20 research outputs found
Epidemiology of Cerebral Palsy in the Netherlands
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families often make strong demands
on diagnostic, therapeutic, technical and social facilities. Prevalence estimates are
needed to improve treatment and services. As recent Dutch data are not available, the
present study aimed to assess the population prevalence of CP in the Netherlands. A
representative Dutch area with 1.2 million inhabitants of which 172,000 were born
between 1977 and 1988 was studied. To ascertain the children with CP from these
birth years, medical practices (such as rehabilitation centres, paediatric and child
neurological departments) were consecutively asked to contact their (supposed) CP
cases. Next, a parents’ organisation and finally regional news media assisted in the
ascertainment. In total, 170 ‘supposed’ CP cases underwent an expert examination.
Of these 170, 127 children proved to be definite CP-cases, yielding a ‘crude’ average
prevalence of 0.74 per 1000 inhabitants (95% CI: 0.61–0.87). Under-ascertainment
was recognised and quantified. Accordingly, the population prevalence of CP
over the birth year period 1977–1988 was calculated as 1.51 per 1000 inhabitants
(average over the 12 birth years). The calculated CP prevalence rose significantly
over time: from 0.77 (1977–1979) to 2.44 (1986–1988). This trend is in accordance
with other studies
Participation and compliance in a 6-month daily diary study among individuals at risk for mental health problems.
Intensive longitudinal (IL)measurement,which involves prolonged self-monitoring, may have important clinical applications but is also burdening. This raises the question who takes part in and successfully completes IL measurements. This preregistered study investigated which demographic, personality, economic, social, psychological, or physical participant characteristics are associated with participation and compliance in an IL study conducted in young adults at enhanced risk for psychopathology. Dutch young adults enrolled in the clinical cohort of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were invited to a 6-month daily diary study. Participant characteristics came from five earlier TRAILS assessment waves collected from Age 11 onwards. To evaluate participation, we compared diary study participants (N =134) to nonparticipants (N =309) and a sex-matched subsample (N = 1926) of individuals from the general population cohort of TRAILS. To evaluate compliance, we analyzed which characteristics were related to the proportion of completed diary entries. We found that participants (23.6 ± 0.7 years old; 57% male) were largely similar to nonparticipants. In addition, compared to the general population, participants reported more negative scores on nearly all characteristics. Internalizing problems predicted higher compliance. Externalizing problems, antisocial behavior, and daily smoking predicted lower compliance. Thus, in at-risk young adults, who scored lower on nearly every positive characteristic and higher on every negative characteristic relative to the general population, participation in a diary study is unbiased. Small biases in compliance occur, of which researchers should be aware. IL measurement is thus suitable in at-risk populations, which is a requirement for its usefulness in clinical practice.</p
Dynamic Construction of Generic Functions
Contains fulltext :
60357.pdf (postprint version ) (Open Access
Early warning signals and critical transitions in psychopathology: Challenges and recommendations
Contains fulltext :
230764.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)Empirical evidence is mounting that monitoring momentary experiences for the presence of early warning signals (EWS) may allow for personalized predictions of meaningful symptom shifts in psychopathology. Studies aiming to detect EWS require intensive longitudinal measurement designs that center on individuals undergoing change. We recommend that researchers: (a) define criteria for relevant symptom shifts a priori to allow specific hypothesis testing; (b) balance the observation period length and high-frequency measurements with participant burden by testing ambitious designs with pilot studies; (c) choose variables that are meaningful to their patient group and facilitate replication by others. Thoroughly considered designs are necessary to assess the promise of EWS as a clinical tool to detect, prevent or encourage impending symptom changes in psychopathology.8 p