Faculty Bibliography

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy and the early postpartum period is a risk factor for dysregulated affective and regulatory function in young infants. Animal models suggest that perinatal stress may alter offspring development via allopregnanolone (ALLO) exposure. For example, variations in placentally derived ALLO in preterm infants have been linked with altered fetal neurodevelopment. However, no studies have investigated naturalistic variations in ALLO concentrations in maternal milk as a potential moderator of associations between maternal distress and infant temperament during the postnatal period. The current study assesses associations among ALLO concentrations in human milk, maternal psychological distress, and infant temperament in 81 mother-infant dyads (31 females) measured at approximately 6.5 months postpartum (M = 6.55 months, range = 5.5-8 months). Results indicated that human milk ALLO concentration moderated effects of maternal psychological distress on infant regulatory capacity. Specifically, there was a negative association between maternal psychological distress and regulatory capacity in infants of mothers with below-mean ALLO concentrations, but not in infants of mothers with above-mean ALLO concentrations. However, there were no effects of ALLO on infant negative affect or surgency/positive affect. This study provides some of the first preliminary evidence that ALLO concentrations in human milk may moderate associations between maternal psychological distress and infant regulatory capacity.

In this Personal View, we address key questions to support evidence-based prevention and management of psychotic symptoms that might occur during ADHD pharmacotherapy. We begin by examining evidence showing a significantly increased occurrence of psychotic disorders in individuals with ADHD, independent of ADHD medications (pooled relative risk, odds ratio, or hazard ratio=4·74, 95% CI 4·11-5·46). We then examine whether ADHD medications play a causal role, noting that current evidence does not support such a causal link, at least for methylphenidate. We explore how vulnerability to psychosis varies across individuals with ADHD. Regarding the different steps involved in prescribing ADHD medications, we discuss the importance of balancing potential risks-such as emergence of psychotic symptoms-against the demonstrated benefits of pharmacological treatment for ADHD. Next, we present strategies for screening individuals for vulnerability to psychosis before initiating ADHD medication. We then offer guidance on the clinical management of psychotic symptoms that might arise during ADHD pharmacotherapy, including considerations of dosage and medication type. Finally, we identify key research priorities in this area. Overall, this paper provides an empirical framework, grounded in evidence and clinical practice, to guide the next steps in the field.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Adolescents transitioning from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS) may face challenges in accurately identifying and reporting their mental health symptoms, often leading to discrepancies between clinician and patient evaluations. Using data from the MILESTONE project, this study aims to assess clinician-adolescent concordance over 24 months and identify domains of psychopathology with the highest disparities. METHODS:Participants were assessed at baseline, 9, 15, and 24 months using the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) scale and were categorized in four diagnostic groups. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified symptom-based subgroups of patients based on clinician and patient-rated HoNOSCA scores. Concordance was evaluated through multilevel linear regression models, while Bland-Altman plots examined agreement between scores across time points. RESULTS:Two clusters of patients were identified: one characterized by lower severity and greater prevalence, the other by higher complexity and fewer individuals. Clinician-patient concordance increased over time, rising from 77% to 83% by the second time point and stabilizing. Concordance varied across diagnostic categories, with anxiety showing the highest agreement and ADHD the lowest. CONCLUSIONS:Improved communication, psychoeducation, and tailored interventions may facilitate greater patient-clinician alignment, thereby supporting more favorable outcomes during this critical developmental period. TRIAL REGISTRATION/BACKGROUND:ISRCTN83240263; NCT03013595.

BACKGROUND:This study aims to explore for the first time the knowledge, understanding and management of sleep problems in children with ADHD among clinicians who specialise in sleep and ADHD. The aim was to inform the development of digital sleep awareness training for clinicians. METHOD/METHODS:Fifteen clinicians who work with children with ADHD and sleep difficulties in the United Kingdom participated in semistructured qualitative interviews. Data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach to generate and guide the content of digital sleep awareness training. RESULTS:Four core themes were developed: 'It's a Problem' highlighted the extent to which children with ADHD were reported to struggle with sleep difficulties and the impact this has on the child and family. Clinicians also discussed the difficulty they had in finding evidence-based information they could share with caregivers. With little to no formal training, most of the advice they gave came from 'learning on the job'. When discussing ADHD specific sleep difficulties and disorders, clinicians reflected on their own 'insight into limitations of knowledge'. 'Learning for practice' highlighted the divergence in the methods of learning preferred by clinicians, despite convergence of learning content needed. CONCLUSIONS:Sleep problems in children with ADHD are common, and clinicians often struggle to support these due to lack of formal training. There is a need for accessible, authoritative training for UK practitioners who work with children with ADHD.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Umbrella reviews, or overviews of reviews, synthesize information using systematic reviews (SRs) as their unit of analysis. Although a formal guideline exists for reporting umbrella reviews of healthcare interventions (i.e. Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews [PRIOR]), no formal guideline exists for conducting and/or reporting umbrella reviews of observational studies that examine epidemiological associations. OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:To review the existing guidance on conducting and/or reporting umbrella reviews of observational studies on epidemiological associations, as part of the process of developing a formal reporting guideline. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:We reviewed the scoping review conducted in the context of PRIOR development and identified documents through forward citation search in PubMed, Scopus, and manual search in Google Scholar, Google Search up to December 22, 2024. Documents, regardless of format, were included if they provided guidance for conducting and/or reporting umbrella reviews of observational studies (including meta-research studies of their features). Title/abstract screening and data extraction were performed independently and in duplicate and summarized narratively by stages of the umbrella review process. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:The search retrieved 4491 unique records, with 96 full texts assessed and eight documents included. These documents, published between 2014 and 2023, offered guidance across seven topic areas, but overall guidance on conducting and/or reporting is limited. These areas include the answerable questions, prerequisite considerations, the scope of umbrella reviews, searching for SRs, primary data collection, analysis, presentation, and assessing the certainty/quality of the body of evidence. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:There is a need for dedicated, practical, and evidence-based formal reporting guidelines for umbrella reviews of observational studies on epidemiological associations. This review lays the groundwork for developing the PRIOR-extension for such studies: the Preferred Reporting Items for Umbrella Reviews of Cross-sectional, Case-control, and Cohort Studies.

Providing care to pediatric oncology patients involves delivering sensitive information to families, addressing diverse psychosocial needs, and navigating patient and family emotions. Psychosocial providers embedded within pediatric oncology clinics are uniquely qualified to address communication gaps between patients and providers, provide support to patients, and facilitate collaborative discussions between patients and the medical team. This quality improvement project aimed to describe the impact of including psychosocial providers in critical conversations between medical teams and families. Through conversation tracking, members of the psychosocial team recorded their involvement in thirty-six critical conversations. The psychosocial team offered various interventions including therapeutic processing, emotional assessment, medical translation, psychosocial support, child-focused support, and facilitation of discussions between families and medical providers. While challenges were identified including time and availability, physicians noted several benefits of psychosocial involvement, particularly in addressing emotional needs and enhancing communication with families. Psychosocial providers also noted benefits including demonstrating alignment with the medical team and enhancing the support that they are able to provide the family following the conversation. By integrating psychosocial support into critical conversations, medical providers can foster a patient-centered approach to care and optimize care delivery to effectively support families facing childhood cancer diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE:Pediatric primary care (PPC) offers an ideal platform for integrating evidence-based programs (EBPs) to enhance early relational health (ERH). However, implementing such integration faces several challenges. This study uses quantitative and qualitative data to identify the barriers, facilitators, and strategies for implementing ERH-focused EBPs in PPC. METHODS:Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework, we conducted a survey and focus groups with PPC personnel recruited through nationwide networks. The survey measured clinic readiness (i.e., challenges, resources, and needs) for integration and examined its associations with personnel roles and clinic characteristics using nested ANOVAs and multilevel regressions. Focus groups further probed potential strategies and were coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS:126 PPC personnel from 44 clinics completed the survey, and 18 participated in five focus groups. Clinics had strong leadership support for integrated services and high utilization of program resources and implementation practices, yet notable challenges in structural and human resources existed. Clinic staff perceived higher readiness for integration than other personnel roles. Lower-percent Medicaid eligible patients and urbanicity were associated with higher readiness, while academic affiliation showed both positive and negative associations. Promoting culturally responsive care, fostering team cohesion, utilizing standardized implementation processes, adopting flexible delivery and collaborative models, and partnering with local communities were key strategies for integrating EBPs. CONCLUSIONS:The findings can help PPC clinics more effectively integrate one or multiple EBPs into routine care and can inform ways to sustain such integrated services to optimize population-level reach and positive impacts on child and family well-being.

Insurance type is a key indicator of structural vulnerability in pediatric mental health care and may be associated with differences in psychiatric presentation, treatment course, and diagnosis among hospitalized youth, particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino children insured by Medicaid. Despite these inequities, their impact remains understudied among psychiatrically hospitalized pediatric populations. This retrospective study analyzed 1,101 child and adolescent psychiatric patients admitted to an urban psychiatric hospital between June 2018 and November 2021. Clinical presentation, psychiatric history, treatment course, and discharge diagnoses were compared between patients' insurance by Medicaid (72%) and those with commercial insurance (28%). Compared with commercially insured patients, children and adolescents with Medicaid were more likely to be Black or Hispanic/Latino and had higher rates of trauma exposure, prior psychiatric emergency visits, and higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsive/behavioral disorders, and developmental/intellectual disorders. They were more frequently admitted for aggression-related crises, more likely to receive emergency injectable medications for agitation, and had longer hospital stays. Commercially insured patients had higher rates of anxiety disorders and suicide attempt related admissions. These findings suggest children and adolescents with Medicaid who required psychiatric hospitalization had greater severity of psychosocial histories and higher-acuity inpatient courses, highlighting how structural inequities reflected by insurance type, may shape differing psychiatric treatment pathways, underscoring the need for equity-oriented interventions, particularly during periods of healthcare system strains.