Applicability and validity of the Amnestic Comparative Self-Assessment in adolescents

The Amnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA) is a sensitive, efficient, and economic instrument to assess overall quality of life in adult populations. The present study investigates the applicability of the ACSA in an adolescent sample and compares it to a measure of health-related quality of life, the Kiddo-Kindl. The sample comprised 92 adolescents (50 girls, 42 boys) aged 11-17 years (mean age: 13.67, standard deviation: 1.34). Of the investigated sample, n=69 (75%) completed the ACSA. No significant demographic differences were found between ACSA-respondents and non-respondents. The correlation of the Kiddo-Kindl and the ACSA was moderate (r=0.50). The Kiddo-Kindl subscales and the ACSA correlated between r=0.07 and 0.41. The majority of adolescents are able to complete the ASCA, and its acceptance and validity are independent of age. Thus, future investigations could adopt the ACSA in adolescents to assess overall quality of life

Erucic acid in feed and food

The Panel wishes to thank the members of the Working Group on erucic acid in food and feed: Bruce Cottrill, Eugenia Dogliotti, Juha Laakso, Manfred Metzler, Leonardo Velasco and Christiane Vleminckx for the preparatory work on this scientific output, the hearing expert: Mary Sheppard and EFSA staff members: Katleen Baert, Barbara Dörr, Jose Angel Gomez Ruiz and Enikő Varga for the support provided to this scientific opinion. The Panel acknowledges all European countries and European stakeholder organisations (FEDIOL, SNE and FEFAC) that provided occurrence data on erucic acid in food and feed. The Panel wishes to thank all European countries that supported the collection of consumption data for the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Risks to human and animal health related to the presence of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated and modified forms in food and feed

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

External Validity of the Multicomponent Group Treatment KiSS for School-Aged Children With Insomnia

Schwerdtle B, Kuebler A, Schlarb A. External Validity of the Multicomponent Group Treatment KiSS for School-Aged Children With Insomnia. BEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE. 2020;18(2):147-162.Background: Insomnia is common in school-aged children and often associated with other mental disorders. Here, we investigated the effectiveness and acceptance of the KiSS program in an "all-comer" pediatric insomnia clinic. Participants/Methods: Forty-five families (children: 5-10 years, 57.8% female) were randomly assigned to the multicomponent six-session KiSS treatment (CBT-I, hypnotherapy, and imaginations) or a wait-list control group. A sleep diary was recorded before intervention or waiting time, immediately after, as well as 3, 6, and 12 months postintervention (primary outcome: sleep efficiency, SE; sleep-onset latency, SOL). Results: Sleep improved significantly after the KiSS intervention. Three to 12 months after the intervention, only 1.75% of treated children still met the diagnostic criteria for insomnia. SE improved to 96%, and both SOL (reduced to 23 min) and total sleep time were normalized. All improvements were stable for at least one year after the intervention. KiSS was well accepted (0% dropout during intervention) and well tolerated. Conclusions: Treatment with the multimodal sleep training KiSS leads to positive changes in the sleep of children with insomnia, including a subset of children that presented with comorbid mental disorders. With only three sessions for parents and three sessions for children, the treatment can be readily implemented as a stand-alone treatment or be combined with other interventions. Dismantling studies and studies with an active control group are ongoing

Further Evidence for the JuSt Program as Treatment for Insomnia in Adolescents: Results from a 1-Year Follow-Up Study

Roeser K, Schwerdtle B, Kübler A, Schlarb A. Further Evidence for the JuSt Program as Treatment for Insomnia in Adolescents: Results from a 1-Year Follow-Up Study. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2016;12(2):257-262.Study Objectives: Insomnia in adolescence adversely affects young people's current and future functioning, as well as their mental and physical health. Thus, effective and economic treatment is invaluable. The present study evaluated a 6-session multimodal group therapy, JuSt, for adolescents suffering from insomnia including cognitive-behavioral elements and clinical hypnosis. Methods: Participants (n = 19, 68.4% female) were aged 11-16 years and suffered from insomnia. Sleep onset latency (SOL), time spent awake time after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE) were measured with sleep logs before and after treatment, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Results: Compared to baseline, SOL and WASO significantly decreased, while there was a significant increase in SE and the feeling of being rested after the JuSt treatment. At 12-month follow-up, all parameters were still significantly different from their baseline level. The long-term effect sizes were at least as large as the short-term effects, indicating a stable improvement. Conclusions: These results suggest that the JuSt program represents a potent intervention to sustainably reduce insomniac complaints in adolescents. Given the unselected nature of our sample, a broad indication can be assumed. To further evaluate the program's efficacy, randomized controlled trials should be conducted

The children's sleep comic: psychometrics of a self-rating instrument for childhood insomnia

Schwerdtle B, Kanis J, Kübler A, Schlarb A. The children's sleep comic: psychometrics of a self-rating instrument for childhood insomnia. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. 2016;47(1):53-63.The Children's Sleep Comic is a standardized self-report questionnaire for assessing insomnia in children ages 5-11 years. The goal of the present study is to introduce a revised version of this measure and to present psychometrics and a cut-off score. Therefore, the revised Children's Sleep Comic, the Sleep Self Report, the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, and the Child Behavior Checklist were applied to a sample of 393 children and their parents. Of the parents who participated voluntarily, a subsample (n = 176) was interviewed on the phone to diagnose their children with sleep disorders according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, if applicable. The results indicated that the Children's Sleep Comic is a reliable self-rating instrument for diagnosing childhood insomnia. Internal consistency was alpha = 0.83; and convergent and divergent validity were adequate. The child-friendly format can foster a good therapeutic relationship, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention

A new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders

Schwerdtle B, Kanis J, Kahl L, Kübler A, Schlarb A. A new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders. Somnologie. 2013;17(3):199-204

Nightmares and Associations with Sleep Quality and Self-Efficacy among University Students

Schlarb A, Bihlmaier I, Hautzinger M, Gulewitsch MD, Schwerdtle B. Nightmares and Associations with Sleep Quality and Self-Efficacy among University Students. Journal of Sleep Disorders and Management. 2015;1: 2.Sleep problems are a common complaint among adults. In university students international studies showed prevalence rates between 4.7 and 36.2% for sleep difficulties and 2-3% of students report nightmares. Previous studies show that nightmares are often associated with insomnia and mental strain, but also with gender. The goal of this study was to outline nightmares, associations with sleep disturbances and mental strain as well as self-efficacy among university students. An amount of 2196 students (70.9% women; mean age 24.16 years) participated in the study. Sleep characteristics, nightmares, mental strain and self-efficacy were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Analyses revealed that more than 24.3% of surveyed students suffered from nightmares, 18.5% reported nightmares more often than once a week and 5.8% suffered from nightmares at least 3 times a week. Moreover, nightmares were associated with symptoms of insomnia and low self-efficacy was significantly associated with an increased rate of nightmares. Besides, a total of 52% of students reported fitful sleep

Children’s Sleep Comic: development of a new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders [original research]

Background: A solid diagnosis of sleep disorders in children should include both self-ratings and parent ratings. However, there are few standardized self-assessment instruments to meet this need. The Children’s Sleep Comic is an adapted version of the unpublished German questionnaire “Freiburger Kinderschlafcomic” and provides pictures for items and responses. Because the drawings were outdated and allowed only for qualitative analysis, we revised the comic, tested its applicability in a target sample, and suggest a procedure for quantitative analysis. Methods: All items were updated and pictures were newly drawn. We used a sample of 201 children aged 5–10 years to test the applicability of the Children’s Sleep Comic in young children and to run a preliminary analysis. Results: The Children’s Sleep Comic comprises 37 items covering relevant aspects of sleep disorders in children. Application took on average 30 minutes. The procedure was well accepted by the children, as reflected by the absence of any dropouts. First comparisons with established questionnaires indicated moderate correlations. Conclusion: The Children’s Sleep Comic is appropriate for screening sleep behavior and sleep problems in children. The interactive procedure can foster a good relationship between the investigator and the child, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention if necessary