Linking Mother–Child Discrepancies to Behavioral Observations of Children’s Anxiety

Youth Top Problems in an Acute Psychiatric Sample: Describing Consumer-Nominated Treatment Needs in an Adolescent Partial Hospital Setting

Given the wide range of diagnostic presentations treated in partial hospital programs, finding efficient ways to identify and measure progress on the chief concerns of consumers in these settings is important. The current study uses a self-administered version of the Top Problems Assessment to describe treatment targets identified by youth and their caregivers presenting for care at an adolescent partial hospital setting. Caregiver-youth agreement on these chief concerns upon admission and predictors of agreement were explored. About one-third (34.65%) of caregiver-youth pairs did not match on any target problems. Although anxiety and depression were the most commonly cited top problems in this sample, caregivers and youth exhibited disagreement on these domains. Treatment teams in acute care settings such as a partial hospital program can benefit from careful assessment surrounding the initial goals of treatment as youth and their caregivers may not agree on the referral problems upon entering a program.

High Rates of Anxiety Among Adolescents in a Partial Hospitalization Program

Background

Anxiety disorders are garnering increasing attention for their contribution to high-risk issues and functional impairment. Adolescents are typically admitted to partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) due to high-risk presentations. However, the frequency of anxiety disorders in PHPs is not well-established, in part because anxiety can be overlooked in acute settings due to limited lengths of stay and focus on stabilization.

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the frequency and severity of anxiety disorders among a sample of adolescent PHP patients to assess the need for anxiety-specific assessment and interventions in higher acuity settings.

Methods

Participants were 158 youths ages 13 to 19 years old (M = 15.49 years, SD = 1.50) who were admitted to an adolescent PHP and their caregivers. Clinician-reported diagnostic information was collected from the youth's electronic medical record, and self- and caregiver-rated severity of anxiety was collected using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotions Disorders (SCARED-C/P). Frequency of anxiety and related disorder diagnoses and self- and caregiver-reported severity were assessed using descriptive statistical methods.

Results

75% of participants were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (n = 118). On average, participants with anxiety disorders had elevated SCARED-C scores. Youths with depressive disorders had elevated SCARED-C scores even when they did not carry anxiety disorder diagnoses. Caregiver ratings of the youth's anxiety symptoms on the SCARED-P were elevated when youths had anxiety disorders.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that anxiety is common in an adolescent PHP setting and support investing in evidence-based assessment and treatment of anxiety in high-acuity settings.

Caregiver-Child Discrepancies in Reports of Child Emotional Symptoms in Pediatric Chronic Pain

OBJECTIVE

Pediatric chronic pain evaluation includes self-reports and/or caregiver proxy-reports across biopsychosocial domains. Limited data exist on the effects of caregiver-child discrepancies in pediatric pain assessment. In children with chronic pain, we examined associations among discrepancies in caregiver-child reports of child anxiety and depressive symptoms and child functional impairment.

METHODS

Participants were 202 children (Mage=14.49 ± 2.38 years; 68.8% female) with chronic pain and their caregivers (95.5% female). Children and caregivers completed the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and RCADS-Parent, respectively. Children also completed the Functional Disability Inventory. Mean difference tests examined caregiver-child discrepancies. Moderation analyses examined whether associations between child self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms and functional impairment varied as a function of caregiver proxy-report.

RESULTS

Children reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with their caregivers' proxy-reports (Z = -4.83, p < .001). Both informants' reports of child anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with child functional impairment (rs = .44, rs = .30, p < .001). Caregiver proxy-report moderated associations between child-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms and functional impairment (B = -0.007, p = .003). When caregiver proxy-report was low, child self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms were positively related to functional impairment (B = 0.28, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.15, 0.41], p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Discrepant caregiver-child perceptions of child anxiety and depressive symptoms may be associated with functioning in children with chronic pain, especially when caregivers report less child internalizing symptoms. These findings highlight the need for further examination of the effects of caregiver-child discrepancies on pediatric chronic pain outcomes and may indicate targets for intervention.