To compare communicative competence in parents of children with autism, SLI, and down syndrome (DS), we used a modified pragmatic rating scale (PRS-M). Videotapes of conversational interviews with 47 autism, 47 SLI, and 21 DS parents were scored blind to group membership. Autism and SLI parents had significantly lower communication abilities than DS parents. Fifteen percent of the autism and SLI parents showed severe deficits. Our results suggest that impaired communication is part of the broader autism phenotype and a broader SLI phenotype, especially among male family members.     

Children of Parents with Eating Disorders

Purpose of Review

Our primary goal in this article is to review recent findings (from 2015 and on) concerning children of parents with eating disorders. This review addresses the question of whether the offspring of parents with past or present eating disorders have adverse outcomes. This update is timely and informative because recent research includes controlled studies and large cohort designs and earlier reviews relied on case report evidence.

Recent Findings

Despite substantial diversity in study design, sample size, and parental eating disorder definition, overall, existing research suggests that the children of parents with eating disorders exhibit compromised development: a greater risk of perinatal complications; a tendency toward extremes of growth at birth; greater problems in feeding and eating behaviors and greater incidence of eating disorder symptoms; more psychological and socioemotional difficulties; and more negative qualities to parent-child interactions. Data on children’s cognitive outcomes is thus far inconsistent.

Summary

Given the relatively high incidence of eating disorder history in individuals of childbearing age, research into its potential effects on children is necessary. However, the methodological shortcomings and a limited evidence base caution in drawing conclusions. Nevertheless, mental health services should address the possible problems that these children face and offer tailored programs.

     

Support for Parents of Children with Anorexia: What Parents Want

Parents' encounters with health professionals can influence their ability to cope with having a daughter with anorexia nervosa. Using qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 24 parents, we examine the question “What support do parents of teenage girls with anorexia want from clinicians?” The analysis shows that parents wanted clinicians to include them in treatment, support and guide them in their daughters' care, and demonstrate positive attitudes toward them. The implications for clinicians are discussed, including being sensitive to parents' vulnerability, ensuring congruence between clinicians' and parents' expectations about treatment, and strengthening formal channels of communication.     

Nurses As Health Educators: With Emotionally Disturbed Children

A health education program as part of a service for emotionally disturbed children presents unusual challenges as well as unusual rewards. Such a program should be based upon the unique emotional needs of the child, so that both openness and basic human values can be emphasized. Program structure and process should reflect the over-all philosophy of the service, which means that the roles played by both treatment staff members andparents need to be recognized and integrated into the program. In sum, the nurse who combines theoretical and experiential knowledge is well suited to serve as a specialized health educator who can present an integrated life cycle approach to bodily function and sexuality. Through this approach, emotionally disturbed children can acquire greater knowledge about formerly taboo subjects, and greater maturity in handling their emotional responses to these areas.     

Moderators of Stress in Parents of Children with Autism

Parents of children with autism experience more stress and are more susceptible to negative outcomes than parents of children with other disabilities. The present work examines the relationship between stressors, social support, locus of control, coping styles, and negative outcomes (depression, social isolation, and spousal relationship problems) among parents of children with autism. Fifty-eight parents completed surveys. Results indicated that several coping styles corresponded to negative outcomes. Furthermore, the relationship between stressors and negative outcomes was moderated by social support and coping style. Results are discussed in relation to applications for clinical practice.     

Mental Health Center and School District Partnership for Emotionally Disturbed Children

The award winning partnership between a school district and mental health facility to operate a special day program for severely emotionally disturbed children is described. The Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas has contracted with the Southwest Mental Health Center for 15 years to provide clinical program management, counseling, and consultation plus the behavior management services by mental health workers. Over fifty elementary age children participate daily in the Northside Children's Center therapeutic program. The District assigns special education teachers and necessary support staff for this program plus the school facility. Parent satisfaction has been positive and school attendance is congruent with both District and State averages for regular students.     

Social Status of the Parents of Cerebral Palsied Children

We have studied the social status of parents of children with cerebral palsy in Bristol and Sheffield. There was no significant difference from the normal distribution of the social classes in those regions.

RÉSUMÉ

Statut social des parents d'enfants atteints de paralysie cérébrale
Nous avons étudié le groupement social des parents d'enfants atteints de paralysie cérébrale à Bristol et à Sheffield. Il n'a été trouvé aucune différence significative avec la répartition normale des groupes sociaux dans ces régions.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Soziales Statut der Kinder mit Zerehrallaehmung
Wir haben die soziale Zusammenstellung der Eltern der Kinder mit Zerebrallähmung in Bristol und Sheffield untersucht. Es wurde kein bedeutsamer Unterschied mit der normalen Verteilung der sozialen Gruppen in diesen Gegenden gefunden.     

Alexithymia in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Given the recent findings regarding the association between alexithymia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the accumulating evidence for the presence of the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) in relatives of individuals with ASD, we further explored the construct of alexithymia in parents of children with ASD as a potential part of the BAP. We hypothesized that (a) parents of children with ASD will demonstrate higher impairment in their emotion processing when compared to controls, and (b) high impairment in emotion processing in parents will be associated with severity of symptoms in children with ASD. Psychometric and diagnostic data were collected on 188 children with a diagnosis of ASD. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was completed by 439 parents of children with ASD and a control group of 45 parents of children with Prader Willi syndrome (PW). Results show that ASD parents score higher than controls on the TAS-20 total score. Within the ASD group, children of fathers with high alexithymia score higher on repetitive behaviour symptoms compared to children of fathers with low alexithymia. The alexithymia trait appears to be one of the many building blocks that make up the BAP.     

Depression, desperation, and suicidal ideation in college students: results from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention College Screening Project at Emory University

The objective of this investigation was to examine suicidal ideation and depression in undergraduate college students who participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention-sponsored College Screening Project at Emory University. The principal measure of depressive symptoms was the nine-item depression module from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Additional questions were focused on current suicidal ideation, past suicide attempts, and episodes of deliberate self-harm and on symptoms of anxiety and distress. Seven hundred and twenty-nine students participated over a 3-school-year interval (2002-2005). Most notably, 11.1% of the students endorsed current (past 4 weeks) suicidal ideation and 16.5% had a lifetime suicide attempt or self-injurious episode. Students with current suicidal ideation had significantly higher depression symptom severity than those without suicidal ideation (t = -9.34, df = 706, P<.0001, d = 1.9), and 28.5% of the students with PHQ-9 scores of 15 or higher reported suicidal ideation compared to 5.7% of those with lower scores (chi(2) = 56.29, df = 1, P<.0001, two-tailed). Suicidal ideation was prominently associated with symptoms of desperation (odds ratio 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6, P<.001). The vast majority of students with moderately severe to severe depression (85%) or current suicidal ideation (84%) were not receiving any psychiatric treatment at the time of assessment. These results suggest that there is a strong relationship between severity of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in college students, and that suicidal feelings and actions are relatively common in this group. This underscores the need to provide effective mental health outreach and treatment services to this vulnerable population. As this analysis was based on data collected at a single institution, the results may not be representative of all college students or young adults.