Dealing with the Pandemic and After for Children and Adolescents, and their Families

France has been severely impacted by the pandemic. The first wave imposed a major lockdown, never seen before. The second and third wave lockdown responses were somewhat less dramatic. People were allowed to travel to work. Nursery and elementary schools were left open while high schools had part-time attendance. Spring 2021, still presented with a terrible death toll of 300/day, for a 67million population country. For many months the spotlights were focused on the high levels of mortality and morbidity of the elderly. This somehow obliterated the younger generation’s mental health issues. It now appears that children and adolescents have had to pay a steep price to Covid 19. In France, during the first lockdown, child and adolescent morbidity and mortality due to abuse heightened considerably compared to 2019 during the same period. And during the second and mostly the third lockdown, pediatric emergency wards have been underwater with youth mental health issues ranging form suicidal ideation to acute dissociation. Different hypotheses have emerged on how the pandemic has so dramatically impacted the mental health of children and adolescents, specifically the most vulnerable ones. The consequences this might have for child development and mental health during the years to come will be debated.

Pregnancy denial: a complex symptom with life context as a trigger? A prospective case-control study

Objective

To identify risk factors for a woman to experience pregnancy denial.

Design, setting and population

A French multicentric prospective case–control study with 71 mother–infant dyads having experienced a pregnancy denial versus a control group of 71 dyads.

Methods

Data were collected in the week after delivery using an observational leaflet and two psychiatric scales (MINI and QSSP).

Main outcome measures

Statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding social, demographic, medical and psychiatric data.

Results

Not being in a stable relationship (odds ratio [OR] 17.18, 95% CI 3.37–87.60]; P < 0.0001), not having a high school diploma (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.38]; P < 0.0001) and having a psychiatric history (OR 6.33, 95% CI 1.62–24.76; P = 0.0002) were risk factors to experience pregnancy denial, whereas being older was a protective factor (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.79–0.93; P = 0.0054) (logistic regression, Wald 95% CI). Other risk factors included late declarations of pregnancy history and past pregnancy denials (case n = 7, 9.7% versus 0% in controls; P = 0.01), past pregnancy denials in the family (case n = 13, 18% versus control n = 4, 5.6%; P = 0.03), and use of a contraceptive method (75% for cases versus 7% in control; P < 0.0001), primarily an oral contraceptive (75%).

Conclusion

Family or personal history of pregnancy denial should be part of the systematic anamnesis during the first visit of a patient of child‐bearing age. Further, our study points out that life context (young age, single status, socio‐economic precarity, pill‐based contraception) could be a trigger for pregnancy denial in certain women.

Tweetable abstract

Life context can be a trigger for pregnancy denial.

Life context can be a trigger for pregnancy denial.

Compulsory admissions of patients with mental disorders: State of the art on ethical and legislative aspects in 40 European countries

Background.

Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission processes and promote voluntary care.

Methods.

The survey focused on legislation of involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well as most common reasons for involuntary admissions.

Results.

We analyzed the survey categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are involved in involuntary admission procedures.

Conclusions.

We conclude that legal reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population, and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions.

The impact of education, country, race and ethnicity on the self-report of postpartum depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

BACKGROUND

Universal screening for postpartum depression is recommended in many countries. Knowledge of whether the disclosure of depressive symptoms in the postpartum period differs across cultures could improve detection and provide new insights into the pathogenesis. Moreover, it is a necessary step to evaluate the universal use of screening instruments in research and clinical practice. In the current study we sought to assess whether the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the most widely used screening tool for postpartum depression, measures the same underlying construct across cultural groups in a large international dataset.

METHOD

Ordinal regression and measurement invariance were used to explore the association between culture, operationalized as education, ethnicity/race and continent, and endorsement of depressive symptoms using the EPDS on 8209 new mothers from Europe and the USA.

RESULTS

Education, but not ethnicity/race, influenced the reporting of postpartum depression [difference between robust comparative fit indexes (∆*CFI) 0.01), but not between European countries (∆*CFI < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Investigators and clinicians should be aware of the potential differences in expression of phenotype of postpartum depression that women of different educational backgrounds may manifest. The increasing cultural heterogeneity of societies together with the tendency towards globalization requires a culturally sensitive approach to patients, research and policies, that takes into account, beyond rhetoric, the context of a person's experiences and the context in which the research is conducted.

The Still-Face: A Greater Challenge for Infants of Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder

The main aim of this study was to ascertain whether infants as young as 3 months of age, whose mothers suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), are already at risk of greater dysregulation than infants of mothers without BPD when faced with a minor stressful experience. Nineteen mothers diagnosed with BPD and 41 controls with no history of psychopathology and their 3-month-old infants were observed using Tronick's Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. The authors found that infants whose mothers have BPD express less positive vocalizations and less nonautonomic self-regulation than infants of mothers with no psychopathology. The stress of the Still-Face episode affects their gaze and self-regulation behaviors more strongly than those of infants of controls. The Reunion episode seems particularly challenging for mothers with BPD, who show fewer smiles and an increase in intrusive behavior. Because infants and their mothers with BPD are already dysregulated at 3 months postpartum, envisaging very early intervention seems warranted.

The global problem of child maltreatment: Perspectives on mechanisms of influence and illness presentation

Child abuse and neglect negatively impact both neurological and psychological development. Patterns of abuse are learned and repeated in families. Adverse childhood experiences are a risk factor for psychopathology later in life, including borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD is prevalent in clinical populations in the United States, but its prevalence has not been well-documented in most other parts of the world. The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of culture upon the intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment and the clinical presentation of abused children. To facilitate this exploration, we will consider the cases of four adolescent girls in unique socioeconomic and cultural settings around the world: Liberia, El Salvador, India, and a Congolese immigrant in France. Each of these girls endorsed some features of BPD, but only two met full criteria. In societies in which externalizing behaviors are not acceptable, children may internalize their distress or separate from their families. Defining BPD in terms of internal experience makes it more difficult to identify, but it would allow for the inclusion of cases in which symptoms may manifest differently while the underlying problem is similar.

Kangaroo supported diagonal flexion positioning: New insights into skin-to-skin contact for communication between mothers and very preterm infants

OBJECTIVE

Skin-to-skin contact shows benefits in the relationship developed between a mother and her premature infant. In the skin-to-skin session, face-to-face exchanges are impossible in vertical infant positioning. We therefore undertook an observational, prospective, single-center study using kangaroo "supported diagonal flexion" (SDF) positioning. The first aim was to evaluate the safety of kangaroo SDF positioning compared to the usual vertical positioning. The second aim was to evaluate SDF positioning on early communication between the mother and her infant and to improve their well-being.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Fifteen mothers and their very premature infants (birth 26<32 weeks' gestation) were assigned to one of the two kangaroo positioning modes, either the current vertical positioning (n=7) or SDF positioning (n=8).

DESIGN

Physiological variables and critical events were recorded before, during, and after ten successive skin-to-skin contact sessions. The first and last sessions were videotaped to allow later behavioral measurements. Mothers' risk for depression and feelings about the way they experienced communication with their infant were assessed through questionnaires.

RESULTS

In terms of the infant's physiology, no negative effects were associated with SDF positioning in comparison with the usual vertical positioning. SDF positioning led to fewer disorganized gestures, negative vocalizations, and drowsiness, in favor of more deep sleep. SDF led to more mother-infant eye-to-eye contact as well as maternal vocalizations, smiles, and caressing, although these differences did not reach significance. The score for the risk of postnatal depression decreased significantly between the first and the last session in the SDF group, whereas it did not change in the vertical positioning group.

CONCLUSION

These results support the idea that the kangaroo SDF positioning technique is physiologically safe, has obvious immediate benefits on mothers' infant-directed communicative behaviors, and respects the baby's naturally flexed and asymmetrical tonic neck posture. It is an innovative, inexpensive, easy-to-use technique in daily practice, by all healthcare professionals working in a neonatal intensive care unit. These data suggest that the current kangaroo positioning technique could be improved. More studies are needed to confirm the benefits and safety of the kangaroo SDF positioning in larger groups of preterm infants.

Études longitudinales sur les enfants de mères aux pathologies limites/borderline : réflexions sur les mécanismes d’une possible transmission des pathologies limites

Les résultats d’une étude constituant un suivi longitudinal prospectif d’une cohorte de dyades de mères présentant une pathologie borderline/limite avec leur enfant, dans une approche comparative avec une population témoin de dyades avec des mères sans trouble psychique apporte des pistes de réflexion sur les mécanismes d’une possible transmission de ces pathologies. Les interactions précoces à 3 mois au Still-face permettent d’appréhender comment les bébés peuvent précocement présenter des difficultés en lien avec des particularités du fonctionnement intrapsychique et interpersonnel maternel impactant la régulation émotionnelle dyadique. La grossesse, crise identitaire et narcissique, ébranle l’identité de ces mères aux pathologies limites déjà fragilisée par un narcissisme défaillant. Le bébé, par la relation de dépendance qu’il lui impose, réactive les particularités du fonctionnement interpersonnel de cette dernière et propre à cette pathologie. Les interactions précoces reflèteraient l’incapacité maternelle à s’accorder aux rythmes propres et aux mouvements affectifs et émotionnels de leur enfant. La notion de partage intersubjectif troublé éclaire la façon dont nous pouvons envisager les difficultés maternelles à aider le bébé à réguler ses émotions. Cette étude, par l’utilisation du protocole de la situation étrange, donne également un éclairage sur la manière dont les comportements d’attachement de ces enfants, à 13 mois, s’ancrent dans la particularité de ces dysfonctionnements interactifs. L’évaluation des représentations d’attachement et de la narrativité des enfants, entre 4 et 8 ans, met en lumière différentes évolutions dans la qualité de leur attachement. Ces différents résultats soulèvent, d’une part, la question de la transmission intergénérationnelle des modalités d’attachement – avec l’importance de sa qualité et des capacités de fonction réflexive maternelles – et d’autre part, celle de la désorganisation de l’attachement dans les pathologies limites. Enfin, une approche psychodynamique des narratifs des enfants au test des histoires à compléter éclaire les particularités de leur fonctionnement psychique.

Les interactions mère borderline bébé et les patterns d’attachement

Le trouble de personnalité borderline (TPB) se caractérise notamment par des troubles de régulation des émotions en lien avec des troubles de l’attachement. Ces troubles entravent en eux-mêmes l’établissement de relations nouvelles et entretiennent les difficultés de régulation et d’attachement perpétuant ainsi le développement psychopathologique. Lors de l’avènement de la parentalité, la relation contrainte et le bouleversement inhérent à la venue d’un enfant sont susceptibles d’entraîner des distorsions interactives initiées par les parents atteints de psychopathologie borderline, contraignant ainsi le développement émotionnel du tout-petit. La micro-analyse des interactions lors d’une épreuve dite du Still-Face montre que les mères atteintes de TPB et leur bébé de 3 mois sont engagés dans des comportements qui combinent paradoxalement, une pauvreté de variation dans les interactions ainsi qu’un excès de comportements stimulants et intrusifs. L’effort de régulation et la dysrégulation du bébé sont visibles au travers de comportements de dyscoordination des regards, à la modification négative et dysrythmique des vocalisations et de la prosodie et à l’absence de modulation des temps dits de « réparation » lorsque qu’il existe des moments de rupture de la communication. Les résultats d’une étude longitudinale (n = 60) montrent que les déterminants micro-analytiques à l’âge de trois mois des prémices de l’attachement désorganisé concernent avant tout la dynamique interactive plus que la quantité d’un comportement spécifique. Ce serait la mise en place d’un accordage à « sens unique » qui malgré la motivation maternelle d’interagir avec le bébé induirait des exigences au-delà des capacités développementales de celui-ci. L’attachement désorganisé constaté à l’âge de la marche traduirait la non-mise en place du développement des capacités de régulation du bébé. Reste à évaluer si les potentialités de réorganisation demeurent encore ouvertes à cette période précoce de la vie, invitant à découvrir des potentialités thérapeutiques encore balbutiantes à ce jour.