'If I Don't Have My Support Worker in the Room ': A Multi-perspective Mixed Methods Study of Remote Daily Living Support for Neurodivergent Young Adults.

PURPOSE: Information technology is increasingly being employed for providing support and interventions in disability and health service contexts. This study aimed to investigate service users' and support workers' perspectives on remote support in daily living for young adults with neurodevelopmental conditions. METHODS: Using a convergent mixed methods approach, we integrated qualitative and quantitative findings from survey responses and focus groups. Young service users (aged 18 to 29) diagnosed with ADHD and/or autism (n = 35) and support workers (n = 64) from four municipalities in Sweden responded to a survey designed to tap into their lived experiences and views. The topic was explored further in focus groups with young service users (n = 7) and support workers (n = 3). Open-ended survey questions were analyzed using qualitative content analyses and complemented with information from the focus groups, while closed survey questions were summarized descriptively. Inferences were merged in a joint display. RESULTS: While participants reported having access to digital devices, service routines for remote contact were not in place. Service users were more hesitant than support workers in endorsing remote support, expressing concerns that this approach would be inferior to in-person support (e.g., owing to miscommunications and insufficient social and emotional contact). Still, both groups expressed that remote contact may at times be a beneficial complement to in-person meetings, increasing accessibility and user choice. CONCLUSION: Service providers planning to implement remote support elements should explore the demand, acceptability, and organizational readiness for this approach. Moving forward, user engagement will be crucial to meet individual preferences, values, and needs.

School absenteeism in autistic children and adolescents: A scoping review.

LAY ABSTRACT: Autistic children and teenagers are, on average, absent from school more than their peers. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the research on absence from school in autistic learners in primary and secondary school, to help guide future research. We sifted through 4632 reports and found 42 studies with a focus on school absence and autism. We looked at how, when, and where the studies were conducted. We also summarized the results and outlined how absence was measured in the studies. Absence from school may lead to problems later in life, like incomplete education and unemployment. It is therefore important to know how common this problem is among autistic learners, what the reasons may be, and what type of support they need. The studies were from high-income countries and were mainly published in the last 10 years. Studies based on school registers from the United States and the United Kingdom clearly showed that children and teenagers with autism had higher risk of school absence than those without autism. Absence was often linked to problems with mental health or additional neurodevelopmental conditions. Several studies also showed that absence in autistic children and adolescents was related to problems in school, like bullying or lack of knowledge about autism. Support programs were only evaluated in a few studies with a small number of study participants. We conclude that more research is needed to better understand why autistic learners are absent and what they need to thrive in school.

Support in Daily Living for Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Sweden: A Qualitative Description of Current Practice.

In Sweden, people living independently and requiring daily living support can access 'housing support', a form of practical, educational, and social support provided by the municipalities. About two-thirds of those receiving this support have neurodevelopmental conditions, primarily autism or ADHD. Many are young adults in the process of adapting to new roles and expectations in different life domains, including education, work, and accommodation. This study aimed to provide a qualitative description of support workers' views on current practice in housing support for young adults (aged 18 to 29) with neurodevelopmental conditions. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 34 housing support workers across 19 Swedish regions. An inductive qualitative content analysis approach was used. The interviews depicted a complex service, subject to organizational aspects (roles, responsibilities, availability, and allocation), the joint effort of key players (young adults, relatives, and support workers), and practical aspects of service provision (finding common ground for the work, and delivery of support). Some elements of the service were poorly designed for the target group. The support workers expressed a need for more knowledge about neurodevelopmental conditions, but also described new insights related to remote delivery of support. The results raise important questions about how housing support should be organized and delivered to strike the right balance between support and autonomy, meet specific needs, and ensure equal services across municipalities. Future research should adopt multiple perspectives and approaches, to help translate best practice and available evidence into a flexible and sustainable service.

Internet-delivered psychological treatment as an add-on to treatment as usual for common mental disorders: A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Psychological treatments for common mental disorders are increasingly being delivered remotely via the internet. Evidence suggests that internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) is superior to waitlist. However, the benefits are unclear of using this treatment modality as an add-on to treatment as usual (TAU) in regular healthcare. METHODS: The literature was systematically searched up to August 2021 for randomized trials of internet-delivered psychological treatments using TAU as the comparator. Eligible participants were diagnosed with depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, or trauma- and stress-related disorders. Outcomes of interest were symptoms, functioning, quality of life, healthcare utilization, and negative effects. Results were synthesized using random-effects meta-analyses. Quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: The included studies evaluated iCBT for adults with depression (k = 9), depressive or anxiety disorders (k = 4), and post-traumatic stress disorder (k = 2) and were conducted in primary care or similar settings. For depression, low-certainty evidence suggested beneficial short-term effects on symptoms (g = -0.23; 95 % CI: = -0.37, -0.09), response rate (OR = 2.46; 1.31, 4.64), and remission (OR = 1.70; 1.19, 2.42;). The certainty of evidence was very low for long-term effects, other outcomes, and other disorders. LIMITATIONS: TAU varied across studies and was often insufficiently described. CONCLUSIONS: iCBT as a complement to usual care for adult with depression may result in a small incremental effect, which potentially could be clinically important. Studies are lacking for several common disorders and for children, adolescents, and the elderly. More robust studies of long-term effects are also needed, to better inform clinical decision-making.

Association of adolescent depression with subsequent prescriptions of anti-infectives and anti-inflammatories in adulthood: A longitudinal cohort study.

New insights into how depression is linked to physical health throughout the lifespan could potentially inform clinical decision making. The aim of this study was to explore the association of adolescent depression with subsequent prescriptions of anti-infectives and anti-inflammatories in adulthood. The study was based on the Uppsala Longitudinal Adolescent Depression Study (ULADS), a Swedish prospective cohort study initiated in 1991. Depressed (n = 321) and non-depressed (n = 218) adolescents were followed prospectively using patient registries. The associations of adolescent depression (age 16-17 years) with subsequent prescription of anti-infectives and anti-inflammatories (age 30-40 years), were analysed using generalized linear models. Sub-analyses explored the impact of diagnostic characteristics in adolescence and reception of anti-depressants prescriptions in adulthood. The results suggest that females with persistent depressive disorder in adolescence have a higher rate of future prescriptions than non-depressed peers, with adjusted incidence rate ratio of 1.42 (1.06 to 1.92) for anti-infectives and 1.72 (1.10 to 2.70) for anti-inflammatories. These associations were mainly driven by those who were also prescribed antidepressants during the same period. Associations were less robust for females with episodic or subsyndromal depression in adolescence and for males. These findings emphasize the importance of integrated mental health services at the primary healthcare level.

Immediate and Sustained Effects of Neurofeedback and Working Memory Training on Cognitive Functions in Children and Adolescents with ADHD: A Multi-Arm Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of neurocognitive training methods on targeted cognitive functions in children and adolescent with ADHD. METHOD: A pragmatic four-arm randomized controlled trial compared two types of neurofeedback (Slow Cortical Potential and Live Z-score) and Working-memory training (WMT) with treatment as usual. N = 202 participants with ADHD aged 9 to 17 years were included. A battery of cognitive function tests was completed pretreatment, posttreatment, and after 6-months. RESULTS: The effects of WMT on spatial and verbal working-memory were superior to neurofeedback and treatment as usual at posttreatment, but only partially sustained at follow-up. No other consistent effects were observed. We found no clear indications that effects were moderated by ADHD presentation, ongoing medication, age, or sex. CONCLUSION: The sustained effects of neurocognitive training on cognitive functioning in children and adolescents with ADHD may be limited. Future research should focus on more personalized forms of neurocognitive training.

Adolescent depression and adult labor market marginalization: a longitudinal cohort study.

Adolescent depression is linked to adult ill-health and functional impairment, but recent research suggests that individual/contextual factors might account for this association. This study aimed to test whether the clinical heterogeneity of adolescent depression is related to marginalization from the labor market across early to middle adulthood. Data were drawn from the Uppsala Longitudinal Adolescent Depression Study, a community-based cohort initially assessed with structured clinical interviews at age 16-17. The cohort (n = 321 depressed; n = 218 nondepressed) was followed up after 2+ decades through linkage to nationwide population-based registries. Outcomes included consecutive annual data on unemployment, work disability, social welfare recipiency, and a composite marginalization measure, spanning from age 21 to 40. Longitudinal associations were examined using logistic regression analysis in a generalized estimating equations modeling framework. Subsequent depressive episodes and educational attainment in early adulthood were explored as potential pathways. The results showed that adolescent depression was associated with adult marginalization outcomes, but the strength of association varied across depressed subgroups. Adolescents with persistent depressive disorder had higher odds of all outcomes, including the composite marginalization measure (adjusted OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.4-2.7, p < 0.001), and this was partially (31%) mediated by subsequent depressive episodes in early adulthood. Exploratory moderation analysis revealed that entry into tertiary education mitigated the association with later marginalization, but only for adolescents with episodic major depression. In conclusion, the risk for future labor market marginalization is elevated among depressed adolescents, particularly those presenting with persistent depressive disorder. Targeted interventions seem crucial to mitigate the long-lasting impact of early-onset depression.

Slow Cortical Potential Versus Live Z-score Neurofeedback in Children and Adolescents with ADHD: A Multi-arm Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial with Active and Passive Comparators.

Neurofeedback (NF) as a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been evaluated in several trials, but the specificity and generalizability of effects remain unclear. This four-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of Slow Cortical Potential (SCP; standard NF protocol) and Live Z-score (LZS; non-standard NF protocol) delivered in high-frequency format (five sessions per week during five weeks), compared to Working-memory training (WMT; active comparator) and Treatment-as-usual (TAU; passive comparator). N = 202 children/adolescents aged 9 to 17 years with ADHD participated. The primary outcome measure was multi-report (self-, teacher-, and parent-report) ADHD core symptoms on the Conners-3, assessed at baseline, posttreatment, and 6-months follow-up. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model. Between-group differences were scarce and did not show a distinct pattern. Superiority of LZS over TAU at endpoint were observed for teacher-rated measures only, while significant differences between SCP and TAU were restricted to posttreatment measurements. Contrary to our expectations, LZS outperformed SCP at endpoint for teacher-rated hyperactivity (-5.37; 95% CI: -10.14 to -0.60; p = .028; d = -.36) and overall ADHD symptoms (-2.20; -4.18 to -0.22; p = .030; d = -.41). There was no indication that either form of NF was superior to WMT. No severe adverse events were reported during the trial, whereas transient stress-related problems were quite frequent. Overall, the results from this pragmatic trial do not provide convincing support for broad implementation of NF in child and adolescent psychiatric services. Future research should try to clarify for whom and under what circumstances NF might be a viable treatment option.

Headache in ADHD as comorbidity and a side effect of medications: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is mixed evidence on the association between headache and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as headache and ADHD medications. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the co-occurrence of headache in children with ADHD, and the effects of ADHD medications on headache. Embase, Medline and PsycInfo were searched for population-based and clinical studies comparing the prevalence of headache in ADHD and controls through January 26, 2021. In addition, we updated the search of a previous systematic review and network meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on ADHD medications on June 16, 2020. Trials of amphetamines, atomoxetine, bupropion, clonidine, guanfacine, methylphenidate, and modafinil with a placebo arm and reporting data on headache as an adverse event, were included. Thirteen epidemiological studies and 58 clinical trials were eligible for inclusion. In epidemiological studies, a significant association between headache and ADHD was found [odds ratio (OR) = 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.63-2.46], which remained significant when limited to studies reporting ORs adjusted for possible confounders. The pooled prevalence of headaches in children with ADHD was 26.6%. In RCTs, three ADHD medications were associated with increased headache during treatment periods, compared to placebo: atomoxetine (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.06-1.56), guanfacine (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.12-1.82), and methylphenidate (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.09-1.63). The summarized evidence suggests that headache is common in children with ADHD, both as part of the clinical presentation as such and as a side effect of some standard medications. Monitoring and clinical management strategies of headache in ADHD, in general, and during pharmacological treatment are recommended.

Rare variants in the outcome of social skills group training for autism.

Exome sequencing has been proposed as the first-tier genetic testing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we performed exome sequencing in autistic individuals with average to high intellectual abilities (N = 207) to identify molecular diagnoses and genetic modifiers of intervention outcomes of social skills group training (SSGT) or standard care. We prioritized variants of clinical significance (VCS), variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and generated a pilot scheme to calculate genetic scores of rare and common variants in ASD-related gene pathways. Mixed linear models were used to test the association between the carrier status of VCS/VUS or the genetic scores with intervention outcomes measured by the social responsiveness scale. Additionally, we combined behavioral and genetic features using a machine learning (ML) model to predict the individual response. We showed a rate of 4.4% and 11.3% of VCS and VUS in the cohort, respectively. Individuals with VCS or VUS had improved significantly less after standard care than non-carriers at post-intervention (ß = 9.35; p = 0.036), while no such association was observed for SSGT (ß = -2.50; p = 0.65). Higher rare variant genetic scores for synaptic transmission and regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II were separately associated with less beneficial (ß = 8.30, p = 0.0044) or more beneficial (ß = -6.79, p = 0.014) effects after SSGT compared with standard care at follow-up, respectively. Our ML model showed the importance of rare variants for outcome prediction. Further studies are needed to understand genetic predisposition to intervention outcomes in ASD.

Adolescent depression, early psychiatric comorbidities, and adulthood welfare burden: a 25-year longitudinal cohort study.

PURPOSE: Depression at all ages is recognized as a global public health concern, but less is known about the welfare burden following early-life depression. This study aimed to (1) estimate the magnitude of associations between depression in adolescence and social transfer payments in adulthood; and (2) address the impact of major comorbid psychopathology on these associations. METHODS: This is a longitudinal cohort study of 539 participants assessed at age 16-17 using structured diagnostic interviews. An ongoing 25-year follow-up linked the cohort (n = 321 depressed; n = 218 nondepressed) to nationwide population-based registries. Outcomes included consecutive annual data on social transfer payments due to unemployment, work disability, and public assistance, spanning from age 18 to 40. Parameter estimations used the generalized estimating equations approach. RESULTS: Adolescent depression was associated with all forms of social transfer payments. The estimated overall payment per person and year was 938 USD (95% CI 551-1326) over and above the amount received by nondepressed controls. Persistent depressive disorder was associated with higher recipiency across all outcomes, whereas the pattern of findings was less clear for subthreshold and episodic major depression. Moreover, depressed adolescents presenting with comorbid anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders evidenced particularly high recipiency, exceeding the nondepressed controls with an estimated 1753 USD (95% CI 887-2620). CONCLUSION: Adolescent depression is associated with considerable public expenditures across early-to-middle adulthood, especially for those exposed to chronic/persistent depression and psychiatric comorbidities. This finding suggests that the clinical heterogeneity of early-life depression needs to be considered from a longer-term societal perspective.

Associations of Childhood and Adolescent Depression With Adult Psychiatric and Functional Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is common, impairing, and the leading cause of disease burden in youths. This study aimed to identify the effects of childhood/adolescent depression on a broad range of longer-term outcomes. METHOD: The analysis is based on the prospective, representative Great Smoky Mountains Study of 1,420 participants. Participants were assessed with the structured Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment interview up to 8 times in childhood (age 9-16 years; 6,674 observations; 1993-2000) for DSM-based depressive disorders, associated psychiatric comorbidities, and childhood adversities. Participants were followed up 4 times in adulthood (ages 19, 21, 25, and 30 years; 4,556 observations of 1,336 participants; 1999-2015) with the structured Young Adult Psychiatric Assessment Interview for psychiatric outcomes and functional outcomes. RESULTS: In all, 7.7% of participants met criteria for a depressive disorder in childhood/adolescence. Any childhood/adolescent depression was associated with higher levels of adult anxiety and illicit drug disorders and also with worse health, criminal, and social functioning; these associations persisted when childhood psychiatric comorbidities and adversities were accounted for. No sex-specific patterns were identified. However, timing of depression mattered: individuals with adolescent-onset depression had worse outcomes than those with child-onset. Average depressive symptoms throughout childhood and adolescence were associated with more adverse outcomes. Finally, specialty mental health service use was protective against adult diagnostic outcomes. CONCLUSION: Early depression and especially persistent childhood/adolescent depressive symptoms have robust, lasting associations with adult functioning. Some of these effects may be attenuated by service use.

Proof of concept: The TRANSITION program for young adults with autism spectrum disorder and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: The support needs of people with neurodevelopmental disorders are not sufficiently met during the initial years of adulthood. AIM: To evaluate feasibility and preliminary effects of a novel programme designed to empower young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to make progress within significant life domains (i.e. work, education, finance, housing/household management, health, leisure/participation in society, and relationships/social network). MATERIAL AND METHOD: TRANSITION is a 24-week programme that combines group-based workshops with personalised support based on goal attainment scaling. The study enrolled 26 young adults (50% females; age 17-24 years) in the normative intellectual range, diagnosed with ASD (n = 8), ADHD (n = 4), or both (n = 14). The intervention was delivered by the regular staff of publicly funded psychiatric services in Stockholm, Sweden. RESULTS: The programme was possible to implement with minor deviations from the manual. Participants and staff generally viewed the intervention positively, but also provided feedback to guide further improvement. There was a high degree of attendance throughout, with 21 participants (81%) completing the programme. All completers exceeded their predefined goal expectations within at least one domain. CONCLUSIONS: The TRANSITION-programme is a promising concept that deserves further evaluation.

Neurological disorders in autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

LAY ABSTRACT: Neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy, have been reported to occur among individuals with autism beyond chance and may have an impact on daily living across the lifespan. Although there has been research investigating neurological disorders in autism, the findings are not always conclusive. Previous summaries of existing studies have not evaluated the full range of neurological disorders. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the neurological problems appearing in autism to provide updated information that is needed for better healthcare and support in this population. We looked at already published studies focusing on risk or frequency of neurological disorders in autism. Our results suggest that individuals with autism are more likely than the general population to have a range of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, macrocephaly, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, migraine/headache, and inborn abnormalities of the nervous system. In order to provide individualized healthcare and support of high quality to individuals diagnosed with autism, health care professionals and other support providers need to be attentive to neurological complications. To further improve our understanding about the link between autism and neurological disorders, future research should follow the neurological health of children who are diagnosed with or are at increased likelihood of autism.

Behavioral and biological divergence in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for autism phenotypes: A systematic review.

Background: Non-shared environment (NSE) effects account for around one-third of the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the knowledge of mechanisms and phenotypic profiles associated with NSE in ASD is scarce. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO for studies published in English between 1990 and August 2020 using co-twin control design to compare behavioral and biological phenotypes among monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs concordant/discordant for ASD, clinical autism symptoms, or autistic traits. Risk of bias was assessed through a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Twenty six articles were included. Differential DNA methylation and gene expression were found among ASD discordant twins; however, genetic results were inconsistent. Neurological disorders and early medical events were associated with ASD and autistic traits, while no within pair differences were found for minor physical anomalies or head circumference. Structural and functional brain imaging studies and research on social and other cognitive/behavioral functions were inconclusive. Risk of bias assessment found that all studies used the same exposure (or outcome) measures to collect data for participants and most used either secure health-related records or structured interviews for ascertainment of exposure; however, only a handful of studies representative of the population from which they were drawn. Formal assessment of risk of publication bias (i.e., funnel plot) was not possible. Conclusions: Our results suggest that NSE in ASD could be associated with heterogeneous postzygotic genetic mechanisms and manifest as a range of biological and behavioral phenotypes. Extant findings were limited by relatively few studies, small sample sizes, and methodological diversity. More research is needed on co-occurring biological and behavioral phenotypes using a consistent format for designing, analyzing, and reporting MZ ASD discordant twin studies in order to further examine the role of NSE in the etiology of ASD.

Early environmental risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders - a systematic review of twin and sibling studies.

While neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are highly heritable, several environmental risk factors have also been suggested. However, the role of familial confounding is unclear. To shed more light on this, we reviewed the evidence from twin and sibling studies. A systematic review was performed on case control and cohort studies including a twin or sibling within-pair comparison of neurodevelopmental outcomes, with environmental exposures until the sixth birthday. From 7,315 screened abstracts, 140 eligible articles were identified. After adjustment for familial confounding advanced paternal age, low birth weight, birth defects, and perinatal hypoxia and respiratory stress were associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and low birth weight, gestational age and family income were associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), categorically and dimensionally. Several previously suspected factors, including pregnancy-related factors, were deemed due to familial confounding. Most studies were conducted in North America and Scandinavia, pointing to a global research bias. Moreover, most studies focused on ASD and ADHD. This genetically informed review showed evidence for a range of environmental factors of potential casual significance in NDDs, but also points to a critical need of more genetically informed studies of good quality in the quest of the environmental causes of NDDs.

Does the learning environment 'make the grade'? A systematic review of accommodations for children on the autism spectrum in mainstream school.

BACKGROUND: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adapted by the United Nations envisions inclusive and equitable quality education. While there is a growing body of research on interventions designed to help children on the autism spectrum adapt to the school environment, accommodations to children needs have been given less attention. OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the literature on accommodations in the learning environment for children on the autism spectrum (ages 5-19 years) in mainstream school, with a specific focus on the effects on functioning, educational outcomes and well-being. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted. The study selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Eligible studies were assessed according to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards. RESULTS: The search yielded 6102 citations. Only 37 eligible studies were identified, of which 14 met the WWC standards. This inconclusive and heterogeneous body of research tentatively suggest that accommodations in the pedagogical and psychosocial leaning environment can improve performance and function in school. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Accommodations in the learning environment is a promising but understudied approach. Creative research and innovation will be needed to support policy makers and school personnel in their quest to ensure inclusive and equitable education.

Cost-effectiveness of an indicated preventive intervention for depression in adolescents: a model to support decision making.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent depression has negative health and economic outcomes in the short- and long-term. Indicated preventive interventions, in particular group based cognitive behavioural therapy (GB-CBT), are effective in preventing depression in adolescents with subsyndromal depression. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. METHODS: A Markov cohort model was used to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses comparing a GB-CBT indicated preventive intervention for depression, to a no-intervention option in a Swedish setting. Taking a time horizon of 5- and 10 years, incremental differences in societal costs and health benefits expressed as differences in the proportion of cases of depression prevented, and as quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained were estimated. Through univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses, the robustness of the results was explored. Costs, presented in 2018 USD, and effects were discounted at a yearly rate of 3%. RESULTS: The base-case analysis showed that GB-CBT indicated preventive intervention incurred lower costs, prevented a larger proportion of cases of depression and generated higher QALYs compared to the no-intervention option for both time horizons. Offering the intervention was even a cost saving strategy and demonstrated a probability of being cost-effective of over 95%. In the sensitivity analyses, these results were robust to the modelling assumptions. LIMITATIONS: The study considered a homogeneous cohort and assumed a constant annual decay rate of the relative treatment effect. CONCLUSIONS: GB-CBT indicated preventive interventions for depression in adolescence can generate good value for money compared to leaving adolescents with subsyndromal depression untreated.

The influence of common polygenic risk and gene sets on social skills group training response in autism spectrum disorder.

Social skills group training (SSGT) is a frequently used behavioral intervention in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the effects are moderate and heterogeneous. Here, we analyzed the effect of polygenic risk score (PRS) and common variants in gene sets on the intervention outcome. Participants from the largest randomized clinical trial of SSGT in ASD to date were selected (N = 188, 99 from SSGT, 89 from standard care) to calculate association between the outcomes in the SSGT trial and PRSs for ASD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and educational attainment. In addition, specific gene sets were selected to evaluate their role on intervention outcomes. Among all participants in the trial, higher PRS for ADHD was associated with significant improvement in the outcome measure, the parental-rated Social Responsiveness Scale. The significant association was due to better outcomes in the standard care group for individuals with higher PRS for ADHD (post-intervention: ß = -4.747, P = 0.0129; follow-up: ß = -5.309, P = 0.0083). However, when contrasting the SSGT and standard care group, an inferior outcome in the SSGT group was associated with higher ADHD PRS at follow-up (ß = 6.67, P = 0.016). Five gene sets within the synaptic category showed a nominal association with reduced response to interventions. We provide preliminary evidence that genetic liability calculated from common variants could influence the intervention outcomes. In the future, larger cohorts should be used to investigate how genetic contribution affects individual response to ASD interventions.

Adolescent depression and subsequent earnings across early to middle adulthood: a 25-year longitudinal cohort study.

AIMS: The few available studies on early-onset depression and future earnings offer ambiguous findings, and potential sources of heterogeneity are poorly understood. We examined the differences in adult earnings of males and females with and without a history of depressive disorder in adolescence, with specific focuses on (1) future earnings in clinical subtypes of adolescent depression; (2) the growth and distribution of earnings over time within these subgroups and (3) the mediating role of subsequent depressive episodes occurring in early adulthood. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Uppsala Longitudinal Adolescent Depression Study, a community-based cohort study initiated in Uppsala, Sweden, in the early 1990s. Comprehensive diagnostic assessments were conducted at age 16-17 and in follow-up interviews 15 years later, while consecutive data on earnings for the years 1996 to 2016 (ages 20-40) were drawn from population-based registries. The current study included participants with a history of persistent depressive disorder (PDD) (n = 175), episodic major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 82), subthreshold depression (n = 64) or no depression (n = 218) in adolescence. The association of adolescent depression with earnings in adulthood was analysed using generalised estimating equations. Estimates were adjusted for major child and adolescent psychiatric comorbidities and parental socioeconomic status. The indirect (mediated) effect of depression in early adulthood (ages 19-30) on earnings in mid-adulthood (31-40) was estimated in mediation analysis. The study followed the 'STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology' (STROBE) guidelines. RESULTS: Earnings across early to middle adulthood were lower for participants with a history of a PDD in adolescence than for their non-depressed peers, with an adjusted ratio of mean earnings of 0.85 (0.77-0.95) for females and 0.76 (0.60-0.95) for males. The differences were consistent over time, and more pronounced in the lower percentiles of the earnings distributions. The association was partially mediated by recurrent depression in early adulthood (48% in total; 61% for females, 29% for males). No reduction in earnings was observed among participants with episodic MDD in adolescence, while results for subthreshold depression were inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that future earnings of adolescents with depressive disorders are contingent on the duration and natural long-term course of early-onset depression, emphasising the need for timely and effective interventions to avoid loss of human capital.