Psychometric evaluation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in a large community sample of adolescents in Hong Kong

Purpose: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is widely used in adult populations; however, its usefulness with adolescents has been explored less. This study sought to evaluate the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Chinese version of HADS in a community sample of adolescents residing in Hong Kong. Methods: A prospective cohort of 5,857 students recruited from 17 secondary schools completed the HADS. Internal consistency and concurrent validity were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to test the relative fits of six factor structures of the HADS. The best fitting model was further cross-validated by male, female, splithalf samples, and age subgroups. Results: The HADS possessed adequate internal consistency, especially for the anxiety subscale. Significant concurrent intercorrelations with self-reported suicidal thoughts and the Youth Self Report Anxious/Depressed subscale were discovered and found to be stronger for females. The cross-validation supported a two-factor model, where anxiety item 7, "I can sit at ease and feel relaxed", was placed in the depression subscale. Conclusions: The HADS showed satisfactory psychometric properties as a screening instrument in assessing anxious and depressive states as two correlated but distinct factors in adolescents. Study implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Two-year outcome of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in adolescents with severe obesity: results from a Swedish Nationwide Study (AMOS)

CONTEXT: The prevalence of obesity among adolescents has increased and we lack effective treatments. OBJECTIVE: To determine if gastric bypass is safe and effective for an unselected cohort of adolescents with morbid obesity in specialized health care. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: Intervention study for 81 adolescents (13-18 years) with a body mass index (BMI) range 36-69 kg m(-2) undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in a university hospital setting in Sweden between April 2006 and May 2009. For weight change comparisons, we identified an adult group undergoing gastric bypass surgery (n = 81) and an adolescent group (n = 81) receiving conventional care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Two-year outcome regarding BMI in all groups, and metabolic risk factors and quality of life in the adolescent surgery group. RESULTS: Two-year follow-up rate was 100% in both surgery groups and 73% in the adolescent comparison group. In adolescents undergoing surgery, BMI was 45.5 +/- 6.1 (mean +/- s.d.) at baseline and 30.2 (confidence interval 29.1-31.3) after 2 years (P20 m Ul(-1)) was present in 70% of the adolescent surgery patients, which was reduced to 0% at 1 year and 3% at 2 years. Other cardiovascular risk factors were also improved. Two-thirds of adolescents undergoing surgery had a history of psychopathology. Nevertheless, the treatment was generally well tolerated and, overall, quality of life increased significantly. Adverse events were seen in 33% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with severe obesity demonstrated similar weight loss as adults following gastric bypass surgery yet demonstrating high prevalence of psychopathology at baseline. There were associated benefits for health and quality of life. Surgical and psychological challenges during follow-up require careful attention. International Journal of Obesity (2012) 36, 1388-1395; doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.160; published online 25 September 201

Coexistence of urinary incontinence and major depressive disorder with health-related quality of life in older Americans with and without cancer

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the prevalence and factors associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) in a population of cancer survivors and the impact of co-occurring MDD and urinary incontinence (UI) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHODS: The prevalence of MDD risk among cancer survivors (breast, prostate, bladder, colorectal, lung and endometrial/uterine cancers) and those without cancer was estimated using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) linked database (n=9,282 with cancer/n=289,744 without cancer). Risk for MDD was measured using 3 items from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and HRQOL was measured by the SF-36. UI was defined as self-reported leakage of urine causing a problem in previous 6 months. Factors associated with MDD were investigated using logistic regression and the impact of co-occurring MDD and UI on HRQOL scores was determined using linear regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of MDD risk ranged from 19.2% for prostate-34.1% for lung. Lung cancer diagnosis was associated with risk of MDD. Being ≥5 years from diagnosis was associated with decreased risk of MDD (Prevalence Odds Ratio (POR)=0.82, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 0.71, 0.95). The coexistence of both UI and MDD was associated with a decrease across HRQOL subscales; including 40-points on role emotional (RE) score. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer survivors reporting co-occurrence of UI and MDD experienced significant decrements in HRQOL. IMPLICATIONS OF CANCER SURVIVORS: Understanding the combined effect of UI and MDD may help clinicians to better recognize and alleviate their effects on cancer survivors’ HRQOL