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Schumacher L, Echterhoff J, Zindler A, Barthel D. Depression among refugee youth in an outpatient healthcare center-prevalence and associated factors. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1367799. [PMID: 38707619 PMCID: PMC11067052 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1367799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Due to armed conflict and other crises, many children worldwide have to flee their home country and are, consequently, at a high risk for mental health problems. Objective As the majority of previous research on refugee minors focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors for depression in a clinical sample of refugee youth. Methods Data were collected during the standard diagnostic process in an outpatient refugee clinic in Germany. We assessed the prevalence of depression based on a diagnostic interview and investigated the association between age, gender, duration of flight, accompanying status, number of interpersonal traumatic experiences, residence status, and PTSD diagnosis with a depression diagnosis. More specifically, we conducted a Bayesian logistic regression with these associated factors as predictors and the presence of depression as the outcome. Additionally, we conducted a Bayesian network analysis including all these variables. Results The majority of the 575 included refugee children were male (n = 423, 73.6%) and, on average, 15.1 years old (SD = 2.69). Nearly half of the children (n = 243, 42.3%) met the diagnostic criteria for depression, of which most also showed a comorbid PTSD diagnosis. We found strong evidence that age, gender, number of traumatic experiences, and a diagnosis of PTSD were related to depression. The network analysis indicated that only age, gender, and PTSD were directly associated to depression. Flight-related factors were only indirectly associated with depression due to their associations with number of traumatic experiences and PTSD diagnosis. Conclusion The high prevalence of depression and its strong associations with PTSD suggest that refugee minors are likely to experience depressive symptoms which might develop from PTSD symptoms. This implies a need for monitoring depressive symptoms in refugee minors, especially when these have a PTSD diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Schumacher
- Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jette Echterhoff
- Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Areej Zindler
- Outpatient Center GmbH, Refugee Outpatient Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dana Barthel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Weber H, Maihofer AX, Jaksic N, Bojic EF, Kucukalic S, Dzananovic ES, Uka AG, Hoxha B, Haxhibeqiri V, Haxhibeqiri S, Kravic N, Umihanic MM, Franc AC, Babic R, Pavlovic M, Mehmedbasic AB, Aukst-Margetic B, Kucukalic A, Marjanovic D, Babic D, Bozina N, Jakovljevic M, Sinanovic O, Avdibegović E, Agani F, Warrings B, Domschke K, Nievergelt CM, Deckert J, Dzubur-Kulenovic A, Erhardt A. Association of polygenic risk scores, traumatic life events and coping strategies with war-related PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2022; 129:661-674. [PMID: 34837533 PMCID: PMC9188618 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by extremely stressful environmental events and characterized by high emotional distress, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance and hypervigilance. The present study uses polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from the UK Biobank (UKBB) mega-cohort analysis as part of the PGC PTSD GWAS effort to determine the heritable basis of PTSD in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort. We further analyzed the relation between PRS and additional disease-related variables, such as number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age at war on PTSD and CAPS as outcome variables. METHODS Association of PRS, number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age on PTSD were calculated using logistic regression in a total of 321 subjects with current and remitted PTSD and 337 controls previously subjected to traumatic events but not having PTSD. In addition, PRS and other disease-related variables were tested for association with PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Clinician Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS) by liner regression. To assess the relationship between the main outcomes PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity, each of the examined variables was adjusted for all other PTSD related variables. RESULTS The categorical analysis showed significant polygenic risk in patients with remitted PTSD and the total sample, whereas no effects were found on symptom severity. Intensity of life events as well as the individual coping style were significantly associated with PTSD diagnosis in both current and remitted cases. The dimensional analyses showed as association of war-related frequency of trauma with symptom severity, whereas the intensity of trauma yielded significant results independently of trauma timing in current PTSD. CONCLUSIONS The present PRS application in the SEE-PTSD cohort confirms modest but significant polygenic risk for PTSD diagnosis. Environmental factors, mainly the intensity of traumatic life events and negative coping strategies, yielded associations with PTSD both categorically and dimensionally with more significant p-values. This suggests that, at least in the present cohort of war-related trauma, the association of environmental factors and current individual coping strategies with PTSD psychopathology was stronger than the polygenic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Weber
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Centre of Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-University, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Adam X Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nenad Jaksic
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Elma Feric Bojic
- Department for Genetic and Biotechnology, International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Sabina Kucukalic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | | | - Aferdita Goci Uka
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Blerina Hoxha
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Valdete Haxhibeqiri
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Shpend Haxhibeqiri
- Institute of Kosovo Forensic Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Nermina Kravic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | | | - Ana Cima Franc
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Romana Babic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Marko Pavlovic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | | | | | - Abdulah Kucukalic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Damir Marjanovic
- Department for Genetic and Biotechnology, International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Center for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Researches, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dragan Babic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Nada Bozina
- Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Miro Jakovljevic
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Osman Sinanovic
- Department of Neurology, University Clinical Center of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Esmina Avdibegović
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Ferid Agani
- Faculty of Medicine, University Hasan Prishtina, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Bodo Warrings
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Centre of Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-University, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Jürgen Deckert
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Centre of Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-University, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alma Dzubur-Kulenovic
- Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Angelika Erhardt
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Centre of Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-University, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
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Bielawski T, Drapała J, Krowicki P, Stańczykiewicz B, Frydecka D. Trauma Disrupts Reinforcement Learning in Rats-A Novel Animal Model of Chronic Stress Exposure. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:903100. [PMID: 35663358 PMCID: PMC9157238 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.903100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trauma, as well as chronic stress that characterizes a modern fast-paced lifestyle, contributes to numerous psychopathologies and psychological problems. Psychiatric patients with traumas, as well as healthy individuals who experienced traumas in the past, are often characterized by diminished cognitive abilities. In our protocol, we used an animal model to explore the influence of chronic trauma on cognitive abilities and behavior in the group of 20 rats (Rattus norvegicus). The experimental group was introduced to chronic (12 consecutive days) exposure to predator odor (bobcat urine). We measured the reinforcement learning of each individual before and after the exposition via the Probabilistic Selection Task (PST) and we used Social Interaction Test (SIT) to assess the behavioral changes of each individual before and after the trauma. In the experimental group, there was a significant decrease in reinforcement learning after exposure to a single trauma (Wilcoxon Test, p = 0.034) as well as after 11 days of chronic trauma (Wilcoxon-test, p = 0.01) in comparison to pre-trauma performance. The control group, which was not exposed to predator odor but underwent the same testing protocol, did not present significant deterioration in reinforcement learning. In cross-group comparisons, there was no difference between the experimental and control group in PST before odor protocol (U Mann-Whitney two-sided, p = 0.909). After exposure to chronic trauma, the experimental group deteriorated in PST performance compared to control (U Mann-Whitney Two-sided, p = 0.0005). In SIT, the experimental group spent less time in an Interaction Zone with an unfamiliar rat after trauma protocol (Wilcoxon two-sided test, p = 0.019). Major strengths of our models are: (1) protocol allows investigating reinforcement learning before and after exposition to chronic trauma, with the same group of rats, (2) translational scope, as the PST is displayed on touchscreen, similarly to human studies, (3) protocol delivers chronic trauma that impairs reward learning, but behaviorally does not induce full-blown anhedonia, thus rats performed voluntarily throughout all the procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Bielawski
- Department of Psychiatry, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Jarosław Drapała
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Paweł Krowicki
- Department of Laser Technologies, Automation and Production Management, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | | | - Dorota Frydecka
- Department of Psychiatry, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
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