Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Correlate with Pain and Stress Using PROMIS Measures

Pediatric Rheumatology Care in the Canadian Context: A Qualitative Analysis of Care Providers

OBJECTIVE

Previous work highlighted a national deficit in pediatric rheumatologists and allied health professionals (AHPs), with a geographic maldistribution in Canada. The aim of this current study was to further evaluate the clinical care structures and processes in place within Canadian pediatric rheumatology centers that promote or impede care delivery from the perspective of pediatric rheumatology healthcare providers.

METHODS

Data were collected through semistructured interviews with pediatric rheumatologists and Advanced Clinician Practitioners in Arthritis Care (ACPACs) across Canada. Analysis was performed by 2 investigators following the 4 stages of qualitative content analysis: decontextualization, recontextualization, categorization, and compilation. Data were analyzed through latent analysis due to the informal nature of interviews, and themes were identified iteratively.

RESULTS

Twelve individuals (9 pediatric rheumatologists, 3 AHPs) agreed to participate in the study. Interviewees practiced across Canada with a range of career experience. The following themes emerged: (1) geographic barriers negatively affect access to care; (2) ACPAC practitioners and community pediatric rheumatologists improve access to care; and (3) there is inconsistent access to physiotherapists, social workers, and occupational therapists who are knowledgeable about pediatric rheumatology care and disease.

CONCLUSION

Although there was variation in pediatric rheumatology practice across Canada, there were common themes of supports and barriers to clinical care. The description of these themes can (1) help guide pediatric rheumatology practice by highlighting thriving practice patterns, and (2) concomitantly emphasize the deficits in resources and functioning, both of which can advise future advocacy work.

Anxiety and Depression in Youth With Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Importance

For youth with chronic pain, anxiety and depression are reported as consequences of experiencing pain and maintaining factors of ongoing pain and disability. However, prevalence estimates of anxiety and depression remain unclear.

Objective

To report the prevalence of clinical anxiety and depression for youth with chronic pain and compare symptoms of anxiety and depression between youth with and without chronic pain.

Data Sources

MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and Embase from inception to April 30, 2023.

Study Selection

Included studies that reported prevalence data or symptom scores for anxiety and/or depression in individuals younger than 25 years (mean, ≤18 years) with chronic pain and were published in English.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

From 9648 nonduplicate records, 801 full-text articles were screened. Screening and data extraction occurred in duplicate. Prevalence was determined using event rate calculations. Between-group symptom differences were calculated using Hedges g. Analyses were conducted using the random-effects model. Reporting bias and Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation assessments were conducted.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Prevalence of anxiety and depression (based on diagnosis and clinical cutoff scores) and differences in anxiety and depression symptoms. Moderators of prevalence and symptom differences were analyzed when data allowed.

Results

A total of 79 studies were included with a total sample of 22 956 youth (n = 12 614 with chronic pain). Most youth were female (mean, 74%), with an age range of 4 to 24 (mean [SD], 13.7 [2.10]) years. The prevalence estimate of anxiety diagnoses was 34.6% (95% CI, 24.0%-47.0%) and the portion that exceeded clinical cutoff scores was 23.9% (95% CI, 18.3%-30.6%). The prevalence of depression diagnoses was 12.2% (95% CI, 7.8%-18.7%) and the portion that exceeded clinical cutoff scores was 23.5% (95% CI, 18.7%-29.2%). Youth with chronic pain had greater symptoms of anxiety (g = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.77) and depression (g = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.85) compared with controls. Sex, age, pain location, and recruitment sample may moderate anxiety and depression. Considerable heterogeneity was reported for all outcomes. Studies had a low reporting bias, and outcomes were moderate to high quality.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that 1 in 3 youth with chronic pain meet criteria for anxiety disorder, and 1 in 8 meet criteria for a depressive disorder. This represents a major clinical comorbidity. Moving forward, screening, prevention, and treatment of mental health should be important health care priorities for youth with chronic pain.

How can trial designs better serve the needs of children and young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis?

In juvenile idiopathic arthritis we have seen remarkable progress in the number of available licensed biological and small molecule treatments in the past two decades, leading to improved outcomes for patients. Designing clinical trials for these therapeutics is fraught with ethical, legislative, and practical challenges. However, many aspects of current clinical trial design in juvenile idiopathic arthritis do not meet the needs of patients and clinicians. Commonly used withdrawal trial designs raise substantial ethical concerns for patients and families who believe that they do not enable evidence-based and patient-centred decisions around medication choices. In this Viewpoint, we present the personal views of a patient and parent network that is of the opinion that current trial design in juvenile idiopathic arthritis is failing children and young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and set out the need for change informed by lived experience.

Risk perception, well-being, depression and anxiety in children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic - results from the prospective multicenter KICK-COVID study in Germany

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the psychosocial burden in children and adolescents with juvenile rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

As part of the multicentre observational KICK-COVID study linked to the National Pediatric Rheumatology Database, adolescents < 21 years and parents of children < 12 years with rheumatic diseases answered questions on perceptions of health risk (PHR) due to SARS-CoV2, stress, well-being (WHO-5) and symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7). Data were collected at routine visits from June to December 2021 and assessed for association with demographic and clinical parameters, treatment and patient-reported outcomes by multivariable regression analyses.

RESULTS

Data from 1356 individuals (69% female, 50% adolescents) were included. Median PHR on a numeric rating scale (NRS, 0-10) was 4 (IQR 2-6), median perceived stress was 3 (IQR 1-6). Adolescents reported a worse well-being with a significantly lower median WHO-5-score (60, IQR 40-76) than parents reported for their children < 12 years (80, IQR 68-84). Moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported by 14.3% and 12.3% of the adolescents, respectively. PHR was significantly higher in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, methotrexate or biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug therapy than in patients without these characteristics, whereas lower WHO-5 or higher PHQ-9 or GAD-7 scores were only associated with poorer patient-reported health status and physical functioning.

CONCLUSION

The perception of health risk due to SARS-CoV2 infection was not paralleled by an impairment of mental health, which were, however, significantly correlated with self-rated health status and functional capacity, highlighting the importance of patient-reported outcome assessment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), no. DRKS00027974. Registered on 27th of January 2022.

Anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: results of an outpatient screening

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that growing up with rheumatic conditions can fuel dissatisfaction and psychological distress, which in turn affects disease self-management and treatment adherence. Primary objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and to identify correlates of conspicuous screening results.

METHODS

Initiated as part of the COACH multicenter observational study, outpatients aged 12 to 21 years participating in the National Pediatric Rheumatological Database (NPRD) were prospectively screened for mental health using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7).

RESULTS

Data from 1,150 adolescents with JIA (mean age 15.6 ± 2.2 years; mean disease duration 7.2 ± 4.9 years, 69% female, 43% oligoarthritis, 26% polyarthritis) were analysed. Overall, 32.7% (n = 316) of AYA showed conspicuous screening results, of whom 30.4% reported clinically relevant suicidal or self-harm thoughts. About 19% of screened patients showed moderate to severe depressive or anxious symptoms. AYA with conspicuous screening results were older (15.8 vs. 15.2 years; p < 0.0001), more often female (81% vs. 64%; p < 0.0001) and more often overweight (25% vs. 17%; p = 0.006). They had higher disease activity (physician global assessment on NRS 0-10; 1.7 vs. 1.2; p < 0.0001), more functional limitations (CHAQ; 0.44 vs. 0.14; <0.0001) and rated their health status worse (NRS 0-10; 3.5 vs. 1.8; p < 0.0001) than AYA with inconspicuous screening results. Females (OR 2.33 [CI 1.53-3.56]; p < 0.0001), older age (OR 1.09 [CI 1.01-1.18]; p = 0.026), patients with more functional limitations (OR 3.36 [CI 1.98-5.72]; p < 0.0001), and patients with worse subjective health status (OR 1.17 [CI 1.07-1.27]; p < 0.0001) were more likely to have a conspicuous screening result. Regular sports participation was associated with a lower likelihood of conspicuous screening result (OR 0.69 [CI 0.49-0.98]; p = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONS

A large-scale outpatient screening of AYA with JIA in Germany shows a high prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms. The need for routine screening for early detection of mental health problems became apparent.

Increase in stress contributes to impaired jaw function in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a two-year prospective study

BACKGROUND

Stress in patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) has been found to be associated with orofacial pain, psychological distress, jaw dysfunction and loss of daily activities in a cross-sectional study. The aim of this study was to investigate the relations between stress and change of stress over time versus changes in orofacial pain, psychosocial factors and jaw function over a two-year period in patients with JIA.

METHODS

This is a two-year prospective follow-up study involving 40 JIA patients. At baseline (2015) the median age was 12 years and at two-year follow up (2018) 14 years. The JIA patients were examined clinically and with questionnaires at baseline and follow-up with the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD) and completed the same set of DC/TMD questionnaires regarding orofacial pain symptoms and psychosocial factors.

RESULTS

Change in stress was associated with change in catastrophizing, psychological distress as well as limitation in general function and jaw function.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a low stress level in patients with JIA since an increase in stress level over a two-year period seems to impair jaw function as well as psychological distress and catastrophizing.

Recommendations for Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System pediatric measures in youth with chronic pain: a COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments systematic review of measurement properties

ABSTRACT

The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric measures assess physical, emotional, and social health among children and adolescents. However, their measurement properties have not been systematically examined in youth with chronic pain. A systematic review applying the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology was conducted to evaluate self-reported PROMIS pediatric measures in youth with chronic pain, assessing 8 measurement properties across all versions (item bank, short form, and computer adaptive testing) from 63 studies covering 25 measures. Moderate or high-quality evidence was most available for content validity, structural validity, internal consistency (measurement precision), and construct validity. Four short-form PROMIS pediatric measures-mobility, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and physical stress experiences-achieved recommendation for the use in chronic pain clinical trials; 7 approached recommendation and 14, including the commonly used PROMIS Pediatric Pain Interference Scale, would be recommended with further evidence. Recommendations were also provided for the use of each measure in observational studies. Overall, based on the existing evidence, a total of 11 self-reported PROMIS pediatric short-form measures, including pain intensity, pain behavior, mobility, sleep disturbance, sleep-related impairment, anxiety, depressive symptoms, psychological stress experiences, physical stress experiences, family relationships, and positive effect, are recommended or approaching recommendation for use in youth ages 8 to 19 years with chronic pain. Research is needed to further establish test-retest reliability, measurement errors, cross-cultural validity, and responsiveness. Future work should expand the evaluation of PROMIS pediatric measures in subpopulations of youth with chronic pain, particularly young children and those with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Mental comorbidities in adolescents and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: an analysis of German nationwide health insurance data

BACKGROUND

Studies on prevalence rates of mental comorbidities in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have reported varying results and provided limited information on related drugs. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of selected mental health diagnoses and the range of associated drug prescriptions among adolescents and young adults (AYA) with JIA compared with general population controls.

FINDINGS

Nationwide statutory health insurance data of the years 2020 and 2021 were used. Individuals aged 12 to 20 years with an ICD-10-GM diagnosis of JIA in ≥ 2quarters, treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and/or glucocorticoids were included. The frequency of selected mental health diagnoses (depression, anxiety, emotional and adjustment disorders) was determined and compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Antirheumatic, psychopharmacologic, psychiatric, and psychotherapeutic therapies were identified by Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes and specialty numbers. Based on data from 628 AYA with JIA and 6270 controls, 15.3% vs. 8.2% had a diagnosed mental health condition, with 68% vs. 65% receiving related drugs and/or psychotherapy. In both groups, depression diagnosis became more common in older teenagers, whereas emotional disorders declined. Females with and without JIA were more likely to have a mental health diagnosis than males. Among AYA with any psychiatric diagnosis, 5.2% (JIA) vs. 7.0% (controls) received psycholeptics, and 25% vs. 27.3% psychoanaleptics.

CONCLUSIONS

Selected mental health conditions among 12-20-year-old JIA patients are diagnosed more frequently compared to general population. They tend to occur more frequently among females and later in childhood. They are treated similarly among AYA regardless of the presence of JIA.

Persistent neuroinflammation of the right insular cortex in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a proton MRS study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) was to use proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to compare the levels of five neurometabolites in the right and left insular cortexes of subjects in three groups: JIA-active, JIA-inactive, and healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS

Two inflammation markers and five psychometric scores were determined. 1H-MRS was used to measure the levels of total N-acetylaspartate (NAA), total choline (Cho), myo-inositol (mI), and glutamate (Glu), and the complex of glutamine and glutamate (Glx) relative to total creatine (tCr) in the right and left insular cortexes of participants.

RESULTS

Intra-group comparisons indicated that each group had higher levels of NAA/tCr, Glu/tCr, Glx/tCr, and mI/tCr in the right insula, and higher levels of Cho/tCr in the left insula. Inter-group comparisons of the right insula indicated that the JIA-active and JIA-inactive groups had higher levels of Cho/tCr than the HC group, but none of the other inter-group differences were statistically significant. The score of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDCD) had an inverse correlation with the level of Cho/tCr in the right insular cortex of patients in the JIA-inactive group.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative to the HC group, the right insular cortex of subjects in the JIA-active and the JIA-inactive groups had greater levels of Cho/tCr, suggesting increased inflammation in this region. The Cho/tCr level in the right insular cortex had an inverse correlation with SDCD score in the JIA-inactive group. Key Points • Healthy controls and JIA patients had higher levels of tNAA/tCr, Glu/tCr, Glx/tCr, and mI/tCr in the right insula, and higher levels of Cho/tCr in the left insula. • A greater level of Cho/tCr in the right insula of JIA-active and JIA-inactive patients indicated neuroinflammation in this region. • The Cho/tCr level in the right insular cortex had an inverse correlation with SDCD score in the JIA-inactive group.

'The current mental health status of children and young people with JIA, and their wider family': a charity partner collaboration survey

BACKGROUND

This paper presents insight into the scale of mental health concerns for families who have a child or young person with a diagnosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) living in any of the four nations of the United Kingdom (UK). The study's objective is to share the current experiences of those that responded to a charity survey and consider future work to improve mental health support.

METHODS

This work was initiated and led by five UK charity partner organisations working with families affected by JIA. Parents/carers of a child or young person with JIA, and young people with JIA, submitted self-completion online questionnaires. The questionnaire asked 19 core questions, with a focus on the mental health impact of having and living with a JIA diagnosis. Questionnaires were delivered via charity partner UK-wide mailing lists and social media.

RESULTS

Questionnaire were completed by 291 participants over a 3-week period in February 2022. The majority of respondents were parents (229, 79%), 103 children had been diagnosed for over six years (35%), and 131 (45%) received shared care between paediatric rheumatology centres. In total, 168 (59%) children and young people with JIA had received, were currently receiving or were waiting for mental health support. Parents reported that their child's diagnosis impacted their own mental health (218, 82%). Children and young people reported never being offered mental health support during appointments for JIA (157, 54%), and 71 (50%) of these had never received support.

CONCLUSION

Children and young people with JIA have significant mental health sequelae from their diagnosis. Our findings found that nearly 60% of our respondents have had or are requiring mental health support, with significant numbers of parents/carers reporting difficulties in accessing care for their child's mental health or their own mental health, due to their child's diagnosis. This unique collaborative charity-led study, illustrates the importance of timely and accessible mental health support. Further work is needed to understand why best practice guidance for mental health support is not being met consistently and to identify how to embed it into standard rheumatology care.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric and parent-proxy short forms for anxiety: Psychometric properties in the Kids FACE FEARS sample

There is tremendous need for brief and supported, non-commercial youth- and caregiver-report questionnaires of youth anxiety. The pediatric and parent proxy short forms of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety scale (8a v2.0) are free, brief, publicly accessible measures of youth- and caregiver-reported anxiety in children and adolescents. Despite increased use of the PROMIS, no study has evaluated performance of its anxiety scales in a sample of treatment-engaged anxious youth. Analyses were conducted on baseline data from the first 265 families (child M_Age=11.14 years, 70% racial/ethnic minoritized youth) to enroll in the Kids FACE FEARS trial, a multisite comparative effectiveness trial of therapist-led vs. self-administered treatment for elevated youth anxiety. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined factor structure; omega coefficients and regression models examined internal consistency, convergent validity, and cross-informant reliability. CFA supported adjusted single-factor solutions across youth and caregiver reports, and internal consistency was high. Convergent validity was supported by medium-to-large associations with anxiety-related impairment and severity. Moderate cross-informant reliability between reports was found. Results showcase the first psychometric study of the PROMIS Anxiety scale short forms among treatment-engaged youth with elevated anxiety. Findings highlight the PROMIS Anxiety scale's utility in typical care settings for youth anxiety.

Physical activity as a promising alternative for young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Towards an evidence-based prescription

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in young people. Although biologics now enable most children and adolescents with JIA to enjoy clinical remission, patients present lower physical activity and spend more time in sedentary behavior than their healthy counterparts. This impairment probably results from a physical deconditioning spiral initiated by joint pain, sustained by apprehension on the part of both the child and the child's parents, and entrenched by lowered physical capacities. This in turn may exacerbate disease activity and lead to unfavorable health outcomes including increased risks of metabolic and mental comorbidities. Over the past few decades, there has been growing interest in the health benefits of increased overall physical activity as well as exercise interventions in young people with JIA. However, we are still far from evidence-based physical activity and / or exercise prescription for this population. In this review, we give an overview of the available data supporting physical activity and / or exercise as a behavioral, non-pharmacological alternative to attenuate inflammation while also improving metabolism, disease symptoms, poor sleep, synchronization of circadian rhythms, mental health, and quality of life in JIA. Finally, we discuss clinical implications, identify gaps in knowledge, and outline a future research agenda.

Factors associated with care- and health-related quality of life of caregivers of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the relationship of child, caregiver, and caring context measurements with the care-related quality of life (CRQoL) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of caregivers of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data on caregivers of children with JIA from Canada and the Netherlands collected for the "Canada-Netherlands Personalized Medicine Network in Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases" study from June 2019 to September 2021. We used the CRQoL questionnaire (CarerQoL), adult EQ-5D-5L, and proxy-reported Youth 5-Level version of EuroQoL (EQ-5D-5L-Y) to assess caregiver CRQoL, caregiver HRQoL, and child HRQoL, respectively. We used a multivariate analysis to assess the relationship between both caregiver CRQoL and HRQoL and patient, caregiver, and caring context measurements.

RESULTS

A total of 250 caregivers were included in this study. Most of the caregivers were from the Netherlands (n = 178, 71%) and 77% were females (n = 193). The mean CarerQoL scores was 82.7 (standard deviation (SD) 11.4) and the mean EQ-5D-5L utility score was 0.87 (SD 0.16). Child HRQoL and employment had a positive relationship with both caregiver CarerQoL and EQ-5D-5L utility scores (p < 0.05), while receiving paid or unpaid help had a negative relationship with both scores (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that to understand the impact of JIA on families, we need to consider socio-economic factors, such as employment and support to carry caregiving tasks, in addition to child HRQoL.