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pubmed: attention deficit hy...
NCBI: db=pubmed; Term=attention deficit hyperactivity
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[Validation of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adult assessment scale (EDAH) in a teenage population.]
Rev Neurol. 2010 Mar 1;50(5):283-90
Authors: Sanchez CR, Ramos C, Diaz F, Simon M
AIM. To validate the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment scale (EDAH) for a teenage population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Out of an initial sample of 3400 participants, a final sample of 2382 boys and girls was selected. This reduction in the number of participants was mainly due to parents' failing to sign the informed consent document (948 cases) and to incomplete questionnaires (70 cases). Finally, we extracted a sub-sample of those who presented scores above the 75 centile on the total EDAH factor of the questionnaire. This sub-sample consisted of 637 pupils, 258 of whom were girls (40.5%) and the remaining 379 were boys (59.5%), with ages between 11 and 17 years old. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. The original test has proved to be useful in screening for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood. The main result of the factorial analysis with Varimax rotation performed on a sample of teenagers was the appearance of a new factor ('social interaction disorders'); the three factors of the original test were maintained, although with slight differences in their composition. High internal consistency was also observed by means of Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.85), which confirmed the reliability of the scale. The sociodemographic variables sex and number of failed subjects account for a significant part of the variance of the total EDAH score (28%); in 'attention deficit', gender, age and number of failed subjects are the variables that exert the greatest influence; in 'social interaction disorders', age and number of failed subjects are involved; in 'hyperactivity', age and gender are the variables with the most weight; and in 'behavioural disorders', none of these variables have any repercussion on the scores that are obtained.
PMID: 20217647 [PubMed - in process]
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Externalizing Behavior Problems and Cigarette Smoking as Predictors of Cannabis Use: The TRAILS Study.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;49(1):61-9
Authors: Korhonen T, van Leeuwen AP, Reijneveld SA, Ormel J, Verhulst FC, Huizink AC
OBJECTIVE:: To examine externalizing behavior problems and cigarette smoking as predictors of subsequent cannabis use. METHOD:: Dutch adolescents (N = 1,606; 854 girls and 752 boys) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) ongoing longitudinal study were examined at baseline (ages 10-12 [T1]) and at two follow-up assessments (ages 12-15 [T2] and 15-18 [T3]). The analysis focused on DSM-IV externalizing behavior (conduct, attention deficit hyperactivity, and oppositional) problems at T1, assessed by the Youth Self Report and the Child Behavior Check List, on self-reported ever smoking at T2, and on cannabis use at T3. RESULTS:: All associations of parent-rated externalizing behavior problems with cannabis were mediated by earlier smoking. Considering self-reported problems, none of these associations with cannabis were mediated by smoking, except the influence of self-reported conduct problems in girls. Interestingly, even after adjusting for externalizing problems, earlier smoking independently and consistently predicted cannabis use. The adjusted odds ratios for smoking varied in boys from 4.8 to 5.2 (ever) from 10 to 12 (daily) and from 22 to 23 (early-onset) whereas in girls from 4.9 to 5.0, 5.6 to 6.1, and 27 to 28, respectively (p <.001 for all). CONCLUSIONS:: Our findings challenge the view that externalizing behavior problems directly predict cannabis initiation. Such associations were inconsistent across informants and sexes and were often mediated by earlier smoking. Early smoking onset is a powerful predictor of later cannabis initiation independent of preceding externalizing behavior problems. Although externalizing behavior problems are important as a starting point for substance use trajectories, early-onset smoking should be identified as an important marker of cannabis use risk.
PMID: 20215927 [PubMed - in process]
Effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate treatment for ADHD on growth.
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Effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate treatment for ADHD on growth.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;49(1):24-32
Authors: Faraone SV, Spencer TJ, Kollins SH, Glatt SJ
OBJECTIVE:: To complete an exploratory uncontrolled study of the effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) on growth of children treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD:: Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) from 281 children ages 6 to 13 years from longitudinal assessments up to 15 months were compared to norms from the Centers for Disease Control. RESULTS:: At study entry, children were taller and heavier than average. Growth delays were largest for weight and BMI, and there was a 13 percentile point decrease in height. Children continued to grow in terms of height while treated with LDX; we found no increase in raw weight or BMI during the study period. LDX treatment was significantly associated with diminished gains in height, weight, and BMI compared to levels that would be expected based on age-appropriate standards from the Centers for Disease Control. Growth delays were greatest for the heaviest and tallest children, for those who had not previously received stimulant therapy, and for those with a greater cumulative exposure to LDX. More work is needed to determine effects on ultimate adult height. CONCLUSIONS:: Consistent with prior studies of stimulants, treatment with LDX leads to statistically significant reductions in expected height, weight, and BMI. Growth of patients with ADHD treated with LDX should be closely monitored and corrective action taken should growth delays be observed.Clinical trial registry information-Phase 3 Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of NRP104 in Children Aged 6-12 With ADHD, URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, unique identifier: NCT00556296; NRP104, Adderall XR or Placebo in Children Aged 6-12 Years with ADHD; URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, unique identifier: NCT00557011.
PMID: 20215923 [PubMed - in process]
Trends in antipsychotic drug use by very young, privately insured children.
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Trends in antipsychotic drug use by very young, privately insured children.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;49(1):13-23
Authors: Olfson M, Crystal S, Huang C, Gerhard T
OBJECTIVE:: This study describes recent trends and patterns in antipsychotic treatment of privately insured children aged 2 through 5 years. METHOD:: A trend analysis is presented of antipsychotic medication use (1999-2001 versus 2007) stratified by patient characteristics. Data are analyzed from a large administrative database of privately insured individuals. Participants were privately insured children, aged 2 through 5 years, with 12 months of continuous service enrollment in 1999-2001 (N = 400,196) or 2007 (N = 755,793). The main outcomes are annualized rates of antipsychotic use and adjusted rate ratios (ARR) of year effect on rate of antipsychotic use adjusted for age, sex, and treated mental disorder. RESULTS:: The annualized rate of any antipsychotic use per 1,000 children increased from 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.88) (1999-2001) to 1.59 (95% CI 1.50-1.68) (2007) (ARR 1.76, 95% CI 1.56-2.00). Significant increases in antipsychotic drug use were evident for boys (ARR 1.66, 95% CI 1.44-1.90) and girls (ARR 2.26, 95% CI 1.70-3.01) and for children diagnosed with several different psychiatric disorders. Among antipsychotic-treated children in the 2007 sample, pervasive developmental disorder or mental retardation (28.2%), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (23.7%), and disruptive behavior disorder (12.9%) were the most common clinical diagnoses. Fewer than one-half of antipsychotic-treated young children received a mental health assessment (40.8%), a psychotherapy visit (41.4%), or a visit with a psychiatrist (42.6%) during the year of antipsychotic use. CONCLUSIONS:: Despite increasing rates of antipsychotic use by very young children, provision of formal mental health services remains sparse. These service patterns highlight a critical need to improve the availability of specialized and well integrated mental health care for very young children with serious mental health problems.
PMID: 20215922 [PubMed - in process]
