ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to analyze the possible association between maternal attachment style and comorbidity associated with childhood ADHD. We evaluated a total of 103 children with ADHD treated at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre and their mothers. Comorbidity was evaluated using the MINI-KID interview. Maternal attachment was evaluated using the Adult Attachment Questionnaire. We considered child variables that could be associated with the clinical course of ADHD, such as symptom severity, age, gender, evolution time, academic level, and current pharmacological treatment; parental variables, such as the mother's psychiatric history, current psychopathology, marital status, academic level, income, and employment, were also considered. We found an association between maternal insecure attachment and comorbid depressive disorder in childhood ADHD. An insecure maternal attachment style must be considered in the assessment and treatment of childhood ADHD with comorbid depression.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Depressive Disorder/epidemiology , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Mother-Child Relations/psychology , Object Attachment , Adult , Child , Comorbidity , Female , Humans , Male , Spain/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Controversy exists about the role of parent psychopathology in persistence and severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in their children. Here we aimed to analyse the potential association between the severity of ADHD symptoms in children and the presence of psychiatric and ADHD symptoms in their biological parents. Seventy-three triads of children and their parents who were in active treatment for their diagnosed ADHD were evaluated in our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centers. The mental health of the parents was also assessed. The general psychopathology of the parents was evaluated using the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and symptoms of hyperactivity were examined using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v.1.1). The severity of symptoms in children was assessed using the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Variables that could have affected the clinical development of ADHD such as sex, evolution time, age, academic level and the presence of comorbidities were controlled. The severity of the symptoms in children with ADHD was significantly related to the psychiatric history of their mother, the younger age of the child and the presence of a comorbid conduct disorder in the child. We discussed the importance of screening for parental psychopathology in clinical practice.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Maternal Welfare/psychology , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/psychology , Severity of Illness Index , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Health , Parents/psychologyABSTRACT
Objetivo: Se examina el perfil de personalidad asociado a diferentes diagnósticos clínicos en una muestra de pacientes ambulatorios del Centro de Salud Mental Infanto-Juvenil. Material y métodos: 77 adolescentes entre 13 y 17 años fueron evaluados con el MMPI-A. Hemos realizado un análisis retrospectivo de las historias clínicas para obtener los datos sociodemográficos y clínicos (edad, sexo, cronicidad y diagnóstico CIE-10 y CFTMIA). Mostramos el perfil global y por diagnóstico, los estadísticos descriptivos y comparamos las medias para los diferentes diagnósticos (test de Kruskal- Wallis, Median test, Kolmogorov- Smirnov y test de Mann Whitney) y edades (correlaciones divariadas de Pearson, test de Kruskal- Wallis y test de Mann Whitney). Resultados: El total de la muestra presenta elevaciones moderadas en las escalas de depresión y desviación psicopática. Se asocian diferentes perfiles a cada diagnóstico edad. Los trastornos psicóticos y los trastornos mixtos de la conducta y las emociones muestran un perfil más psicopatológico en las escalas clínicas y mayor deterioro psicosocial reflejado en las escalas de contenido. Los adolescentes más mayores (edades de 16 y 17) tienen puntuaciones más altas que los adolescentes jóvenes (13 a 15 años) en depresión e introversión. Discusión: Los estudios revisados sugieren que hay un sustancial grado de asociación entre el inicio de los trastornos del eje I y la psicopatología del eje II en el final de la adolescencia y el inicio de la primera adultez. Comentamos nuestros resultados y discutimos la asociación entre trastornos mentales en la infancia y adolescencia y alteraciones de la personalidad. Conclusiones: Identificar y tratar con éxito los trastornos en la infancia puede ayudar a reducir el riesgo de desarrollar un trastorno de personalidad adulto. Se necesita más investigación para desarrollar recomendaciones de evaluación y tratamiento para las manifestaciones tempranas de las alteraciones de la personalidad (AU)
Objective: We examined the personality profile associated to diferents diagnoses in a sample of outpatients of the Mental Health Center for Children and adolescents. Method: 77 adolescents with ages from 13 to 17 were assessed with the MMPI-A. We made a prospective analysis of each clinical report to obtain sociodemographic and clinical data (age, gender, cronicity, diagnostic with CIE- 10 and CFTMA).We show the profiles of both the total sample and of each diagnostic cathegory using descriptive statistics and compared means for the diffe- 201 rent diagnoses (using Kruskal- Wallis test, Median test, Mann-Whitney test and Kolmogorov- Smirnov test) and for ages (using Pearson bivariate correlations, Kruskal- Wallis test and Mann- Whitney test). Results: All the sample show moderate elevations in Depression and Psychopatic deviation. Differents profiles are associated to each diagnosis and age: psychotic and mixed disorders of conduct and emotions show more severe psychopathology profile in clinical scales and more psychosocial impairment reflected in content scales. Older adolescents (age 16 and 17) have more elevated and significative scores than younger adolescents (age 13 to 15) in depression and introversion. Discussion: Studies revised suggest a substantial degree of association between early onset axis I disorders and axis II psychopathology in late adolescence and young adults. We comment our results and discuss the association between mental disorders in childhood and adolescence and personality disfunction. Conclusions: Identification and successful treatment of childhood disorders and severe early impairment, may help to reduce the risk of subsequent development of an adult personality disorder. More research is needed to develop assessment and treatment recommendations addressing the early manifestations of personality disturbance (AU)
