Effect of therapeutic intervention on general health of child abused mothers

Background and Objective: Child abuse is a common phenomenon with variety of reasons; the most important one is mother psychiatric disorders. Concurrent interventions in the family can recover the mother and reduce child abuse. This study was done to evaluate the effect of therapeutic intervention on general health of child abused mothers

Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 57 children and their child abused mothers whom referred to child psychiatry and pediatric department of Imam Hossien hospital, Tehran, Iran during November 2009- April 2010. Children and their families were visited by a psychiatrist and depend on the child and the family after either pharmaceutical or psychological interventions was taken. Parent management training was done for all mothers in 8 weekly sessions. General health questionnaire were filled by mothers before intervention in the third and sixth months following the intervention

Results: Total score of general health, depression and anxiety of child abused mothers were 31.3 +/- 1.90, 5.26 +/- 0.66, 8.10 +/- 0.46, respectively. It was significantly increased after six months intervention in comparison with pre-intervention [37.3 +/- 2.34, 7.48 +/- 0.72, 10.44 +/- 0.58, respectively]

Conclusion: Appropriate therapeutic intervention and parent management training for mothers can improve general health of child abused mothers

[Reboxetine versus methylphenidate in the treatment of children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] is a prevalent disorder among children and stimulant remedies are the drugs of choice for its treatment. A substantial minority of stimulant-treated patient do not respond adequately or cannot tolerate the associate adverse effects and these difficulties highlight the need for alternative effective medications. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of reboxetine compared to that of methylphenidate in treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD. Thirty three children [7-16 years of age] diagnosed with ADHD, participated in a 6-week double-blind clinical trial with reboxetine [4-6mg/d] and methylphenidate [25-50mg/d]. The principal measure of the outcome was the Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale. Patients were assessed by a child psychiatrist at baseline of treatment and 2, 4 and 6 weeks of medication, respectively. No significant differences were observed between two protocols of the parent and teacher ADHD rating scale scores and in terms of the dropouts and both groups showed a significant improvement in ADHD symptoms over the 6 weeks of treatment. The most common adverse effects seen with reboxetine were sedation/drowsiness and mild to sever decrease in appetite. Our finding must be considered preliminary, however, they do suggest that reboxetine may be beneficial in the treatment of ADHD. Further research is needed to clarify the potential benefit for comorbid depression and anxiety with ADHD and profile of side effects

[Epidemiology of sleep disorders in primary school students in Tehran]

The aim of this project was to evaluate the frequency of sleep disorders in primary school students in the city of Tehran. In a descriptive cross-sectional study, parents of 692 primary school children completed a questionnaire binding child demographics, family structure, and sleep behaviors. Data were analyzed by descriptive, statistical methods, t-test, and chi[2] test. Sleep disorders were reported in 41.6% of primary school children. The most common disorder reportedly was bedtime resistance [20.7%]. The occurrence of bedwetting was the only sleep disorder that was more frequent in boys than girls. Sleep disorder was reported more frequently in children of housewife mothers than working mothers. The frequency of parasomnia was less in children of college-educated fathers. College education of mothers was negatively correlated with frequency of sleep terror disorder and nightmares. Sharing a bed,fear and worry before asleep, and having no specific bedtime were correlated with more sleep disorders.Sleep disorders are prevalent in primary school children in Tehran. The most common disorder was bedtime resistance, which was mostly related with having no specific bedtime