A systematic review of the psychometric properties of tools for measuring depression in youths with intellectual disability.

While youths with intellectual disability (ID) have increased vulnerability for depressive disorders, cognitive problems and combined functional barriers make them less prone to receive adequate treatments. A systematic review of the literature was conducted (PROSPERO Registration number: CRD42022347703) based on several databases from 1980 to 2022 to examine the quality of tools for measuring depression in children and adolescents with ID. The COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments) checklist was used to assess several psychometric domains. Twelve studies evaluated the properties of six tools for measuring depression in youths with ID. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Intellectual Disability (CESD-ID) was the only scale with at least five domains of psychometric properties assessed to have strong or moderate evidence. Based on the reviewed findings, tools specifically developed for populations with developmental disabilities should be considered first in order to screen depression in youths with ID. Much work is required to confirm their validity in clinical samples with patients with a complex form of developmental disabilities. As a complement to self- and caregivers-report questionnaires, clinician rating scales were considered useful to catch the full picture of depression in youths with ID, in particular associated behavioral expressions. Their validity received little scrutiny and certainly deserve more attention to improve care practice of youths with ID.

Impact of the Timing of Maternal Peripartum Depression on Infant Social and Emotional Development at 18 Months.

The study assessed how the timing of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms affects infant socio-emotional characteristics at age 18 months. The study was a longitudinal cohort study that included six assessment points from the third trimester of pregnancy up to age 18 months (±1 month). Assessment of mothers included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, while assessments of infant included the Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) at 18 months. Mothers were categorized into one of the following groups: mothers who presented postnatal depression only (n = 19); mothers who presented both prenatal and postnatal depression (n = 14), and mothers who never showed perinatal depression symptoms (n = 38). Mothers who presented both prenatal and postnatal depression showed significantly higher levels of depressive score, reactivity to stress and level of anxiety trait compared to mothers of the two other groups. Infants of prenatally and postnatally depressed mothers had higher scores on the internalizing subscore of the ITSEA. The number of depression episodes during the study period was positively correlated with the externalizing and internalizing subscores of the ITSEA. These findings support the need to provide specific screening to identify women with prenatal depression.