Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidality: A Latent Class Analysis and Associations with Clinical Characteristics in an At-Risk Cohort.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is frequently encountered in adolescents, but its predictive value for suicidality or other clinical characteristics is challenging due to its heterogeneous nature. This study used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of NSSI and compared these on sociodemographic characteristics, adverse outcomes and protective factors. The study included 966 high-risk adolescents, Mage 14.9 y, SD 0.9 y, 51.8% female. Four classes emerged: (1) "Low NSSI-Low suicidality", (2) "Moderate NSSI-Low suicidality", (3) "Moderate NSSI-High suicidality", and (4) "High NSSI-High suicidality". Girls predominated in the high suicidality classes. Generally, Class 4 had the poorest outcomes: more internalizing and externalizing problems, less social support from friends and families and worst self-esteem. These findings emphasize the need for interventions tailored to specific phenotypes of adolescents engaging in NSSI.

Effectiveness of behavioral interventions and behavior change techniques for reducing soft drink intake in disadvantaged adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake is an important dietary target, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged ethnic minority adolescents. This review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of behavioural interventions aiming to reduce SSB intake in socioeconomically disadvantaged ethnic minority adolescents and examined which behaviour change techniques (BCTs) were most effective. A systematic search was conducted using the PRISMA criteria. Quality assessments were done using the Cochrane criteria. In a narrative synthesis, studies were divided into effective and non-effective, and relative effectiveness ratios of individual BCTs were calculated. Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated with random-effects models using cluster robust methods. Twenty-two studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. A meta-analysis (n = 19) revealed no significant between-group differences in reduction of SSB intake. Five self-regulatory BCTs had an effectiveness ratio >50%: feedback, goal-setting, action planning, self-monitoring and problem-solving/barrier identification. The risk of bias assessments were judged to be moderate to high risk for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies and low to moderate for pre-post studies. There was no indication of publication bias. In conclusion, self-regulatory BCTs may be effective components to change SSB behaviour. However, high-quality research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural interventions and identify BCTs effective for reducing SSB intake among disadvantaged adolescents with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Explained Variance and Intraclass Correlation in a Two-Level AR(1) Model.

The total variance of a first-order autoregressive AR(1) time series is well known in time series literature. However, despite the increased use and interest in two-level AR(1) models, an equation for the total variance of these models does not exist. This paper presents an approximation of this total variance. It will be used to compute the unexplained and explained variance at each level of the model, the proportion of explained variance, and the intraclass correlation (ICC). The use of these variances and the ICC will be illustrated using an example concerning structured diary data about the positive affect of 96 married women.

Relation between caffeine and behavioral symptoms in elderly patients with dementia: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Caffeine is known to improve concentration and reduce fatigue in healthy adults, but high doses may induce anxiety and agitation. Because the effects of caffeine in elderly people with dementia are unknown, this study explores the relation between caffeine and behavioral symptoms in a group of elderly patients with dementia. DESIGN: An observational pilot study. SETTING: A dementia special care unit of a Dutch nursing home. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 29 elderly patients with dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Behavioral symptoms were measured with the NPI-NH, and sleep and caffeine consumption were measured using questionnaires. RESULTS: A significant relation was found between the total amount of caffeine consumed during the day and apathy [Kendall's tau (KT) -0.287 p=0.03], and the number of times that participants got up at night (KT 0.462; p <0.01). The amount of caffeine consumed after 6 p.m. was also significantly related to the number of times participants got up at night (KT 0.436; p <0.01). Multilevel analysis showed caffeine to be negatively correlated with aberrant motor behavior [b = -0.47 (0.22), Wald (461) = -2.12, p=0.03] and apathy [b = -0.88 (0.45), Wald (461)= -1.96, p=0.05], and showed a significant relation between caffeine consumption after 6 p.m. and the number of times participants got up at night [b=0.48 (0.22), Wald (461)= 2.20, p=0.03]. CONCLUSION: This study established an association between caffeine consumption and behavioral symptoms in elderly patients with moderately severe dementia. Therefore, adjusting caffeine consumption could be part of an interdisciplinary approach to behavioral symptoms, particularly when aberrant motor behavior, apathy or sleeping difficulties are involved. These results indicate that further research on the effects of caffeine on behavioral symptoms in dementia is warranted.