Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Disruptive Behavioral Disorders (DBDs) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are chronic, impairing, and costly child and adolescent mental health challenges which, when untreated, can result in disruptions in school performance, friendships and family relations. Yet, there is dearth of prevalence data on child and adolescent behavioral challenges within sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda. This study aims to estimate the prevalence rate of behavioral challenges and ADHD among young school going children and early adolescents (ages 8-13 at study enrollment), utilizing a school-based sample in southwest Uganda. METHODS:We present screening results from a 5-year scale-up study titled SMART Africa-Uganda (2016-2021), set across 30 public primary schools located in the greater Masaka region in Uganda, a region heavily impacted by poverty and HIV/AIDS. Specifically, we draw on screening data from caregivers of 2434 children that used well-established standardized measures that had been pre-tested in the region. These were: 1) oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) subscales of the Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) scale; and 2) the Iowa Connors and Impairment scales. Slightly over half of the children in the sample were female (52%), with a mean age of 10.27 years. RESULTS:Of the 2434 participants screened for disruptive behaviors: 1) 6% (n = 136) scored positive on ODD and 2% (n = 42) scored positive on CD subscales of the DBD scale; 2) 9.61% (n = 234), and 2.67% (n = 65) were reported to have elevated symptoms of ODD and ADHD on the Iowa Connors caregiver report scale respectively. Twenty-five percent (n = 586) of children were described by their caregivers as having experienced some form of impairment in at least four domains of the Impairment scale. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:The results indicate the presence of behavioral challenges and ADHD among school going children, aged 8-13 years, in Uganda. Given the negative outcomes associated with behavioral challenges as children transition to adolescence and adulthood, detecting these emerging behavioral challenges early is critical in developing appropriate interventions. School settings could be considered as one of the contextually-relevant, culturally-appropriate, and non-stigmatizing venues to implement screening procedures and to detect emerging behavioral challenges and to make necessary referrals.

In order to facilitate the adoption of innovative practices in the mental health service system, providers require access to both new information and methodologies, and ongoing training, supervision and consultation. Technical Assistance centers have been proposed as a way to disseminate effective interventions through the provision of resources including information, ongoing training and consultation. The purpose of this study is to describe the New York State Technical Assistance Center's reach across the child public mental health service system and variations in characteristics of training activities, including dosage, content and method of format. Between 2011 and 2015, 460 (92.6%) of all New York State mental health clinics attended a training. The most highly attended events focused on business practices, followed by evidence-based treatments and clinic practices, and trauma-informed care. All were delivered via a webinar format, and were less than one day in duration. The behavioral health service system must be equipped to adapt to changing clinical and business practices in order to provide quality care and remain fiscally viable. New York State's TA center reached the majority of child mental health service providers across the state. Next steps are to closely examine the impact of TA supports upon adoption and sustained use of practices. Implications of these findings and additional future directions are presented.

OBJECTIVE:/UNASSIGNED:The authors documented rates of sustained use of an evidence-based practice following training sponsored by New York State (NYS), and they identified clinician characteristics related to sustained use. METHODS:/UNASSIGNED:Clinicians (N=89) who were employed in licensed NYS Office of Mental Health agencies serving children and adolescents and who were trained to proficiency in Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) in 2016 were contacted between 9 and 18 months later and asked whether they were still using (users) or had stopped using (nonusers) MAP and their reason for doing so. RESULTS:/UNASSIGNED:Responses were received from 57% of trainees and of those, 80% reported continued use of MAP. Score on the appeal subscale of the Evidence-Based Practices Attitude Scale (EBPAS) was the only significant difference between users and nonusers. CONCLUSIONS:/UNASSIGNED:Most clinicians reported sustained use of MAP. The EBPAS appeal subscale can be used to identify clinicians who are likely to discontinue use.

Objectives Calls for pediatricians to tend to children's psychosocial concerns have existed for decades because they are known to negatively impact child health. Children with chronic illnesses frequently have child- and family-level psychosocial concerns that complicate the care provided by their pediatric subspecialists. This study compares pediatricians who exclusively practice general pediatrics with subspecialists regarding their inquiring/screening and referring for psychosocial concerns. Physician and practice characteristics associated with these behaviors were examined. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using the 2013 American Academy of Pediatrics Periodic Survey of Fellows. Respondents included 304 pediatricians who exclusively practice general pediatrics and 147 subspecialists. The primary analysis compared the current practices of generalists vs. subspecialists with regard to inquiring/screening and referring children with 10 different psychosocial concerns. Covariates included socio-demographics, practice characteristics, and training experiences. Weighted univariate, bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed. Results Less than half of all pediatricians in the sample reported routinely inquiring/screening for most psychosocial concerns, and 2/3 of subspecialists failed to routinely inquire/screen for most of these conditions. Pediatricians who practice general pediatrics exclusively were more likely to inquire/screen (incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.41, p < .05) and refer (IRR 1.59, p < .001) for a greater number of psychosocial concerns than subspecialists, after adjusting for provider and practice characteristics. Having attended a child or adolescent mental health (MH) lecture/conference in the past 2 years was also related to inquiring/screening (IRR 1.24, p < .05). Conclusions Pediatricians infrequently inquire/screen and refer psychosocial concerns, with subspecialists addressing these concerns even less frequently.

OBJECTIVE:/UNASSIGNED:The authors examined the impact of a Web-based shared decision-making application, MyCHOIS-CommonGround, on ongoing outpatient mental health treatment engagement (all users) and antipsychotic medication adherence (users with schizophrenia). METHODS:/UNASSIGNED:An intervention study was conducted by comparing Medicaid-enrolled MyCHOIS-CommonGround users in 12 participating mental health clinics (N=472) with propensity score-matched adults receiving services in nonparticipating clinics (N=944). Medicaid claims were used to assess ongoing treatment engagement and antipsychotic adherence (among individuals with schizophrenia) one year prior to and after entry into the cohort. Multilevel linear models were conducted to estimate the effects of the MyCHOIS-CommonGround program over time. RESULTS:/UNASSIGNED:No differences during the baseline year were found between the MyCHOIS-CommonGround group and the matched control group on demographic, diagnostic, or service use characteristics. At one-year follow-up, engagement in outpatient mental health services was significantly higher for MyCHOIS-CommonGround users than for the control group (months with a service, 8.54±.22 versus 6.95±.15; β=1.40, p<.001). Among individuals with schizophrenia, antipsychotic medication adherence was also higher during the follow-up year among MyCHOIS-CommonGround users compared with the control group (proportion of days covered by medication, .78±.04 versus .69±.03; β=.06, p<.01). CONCLUSIONS:/UNASSIGNED:These findings provide new evidence that shared decision-making tools may promote ongoing mental health treatment engagement for individuals with serious mental illness and improved antipsychotic medication adherence for those with schizophrenia.

New York City (NYC) public hospitals recently mandated that all pregnant women be screened for depression, but no funds were allocated for screening or care coordination/treatment, and research suggests that unfunded mandates are not likely to be successful. To address this, we implemented an on-site depression prevention intervention (NYC ROSE) for positive depression screens among pregnant, mostly Black and Hispanic, lower-income women in one public hospital. In this paper, we used Aarons' implementation model to describe the successes and challenges of screening and intervention. Patient tracking sheets and electronic medical records were abstracted. Key informant interviews and an informal focus group were conducted, and staff observations were reviewed; common implementation themes were identified and fit into Aarons' model. We found that a lack of funding and staff training, which led to minimal psychoeducation for patients, were outer context factors that may have made depression screening difficult, screening results unreliable, and NYC ROSE enrollment challenging. Although leadership agreed to implement NYC ROSE, early involvement of all levels of staff and patients would have better informed important inner context factors, like workflow and logistical/practical challenges. There was also a mismatch between the treatment model and the population being served; patients often lived too far away to receive additional services on site, and economic issues were often a higher priority than mental health services. Screening and interventions for perinatal depression are essential for optimal family health, and a detailed, thoughtful and funded approach can help ensure effectiveness of such efforts.

BACKGROUND:Children in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) comprise half of the total regional population, yet existing mental health services are severely under-equipped to meet their needs. Although effective interventions for the treatment of disruptive behavioral disorders (DBDs) in youth have been tested in high-poverty and high-stress communities in developed countries, and are relevant for widespread dissemination in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most of these evidence-based practices (EBPs) have not been utilized in SSA, a region heavily impacted by poverty, diseases including HIV/AIDS, and violence. Thus, this paper presents a protocol for a scale-up longitudinal experimental study that uses a mixed-methods, hybrid type II, effectiveness implementation design to test the effectiveness of an EBP, called Multiple Family Group (MFG) aimed at improving child behavioral challenges in Uganda while concurrently examining the multi-level factors that influence uptake, implementation, sustainment, and youth outcomes. METHODS:The MFG intervention will be implemented and tested via a longitudinal experimental study conducted across 30 public primary schools located in both semi-urban and rural communities. The schools will be randomly assigned to three study conditions (n = 10 per study condition): (1) MFG delivered by trained family peers; (2) MFG delivered by community health workers; or; (3) comparison: usual care comprising mental health care support materials, bolstered with school support materials. A total of 3000 children (ages 8 to 13 years; grades 2 to 7) and their caregivers (N = 3000 dyads); 60 parent peers, and 60 community health workers will be recruited. Each study condition will comprise of 1000 child-caregiver dyads. Data will be collected at baseline, 8 and 16 weeks, and 6-month follow-up. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:This project is the first to test the effectiveness of the MFG intervention while concurrently examining multi-level factors that influence overall implementation of a family-based intervention provided in schools and aimed at reaching the large child population with mental health service needs in Uganda. Moreover, the study draws upon an EBP that has already been tested for delivery by parent peers and community facilitators, and hence will take advantage of the advancing science behind task-shifting. If successful, the project has great potential to address global child mental health needs. TRIAL REGISTRATION/BACKGROUND:ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03081195 . Registered on 16 March 2017.

Children stand to lose if the federal government follows through on threats to cut funding for critical safety-net programs that have long supported families and communities. Although cuts directly targeting children's mental health are a great concern, cuts to policies that support health, housing, education, and family income are equally disturbing. These less publicized proposed cuts affect children indirectly, but they have direct effects on their families and communities. The importance of these services is supported by an extensive body of social learning research that promotes collective efficacy-neighbors positively influencing each other-shown to have positive long-term effects on children's development and adult outcomes. In this article, the authors describe two federal programs that by virtue of their impact on families and communities are likely to promote collective efficacy and positively affect children's mental health; both programs are facing severe cutbacks. They suggest that states adopt a cross-system approach to promote policies and programs in general medical health, mental health, housing, education, welfare and social services, and juvenile justice systems as a viable strategy to strengthen families and communities and promote collective efficacy. The overall goal is to advance a comprehensive national mental health policy for children that enhances collaboration across systems and strengthens families and communities, which is especially critical for children living in marginalized communities.

BACKGROUND:Concerns about antipsychotic prescribing for children, particularly those enrolled in Medicaid and with Supplemental Security Income (SSI), continue despite recent calls for selective use within established guidelines. OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To (a) examine the application of 6 quality measures for antipsychotic medication prescribing in children and adolescents receiving Medicaid and (b) understand distinctive patterns across eligibility categories in order to inform ongoing quality management efforts to support judicious antipsychotic use. METHODS:Using data for 10 states from the 2008 Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX), a cross-sectional assessment of 144,200 Medicaid beneficiaries aged < 21 years who received antipsychotics was conducted to calculate the prevalence of 6 quality measures for antipsychotic medication management, which were developed in 2012-2014 by the National Collaborative for Innovation in Quality Measurement. These measures addressed antipsychotic polypharmacy, higher-than-recommended doses of antipsychotics, use of psychosocial services before antipsychotic initiation, follow-up after initiation, baseline metabolic screening, and ongoing metabolic monitoring. RESULTS:Compared with children eligble for income-based Medicaid, children receiving SSI and in foster care were twice as likely to receive higher-than-recommended doses of antipsychotics (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.4, 95% CI = 2.3-2.6; AOR = 2.5, 95% CI = 2.4-2.6, respectively) and multiple concurrent antipsychotic medications (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 2.0-2.4; AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 2.0-2.4, respectively). However, children receiving SSI and in foster care were more likely to have appropriate management, including psychosocial visits before initiating antipsychotic treatment and ongoing metabolic monitoring. While children in foster care were more likely to experience baseline metabolic screening, SSI children were no more likely than children eligible for income-based aid to receive baseline screening. CONCLUSIONS:While indicators of overuse were more common in SSI and foster care groups, access to follow-up, metabolic monitoring, and psychosocial services was somewhat better for these children. However, substantial quality shortfalls existed for all groups, particularly metabolic screening and monitoring. Renewed efforts are needed to improve antipsychotic medication management for all children. DISCLOSURES/UNASSIGNED:This project was supported by grant number U18HS020503 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Additional support for Rutgers-based participants was provided from AHRQ grants R18 HS019937 and U19HS021112, as well as the New York State Office of Mental Health. The content of this study is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of AHRQ, CMS, or the New York State Office of Mental Health. Finnerty has been the principle investigator on research grants/contracts from Bristol Myers Squibb and Sunovion, but her time on these projects is fully supported by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Scholle, Byron, and Morden work for the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a not-for-profit organization that develops and maintains quality measures. Neese-Todd was at Rutgers University at the time of this study and is now employed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The other authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. Study concept and design were contributed by Finnerty, Neese-Todd, and Crystal, assisted by Scholle, Leckman-Westin, Horowitz, and Hoagwood. Scholle, Byron, Morden, and Hoagwood collected the data, and data interpretation was performed by Pritam, Bilder, Leckman-Westin, and Finnerty, with assistance from Scholle, Byron, Crystal, Kealey, and Neese-Todd. The manuscript was written by Leckman-Westin, Kealey, and Horowitz and revised by Layman, Crystal, Leckman-Westin, Finnerty, Scholle, Neese-Todd, and Horowitz, along with the other authors.