Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health最新文献

Background: Mental health care requires diverse treatment approaches. Physical activity, particularly for depression, has proven effective in adults. However, the impact on adolescent anxiety and depression within psychiatric settings is underexplored.

Objectives: To determine whether adding running therapy to routine adolescent psychiatric care improves mental health outcomes in daycare or inpatient settings.

Methods: This study investigates the effects of a nine-week group running program on psychological outcomes in adolescents at Ziv Medical Centre (ZMC) Mental Health unit (Israel), randomized to a nine-week group running program facilitated by a multidisciplinary team. The intervention group participated in weekly running sessions in addition to standard care; the control group received standard care only. Psychological indicators were measured before, during, and after the intervention via self-report questionnaires. Physiological characteristics (weight, height, BMI) and blood tests (blood count, blood chemistry, lipid profile, TSH) were also collected.

Results: Of 30 patients assessed for eligibility, 18 (median age 15.8 years, 70% female) were enrolled, 9 in each arm. Among them, 2 dropped out. 16 participants, 8 in each arm, were included in the analysis. No significant differences emerged between groups in physiological and psychological measures post-intervention.

Conclusion: Within the study parameters, we could not demonstrate an impact of physical therapy. Challenges included a lack of motivation, difficulty engaging a complex patient group, and a small sample size. Future larger-scale investigations should target patients most likely to benefit and determine the program duration, structure, and intensity needed for meaningful mental health improvements.

Background: Early behavioral problems may influence adult psychopathology, and early-life nutrition plays a critical role in shaping behavioral outcomes during childhood.

Objective: This study investigated whether subcortical brain volumetry at age six is associated with early behavioral trajectories and the potential influence of early nutrition on this relationship.

Methods: Data from 82 children participants in the COGNIS study were included in the present analysis. During the first 2 months of life, fifty infants were randomized to one of two formula diets until 18 months of age: a standard formula (SF, n = 26) or an experimental formula (EF, n = 24) supplemented with bioactive compounds. A reference group of breastfed infants (BF, n = 32) was also included. Behavioral assessments were conducted using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at 18 months, 2.5 years, and 4 years. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 6 years to assess volumes of bilateral subcortical nuclei, brainstem, cerebellum, and total intracranial volume. Complete behavioral and imaging data were available for 37 participants (SF = 19, EF = 18). Weights for linear, quadratic, and mixed linear/quadratic growth curves were computed for CBCL total, internalizing, externalizing, and DSM-oriented scales. Non-parametric correlations between CBCL growth curves and subcortical brain volumetry were computed after adjusting for relevant confounding factors. Generalized linear mixed model for repeated measures was performed.

Results: No significant effects of early nutrition on behavioral trajectories were found; in fact, EF and BF groups exhibited similar patterns across internalizing, externalizing, total problems and DSM-oriented scales. CBCL domains followed distinct developmental trajectories, and interestingly, children's subcortical volumetry of specific brain area at 6 years old, were primarily associated with non-linear behavioral growth curves. Amygdala volume correlated with total problems scores and DSM-oriented scales, while hippocampal volume was linked to internalizing, oppositional defiant, and ADHD-related behaviors. Cerebellar cortex volume correlated with ADHD and externalizing problems, the latter also associating with putamen. Pallidum volume was correlated with internalizing and anxiety symptoms.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that non-linear behavioral growth models more effectively reflect brain-behavior associations. Futhermore, subcortical brain morphometry, particularly of the hippocampus, may be shaped by behavioral patterns during critical developmental windows-most notably around 2.5 years of age.

Introduction: This 1-year follow-up study investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations of (1) personal and environmental factors (demographic characteristics, attention-deficit/hyperactivity [ADHD] diagnosis, internalizing and externalizing problems, hostility, impulsivity, and the quality of relationships with friends and family) with Internet addiction and of (2) Internet addiction with various mental health problems (depression, suicidality, and nonsuicidal self-harm) among adolescents. In addition, the moderating effects of ADHD on these associations were analyzed.

Methods: Data were collected from 349 adolescents (176 with ADHD and 173 without ADHD at baseline). In total, 249 participants (71.3%; 122 with ADHD and 127 without ADHD) completed the 1-year follow-up assessment.

Results: At baseline, impulsivity (e.g., lack of perseverance and self-control and inability to plan), hostility (expressive hostility behavior), age, and low satisfaction with relationships with friends were significantly associated with Internet addiction severity. At follow-up, impulsivity (e.g., lack of perseverance and self-control), hostility (expressive hostility behavior), and Internet addiction severity at baseline were significantly associated with Internet addiction severity. In addition, Internet addiction severity at baseline was cross-sectionally associated with depression. Notably, ADHD moderated the cross-sectional association between Internet addiction severity and nonsuicidal self-harm at baseline. Furthermore, Internet addiction severity at baseline prospectively predicted suicidality at follow-up.

Conclusion: Internet addiction can predict suicidality among adolescents. Personal and environmental factors should be integrated into the assessment of Internet addiction in adolescents.

Objective: Child maltreatment (CM) is a major health risk factor. However, perpetrator characteristics have been largely understudied in representative samples. Our aim is to describe perpetrator characteristics of CM and to identify risk constellation connecting onset of CM and perpetrator relations. Moreover, we look at differential effects of perpetrator relations on long term physical and mental health.

Methods: In a cross-sectional observational approach, a representative sample of the German population (N = 2515) was assessed regarding CM characteristics (ICAST-R), physical and mental health as well as sociodemographic information. We used social network analysis to describe co-occurrences of perpetrator groups and [Formula: see text] tests to test differences in relative frequencies of perpetrator relations in onset groups. Multivariate Analysis of Variance and follow-up analyses were used to identify differences in sociodemographic, CM characteristics as well as health outcomes between onset groups. A Poisson regression was calculated to scrutinize the effect of perpetrator relation on physical and mental health.

Results: Perpetrator multiplicity and interconnectedness of perpetrator groups were high. Different frequencies of perpetrator groups across age of onset were observed for overall CM and CM subtypes. Participants who reported adolescent CM onset were younger than those with earlier CM onset. CM perpetrated by parents and by professionals in child related environments increased the risk of physical multimorbidity in adulthood. CM perpetrated by parents, relatives and others in the household, and peers and partners increased the risk of psychiatric multimorbidity in adulthood.

Conclusion: This study provides insights into the risk constellations of CM by examining perpetrator relation, multiplicity, and co-occurrence. We found group differences in onset as well as differential risks for physical and psychiatric multimorbidity by perpetrator relation. These findings highlight the need for future research and prevention strategies that more explicitly address perpetrator characteristics.

Background: Adolescence is a period of identity exploration. When motherhood occurs during this stage, it introduces additional complexity, as young mothers must negotiate self-perception while taking on caregiving roles. This experience is further shaped by limited preparedness, social stigma, partner absence, school dropout, loneliness, and emotional distress. To inform more developmentally attuned interventions, we explored the lived experience of adolescent mothers participating in a perinatal home-visiting program.

Methods: We recruited 72 adolescents aged 14-19 from low-income neighborhoods in São Paulo, Brazil. Most identified as Black or Brown, and all were experiencing their first pregnancy. They took part in Primeiros Laços ("First Ties"), a nurse-led program offering psychosocial support from pregnancy through the child's second year. Participants completed open-ended interviews during pregnancy and again at 3, 12, and 24 months postpartum, totaling 223 interviews. Using thematic analysis informed by phenomenology, we examined how their lived experiences evolved over time.

Results: We identified five experiential domains: [1] Reactions to Pregnancy Discovery, marked by ambivalence; [2] Changes in Experiencing the Body, with heightened bodily awareness and, at times, emotional suffering expressed through physical sensations; [3] Forming a Maternal Identity, as prior adolescent roles were reshaped into an emerging maternal self; [4] Transformations in the Experience of Time, encompassing altered future horizons or a desire to hold onto the present; and [5] Reframing Relationships, with the child becoming a central source of meaning and emotional reciprocity.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight how existential structures of temporality, embodiment, identity, and intersubjectivity shape adolescent motherhood. Pregnancy and early caregiving intensified bodily awareness and reorganized temporal perspectives, with some adolescents experiencing expanded possibilities and others a sense of stagnation. Relationships were reoriented around the child as a new experiential center. These insights suggest that psychosocial interventions should be attentive to moments when the future feels overwhelming, provide clear information that supports bodily awareness, and ensure continuity of care. A non-judgmental stance that respects each mother's values while gradually broadening life horizons may strengthen maternal competencies and expand possibilities beyond caregiving.