Muhammed Ayaz

Psychiatric disorders and characteristics of abuse in sexually abused children and adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities

The purpose of this study was to compare sexually abused children and adolescents, with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), in terms of post-abuse psychiatric disorders, features of the sexual abuse, and sociodemographic characteristics. The study included sexually abused children aged 6-16 years, who were sent to three different child mental health units for forensic evaluation; there were 102 cases (69 girls and 33 boys) with ID and 154 cases (126 girls and 28 boys) without ID. Researchers retrospectively examined the files, social examination reports, and the judicial reports of the cases. It was determined that in the group with ID, sexual abuse types including penetration and contact had higher rates, they were exposed to more frequent repeated abuses, the abuses were revealed with their own reports at a later period and lower rates, and post-abuse pregnancies were more frequent. It was also determined that the abuser was a familiar person and a family member at lower rates and more than one abuser was encountered more frequently, compared to the group without ID. While no difference was determined between the two groups in terms of the frequency of post-abuse post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), conduct disorder (CD) was observed more frequently in the group with ID. This study emphasizes that sexual abuse, which is an important problem in individuals with ID, has different features and effects.

Gender Differences in Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: A Multicenter Study in Turkey

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine gender-based differences in abuse-related characteristics and post-abuse psychiatric disorders among sexually abused children and adolescents. The researchers retrospectively examined files, judicial reports, and social examination reports of 1,250 sexually abused youth cases. Results showed that boys were more often victimized by penetration, force, and physical violence. Incidence of sexual abuse by family members, familiar persons, and multiple persons was higher among girls. In addition, a higher rate of major depressive disorder as well as alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were found in sexually abused girls. No difference was observed between boys and girls in terms of post-traumatic stress disorder, conduct disorder, and other mental disorders. Intellectual disability was more frequent in boys.

Fine motor skills in children with rolandic epilepsy.

This study aimed to evaluate fine motor skills in children with rolandic epilepsy (RE). The research included 44 children diagnosed with typical RE and 44 controls matched in terms of age, gender, and level of education. Fine motor skills were evaluated with the Purdue Pegboard Test, and intelligence was measured with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. After controlling for the effect of intelligence on fine motor skills, the results showed that the children with RE did not perform as well as the controls in the PPT dominant hand, both hands, and assembly subtests. Epileptic focus, treatment status, type of antiepileptic treatment, age at the time of the first seizure, time since the last seizure, and total number of seizures did not affect motor skills. Rolandic epilepsy negatively affected fine motor skills regardless of the childrens level of intelligence.

Factors related with unintentional injuries in children with newly diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors associated with unintentional injury in children newly diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One thousand four hundred and thirty children between the ages of 6 and 18 who were diagnosed with ADHD for the first time in child psychiatry outpatient clinics were included in the present study. The socio-demographic information of the children, their developmental histories, chronic physical health conditions, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and information obtained via the Turgay DSM-IV-based Child and Adolescent Disorders Screening and Rating Scale were examined retrospectively. It was determined that 12.8% of the children (n = 183) experienced unintentional injury. It was established that age, male gender, disruptive behavioural problems, and low education levels among mothers were predictive of unintentional injuries. The results of the present study suggest that behavioural problems accompanying ADHD and comorbid psychiatric disorders are important in terms of unintentional injuries.

Medication Persistence in Turkish Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate medication persistence in Turkish children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The effects of sociodemographic characteristics, symptom severity of ADHD, comorbidity, and treatment-related factors influencing medication persistence in children diagnosed with ADHD were studied. METHODS Medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period was evaluated for 877 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age, who were diagnosed with ADHD for the first time and started to receive medication. Medication persistence was determined according to whether or not taking the prescribed medication continued for 12 months after the initiation of treatment. Whereas the symptom severity of ADHD was assessed by using the Turgay Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV)-based Child and Adolescent Behaviour Disorders Screening and Rating Scale-Parents Form (T-DSM-IV-S), perceived medication efficacy after the first treatment was evaluated by the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I). RESULTS In this study, medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period occurred at a rate of 30.2% (n=265) in the subjects studied. The hierarchical regression analysis conducted in this research revealed that younger age, higher hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom severity, use of long-acting methylphenidate, addition of another ADHD medication, addition of other psychotropic medications, absence of side effects, and perceived medication efficacy were associated with successful medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the factors that affect medication persistence in ADHD may improve treatment efficacy and symptom control, while minimizing future risks.

Effect of gender differences on impulsivity in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objective: Impulsiveness has been considered the core symptom of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we aimed to assess effect of gender differences on impulsivity in adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Methods: One hundred and fifty-six adolescents (91 males, 65 females) who were admitted to the Erenkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology Child and Adolescent Clinic between 01.01.2016 and 01.05.2016 and diagnosed with ADHD were recruited to participate in this study. Adolescents filled out Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and parents completed the SNAP IV ADHD Scale. Results: Of the participants, 41.6% (n=65) were female and 58.3% (n=91) were male. The mean age of girls was 14.3±1.7 years, and the mean age of boys was 14.4±1.7 years. The Barratt impulsivity mean total scores, the Barratt attentive impulsivity subscale mean scores, and the Barratt motor impulsivity subscale mean scores were significantly higher in the female ADHD group than in the male ADHD group. In multiple linear regression analysis, gender was significantly correlated with the Barratt impulsivity total mean score, the Barratt attentive impulsivity mean score, and the Barratt motor impulsivity mean score. Conclusion: The finding of greatest interest in this analysis is that the adolescent girls who were diagnosed with ADHD had greater attentive and motor impulsivity scores than boys as measured by the BIS-11. Although, some previous research reported inconsistent findings of impulsivity levels by gender, our findings confirm prior reports of higher impulsivity in the female clinical population.

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract Background This study aimed to compare symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children according to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes and children without ADHD. Method The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children – Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), the Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) were used to evaluate the children. Results ASD symptoms were significantly higher in all ADHD subtypes. After controlling for age, gender, and CBCL social withdrawal score, the difference in ASD symptoms between the 3 ADHD subtypes was not significant. Conclusions Children with ADHD, regardless of subtype, had a similar risk of ASD symptoms.