Change in Insomnia and Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Iranian Women with Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that sleep patterns and psychological health have worsened in the general population as a result of the COVID-19-pandemic. Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) represent a particularly vulnerable population for COVID-19 infections and effects of restrictions. The present study investigated whether insomnia and depressive symptoms, as well as other MS-related symptoms (i.e. fatigue and paresthesia), changed from before to during the COVID-19-pandemic among persons with diagnosed MS. METHOD: A sample of 90 Iranian females with MS (mean age; 37.62 years; median EDSS score: 2.5) completed a series of self-rating scales at two time points: Nine months before the COVID-19 outbreak in May 2019 (baseline) and then again during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 (study end). Self-rating questionnaires covered sociodemographic and disease-related information, insomnia, depressive symptoms, fatigue, and paresthesia. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms increased over time with a significant p-value and medium effect size. Symptoms of insomnia increased over time (significant p-value, but small effect size), while no significant changes were observed in fatigue and paresthesia (very small effect sizes). The only predictor for insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic was insomnia before the COVID-19 pandemic; the only predictor for depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic was insomnia before the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic and its related social restrictions had significant effects on symptoms of depression and insomnia in this sample of Iranian women with MS, but had no effect on fatigue and paresthesia.

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo among Iranian Children and Adolescents: A Validation Study of the Farsi Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI)-Parent Version.

BACKGROUND: Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), recently renamed cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), is a set of behavioral symptoms that includes excessive daydreaming, mental confusion and fogginess, being lost in one's thoughts, and slowed behavior and thinking. Symptoms of SCT show overlap with a broad range of other symptoms such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention, anxiety, and depression, or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). To measure SCT, one of the optimal measures is the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI). Here, we report the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the CABI Parent Version, including the CABI SCT scale and its subscales. METHODS: The participants were the parents of 209 children and adolescents (53.9% girls; ages 8-19 years; Mage = 14.23, SDage = 2.72). Parents completed the SCT, ADHD inattention (ADHD-IN), ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD-HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), limited prosocial emotions (callous-unemotional (CU) traits), anxiety, depression, social impairment, and academic impairment scales of the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI). Parents also completed four dimensions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: emotional problems; conduct problems; peer problems; prosocial behavior), and five dimensions of the Kidscreen questionnaire (physical health; psychological well-being; autonomy and parental well-being; peers and social support; school environment). RESULTS: SCT symptoms demonstrated strong discriminant validity from the ADHD-IN symptoms. SCT showed stronger first-order and unique associations than ADHD-IN with anxiety, depression, and ODD, whereas ADHD-IN showed stronger first-order and unique associations than SCT with ADHD-HI, CU, and social and academic impairment. Further, SCT showed stronger first-order and unique associations than ADHD-IN with more emotional problems, peer problems, and with lower prosocial behavior, as assessed with the SDQ. Higher scores for SCT were associated with lower psychological well-being, autonomy and parental relations, and lower peer and social support, as assessed with the Kidscreen. Higher ADHD-IN scores were associated with lower peer and social support, and a lower school environment. CONCLUSIONS: The Farsi version of the CABI-Parent Version has very good psychometric properties for assessing SCT and other dimensions of psychopathology/impairment and replicates the findings from similar studies with children and adolescents from South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and the United States. Accordingly, the present study provides further support of the transcultural validity of the sluggish cognitive tempo construct.