Comparing suicidal thoughts and behaviours of youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autistic youth: Caregivers-reported suicidality, access to services and barriers in seeking support

Background. Autistic individuals and individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are at increased risk for experiencing mental health problems, including suicidality. Both groups have compounding physical and psychological challenges leading to high utilization rates of healthcare services. There is little known about the access and utility of services for suicidal neurodiverse youth and their caregivers. The present study will examine suicidality and barriers to care in neurodiverse youth (i.e., autistic youth and youth with FASD), as well as describe caregivers’ experiences with accessing healthcare services. Methods: Caregivers of neurodiverse youth (FASD n=25; autistic n=35) answered questions in an on-line modified Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSR-S) about their child’s experiences with suicidality, early life adversity, co-occurring mental health conditions, healthcare services, and barriers to accessing support. 12 semi-structured interviews (FASD n=6; autistic n=6) were conducted with caregivers of youth who have experienced suicidality to generate insight into experiences within the healthcare system, ability to access services and receive support and barriers to seeking help. Results: On the CSSR-S, group differences determined that autistic youth had increased suicidal ideation when compared to youth with FASD. Within each neurodivergent groups, females with FASD had increased overall suicidality compared to males. Additionally, across both sexes, as age increased, so did suicidal intensity. No sex or age differences were seen in autistic youth. Co-occurring mental health conditions were associated with increased suicidality across neurodiverse groups, and suicidality was associated with the total number of adverse early life events in only the FASD youth. Services or barriers were not associated with measures of suicidality in either diagnostic group. Both groups of caregivers reported difficulties accessing services to address their child’s suicidality, and that healthcare providers lacked the training to work with neurodiverse youth. Discussion: This is the first study to contrast suicidality, service utilization and barriers to seeking help in autistic youth and youth with FASD from a caregiver’s aspect. Prior studies generally compare neurodiverse groups to their neurotypical peers, and as such assume that neurodiverse groups face similar challenges related to suicidality, yet this has never been investigated. Overall, caregivers of neurodiverse youth are facing a lack of available services and support for helping their children and a healthcare system that is not equipped to work with neurodivergent individuals experiencing suicidality

Elevated depression and anxiety among pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mental health problems are common in pregnancy, typically affecting between 10-25% of pregnant individuals. Elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety can negatively impact both the pregnant individual and developing fetus. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a unique stressor with potentially wide-ranging consequences for pregnancy and beyond. We assessed symptoms of anxiety and depression among pregnant individuals during the current COVID-19 pandemic and determined factors that were associated with psychological distress. 1987 pregnant participants were surveyed across Canada in April 2020. The assessment included questions about COVID-19-related stress and standardized measures of depression, anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety, sleep and social support. We found substantially elevated psychological distress compared to similar pre-pandemic pregnancy cohorts, with 37% reporting clinically relevant symptoms of depression, 57% reporting clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety, and 68% reporting elevated pregnancy-related anxiety. Higher levels of social support and longer sleep duration were associated with lower psychological symptoms across domains. This study shows concerningly elevated levels of psychological distress among pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, that may have long-term impacts on their children. Potential intervention targets are needed in addition to improving protective factors related to increased social support and sleep -- these should be urgently considered to mitigate long-term negative outcomes

Short-term autonomic nervous system and experiential responses during a labyrinth walk

The labyrinth is a simple geometric form with one path leading to the center and out. It is often used in religious and health-related institutions for quiet walking and meditation. It is considered a convenient tool for decreasing psychological and physical stress. This study sought to better understand and characterize the short-term physiological responses of the autonomic nervous system associated with walking a projected light labyrinth by measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) in 25 young adults and youth. Our objective was to examine the physiology of labyrinth walking as a potential clinical tool for use by individuals who are experiencing psychological stress. Three hypotheses were put forward: 1) walking the labyrinth would result in physiological arousal as indicated by a decrease in RSA and an increase in sAA; 2) physiological relaxation would be indicated by an increase in RSA after the labyrinth walk; and 3) participants would self-report calmness and relaxation following the labyrinth. Consistent with hypotheses, participants experienced immediate physiological arousal while walking the labyrinth, and heightened physiological and self-reported relaxation during and after the labyrinth walk

Calgary Preschool MRI Dataset

Calgary Preschool MRI Dataset: The DTI dataset here comprises 396 unprocessed b750 diffusion weighted MRI scans from 120 participants aged 2-8 years

Prenatal care disruptions and associations with maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread across Canada in March 2020, provinces imposed strict lockdowns causing restrictions and disruptions to health care. These changes impacted how pregnant individuals received prenatal care and experienced childbirth. The additional stress caused by these changes may negatively affect the well-being of pregnant individuals and the developing child. This study investigated the impact of the pandemic on prenatal care and birth plans of pregnant individuals in Canada and potential associations with maternal mental health. Data from 4604 participants was collected from English- and French-speaking Canadians between April 5-June 1, 2020 as part of the Canada-wide Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic study. Symptoms of maternal depression, general anxiety, and pregnancy-related anxiety were assessed. Participants also answered questions about disruptions and changes to prenatal care and their birth plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between prenatal care disruptions and maternal mental health. Cancellation of prenatal appointments and birth plan changes (specifically changes to childcare during birth and change of support person attending the birth) were significantly associated with greater odds of experiencing clinically-elevated depression, anxiety, and/or pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms. These results illustrate the need for reliable and accessible prenatal care during the pandemic, such as the integration of mental health screenings and co-ordination of prenatal care providers

Prenatal Exposure And Child brain and mental Health (PEACH) study: protocol for a cohort study of children and youth with prenatal alcohol exposure

Introduction Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), affects an estimated 4% of North Americans, and is the most common preventable cause of intellectual disability. Mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, are experienced by nearly all individuals with FASD. However, there is very limited knowledge about effective mental health treatments for individuals with FASD; effective treatments are hindered in part due to a lack of understanding of the basic neurobiology underlying internalising disorders in youth with FASD.Methods and analysis The Prenatal Exposure And Child brain and mental Health (PEACH) study includes children aged 7–18 years. We will use longitudinal neuroimaging (anatomical T1-weighted, diffusion and passive viewing function MRI) and mental health assessments (Behaviour Assessment Scale for Children, Multi-dimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI-2), Kiddie Scale of Affective Disorders) to: (1) characterise brain development trajectories in youth with FASD, (2) determine whether brain alterations mediate increased anxiety and depression in youth with FASD and (3) identify baseline brain features that predict changes of anxiety and depression symptoms over the next 2 years. All of this will be done while considering sex and adverse postnatal experiences, which can significantly impact mental health and brain outcomes. This project will forge new understanding of FASD and mental health from a neurobiological perspective, highlighting key time periods (ie, sensitive windows) and brain regions (ie, that may be susceptible to neurostimulation), while identifying factors that predict individual trajectories of anxiety and depression symptoms.Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board and the University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board. Study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, at relevant conferences and in conjunction with our knowledge mobilisation partners

Prenatal mental health data and birth outcomes in the pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic dataset

The COVID-19 pandemic was a substantial stressor, especially for pregnant individuals. We aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19-related stresses on pregnant individuals and their infants and collected survey-based data across Canada as part of the Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PdP) project. The dataset described here provides baseline prenatal data and basic birth outcomes from PdP participants. This data includes information from pregnant individuals as well as their infants.At enrolment and time of completion of the baseline survey, participants were pregnant, ≥17 years of age, ≤35 weeks of gestation, living in Canada, and able to read and write in English or French. Baseline data were collected between April 2020-April 2021. Infant data were collected between May 2020-December 2021. All data were collected via self-report using online questionnaires in REDCAP. Questionnaires were available in both English and French. Data were checked for completeness and plausibility, and duplicates were removed.The dataset described here includes age, education, and household income of the pregnant individuals reported at the baseline/enrollment survey. Raw scores are provided for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the PROMIS Anxiety scale. Ratings are also given for three variables describing fear of the COVID-19 virus.Birth outcomes are provided for infants, including gestational age at birth, birthweight, length, mode of delivery, and whether the infant spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Delivery date is reported as month and year.These data will be beneficial for anyone interested in researching stress during pregnancy or birth outcomes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also be useful to researchers interested in examining more general effects of prenatal distress on birth outcomes in children. Data could also be compared to other datasets from the COVID-19 pandemic to establish generalizability, or to pre-pandemic datasets to determine the extent of changes during the COVID-19 pandemic