Longitudinal assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms in U.S. adolescents across six months of the coronavirus pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to describe anxiety and depression symptoms at two timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic and evaluate demographic predictors. METHODS: U.S. high school students 13-19 years old completed a self-report online survey in May 2020 and November 2020-January 2021. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Depression and Anxiety short forms queried depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 694 participants (87% White, 67% female, 16.2 ± 1.1 years). Nearly 40% of participants reported a pre-pandemic depression diagnosis and 49% reported a pre-pandemic anxiety diagnosis. Negative affect, defined as both moderate to severe depression and anxiety PROMIS scores, was found in ~ 45% of participants at both timepoints. Female and other gender identities and higher community distress score were associated with more depression and anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms T-score decreased slightly (- 1.3, p-value ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adolescent mental health screening and treatment should be a priority as the pandemic continues to impact the lives of youth.

Experiences of Pain and Quality of Life in Pediatric Intracranial Hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To examine psychosocial correlates, specifically pain intensity, pain interference, and quality of life (QOL), in patients with pediatric intracranial hypertension. We hypothesized that parents and children who report higher levels of pain intensity and interference would be associated with lower QOL. METHODS: Eighty-three patients and their families seen in the pediatric intracranial hypertension clinic of a large pediatric hospital completed self-report and parent proxy measures on QOL, mood, and other psychosocial correlates. Bivariate correlations were conducted between parent proxy and self-reports and regression analyses between pain and psychosocial correlate variables were examined. RESULTS: Parent proxy and child reports were highly correlated. Body mass index (BMI) was a significant predictor of parent proxy report of pain intensity with higher BMI associated with higher parent proxy ratings of pain intensity. Parents reported significantly higher levels of pain interference for their children compared to child report. Parent ratings of child depression symptoms, BMI, and age were significant predictors of pain interference. Higher BMI and depression symptoms and younger age were associated with more pain interference. Overall QOL was similar to other headache populations but lower than other chronic illness and healthy populations. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric intracranial hypertension is associated with decreased QOL. Body mass index was a significant predictor of pain intensity and interference and should be monitored closely in clinic. Clinical care should include psychosocial screening to identify patients who would benefit from interventions to reduce the impact of this condition.

Screening for depression among youth with HIV in an integrated care setting.

Youth living with HIV (YLWH) are at risk for depression. Depressive symptoms can impact treatment engagement, health outcomes, and quality of life. Early identification of symptoms can guide treatment planning. This study aimed to identify trends in depressive symptoms for YLWH in a specialty-care clinic and follow-up clinical treatment procedures. An archival review of a clinical database provided depression screening information for a sample of 130 YLWH between 11 and 25 years old in the southeastern United States. Findings indicated that approximately 24% of the sample screened positive for depression-risk. Most commonly endorsed symptoms included fatigue (54.3%) and sleep difficulties (48.5%). Depressive symptoms did not differ significantly by age, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Youth who acquired HIV behaviorally were more likely to endorse the critical item (i.e., self-harm and/or suicidal ideation) than youth who acquired HIV perinatally. Forty-percent of the sample (i.e., 51 youth) had a follow-up treatment plan. YLWH who endorsed the critical item were more likely to receive follow-up action when compared to those who did not endorse the item. Despite limitations of the study, findings have important implications for clinical care and future research.