Postpartum maternal anxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic: Rates, risk factors and relations with maternal bonding.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the rates of clinically-significant anxiety and depressive symptoms during the immediate postpartum in a sample of women referred to a university maternity department, as well as the associated risk factors and the relations with the level of maternal bonding. Patients and methods: During the third national lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic (February-April 2021), on days 2-3 after delivery 127 mothers were administrated the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS), the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-YA), the mother-to-infant bonding scale (MIBS) and questions issued from the coronavirus health impact survey questionnaire (CRISIS). Results: The rate of perinatal clinically-significant symptoms were 17% for depression (EPDS cut-off ≥ 12) and 15% for anxiety (STAI-YA cut-off ≥ 40). In the multivariate analysis, being a single mother, risk of being infected by the SARS-CoV2, risk that a close relative might be infected by the SARS-CoV2 and the length of stay in maternity were associated with an increased EPDS total score, while breastfeeding was associated with a lower EPDS total score. Six variables remained positively associated with the STAI-YA total score in the multivariate model: the maternal level of academic achievement, a hospitalization during the pregnancy, peripartum medical complications, risk of being infected by the SARS-CoV2, risk of a close relative being infected by the SARS-CoV2 and physical fatigue. Low but statistically significant correlations were found between the MIBS total score and the EPDS total score (rs = 0.26) and with the STAI-YA total score (rs = 0.26). Discussion: The observed rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms were in the same range as those reported in observational studies conducted in high-resource countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk of being infected by the SARS-CoV2 was both an independent risk factor for anxiety and depressive symptoms. The relations between the measure of maternal bonding and the severity of maternal emotional symptoms call for a better consideration of the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children's socio-emotional development.

Objectifs: Cette étude a pour objectif de déterminer la fréquence des symptômes dépressifs et anxieux maternels lors de la période du post-partum immédiat dans un groupe de femmes venant d'accoucher sur un service universitaire, ainsi que les facteurs de risques associés et les conséquences sur le lien mère-enfant. Patients et méthodes: Au tout début de la pandémie de COVID-19 (entre les mois de février et avril 2021), 127 femmes venant d'accoucher ont complété dans les 2 à 3 jours qui suivent l'accouchement l'Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS), le State-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-YA), le Mother-to-infant bonding scale (MIBS) et le Coronavirus health impact survey questionnaire (CRISIS). Résultats: La fréquence des symptômes dépressif cliniquement significatifs était de 17 % et de 15 % pour les symptômes anxieux. Le risque d'infection par le SARS-CoV2 était associé à la sévérité de ces symptômes dans les analyses multivariées. Des corrélations statistiquement significatives ont été mis en évidence entre le score MIBS et le score EPDS (rs = 0.26) et avec le score STAI-YA (rs = 0.26). Discussion: La fréquence des symptômes anxieux et dépressifs du péripartum étaient comparable avec d'autres études conduites dans les pays à haut niveau de ressource au cours de la pandémie de COVID-19. Le risque d'infection par le SARS-CoV2 est associé à des niveaux plus élevés de symptômes anxieux et dépressifs, à côté des autres facteurs connus de symptômes émotionnels du post-partum. Les liens retrouvés entre ces symptômes et le niveau de lien mère-enfant invitent à être attentif aux conséquences à long-terme de la pandémie sur le développement socio-émotionnel du nourrisson. Conclusion: Des études complémentaires sont nécessaires pour confirmer ces résultats et déterminer les conséquences potentiellement délétères sur le développement des interactions mère-enfant et du nourrisson.

[Interoceptive difficulties in children and adolescents with severe form of somatic symptom disorder: A pilot study with nineteen participants]. / Spécificités intéroceptives chez les enfants et adolescents qui présentent un trouble à symptomatologie somatique : étude descriptive sur dix-neuf patients.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the high rate of somatic symptom disorder (TSS) in the pediatric population, etiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Previous studies conducted in youths with anxiety, eating disorder, or autistic disorder support a relation between difficulties in the perception of sensory signals (i.e., interoception) and difficulties in identifying emotions. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the University Hospital of Amiens-Picardie in 19 young people aged 9 to 17 hospitalized in the pediatric ward for TSS. A mental heartbeat tracking task was used to assess interoceptive accuracy, awareness and sensibility. The Porges Body Perception Questionnaire (PBPQ) was used to assess interoceptive attention. Other questionnaires were used to assess associated clinical dimensions such as depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation and alexithymia. RESULTS: The mean interoceptive accuracy score was lower in TSS subjects compared to expected scores in the general population (33% error vs. 20%). A statistically significant correlation was found between, on the one hand, interoceptive sensibility and the "avoidance" subscore of the ECAP (r=0.51) and, on the other hand, between interoceptive awareness and the total score of the Child Depression Inventory (r=0.51). A significant relationship was found between the PBPQ scale total score and the Children-Toronto Alexithymia Scale total score (r=0.42), in particular with the "difficulty expressing emotions" subscore (r=0.62). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that interoceptive difficulties occur in young patients with severe TSS. Our finding adds empirical evidence supporting the relations between interoceptive difficulties, alexithymia and somatic symptoms in children and adolescents.

[To err is human? Interests of chaotic models to study adult psychiatric disorders and developmental disorders]. / L'erreur est humaine ? Intérêt des modèles chaotiques dans l'étude des troubles psychiatriques de l'adulte et du développement de l'enfant.

BACKGROUND: Many clinical and biological parameters have nonlinear chaotic fluctuations. These variations result in unexpected pseudo-random transitions. In these models, few risk factors can lead to unexpected phenomena if oscillations and self-reinforcement patterns occur. Complex rhythms could ease the ability of a physiological system to adapt and react quickly to a constantly changing environment. OBJECTIVES: It has been proposed that several psychiatric disorders and developmental disorders are characterized by a loss of complex rhythm in favor of a more organized pattern. We examine evidence to support these assumptions in literatures. METHODS: We performed a literature review of the main computerized databases (Medline, PubMed) and manual searches of the literature concerning non dynamic rhythms in time series analysis, in adults with psychiatric disorder and children with developmental disorder. These results were interpreted through a developmental approach that highlights the role of the learning process in the emergence of abilities. RESULTS: Analysis of clinical scores and electroencephalographic data have found that subjects with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, tested over a time series, have lower chaotic rhythms compared with healthy subjects. Growing children share several properties of a complex system: the interdependence of developmental axes (motor, emotional, language, social skills), multiple hierarchical levels (i.e. genetic, biological, environmental, and cultural), the two-way transactions between the child and his environment, and the sensitivity to initial conditions. This could explain the difficulty to predict the emergence of abilities or the long-term prognosis of impairment in children. This limitation is not only due to errors in the explanatory model or the lack of explanatory variable. It is also caused by instability, which is a core characteristic of a chaotic system. CONCLUSION: The study of chaotic rhythms in time-series clinical and nonclinical data (e.g. EEG, functional neuroimaging) could improve the prediction of an acute event, such as relapse of mood disorder. Moreover, the complex rhythms in children may play a major part in synchronicity during interactions with a caregiver, held as essential for later development of self-regulation skills, such as emotional stability.

[The link between aggressive behavior and depression in adolescence. A cross-sectional study conducted in the psychiatric emergency unit at the Sainte-Anne hospital]. / Lien entre comportements agressifs et vécu dépressif chez l'adolescent. Une étude transversale menée au centre psychiatrique d'orientation et d'accueil de l'hôpital Sainte-Anne.

INTRODUCTION: The link between depression and aggressive behavior in adults has been found in many studies. In adolescents, this relationship is still controversial. Several studies point out that irritability is a key symptom in adolescent depressed. Few studies have analyzed precisely the kind of aggressive behavior. This study sets out to assess the relationship between aggressive behavior and depressive affects in adolescents. We also pay attention in this population to hopelessness feelings, anxiety, global functioning and the type of aggressive behavior. METHOD: This is a descriptive and observational cross-sectional study. Data was collected from 49 successive adolescents admitted for a 24-hour evaluation in the emergency department of the Sainte-Anne psychiatric hospital. The inclusion period was from February to April 2012, with age limits between 15 and 18. For each patient, the clinician completed with the parents or other caregivers the Modified Overt Aggressive Scale (MOAS) searching for existence of aggressive behavior in the week prior to the consultation. The population was divided into two groups: P- group when the MOAS score was < 3 and the P+ group when the MOAS score was ≥ 3. The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Adolescent Depression Rating Scale for clinicians (ADRSc) were also completed. Each patient completed the self-report Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (QA), the Beck Hopelessness scale and the Adolescent Depression Rating Scale for patients (ADRSp). RESULTS: Forty-nine adolescents with a median age of 16 years and 4 months participated. The first reason for consultation was depressive symptoms, followed by disruptive behavior. The analysis was conducted on 39 questionnaires. The demographic profile of the two groups was similar. We did not find any significant difference between the groups P+ and P- on ADRSc scores and secondary criteria. However, we found higher scores in the QA in the more depressed patient, especially a higher hostility score in this sample. In the subgroup analysis: as expected self-aggressive behavior was associated with a higher depression score, more hospitalization and a poor global functioning score. Surprisingly, the patients who showed physical aggression against others had a better prognosis and lower depression scores. DISCUSSION: The study did not conclude on the link between aggressive behavior and depression in this population. The adolescent hostility appears more characteristic of depression compared to other dimensions of aggressivity (anger, verbal aggression, physical aggression) in adolescents. Physical aggression against others appeared not only less typical in depression but was also associated with a better global functioning. Clinicians should pay particular attention to the kind of aggressive behavior in clinical evaluations of adolescents in an emergency context.

[Management of bipolar 1 disorder in children and adolescents]. / Prise en charge du trouble bipolaire de type 1 chez l'enfant et l'adolescent.

Lifetime prevalence of child and adolescent bipolar 1 disorder (BD1) is nearly 0.1 %. Even though it is not a frequent disorder in young people, there is an increased interest for this disorder at this age, because of the poor outcome, the severe functional impairments and the major risk of suicide. Diagnosis is complex in view of the more frequent comorbidities, the variability with an age-dependant clinical presentation, and the overlap in symptom presentation with other psychiatric disorders (e.g. disruptive disorders in prepubertal the child and schizophrenia in the adolescent). The presentation in adolescents is very similar to that in adults and in prepubertal children chronic persistent irritability and rapid mood oscillation are often at the foreground. For a while, such presentations were considered as BD-not otherwise specified (BD-NOS), which can explain the outburst of the prevalence of bipolar disorder in children in the US. Longitudinal studies that look for the outcome of such emotional dysregulations have not revealed an affiliation with bipolar disorder spectrum, but with depressive disorders in adulthood. The diagnosis of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder was proposed in the DSM-5 to identify these children and to prevent confusion with bipolar disorder. The goals of the pharmacological and psychosocial treatments are to control or ameliorate the symptoms, to avoid new episodes or recurrences, to improve psychosocial functioning and well-being, and to prevent suicide. In the US, lithium and four atypical antipsychotics have been approved by the FDA for 10 to 13-year-olds (risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine). In France, only lithium salts (after the age of 16) and aripiprazole (after the age of 13) are recommended. Psychosocial treatments, such as a familial or individual approach are developing.

[Motivational interviewing use for promoting health behavior: an approach of doctor/patient relationship]. / L'entretien motivationnel dans la promotion des comportements de santé : une approche de la relation médecin/malade.

Many situations in common medical practice, especially in chronic diseases, require patients to be mobilized for health behavior decisions: for daily intake of an antihypertensive drug, performing a mammography for cancer screening, as well as adopting new diet habits in diabetes. Ability to initiate a health behavior depends on several parameters. Some of them are related to the patient, his personality, his illness and treatment's perception; others directly rely on the physician, his attitude and his communication style during the visit, independently of patient's level of resistance to change. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a communication technique, first developed for patients presenting a substance abuse disorder, to explore their ambivalence, overcome their resistances and give them the willingness of a better self-care. Its general principles and basic techniques can be applied by every practitioner and deserve to be better known, given that scientific literature provides evidence for generalizing it in a variety of medical conditions, in structured patient education programs as well as in usual follow-up, for which time is generally restricted. This article provides an overview of MI recent applications and argues for its diffusion in everyday medical practice.