A systematic review on the impact of auditory functioning and language proficiency on psychosocial difficulties in children and adolescents with hearing loss

Objective: Approximately 20% to 40% of children with hearing loss encounter psychosocial difficulties. This prevalence may be outdated, given the advancements in hearing technology and rehabilitation efforts to enhance the psychosocial well-being of these children. A systematic review of up-to-date literature can help to identify factors that may contribute to the children’s psychosocial well-being. Design/Study sample: A systematic review was conducted. Original articles were identified through systematic searches in Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, and Web of Science Core Collection. The quality of the papers was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and custom Reviewers’ Criteria. Results: A search was performed on 20 October 2022. A total of 1561 articles were identified, and 36 were included for review. Critical appraisal led to 24 good to fair quality articles, and 12 poor quality articles. Conclusion: Children with hearing loss have a twofold risk of experiencing psychosocial difficulties compared to normal hearing peers. Estimates for functioning in social interactions, like speech perception (in noise) or language proficiency, have proven to be more adequate predictors for psychosocial difficulties than the degree of hearing loss. Our findings can be useful for identifying children at risk for difficulties and offering them earlier and more elaborate psychological interventions.</p

Termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies: Parents' preferences for psychosocial care

Objective: To investigate, from the perspective of women and partners, at what stage of a termination of pregnancy (TOP) for fetal anomalies psychosocial care (PSC) is most meaningful, what topics should be discussed, and who should provide PSC. Method: A cross‐sectional retrospective cohort study was conducted with a consecutive series of 76 women and 36 partners, who completed a semi‐structured online questionnaire. Results: Overall, women expressed a greater need for PSC than their partners. Parents expressed a preference for receiving support from a maternal‐fetal medicine specialist to help them understand the severity and consequences of the anomalies found and to counsel them in their decision regarding termination. Parents showed a preference for support from mental healthcare providers to help with their emotional responses. Forty‐one percent of the women visited a psychosocial professional outside of the hospital after the TOP, indicating a clear need for a well‐organised aftercare. Conclusion: Different disciplines should work together in a complementary way during the diagnosis, decision making, TOP, and aftercare stages. Parents' need for PSC should be discussed at the beginning of the process. During aftercare, attention should be paid to grief counselling, acknowledgement of the lost baby's existence, and possible future pregnancies

Psychological Outcomes of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results of the HAPPY-IBD Randomized Controlled Trial at 6-and 12-Month Follow-Up

Youth with infammatory bowel disease (IBD) often experience psychological difculties, such as anxiety and depression. This randomized controlled study tested whether a 3-month disease-specifc cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in addition to standard medical care versus standard medical care only was efective in improving these youth’s psychological outcomes. As this study was aimed at prevention, we included 70 youth (10–25 years) with IBD and symptoms of subclinical anxiety and/ or depression, and measured psychological outcomes at 6- and 12-month follow-up. In general, participants in both groups showed improvements in anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life, social functioning, coping, and illness perceptions, sustained until 12 months follow-up. Overall, we found no diferences between those receiving additional CBT and those receiving standard medical care only. We assume that this can be explained by the perceived low burden (both somatically and psychologically) or heightened awareness of psychological difculties and IBD

Effectiveness of disease-specific cognitive-behavioural therapy on depression, anxiety, quality of life and the clinical course of disease in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease

_Introduction:_ Adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) show a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, compared to youth with other chronic diseases. The inflammation-depression hypothesis might explain this association, and implies that treating depression can decrease intestinal inflammation and improve disease course. The present multicentre randomised controlled trial aims to test the effectiveness of an IBD-specific cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) protocol in reducing symptoms of subclinical depression and anxiety, while improving quality of life and disease course in adolescents with IBD. _Methods and analysis:_ Adolescents with IBD (10– 20 years) from 7 hospitals undergo screening