Adolescent Psychiatry - Volume 7, Issue 2, 2017

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the psychiatric symptoms of Syrian adolescents living in temporary protection centers who sought asylum in Turkey. Method: Seventy-three Syrian adolescents aged between 16 and 20 years were included in this study. All participants included in the study were given the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), which measures the psychiatric symptoms under the categories of anxiety, depression, negative self-concept, somatization, and hostility. Results: Anxiety, depression, negative self-concept, hostility, and Global Severity Index scores were significantly higher in the refugee group compared to the cut-off points for pathology. The scores for hostility and somatization were highest in the group that had been at the camp for longer than 4 years. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that mental health has been compromised among Syrian adolescent refugees in Turkey and the longer the stay the worse is the outcome. With the crisis stretching, the long term psychological problems of these adolescents have been overlooked. Urgent measures should be taken to develop alternative care models for these adolescents.

Background: For youth probationers, it is important to understand how mental health and substance use predict their suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) to identify interventions to reduce their psychological distress. Objective: In this study, risk and protective factor indicators based on the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) Full Assessment were used to explore STB of youth probationers. The study's overarching aim was to examine the associations of psychological distress and other risk and protective factors with youth probationers' STB based on a Social Determinants of Health framework. Method: This cross-sectional secondary analysis reviewed YASI records from a sample of 11,607 probationers of age 12-18 years within a large urban setting. Results: The study used logistic regression models to assess risk and protective factors for STB odds (5.79%, n = 672 positive endorsement). African Americans were less likely to report STB, and girls were much more likely than boys to report STB across risk factors. Mental health disorders and substance use increased STB risk. Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for screening and treatment of psychological distress for youth probationers. This study discussed these findings, strengths and limitations, and directions for future research.

Background: Chronic headache in children and adolescents is frequent and often associated with anxiety and depression. Objective: The present study investigated whether anxiety and depression are more pronounced in female adolescents with chronic headache than in those who do not have headaches and explored the role of stress symptoms and stress coping. Method: The sample consisted of 77 fifteen-year-old female adolescents with chronic headache and 72 girls who served as controls. Stress symptoms and stress coping were measured with the Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen für Kinder und Jugendliche (Coping with Stress Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents), depression was assessed by the Depression Inventory for Children and Adolescents, and anxiety was measured by the State- Trait-Anxiety-Inventory for children. The cortisol awakening response was measured as a biological marker of stress. Results: Higher levels of depression as well as anxiety in the adolescents with chronic headache were found. The adolescents with headache showed more stress symptoms and at the same time were limited in their ability to cope with stress. They had also higher cortisol after awakening. Conclusion: Anxiety and depression may contribute to the occurrence and maintenance of headache in adolescents and interfere with adequate coping that would be necessary to overcome chronic stress, as indicated by cortisol.

Background: In academic settings, fear of failure and associated emotional difficulties are common and often result in maladaptive behaviours, which often lead to failure or lowered scholastic achievement. Higher levels of self-esteem and resilience have been shown to protect against fear of failure and emotional difficulties, and predict improved academic outcomes in students. However, few studies have investigated the efficacy of group intervention methods aimed at improving self-esteem and resilience. We aimed to measure the effects of using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), an emerging therapeutic technique that incorporates elements of acupuncture, exposure therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, and somatic stimulation to target negative thoughts and feelings, as a universal intervention for high school and college students. Methods: This study represented a non-randomised universal intervention, utilising both within and between-subject designs. The EFT intervention groups (N = 204) were drawn from two different school cohorts. The intervention aimed to improve four participant characteristics that have been shown to play a role in influencing academic success: global self-esteem, resilience (ability to adapt to change and cope with stress), total difficulties and fear of failure (cognitive, motivational, and relational appraisals of failure). These characteristics were utilised as outcome variables in the present study and measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Conners-Davidson Resilience Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Performance Failure Appraisal Index-Short Form. Results: Results showed a significant improvement in fear of failure, whereby fears were significantly lower from pre-intervention to 12-month follow-up. Findings also indicated a significant main effect of time for emotional and behavioural difficulties, however post hoc tests indicated no statistically significant changes between the time points measured. No significant changes were observed in measures of self-esteem or resilience. Conclusion: This non-randomised universal intervention represents the first Australian study of the efficacy of a group treatment program within high schools, aimed at increasing student self-esteem and resilience, and decreasing fear of failure and emotional difficulties. The results suggested that EFT might be an effective group intervention for some students decreasing their fear of failure; however, further research is required.

Background and Goals: Despite general agreement that personality disorders (PDs) have their roots in childhood and adolescence, diagnosing PDs in adolescence remains a topic of debate. Reluctance to diagnose PDs in youth has been supported by the paucity of adapted measures of adolescent personality and by findings suggesting that a PD diagnosis may be less stable and reliable in adolescence. However, despite the reported instability of categorically defined diagnoses, there is increasing evidence that early maladaptive personality traits are predictive of future personality functioning. A more dimensional approach for the assessment of personality pathology in adolescence as well as new assessment measures are thus needed. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the adolescent version of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO-A), a measure that allows both a categorical and dimensional approach to personality assessment. Moreover, potential differences between adolescents and young adults regarding specific dimensions of personality organization were investigated. Method: Participants included 430 adolescents (M = 16 years old) and 448 young adults (M = 24 years old) from the community. Exploratory structural equation modeling analyses were conducted on both samples. Results: Results suggest that the IPO-A is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing personality functioning in adolescents. Adolescents also reported significantly higher scores on four of the five dimensions, indicating more severe identity disturbance; more impaired reality testing; more aggression; and poorer moral functioning than adults. Significant differences were also observed among adolescents of different age groups as well as between boys and girls in terms of the five identified factors of the IPO-A. Adolescent girls experienced significantly more difficulties with regard to an unstable sense of self and others, and had poorer moral functioning than adolescent boys. Conclusion: From a developmental point of view, a narcissistic reaction may be solicited in the context of the developmental challenges of adolescence and emerging adulthood, which may not necessarily be a part of an enduring stance and pathological narcissism.