Search

Potentially traumatizing events are common in adolescence, and these experiences have an impact on psychopathology. Furthermore, these events cumulate for certain individuals. More knowledge about the relationship between well-being and victimization experiences' amount, type, and timing in adolescents is needed to understand the phenomenon of adolescent victimization. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated in a population-based sample of Finnish adolescents, whether victimization experiences associate with psychosocial well-being. The study sample comprised 5743 adolescents aged 15–16 years who filled in a questionnaire about 12 victimization experiences and psychosocial well-being. General Linear Model regression analyses were used for statistical analysis. A greater number of victimization experiences and recent timing, as well as type of victimization such as cyberbullying, were linked to problems related to psychosocial well-being. It is important to recognize current forms of youth victimization to identify the adolescents at risk for psychosocial distress and investigate on specific types of victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents has increased rapidly. Little is known about psychotropic polypharmacy in children and adolescent initiating an antipsychotic drug. Thus, we investigated the frequency and predictors of polypharmacy during the first year of antipsychotic use in Finnish children and adolescents. Between 2008 and 2016, 14 848 individuals aged 1–17 years initiating risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole, or olanzapine treatment were identified from Finnish Prescription Registry. Data on psychotropic drug prescriptions prior to and during antipsychotic treatment were collected. Associations between predictors and polypharmacy were analyzed with regression models. During the study period polypharmacy occurred in 44.9% of the new antipsychotic users, being more frequent in girls (55.5%) than in boys (44.5%, p < 0.001). The two most frequent concomitant psychotropic drug classes were antidepressants (66.2%) and psychostimulants/atomoxetine (30.8%). Adolescents aged 13–15 and 16–17 years, and girls showed an increased risk of polypharmacy during antipsychotic treatment (OR 2.37 [95% CI 1.91–2.92], OR 2.39 [95% CI 1.92–2.98], and OR 1.64 [95% CI 1.51–1.78], respectively). The use of psychostimulants/atomoxetine or antidepressants prior to initiation of antipsychotic treatment was strongly associated with polypharmacy during antipsychotic treatment (OR 8.39 [95% CI 7.49–9.41], OR 3.02 [95% CI 2.75–3.31]). Polypharmacy was common in children and adolescents initiating antipsychotic treatment. Prior use of psychostimulants/atomoxetine and antidepressants increased the risk of polypharmacy. The use of antipsychotics was mainly off-label, thus, the risks of concomitant use of antipsychotics with other psychotropic drugs should be carefully weighed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were twofold: First, to describe a comprehensive assessment model utilized in a center specializing in child sexual abuse (CSA) investigations, and second, to describe the nature and characteristics of the families and allegations assessed, and analyze how case characteristics are related to the assessment outcomes of the CSA allegations. The sample consisted of 145 children who participated in a forensic CSA investigation between 2006 and 2011 at the Forensic Psychology Center in Helsinki University Central Hospital. Variables related to family characteristics and the alleged CSA were assessed. In the majority of the cases, the allegation was not substantiated, while a quarter of the allegations remained inconclusive. CSA was confirmed in 17% of the cases. Most of the investigated children and their families had several psychosocial risk factors in their background. The children and families involved in CSA investigations seemed to be a high-risk group in terms of psychiatric symptoms and multiple family background adversities. These were, however, unrelated to the assessment outcome. The importance of using a hypothesis testing approach is discussed, as well as how this can be done in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Psychopathy research has thus far focused mostly on child, male, and delinquent samples, but the results are most likely non-generalizable to adolescent girls with mental health disorders. Aim:The present study aimed to compare self-rated psychopathic traits between female psychiatric outpatients and girls in the community, and to investigate how psychopathic traits relate to psychiatric disorders. Method:The outpatient sample comprised 163 girls aged 15–17-years recruited from municipal mental health services. Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed based on the ICD-10 classification. The community sample comprised 355 girls from secondary, vocational, and high schools. The Youth Psychopathic trait Inventory (YPI) served as a self-assessment tool. Results:Treatment-seeking girls exhibit a more impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle than do girls in the community. Girls with externalizing psychopathology, unlike those with an internalizing disorder, exhibit more deficient affective experience than do girls in the community. Psychopathic traits associate with having a psychiatric disorder, a depressive disorder, ADHD, and a conduct disorder. Conclusions:The psychiatric examination of treatment-seeking adolescent girls would likely benefit from screening for psychopathy and its underlying components. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study compared sleep in patients with Conduct Disorder/Oppositional Defiant Disorder (CD/ODD) and normative children and evaluated the associations between sleep and behavioral symptoms in patients. Participants were 30 patients, aged 7 to 12 years, with diagnoses of CD/ODD and their age and gender matched controls. Patients with CD/ODD and their parents reported significantly more sleep problems than did the control children and their parents (pvalues < 0.01). By actigraphy, CD/ODD children with comorbid ADHD slept significantly less than did the patients with CD/ODD alone and the controls. In patients, low sleep amount and efficiency associated with increased amount of parent-reported externalizing symptoms (r= −0.72, 0.66,pvalues < 0.001). Results highlight the need of evaluating sleep in children with CD/ODD. Improving their sleep may ease their symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study evaluated the continuity of psychiatric symptoms from adolescence into young adulthood. The study sample consisted of 121 young adults born in 1975-76 in the region of Helsinki. The young adults were assessed in adolescence (age 14 to 15 years) with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self Report (YSR) and at the age of 20 to 21 years with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The results showed that the self-reported psychiatric symptoms in adolescence significantly predicted the psychiatric symptoms of young adulthood. The internalizing symptoms were stronger predictors than the externalizing symptoms. The associations between the symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood were stronger for girls than for boys; the self-reported symptoms were stronger predictors than the parent-reported symptoms. It was concluded that especially the internalizing symptoms reported by adolescents themselves should not be regarded as normative but should be addressed and treated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this longitudinal study the effects of early risk factors, early intervention, and present family factors on the competence of 14- to 15-year-old adolescents were evaluated. The competence was assessed by using Achenbach's parent and youth reports' competence parts describing social behaviour and academic achievement. The material consisted of 160 families, which were classified with a risk index into low- and high-risk groups during the child's first 6 months. Half of the families attended a 5-year family counselling program. The results of this study showed that the early risk factors made the strongest contribution to the social competence of 14- to 15-year-old adolescents. These results imply that good interactions in the family during early development foster social competence in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]