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Rask CU, Duholm CS, Poulsen CM, Rimvall MK, Wright KD. Annual Research Review: Health anxiety in children and adolescents-developmental aspects and cross-generational influences. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:413-430. [PMID: 37909255 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Health anxiety involves excessive worries about one's health along with beliefs one has an illness or may contract a serious disease. Concerning evidence suggests that health anxiety is on the rise in society, possibly further fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent classification systems acknowledge that impairing health-related worries and beliefs can emerge in early childhood with significant levels of symptoms persisting throughout childhood, and possibly continuous with diagnostic considerations in adulthood. This narrative review summarizes recent research advances in health anxiety in children and adolescents, focusing on various developmental aspects of health anxiety and related concepts in youths. Findings suggest that health anxiety symptoms in young age groups are associated with impairment, distress, and increased healthcare use, as well as substantial comorbidity with mainly other emotional problems and disorders. Furthermore, longitudinal studies suggest that childhood health anxiety can persist across adolescence, perhaps with links to chronic courses in adulthood. The growing literature was further reviewed, thus extending our understanding of early risk factors, including the potential role of exposure to serious illness and transgenerational transmission of health anxiety. Learning more about developmental trajectories will be highly relevant to inform strategies for early detection and prevention. While modified cognitive behavioral therapies in adults are successful in treating health anxiety, specific interventions have not yet been tested in youths. Given substantial overlaps with other psychopathology, it could be important to develop and explore more transdiagnostic and scalable approaches that take advantage of common factors in psychotherapy, while also including a wider perspective on potential familiar maladaptive illness cognitions and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Ulrikka Rask
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Steen Duholm
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Martin Køster Rimvall
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristi D Wright
- Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
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Sonuga-Barke EJS, Fearon P. Commentary: Health anxiety in youth during 'COVID' - some thoughts prompted by Rask et al. (2024). J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:431-434. [PMID: 38415840 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Researchers continue to count the short- and longer-term mental health costs for children and adolescents of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated exceptional restrictions imposed by governments on their lives in an attempt to control the pandemic and its impacts. Despite being at low risk of serious physical illness from COVID-19 themselves, some studies have reported a decline in the mental health of many young people during the pandemic. Some have suggested that this could even create a risk for long-term morbidity. In this commentary, we reflect on the excellent article by Rask and colleagues on paediatric health anxiety and consider key research gaps for the field in general and for the specific challenges and questions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its legacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund J S Sonuga-Barke
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Pasco Fearon
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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John JR, Khan JR, Lin PI, Jonnagaddala J, Hu N, Belcher J, Liaw ST, Lingam R, Eapen V. A nationwide study of COVID-19 impact on mental health-related presentations among children and adolescents to primary care practices in Australia. Psychiatry Res 2023; 326:115332. [PMID: 37453310 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
This study explored the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health (MH)-related visits to general practices (GPs) among children and young people (CYP) up to 18 years of age in Australia. This study analysed national-level data captured by the NPS MedicineWise program on monthly CYP MH-related visits per 10,000 visits to GPs from January 2014 to September 2021. We considered the pre-COVID-19 period (January 2014-February 2020) and the COVID-19 period (March 2020-September 2021). We used a Bayesian structural time series (BSTS) model to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on MH-related GP visits per 10,000 visits. A total of 103,813 out of 7,690,874 visits to GP (i.e., about 135 per 10,000 visits) were related to MH during study period. The BSTS model showed a significant increase in the overall MH-related visits during COVID-19 period (33%, 95% Credible Interval (Crl) 8.5%-56%), particularly, visits related to depressive disorders (61%, 95% Crl 29%-91%). The greatest increase was observed among females (39%, 95% Crl 12%-64%) and those living in socioeconomically least disadvantaged areas (36%, 95% Crl 1.2-71%). Our findings highlight the need for resources to be directed towards at-risk CYP to improve MH outcomes and reduce health system burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Rufus John
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
| | - Jahidur Rahman Khan
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ping-I Lin
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Nan Hu
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Siaw-Teng Liaw
- School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Raghu Lingam
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Valsamma Eapen
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia; South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
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Bersia M, Koumantakis E, Berchialla P, Charrier L, Ricotti A, Grimaldi P, Dalmasso P, Comoretto RI. Suicide spectrum among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. EClinicalMedicine 2022; 54:101705. [PMID: 36338787 PMCID: PMC9621691 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are concerns that suicidal behaviors are arising among adolescents. The COVID-19 pandemic could have worsened the picture, however, studies on this topic reported contrasting results. This work aimed to summarise findings from the worldwide emerging literature on the rates of suicidality among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed, searching five electronic databases for studies published from January 1, 2020 until July 27, 2022. Studies reporting rates for each of the three considered outcomes (suicide, suicidal behaviors, and suicidal ideation) among young people under 19 years old during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted, and the intra-study risk of bias was assessed. When pre-COVID-19 data were available, incidence rate ratio (IRR) and prevalence ratio (PR) estimates were calculated between the two periods. All the analyses were performed according to the setting explored: general population, emergency department (ED), and psychiatric services. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022308014). FINDINGS Forty-seven observational studies were selected for more than 65 million subjects. The results of the meta-analysis showed a pooled annual incidence rate of suicides of 4.9 cases/100,000 during 2020, accounting for a non-statistically significant increase of 10% compared to 2019 (IRR 1.10, 95% CI: 0.94-1.29). The suicidal behaviors pooled prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher in the psychiatric setting (25%; 95% CI: 17-36%) than in the general population (3%; 1-13%) and ED (1%; 0-9%). The pooled rate of suicidal ideation was 17% in the general population (11-25%), 36% in psychiatric setting (20-56%) and 2% in ED (0-12%). The heterogeneity level was over 97% for both outcomes in all settings considered. The comparison between before and during COVID-19 periods highlighted a non-statistically significant upward trend in suicidal behaviors among the general population and in ED setting. The only significant increase was found for suicidal ideation in psychiatric setting among studies conducted in 2021 (PR 1.15; 95% CI: 1.04-1.27), not observed exploring 2020 alone. INTERPRETATION During the pandemic, suicide spectrum issues seemed to follow the known pattern described in previous studies, with higher rates of suicidal ideation than of suicidal behaviors and suicide events. Governments and other stakeholders should be mindful that youth may have unique risks at the outset of large disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic and proactive steps are necessary to address the needs of youth to mitigate those risks. FUNDING The present study was funded by the University of Torino (CHAL_RILO_21_01).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Bersia
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Emanuele Koumantakis
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Paola Berchialla
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Regione Gonzole 43, 10043, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Lorena Charrier
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
- Corresponding author.
| | - Andrea Ricotti
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Piercesare Grimaldi
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Paola Dalmasso
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Rosanna I. Comoretto
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Torino, Italy
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Kang S, Jeong Y, Park EH, Hwang SS. The Impact of Household Economic Deterioration Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and Socioeconomic Status on Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study Using 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey Data. J Prev Med Public Health 2022; 55:455-463. [PMID: 36229908 PMCID: PMC9561140 DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.22.241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Economic hardship has a serious impact on adolescents' mental health. The financial impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was more severe for low-income families, and this also impacted adolescents. This study aimed to examine the associations of economic deterioration (ED) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and low socioeconomic status (SES) with adolescents' suicidal behaviors. METHODS This study analyzed data from the 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, which included 54 948 middle and high school students. Odds ratios (ORs) of suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts related to ED and SES were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. We calculated relative excess risks due to interaction to assess additive interactions. RESULTS The ORs for suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts related to combined severe ED and low SES were 3.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.13 to 4.23), 3.88 (95% CI, 3.09 to 4.88), and 4.27 (95% CI, 3.21 to 5.69), respectively. CONCLUSIONS ED and low SES were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors in adolescents. Although no significant additive interaction was found, the ORs related to suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts were highest among adolescents from low-income families with severe ED. Special attention is needed for this group, considering the increased impact of economic inequality due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanggu Kang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Yeri Jeong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Eun Hye Park
- Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul,
Korea
| | - Seung-sik Hwang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul,
Korea
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