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Objective Parental depression is one of the biggest risk factors for youth depression. This parallel randomized controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness of the German version of the family-group-cognitive-behavioral (FGCB) preventive intervention for children of depressed parents. Methods Families with (i) a parent who has experienced depression and (ii) a healthy child aged 8–17 years (mean = 11.63; 53% female) were randomly allocated (blockwise; stratified by child age and parental depression) to the 12-session intervention (EG; n = 50) or no intervention (CG; usual care; n = 50). Self-reported (unblinded) outcomes were assessed immediately after the intervention (6 months). We hypothesized that CG children would show a greater increase in self-reported symptoms of depression (DIKJ) and internalising/externalising disorder (YSR/CBCL) over time compared to the EG. Intervention effects on secondary outcome variables emotion regulation (FEEL-KJ), attributional style (ASF-KJ), knowledge of depression and parenting style (ESI) were also expected. Study protocol (Belinda Platt, Pietsch, Krick, Oort, & Schulte-Körne, 2014) and trial registration (NCT02115880) reported elsewhere. Results We found significant intervention effects on self-reported internalising ($$\eta_{p}^{2}$$ η p 2 = 0.05) and externalising ($$\eta_{p}^{2}$$ η p 2 = 0.08) symptoms but did not detect depressive symptoms or parent-reported psychopathology. Parental depression severity did not modify these effects. Both groups showed equally improved knowledge of depression ($$\eta_{p}^{2}$$ η p 2 = 0.06). There were no intervention effects on emotion regulation, attributional style or parenting style. Conclusion The German version of the FGCB intervention is effective in reducing symptoms of general psychopathology. There was no evidence that the mechanisms targeted in the intervention changed within the intervention period.

Im Zuge des Klimawandels ist in Deutschland eine Zunahme von meteorologischen Extremwetterereignissen (EWE), wie Starkniederschlag und Uberschwemmungen, zu beobachten. Schwerwiegende EWE konnen starke Angste hervorrufen und traumatische Erlebnisse darstellen. Diese Traumata und anhaltender Stress im langeren Verlauf nach dem Ereignis konnen Ursache fur negative psychische Gesundheitsauswirkungen sein. Kinder und Jugendliche gelten als vulnerable Gruppe, da ihnen weniger Bewaltigungsstrategien als Erwachsenen zur Verfugung stehen und sie stark von ihrer Umwelt abhangig sind. Der vorliegende narrative Ubersichtsbeitrag soll die Pravalenzen von psychischen Erkrankungen nach einem EWE und die in diesem Zusammenhang stehenden Risikofaktoren zusammenfassen, um aussagekraftige Ruckschlusse auf die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland ziehen zu konnen. Dafur wurde die vorhandene Literatur aus der WHO-Region Europa sowie aus Landern mit einem ahnlichen Einkommensniveau (u. a. Kanada, Australien, USA) berucksichtigt. Da Uberschwemmungen und Starkniederschlag in Deutschland die am haufigsten auftretenden EWE sind, wurde auf diese der Schwerpunkt gelegt. Nach EWE ist ein Anstieg von Angststorungen, depressiven Symptomen, posttraumatischem Belastungsstress und Verhaltensstorungen bei Kindern und Jugendlichen zu beobachten. Die Literatur gibt jedoch wenig Aufschluss daruber, wie hoch die Pravalenz solcher psychischen Gesundheitseffekte infolge von EWE und deren Auswirkungen ist und welche Risikofaktoren dabei von Bedeutung sind. Es gibt somit international und insbesondere in Deutschland noch erheblichen Forschungsbedarf.

The amount of research concerned with the values of health professionals (HPs) is steadily growing. Around the world HPs face similar challenges when patients express their existential and spiritual views. How HPs engage these views, and the degree of embedment into consultations, differ across cultures. Today, more than ever before, researchers in this field need to share experiences and build new knowledge upon local findings. To meet this demand, we founded the international collaboration "Network for Research on Spirituality and Health" ( https://NERSH.org ). One of the central projects of our network has been to build a large international data pool of health professionals' attitudes toward religiosity and spirituality. Today the data pool hosts answers from more than 6,000 health professionals from 17 separate surveys derived from 12 countries. Data were gathered by either the questionnaire "Religion and Spirituality in Medicine, Perspectives of Physicians" (RSMPP) or its successor 'NERSH Questionnaire'. In this article we describe the methodology behind the construction of the data pool. We also present an overview of five available scales related to HP religiosity and spirituality, including a description of scale reliability and dimensionality.

Background Although there is good evidence to support the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the outpatient treatment of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD), evidence-based manuals for the inpatient setting are lacking. This pilot study sought to (i) adapt an existing CBT manual (treatment of adolescent depression; TADS) to an inpatient setting (TADS-in), (ii) test its effectiveness at symptom reduction and remission of MDD in a pre-post design, and (iii) assess the strengths and limitations of the manual via a focus-group with clinicians. Methods Twenty nine adolescents aged 12–17 years with a primary ICD-10 diagnosis of MDD being treated as inpatients at a psychiatric clinic were included. Embedded in the regular inpatient treatment course (8 weeks), patients received 12 sessions of the TADS-in manual. Quantitative assessment of symptom reduction and remission of MDD was conducted using a non-controlled pre-post design. The quantitative results were supplemented by a focus group with participating psychotherapists. Results Of the 29 patients included in the study at the beginning, 19 (65.5%) remained in the study at week 8. Symptoms of depression were statistically significantly lower at the end of treatment than at baseline according to self- (d = 1.38; mean change = 19.88; 95% CI = 12.48–27.28) and other reports (d = 0.64, mean change = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.08–0.62). Clinicians ratings of improvement (CGI-I) suggested that at the end of treatment, 15.8% were very much improved, 68.4% much improved, and 15.8% were minimally improved. According to diagnostic interviews with patients conducted at the end of treatment, 73.3% were in remission. The qualitative analysis showed that on the whole, the TADS-in manual is suitable for the inpatient setting. However, clinicians believed the effectiveness of TADS-in was limited by patient comorbidity and the fact that the inpatients were unable to practice incorporating techniques learnt into everyday life. Conclusions This study is the first to adapt the TADS manual to the inpatient setting. The sample of depressed adolescents showed reduced symptomology following treatment, although these findings require replicating in a randomized controlled trial before effects can be attributed to the TADS-in manual specifically. This pilot study informs further development of the manual as well as representing an important first step in the evaluation of the inpatient treatment of adolescent depression. The study was retrospectively registered (DRKS00017308) and received no external funding.

BACKGROUND:Observational studies indicate that religious values of physicians influence clinical practice. The aim of this study was to test prior hypotheses of prevalence of this influence using a meta-analysis design.METHODS:Based on a systematic literature search we performed individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) on data based on 2 preselected questionnaires. Ten samples from 7 countries remained after exclusion (n = 3342). IPDMA was performed using a random-effects model with 2 summary measures: the mean value of the scale "Religiosity of Health Professionals"; and a dichotomized value of the question "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine." Also, a sensitivity analysis was performed using a mixed-models design controlling for confounders.RESULTS:Mean score of religiosity (95% confidence interval [CI]) was significantly lower in the European subgroup (8.46 [6.96-9.96]) compared with the Asian samples India (10.46 [9.82-10.21]) and Indonesia (12.52 [12.19-12.84]), whereas Brazil (9.76 [9.54-9.99]) and USA (10.02 [9.82-10.21]) were placed in between. The proportion of the European physicians who agreed to the statement "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine" (95% CI) was 42% (26%-59%) compared with Brazil (36% [29%-43%]), USA (57% [54%-60%]), India (58% [52%-63%]), and Indonesia (91% [84%-95%]).CONCLUSIONS:Although large cross-cultural variations existed in the samples, 50% of physicians reported to be influenced by their religious beliefs. Religiosity and influence of religious beliefs were most pronounced in India, Indonesia, and a European faith-based hospital. Education regimes of current and future physicians should encompass this influence, and help physicians learn how their personal values influence their clinical practice. BACKGROUND: Observational studies indicate that religious values of physicians influence clinical practice. The aim of this study was to test prior hypotheses of prevalence of this influence using a meta-analysis design.METHODS: Based on a systematic literature search we performed individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) on data based on 2 preselected questionnaires. Ten samples from 7 countries remained after exclusion (n = 3342). IPDMA was performed using a random-effects model with 2 summary measures: the mean value of the scale "Religiosity of Health Professionals"; and a dichotomized value of the question "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine." Also, a sensitivity analysis was performed using a mixed-models design controlling for confounders.RESULTS: Mean score of religiosity (95% confidence interval [CI]) was significantly lower in the European subgroup (8.46 [6.96-9.96]) compared with the Asian samples India (10.46 [9.82-10.21]) and Indonesia (12.52 [12.19-12.84]), whereas Brazil (9.76 [9.54-9.99]) and USA (10.02 [9.82-10.21]) were placed in between. The proportion of the European physicians who agreed to the statement "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine" (95% CI) was 42% (26%-59%) compared with Brazil (36% [29%-43%]), USA (57% [54%-60%]), India (58% [52%-63%]), and Indonesia (91% [84%-95%]).CONCLUSIONS: Although large cross-cultural variations existed in the samples, 50% of physicians reported to be influenced by their religious beliefs. Religiosity and influence of religious beliefs were most pronounced in India, Indonesia, and a European faith-based hospital. Education regimes of current and future physicians should encompass this influence, and help physicians learn how their personal values influence their clinical practice.

Objective To evaluate bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), serious brain injury, and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as predictors of poor long-term outcome in very low birth weight infants. Study design We examined the associations between counts of the 3 morbidities and long-term outcomes in 1514 of 1791 (85%) infants with birth weights of 500-1250 g who were enrolled in the Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity trial from October 1999, to October 2004, had complete morbidity data, and were alive at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). BPD was defined as use of supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks PMA. Serious brain injury on cranial ultrasound included grade 3 and 4 hemorrhage, cystic periventricular leucomalacia, porencephalic cysts, or ventriculomegaly of any cause. Poor long-term outcome was death after 36 weeks PMA or survival to 5 years with 1 or more of the following disabilities: motor impairment, cognitive impairment, behavior problems, poor general health, deafness, and blindness. Results BPD, serious brain injury, and severe ROP occurred in 43%, 13%, and 6% of the infants, respectively. Each of the 3 morbidities was similarly and independently correlated with poor 5-year outcome. Rates of death or disability (95% CI) in children with none, any 1, any 2, and all 3 morbidities were 11.2% (9.0%-13.7%), 22.9% (19.6%-26.5%), 43.9% (35.5%-52.6%), and 61.5% (40.6%-79.8%), respectively. Conclusions In very low birth weight infants who survive to 36 weeks PMA, a count of BPD, serious brain injury, and severe ROP predicts the risk of a late death or survival with disability at 5 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent that social variables influence cognitive development of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants across the preschool years. STUDY DESIGN: Participants were VLBW (500-1250 g) children enrolled in the Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity randomized trial between 1999 and 2004. We investigated the relationships between 4 potential social advantages: higher maternal education, higher paternal education, caregiver employment, and 2 biologic parents in the same home--and gain in cognitive scores. Cognitive assessments were performed at the corrected ages of 18 months (Mental Development Index score on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II) and 5 years (Full Scale IQ on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence III). Cognitive gain was computed by subtracting each individual 18-month Mental Development Index score from the corresponding Full Scale IQ at 5 years. RESULTS: Data were available for 1347 children. Mean (SD) cognitive scores were 90.8 (15.7) at 18 months and 98.9 (14.5) at 5 years. Multivariable regression showed that higher maternal education, higher paternal education, and caregiver employment had independent and additive effects of similar size on cognitive gain (P < .001); the mean cognitive gain between 18 months and 5 years increased by 3.6 points in the presence of each of these advantages. When all 3 were present, cognitive scores improved on average by 10.9 points compared with children without any of these advantages. CONCLUSION: In VLBW children, a count of 3 social advantages strongly predicts gains in cognitive scores across the preschool years.