Effects of Problem Solving Therapy in Substance Use Disorder in Adolescents. / Ergenlerdeki Madde Kullanim Bozuklugunda Sorun Çözme Terapisinin Etkileri.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of problem solving therapy, which is a cognitive behavioral method, on adolescents diagnosed with alcohol and substance use disorder. METHOD: A semi-structured interview and intelligence test were administered to adolescents with diagnosis of substance use disorder to identify comorbidities. 46 adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups. Problem solving therapy was applied to the first group for 5 weeks, once a week, while the other group continued their routine controls in the center. Beck Depression Inventory, Screen for Child Anxiety Disorders, Revised Social Problem Solving Inventory, Addiction Profile Index and Treatment Motivation Questionnaire were administered to the groups at the beginning of the study and at the end of the 5th week and the results were analyzed. RESULTS: Sociodemographic and substance use characteristics, comorbid psychopathologies and scale mean scores of the groups in the first evaluation were found to be similar to each other. Although the depression and anxiety scores decreased significantly in both groups, no significant difference was found between the groups. Problemsolving skills and treatment motivation increased in the therapy group and decreased in the control group. The difference between groups was found to be significant (p=0.045, 0.037 for problem solving and treatment motivation respectively). While the severity of addiction decreased in therapy group, it increased in control group, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSION: This study is important in that it shows that psychosocial interventions strengthen the treatment of substance use disorder in adolescents. In our country, no other study was evaluating the effects of the intervention methods in addicted adolescents was found. Future studies with larger sample sizes and where the long-term results of substance use disorder are evaluated are needed.

Investigation of Adolescents Who Have Internet Addiction Accompanied By Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Terms of Emotion Regulation and Social Cognition. / Internet Bagimliligi ve Eslik Eden Dikkat Eksikligi Hiperaktivite Bozuklugu Olan Ergenlerin Duygu Düzenleme ve Sosyal Bilis Açisindan Incelenmesi.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate social cognition and emotion regulation skills in individuals with Internet Addiction (IA) and Internet addiction with comorbid Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (IA + ADHD). METHOD: The sample of the study consist of 30 IA, 30 IA + ADHD patients, 30 healthy controls between the ages of 12-17 who applied to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Technology Outpatient Clinic. K-SADS-PL, WISC-R, sociodemographic data form, Internet Addiction Scale (IAS), Addiction Profile Index Internet Addiction Form (APIINT), Beck Depression Inventory, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were applied to all participants. Social cognition was evaluated using Faces Test, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, The Unexpected Outcomes Test, Faux Paus, Hinting Test and Comprehension Test. RESULTS: In social cognition tests, IA and IA + ADHD groups failed significantly compared to the control group. Emotion regulation difficulties were significantly higher in IA and IA + ADHD groups compared to the control group (p<0.001). Use of the internet for doing homeworks (p<0.001) was found to be higher in the control group than in the IA and IA + ADHD groups Conclusion: It has been found that individuals diagnosed with internet addiction have difficulties in both social cognition and emotion regulation, which is more severe in the presence of comorbid ADHD.

Abnormal white matter integrity and impairment of cognitive abilities in adolescent inhalant abusers.

Inhalant abuse represents a major health problem especially among adolescents and young adults. However, less is known about white matter (WM) microstructure in adolescent inhalant abusers. In the present study, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study WM changes in adolescent inhalant abusers compared with healthy controls. We also tested whether there was any relationship between WM integrity and neuropsychological measures in adolescent inhalant abusers. The study included 19 adolescent inhalant abusers and 19 healthy control subjects. Whole brain analysis of WM microstructure was performed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to detect abnormal WM regions between groups. Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) and Stroop test were used to measure neuropsychological performance. We found that adolescent inhalant abuser group had significantly higher axial diffusivity (AD) values in left parietal, occipital and temporal WM than in healthy control group. Inhalant abuser and control groups did not differ significantly on fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) values. Adolescent inhalant abusers showed worse performance when compared with control group in WCST and Stroop test. There was no significant correlation of AD values in significant clusters with neuropsychological test performances within the two groups. We only found discrete impairments in neuropsychological test performance and WM integrity in adolescent inhalant abusers compared with healthy control subjects and we were not able to demonstrate a direct correlation between WM alterations and neurocognitive performance. Future work is required to longitudinally evaluate brain abnormalities through methods assessing brain structure, function and connectivity.