Association between asthma and generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) in Korean adolescents

Chatbot-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Adolescents With Depression and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Feasibility and Acceptability Study

BACKGROUND

Symptoms of depression and anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm have escalated among adolescents to crisis levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, primary care providers (PCPs) are often called on to provide first-line care for these youth. Digital health interventions can extend mental health specialty care, but few are evidence based. We evaluated the feasibility of delivering an evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) app with an embedded conversational agent to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to symptomatic adolescents presenting in primary care settings during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

In this 12-week pilot study, we evaluated the feasibility of delivering the app-based intervention to adolescents aged 13 to 17 years with moderate depressive symptoms who were treated in a practice-based research network (PBRN) of academically affiliated primary care clinics. We also obtained preliminary estimates of app acceptability, effectiveness, and usability.

METHODS

This small, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated depressive symptom severity in adolescents randomized to the app or to a wait list control condition. The primary end point was depression severity at 4-weeks, measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Data on acceptability, feasibility, and usability were collected from adolescents and their parent or legal guardian. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 PCPs from 11 PBRN clinics to identify facilitators and barriers to incorporating mental health apps in treatment planning for adolescents with depression and anxiety.

RESULTS

The pilot randomized 18 participants to the app (n=10, 56%) or to a wait list control condition (n=8, 44%); 17 participants were included in the analysis, and 1 became ineligible upon chart review due to lack of eligibility based on documented diagnosis. The overall sample was predominantly female (15/17, 88%), White (15/17, 88%), and privately insured (15/17, 88%). Mean PHQ-9 scores at 4 weeks decreased by 3.3 points in the active treatment group (representing a shift in mean depression score from moderate to mild symptom severity categories) and 2 points in the wait list control group (no shift in symptom severity category). Teen- and parent-reported usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the app was high. PCPs reported preference for introducing mHealth interventions like the one in this study early in the course of care for individuals presenting with mild or moderate symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

In this small study, we demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and safety of using a CBT-based chatbot for adolescents presenting with moderate depressive symptoms in a network of PBRN-based primary care clinics. This pilot study could not establish effectiveness, but our results suggest that further study in a larger pediatric population is warranted. Future study inclusive of rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and underrepresented communities is needed to establish generalizability of effectiveness and identify implementation-related adaptations needed to promote broader uptake in pediatric primary care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04603053; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04603053.

Psychosocial aspects of sports medicine in pediatric athletes: Current concepts in the 21st century

Behavioral aspects of organized sports activity for pediatric athletes are considered in a world consumed with winning at all costs. In the first part of this treatise, we deal with a number of themes faced by our children in their sports play. These concepts include the lure of sports, sports attrition, the mental health of pediatric athletes (i.e., effects of stress, anxiety, depression, suicide in athletes, ADHD and stimulants, coping with injuries, drug use, and eating disorders), violence in sports (i.e., concepts of the abused athlete including sexual abuse), dealing with supervisors (i.e., coaches, parents), peers, the talented athlete, early sports specialization and sports clubs. In the second part of this discussion, we cover ergolytic agents consumed by young athletes in attempts to win at all costs. Sports doping agents covered include anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), human growth hormone (hGH; also its human recombinant homologue: rhGH), clenbuterol, creatine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), amphetamines, caffeine and ephedrine. Also considered are blood doping that includes erythropoietin (EPO) and concepts of gene doping. In the last section of this discussion, we look at disabled pediatric athletes that include such concepts as athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), myelomeningocele, cerebral palsy, wheelchair athletes, and amputee athletes; also covered are pediatric athletes with visual impairment, deafness, and those with intellectual disability including Down syndrome. In addition, concepts of autonomic dysreflexia, boosting and atlantoaxial instability are emphasized. We conclude that clinicians and society should protect our precious pediatric athletes who face many challenges in their involvement with organized sports in a world obsessed with winning. There is much we can do to help our young athletes find benefit from sports play while avoiding or blunting negative consequences of organized sport activities.