José Antonio Piqueras

Síntomas de trastornos de ansiedad en niños y adolescentes: Diferencias en función de la edad y el sexo en una muestra comunitaria

INTRODUCTION Anxiety symptoms in childhood and adolescence are an important risk factor for developing anxiety disorders in subsequent development stages. This study examines the frequency and characteristics of the symptoms of the principal anxiety disorders in children and adoloscents using a self-report questionnaire based on the diagnostic categories of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) manual. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional, non-interventional study was conducted on 2522 children and adolescents form 8 to 17 years (49% males), enrolled from different schools in the Province of Alicante who completed the Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale. RESULTS The mean score obtained on the scale (range: 0-114) was 25.15 (standard deviation (SD)=13.54). More than one in four (26.41%) of the children and adolescents showed high scores in any anxiety disorder. The anxiety symptoms due to separation were the most frequent in the sample (5.5%), followed by physical fears (5.1%). Girls scored significantly higher in all disorders (P<.001), except in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Differences were found as regards age in all disorders, except physical fears, but the effect sizes were only in anxiety due to separation, which decreased with age, and generalised anxiety, which was higher in adolescents than in children. CONCLUSIONS From the mental health perspective, it is important to be able to detect anxiety symptoms in children from 8 years onwards, in order to intervene early and prevent the development of anxiety disorders in later life.

Spanish version of the Sleep Self-Report (SSR): factorial structure and psychometric properties

BACKGROUND The Sleep Self-Report (SSR) is a questionnaire initially created for use with a sample from the USA to assess sleep patterns and problems in school-aged children. The objective of this study was to validate the SSR among a Spanish sample. METHODS Participants were 1228 Spanish children from 8 to 12 years of age who completed the questionnaires at school anonymously. RESULTS Internal consistency was good (ω = 0.85). Convergent validity with anxiety (r = 0.54) and perceived welfare (r = -0.53) measures, and divergent validity with a measure of academic performance and positive influence of peers (r = -0.22) were acceptable. Exploratory analysis suggested a factorial structure composed by four subscales: sleep quality, sleep anxiety, bedtime refusal and sleep routines. Confirmatory analysis indicated a good fit for the model (RMSEA = 0.04; GFI = 0.95; AGFI = 0.93; χ(2)/gl = 2.48). CONCLUSIONS The SSR has demonstrated to have good psychometric properties in the Spanish-speaking sample of children. The factorial structure supported by exploratory and confirmatory analysis examines the most relevant areas of sleep in children. The satisfactory psychometric properties support the use of the Spanish version of the SSR by researchers and clinicians.

Exposure to violence, a risk for suicide in youths and young adults. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

To assess the association and magnitude of the effect of early exposure to different types of interpersonal violence (IPV) with suicide attempt and suicide death in youths and young adults.

Sexual behaviour under the influence of alcohol among Spanish adolescents

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo comparar el comportamiento sexual y los factores protectores y de riesgo entre adolescentes que mantienen relaciones sexuales bajo la influencia del alcohol y los que no lo hacen, y determinar los factores predictores de la combinacion sexo y drogas. Se analizaron las diferencias entre estos dos grupos en comportamiento sexual, actitud hacia el VIH, norma subjetiva y conocimientos sobre el VIH. Mediante medidas de autoinforme fueron evaluados 1216 adolescentes espanoles entre 14 y 18 anos (M = 15.92, DT = .76), fueron seleccionados 297 por ser sexualmente activos. De estos, 117 informaron haber mantenido relaciones sexuales bajo la influencia del alcohol en los ultimos seis meses (51% fueron chicas). Los adolescentes que combinaron sexo y alcohol se implicaron en mayor medida en sexo vaginal, sexo oral y sexo anal respecto a los que no lo hicieron. Haber mantenido relaciones sexuales bajo la influencia del alcohol en los ultimos seis meses se relaciono con una actitud negativa hacia el uso del condon cuando existen obstaculos para su uso y menor uso consistente del preservativo. No hubo diferencias en el conocimiento sobre el VIH entre ambos grupos. Los adolescentes que combinaron sexo y alcohol presentaron en mayor medida caracteristicas asociadas con el riesgo sexual. Las medidas preventivas deben atender a las caracteristicas particulares de este grupo de riesgo. Se requiere mayor evidencia de los efectos del alcohol sobre el comportamiento sexual.

Longitudinal association between self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Adolescents with previous self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) have over 2-fold risk of dying by suicide, higher than older ages. This meta-analysis aims to disentangle the association of each SITB with subsequent suicidal behavior in adolescence/young adulthood, the contribution of each SITB, and the proportion of suicide deaths with no previous suicide attempt. METHODS We searched 6 databases until June 2015. INCLUSION CRITERIA 1. Assessment of any previous SITB [a) suicidal thoughts and behaviors (ideation; threat/gesture; plan; attempt); b) non-suicidal thoughts and behaviors (thoughts; threat/gesture; self-injury); c) self-harm] as a risk factor of suicide attempt or suicide death; 2. Case-control or cohort studies; 3. Subjects aged 12-26y. Random effect models, metaregression analyses including mental health and environmental variables, and population attributable risks (PAR)s were estimated. RESULTS From 23,682 potentially eligible articles, 29 were included in the meta-analysis (1,122,054 individuals). While 68% of all youth suicide deaths had no previous suicide attempt, suicide death was very strongly associated with any previous SITB (OR=22.53, 95%CI: 18.40-27.58). Suicide attempts were also associated with a history of previous SITB (OR=3.48, 95%CI: 2.71-4.43). There were no moderating effects for mental health and environmental features. The PAR of previous SITB to suicide attempts is 26%. LIMITATIONS There is considerable heterogeneity between the available studies. Due to limitations in the original studies, an over-estimation of the proportion dying at their first attempt cannot be ruled out, since they might have missed unrecognized previous suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS Although more than two thirds of suicide deaths in adolescence/young adulthood have occurred with no previous suicidal behavior, previous SITBs have a much higher risk of dying by suicide than previously reported in this age group.

The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale: A systematic review and reliability generalization meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression are among the most common mental disorders during childhood and adolescence. Among the instruments for the brief screening assessment of symptoms of anxiety and depression, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is one of the more widely used. Previous studies have demonstrated the reliability of the RCADS for different assessment settings and different versions. The aims of this study were to examine the mean reliability of the RCADS and the influence of the moderators on the RCADS reliability. METHODS We searched in EBSCO, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and NCBI databases and other articles manually from lists of references of extracted articles. RESULTS A total of 146 studies were included in our meta-analysis. The RCADS showed robust internal consistency reliability in different assessment settings, countries, and languages. We only found that reliability of the RCADS was significantly moderated by the version of RCADS. However, these differences in reliability between different versions of the RCADS were slight and can be due to the number of items. LIMITATIONS We did not examine factor structure, factorial invariance across gender, age, or country, and test-retest reliability of the RCADS. CONCLUSIONS The RCADS is a reliable instrument for cross-cultural use, with the advantage of providing more information with a low number of items in the assessment of both anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents.

Validation of the Short Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Screener (SOCS) in children and adolescents.

Background The Short Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Screener (SOCS) is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a suitable and validated screening tool for 11- to 15-year olds. Despite its excellent sensitivity and specificity in detecting obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), it has limitations. Aims To empirically examine whether the SOCS is suitable for assessing OCD symptoms across a wide age range of children and adolescents and to provide new data about its psychometric properties. Method Participants were 94 patients (9–19 years) with OCD, and 880 healthy controls. Results The results supported the SOCS’ unidimensional factor structure and metric invariance across samples. It showed good reliability in terms of internal consistency and temporal stability. Furthermore, it had significantly high correlations with other OCD measures and an acceptable sensitivity and specificity for detecting OCD. Conclusions The SOCS is a brief screening tool suitable for detecting OCD in children and adolescents. Declaration of interest None. Copyright and usage

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Child Version (OCI-CV) in General Population

Evidence-based assessment is necessary as a first step for developing psychopathological studies and assessing the effectiveness of empirically validated treatments. There are several measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or symptomatology in children and adolescents, but all of them present some limitations. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) by Foa and her colleagues has showed to be a good self-report measure to capture the dimensionality of OCD in adults and adolescents. The child version of the OCI (OCI-CV) was validated for clinical children and adolescents in 2010, showing excellent psychometric properties. The objective of this study was to examine the factor structure and invariance of the OCI-CV in the general population. Results showed a six-factor structure with one second-order factor, good consistency values, and invariance across region, age, and sex. The OCI-CV is an excellent inventory for assessing the dimensions of OCD symptomatology in general populations of children and adolescents. The invariance across sex and age warrants its utilization for research purposes.

Psychometric Properties of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) in Chilean Children and Adolescents

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the development of assessment tools for obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in children and adolescents. The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) is a well-established assessment self-report, with special interest for the assessment of dimensions of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This instrument has shown to be useful for clinical and non-clinical populations in two languages (English and European Spanish). Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the OCI-CV in a Chilean community sample. The sample consisted of 816 children and adolescents with a mean age of 14.54 years (SD = 2.21; range = 10–18 years). Factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent/divergent validity, and gender/age differences were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a 6-factor structure (Doubting/Checking, Obsessing, Hoarding, Washing, Ordering, and Neutralizing) with one second-order factor. Good estimates of reliability (including internal consistency and test-retest), evidence supporting the validity, and small age and gender differences (higher levels of OCD symptomatology among older participants and women, respectively) are found. The OCI-CV is also an adequate scale for the assessment of obsessions and compulsions in a general population of Chilean children and adolescents.

Experiential Avoidance and Technological Addictions in Adolescents

Background and aims This study focuses on the use of popular information and communication technologies (ICTs) by adolescents: the Internet, mobile phones, and video games. The relationship of ICT use and experiential avoidance (EA), a construct that has emerged as underlying and transdiagnostic to a wide variety of psychological problems, including behavioral addictions, is examined. EA refers to a self-regulatory strategy involving efforts to control or escape from negative stimuli such as thoughts, feelings, or sensations that generate strong distress. This strategy, which may be adaptive in the short term, is problematic if it becomes an inflexible pattern. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore whether EA patterns were associated with addictive or problematic use of ICT in adolescents. Methods A total of 317 students of the Spanish southeast between 12 and 18 years old were recruited to complete a questionnaire that included questions about general use of each ICTs, an experiential avoidance questionnaire, a brief inventory of the Big Five personality traits, and specific questionnaires on problematic use of the Internet, mobile phones, and video games. Results Correlation analysis and linear regression showed that EA largely explained results regarding the addictive use of the Internet, mobile phones, and video games, but not in the same way. As regards gender, boys showed a more problematic use of video games than girls. Concerning personality factors, conscientiousness was related to all addictive behaviors. Discussion and conclusions We conclude that EA is an important construct that should be considered in future models that attempt to explain addictive behaviors.