Validation of the French Version of the Child Posttraumatic Stress Checklist in French School-Aged Children

What Predicts COVID-Specific Symptoms of Stress in Children and Adolescents, Virus Threats or Social Distancing?

The COVID-19 crisis may have deleterious effects on children's and adolescents' mental health. However, there have been no published studies in which the COVID-related stress symptoms were investigated in a French ordinary pediatric population. The main objective of this study was to examine virus threats and social distancing measures to determine which were more disturbing for children and adolescents, and which were better predictors of post traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). 1639 parents of children aged between 1 and 18 participated in an online survey. Parents completed questionnaires regarding their children's and adolescents' mental health while in the first French confinement. The data showed that most children and adolescents had PTSS, such as irritability and tantrums, intrusive thoughts or memories, difficulties in falling asleep, aggression, trouble concentrating, and negative emotions. Multiple linear models supported that both virus threats and social distancing- related disturbances were predictors of PTSS scores, with social distancing being a stronger predictor of PTSS scores than virus threats. Additional analyses across age groups revealed that social distancing measures predicted two times more PTSS than virus threat measures in toddlers, while virus threat measures were a stronger predictor of PTSS in adolescents. This is the first study that has investigated stress symptoms in a French pediatric population during the first French confinement episode because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Somatic and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children and Adolescents in France

Importance

Somatic symptoms are a major concern among the pediatric population because of frequency and burden. The association between adverse childhood experiences and somatic symptoms in adults is well established but less is known concerning somatic symptoms in young people.

Objective

To explore the frequency and intensity of somatic symptoms in children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2021, at the Nice Pediatric Psychotrauma Referral Center in Nice, France. Participants included pediatric outpatients, aged 7 to 17 years, who were referred to the center. Statistical analysis was performed in January 2022.

Exposure

All participants experienced at least 1 traumatic event during life.

Main Outcome and Measure

Somatic and posttraumatic stress symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-13 (PHQ-13) and Child PTSD Checklist (CPC). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and non-PTSD groups were defined based on CPC symptoms severity score. In the hypothesized association between somatic symptoms and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), PTSD and non-PTSD groups were compared, correlations between PTSS and severity of CPC were analyzed, and a regression model was performed.

Results

There were 363 participants included (mean [SD] age, 13.58 [0.25] years; 174 [47.9%] female, 189 [52.1%] male). Compared with the non-PTSD group, the PTSD group presented with a higher mean (SD) number of somatic symptoms (7.0 [2.5] vs 4.0 [2.5] symptoms; t360 = 11.7; P < .001), and higher mean (SD) intensity (10.4 [4.6] vs 4.8 [3.7] points; t360 = 12.6; P < .001). Most of the explored somatic symptoms positively correlated with the intensity of PTSS and their functional alterations (eg, PTSS intensity correlated with stomach pain symptoms [r = .30; P < .001]; and with headaches symptoms [r = .44; P < .001]). In the regression model, the combination of migraines, palpitation, nausea, tiredness, and sleep disorders explained 6.5% of the variance in the PTSD group. (F1,341 = 22.651; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, somatic symptoms were positively correlated with PTSS both in frequency and intensity among youths. These results suggest that the systematic screening for somatic symptoms in youths with traumatic exposure should be a routine evaluation procedure.

Two months outcomes following delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit

The lasting consequences of delirium in children are not well characterized. This study aimed to compare the two-month outcomes in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) survivors according to the presence of delirium. Post-hoc analysis of a single-center prospective study of mechanically ventilated (invasive ventilation or non-invasive ventilation) children followed at the CHU Sainte-Justine PICU follow-up clinic two months after PICU discharge, between October 2018 and August 2022. Delirium was defined as one or more Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) scores ≥ 9. Primary outcome was survivors' quality of life and secondary outcomes were sleep and posttraumatic stress and anxiety and depression in parents. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models assessed the independent associations between delirium and outcomes while adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity, diagnosis, severity of illness, PICU length of stay, and invasive mechanical ventilation. Of the 179 children included over a 47 month-period, 117 (65.4%) had delirium. Children with delirium were more commonly intubated (91.5% vs. 30.7%, p < 0.001) and had higher PELOD-2 scores (10 vs. 4, p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, delirium was associated with a decreased quality of life at 2.3 months post discharge (p = 0.03). The severity of the delirium episode (higher scores of CAPD) was associated with a higher likelihood of sleep disturbances (OR 1.13, p = 0.01) and parental anxiety (OR 1.16, p = 0.01), in addition to lower quality of life (p = 0.03).Conclusions: Two months following their PICU stay, children with delirium had a lower quality of life, suggesting a lasting effect of delirium on children and their families.

Outcomes of patients supported by mechanical ventilation and their families two months after discharge from pediatric intensive care unit

Introduction

The outcomes of children undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV) in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) remain poorly characterized and increasing knowledge in this area may lead to strategies that improve care. In this study, we reported the outcomes of children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and/or non-invasive ventilation (NIV), 2 months after PICU discharge.

Methods

This is a post-hoc analysis of a single-center prospective study of PICU children followed at the PICU follow-up clinic at CHU Sainte-Justine. Eligible children were admitted to the PICU with ≥2 days of IMV or ≥4 days of NIV. Two months after PICU discharge, patients and families were evaluated by physicians and filled out questionnaires assessing Quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™), development milestones (Ages and Stages Questionnaire), and parental anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

Results

One hundred and fifty patients were included from October 2018 to December 2021; 106 patients received IMV (±NIV), and 44 patients received NIV exclusively. Admission diagnoses differed between groups, with 30.2% of patients in the IMV group admitted for a respiratory illness vs. 79.5% in the NIV group. For the entire cohort, QoL scores were 78.1% for the physical domain and 80.1% for the psychological domain, and were similar between groups. Children with a respiratory illness exhibited similar symptoms at follow-up whether they were supported by IMV vs. NIV. For developmental outcomes, only 22.2% of pre-school children had normal scores in all ASQ domains. In the entire cohort, symptoms of anxiety were reported in 29.9% and depression in 24.6 of patients.

Conclusions

PICU survivors undergoing mechanical ventilation, and their families, experienced significant morbidities 2 months after their critical illness, whether they received IMV or NIV. Children with respiratory illness exhibited a higher prevalence of persistent respiratory difficulties post PICU, whether they underwent IMV or NIV. Patients' quality of life and parental symptoms of anxiety and depression did not differ according to the type of respiratory support. These findings justify the inclusion of patients receiving NIV in the PICU in follow-up assessments as well as those receiving IMV.

July 14th 2016 Nice Terrorist Attack Court Trial: A Protocol on Sleep Quality and Somatic Symptoms as Markers of Risk for Traumatic Reactivation in Adolescents Exposed to This Attack

The court trial of the 14th of July 2016 terrorist attack in Nice (France) opened in September 2022 and ended in December 2022. Engaging in court proceedings, whether as a victim or a witness, can lead to a significant risk of traumatic reactivation (i.e., the re-emergence of post-traumatic stress symptoms). The present protocol aimed to improve knowledge of the pathophysiology of traumatic reactivation due to the media coverage of the trial by assessing sleep disturbances and somatic symptoms that could reappear if there is a traumatic reactivation. Method and Analysis: This is a monocentric longitudinal study, with recruitment solely planned at the Nice Pediatric Psychotrauma Center (NPPC). We intended to include 100 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years who were directly or indirectly exposed to the attack and included in the "14-7" program). Assessments began one month before the trial, in August 2022, and were scheduled once a month until the end of the trial. A smartwatch recorded sleep activity. Somatic and PTSD symptoms and sleep were assessed through validated questionnaires. The main analyses comprised the variance and regression analyses of predictors of clinical evolution over time. Ethics and Dissemination: The National Ethics Committee "NORD OUEST III" approved the "14-7" program protocol (number 2017-A02212-51). The specific amendment for this research was approved in April 2022 by the same national ethical committee. Inclusions started in August 2022.

Navigating young minds: reliability and validity of the Greek version of kiddie - schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia - present and lifetime DSM-5 version (K-SADS-PL-GR-5)

BACKGROUND

The Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) is one of the most popular semi-structured psychiatric interviews for children and adolescents. Its latest DSM-5 version (K-SADS-PL DSM-5) has only recently been adapted and validated in various languages. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Greek version of the K-SADS-PL DSM-5.

METHODS

A total of 137 patients consecutively referred for admission, aged 7-17, were included. The K-SADS-PL DSM-IV was translated and adapted to correspond to DSM-5 categories. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed against two self-report rating scales, Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). Inter-rater reliability was calculated exclusively for instances where a diagnosis involved three or more patients.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed good to excellent inter-rater reliability and good to excellent consensual validity across most psychiatric diagnoses, except for panic disorder. Diagnostic efficiency, measured by sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, consistently showed high specificity and negative predictive validity across all diagnostic categories.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the applicability of the Greek version of the K-SADS-PL DSM-5 as a reliable and valid diagnostic tool in Greek-speaking populations.