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Objective: This study's primary aim is to evaluate the relationship between obesity and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT)., Method: The study group consisted of obese ( n = 37) and morbidly obese ( n = 42) patients. The healthy control group included 38 children and adolescents. SCT was evaluated using the Barkley Child Attention Scale (BCAS). Clinical interviews were supplemented with standardized questionnaires to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ADHD., Results: BCAS scores were significantly higher in both the morbidly obese and obese groups than in the control group ( p < .001). BCAS cutoff point showed that the prevalence of SCT was significantly higher in both the obese and morbidly obese groups compared to the control group ( p < .001). Moreover, a logistic regression analysis identified screen time (OR = 1.330), maternal education (OR = 0.164), and BCAS scores (OR = 1.122) as independent risk factors for obesity., Conclusion: The current study found a significant relationship between SCT and obesity in children and adolescents. Given that obesity is a public health issue, our findings underscore the importance of evaluating SCT in morbidly obese and obese children. This understanding can lead to more comprehensive and effective treatment strategies for these children., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: In the etiology of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oxidative stress and heavy metal exposure are still controversial topics. In this study, our goal was to examine heavy metal levels and oxidative balance in newly diagnosed patients with ADHD and reveal whether heavy metal levels have an effect on the oxidation balance., Methods: The study included 35 patients with newly diagnosed ADHD and 31 healthy control groups of similar age and gender. Participants' parents or caregivers completed a semi-structured questionnaire regarding their children's breastfeeding and prenatal and postnatal smoking exposures. The levels of heavy metals lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium were measured with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and a unique automated spectrophotometric approach was used to quantify serum total thiol, native thiol, and disulfide quantities and ratios., Results: The rate of smoking during pregnancy was significantly higher in the ADHD group than in the control group ( P  = .030). Compared to the control group, the native and total thiol levels of children with ADHD were significantly higher ( P < .001). Likewise, the ADHD group had significantly higher Hg levels compared to the control group ( P  = .002). Cadmium levels were substantially greater in the control group compared to the ADHD group ( P < .001). However, there was no significant difference between Pb levels in the ADHD and the control group ( P  = .844)., Conclusion: Exposure to Hg and prenatal smoking may contribute to the development of ADHD in childhood. In response to oxidative stress, the young brains of children with ADHD may enhance their antioxidant levels., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (2024 authors.)

Objective: The first articles about the impact of COVID-19 infection focused on the physical health and existing well-being of children and adolescents. However, little is known about the long-term effects of the disease itself, especially being infected with the virus and even the possibility of the infection on their mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the long-term psychological effects of the disease., Method: The study was designed as cross-sectional quantitative research. For this, the medical records of all 8-18-year-old children who presented to a university pandemic clinic in 2020 with possible COVID-19 symptoms were scanned. One hundred 62 children, with the first presentation date of 6 months ago and earlier, were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of children with chronic diseases who were hospitalized at the time of admission and continued to be hospitalized in the follow-up after they were PCR( +; polymerase chain reaction +). Group 2 comprised children without chronic diseases and continued outpatient follow-up after they were PCR(+). Finally, Group 3 was constituted by children with chronic diseases who were hospitalized at the time of admission but were discharged after their test was negative. A control group was also included., Results: It was found that presenting to a pandemic clinic with possible COVID-19 symptoms, being PCR-positive for COVID-19, and being hospitalized with a verified disease posed a significant risk to children for the development of mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disorders., Conclusion: Thus, prompt identification of at-risk populations, early intervention, and effective management of diagnosed disorders is necessary. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Our aims were to investigate the prevalence of PTSD, depression, anxiety-related disorders, and dissociative symptomotology, and to assess the risk factors for development of psychopathology among children and adolescents after the 2011 Van earthquake in Turkey., Methods: The screening was conducted among 738 participants at 6months post-earthquake using the CPTSD-Reaction Index, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Child Depression Inventory, Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children, and Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale., Results: Less than half (40.69% of) of the participants reported severe levels of PTSD symptoms, 53.04% were at greater risk for developing an anxiety-related disorder, 37.70% met the criteria for clinical depression, and 36.73% revealed pathological levels of dissociative symptomotology. State-trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity were significant antecedents of psychopathology., Conclusion: We concluded that anxiety sensitivity is a significant risk factor in various types of psychopathology, but metacognitions seem to have a limited utility in accounting for poor psychological outcomes in young survivors of earthquake., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)