Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Farmers Associated with Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in a Rural Village of Northwest México.

This study aims to determine the degree of acetylcholinesterase inhibition and neurological symptoms for each of the psychiatric disorders diagnosed in the farm workers of a rural population in the state of Baja California, Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 140 agricultural workers (exposed participants). The study was run using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Diagnostic Test (MINI), a pre-established questionnaire to diagnose the mental state of each agricultural worker. Analysis of enzymatic activity was carried out using the modified Ellman method. The results showed that, among agricultural workers with slightly inhibited enzymatic activity, 25% met the criteria for the diagnosis of major depression with suicidal attitudes, 23.9% with inhibited enzymatic activity showed generalized anxiety, 23.5% showed combined depression⁻anxiety, and 22% met the criteria for major depression and no psychiatric diagnosis disorder. These results suggest the need for the development of effective public-health strategies to inform farm workers about integrated pesticide management in order to prevent serious health complications.

Parent-directed intervention for children with cancer-related neurobehavioral late effects: a randomized pilot study.

OBJECTIVE : To evaluate feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an intervention directed at parents of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) with neurobehavioral late effects to improve targeted parenting skills, and thus to indirectly benefit the child's educational functioning. METHODS : 44 CCSs and their parents were randomized. Intervention-arm parents participated in eight individual training sessions augmented by a 3-month telephone support period. Pre- and postparent measures and child performance on Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-II and School Motivation and Learning Strategies Inventory assessed intervention effects. RESULTS : 90% of intervention parents completed the program with high adherence/perceived benefit. Between-group effect sizes ranged from d = 0.77 to d = 1.45 for parent knowledge, efficacy, frequency of pro-learning behaviors, and d = 0.21 to d = 0.76 for child academic scores. Parental time spent in intervention activities was associated with academic change. CONCLUSIONS : A parent-directed intervention to indirectly promote academic functioning in CCSs appears feasible and effective in improving targeted parenting outcomes and for selected child academic outcomes.

Parenting stress and neurocognitive late effects in childhood cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance of neurocognitive late effects has typically focused on the pediatric survivor alone and rarely has focused on the potential family burden. We investigated the impact of child neurocognitive effects on parenting stress and hypothesized that parents of childhood cancer survivors with greater executive difficulties experience higher stress relative to parents of children with less adverse impact. METHODS: Parents of 44 children who survived cancer involving central nervous system-directed treatments and who had documented neurocognitive deficits completed standardized questionnaires assessing their perceived level of stress and perception of their child's executive functioning abilities in daily life. Data from performance-based cognitive tests were obtained on the children. Multiple regression models examined socio-demographic, clinical, and child's executive functioning as predictors of parent stress. Differences in parenting stress based on child's level of executive functioning were evaluated. RESULTS: Parent stress was significantly associated with both performance-based and parent report measures of child executive functioning. Child executive functioning significantly predicted parent stress even after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical factors, and the final model accounted for 42% of the variance in parent stress levels. Significant differences in parent stress were found when comparing higher versus lower levels of child executive functioning. The nature of the executive difficulties, however, appears important, as we found increased parenting stress among children with behavioral regulation problems rather than metacognitive difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: The associations between parenting stress and neurocognitive problems found in this study suggest the need for further research, along with professional monitoring and appropriate intervention.