Applications of the experience sampling method (ESM) in paediatric healthcare: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: With the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) participants are asked to provide self-reports of their symptoms, feelings, thoughts and behaviours in daily life. This preregistered systematic review assessed how ESM is being used to monitor emotional well-being, somatic health, fatigue and pain in children and adolescents with a chronic somatic illness. METHODS: Databases were searched from inception. Studies were selected if they included children or adolescents aged 0-25 years with a chronic somatic illness and used ESM focussing on mental health or psychosocial wellbeing, biopsychosocial factors and/or somatic health. Two reviewers extracted data of the final 47 papers, describing 48 studies. RESULTS: Most studies evaluated what factors influence medical or psychological symptoms and how symptoms influence each other. Another common purpose was to study the feasibility of ESM or ESM as part of an app or intervention. Study methods were heterogeneous and most studies lack adequate reporting of ESM applications and results. CONCLUSIONS: While ESM holds great potential for providing results and feedback to patients and caregivers, little use is being made of this option. Future studies should consider what they report in their studies, conduct a priori power analyses and how ESM can be embedded in clinical practice. IMPACT: While ESM has many clinical applications, it is currently mostly used for research purposes. Current studies using ESM are heterogeneous and lack consistent, high-quality reporting. There is great potential in ESM for providing patients and parents with personalised feedback.

Maternal depressive symptoms in relation to perinatal mortality and morbidity: results from a large multiethnic cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether 1) maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy are associated with preterm birth (PTB), small for gestational age (SGA), a low Apgar score and child loss; 2) maternal smoking mediates the associations; and 3) the associations differ by ethnic background. METHODS: Pregnant women in Amsterdam were approached during their first prenatal visit to participate in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study. They filled out a questionnaire covering sociodemographic data, life-style, and (psychosocial) health. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. The baseline sample consisted of 8,052 women; the main ethnic groups were: Dutch, Creole, Turkish, and Moroccan. RESULTS: The prevalence of perinatal outcomes was: 5.4% (PTB); 12.3% (SGA); l 1.5% (low Apgar score); and 1.4% (child loss). The prevalence of high depressive symptomatology was 30.6%. After adjustment for maternal age, parity, education, ethnicity, prepregnancy body mass index, hypertension, alcohol and drug use, and a small mediation effect of maternal smoking, high versus low levels of depressive symptoms were associated with SGA (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; p = .02) and a low Apgar score (OR, 1.74; p = .01), but not with PTB (OR, 1.16; p = .18) and child loss (OR, 1.28; p = .24). Stratified analyses by ethnic background showed a tendency toward higher risks, although insignificant, among Creole women. CONCLUSIONS: Several pathways may explain the detrimental effects of maternal depressive symptomatology on perinatal health outcomes, including a psychoendocrinological pathway involving the hormone cortisol or mediation effects by maternal risk behaviors. Further research should explore the underlying pathways, in particular among ethnic subgroups.