Healio (4/12, Gramigna) reports, “Adolescents whose mothers had anxiety or depressive symptoms were at increased risk for conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms at age 17 years,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from a birth cohort study conducted in Western Australia and” using “the DSM-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Checklist to assess participants’ conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the June issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Maternal anxiety, depression may increase offspring risk for behavioral disorders “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 12, 2021

The Wall Street Journal (4/9, A1, Petersen, Subscription Publication) reported on the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in the US. Many children have been isolated at home with schools closed. Many have lost parents or grandparents to COVID-19, others have parents who have lost their jobs.

Related Links:

— “Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic’s Terrible Toll on Kids “Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2021

HealthDay (4/9, Murez) reported research indicates that physical activity may benefit children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A small study published “in the April issue of the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal reported that 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise reduced verbal repetition of phases or words and hand-flapping, two common behaviors associated with autism.”

Related Links:

— “Kids With Autism Can Really Benefit From Exercise “Cara Murez, HealthDay, April 9, 2021

Psychiatric News (4/9) reported, “Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose among young people who fill an initial opioid prescription are rare but more likely to occur in those who have other substance use disorders or who have mood or anxiety disorders,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the health insurance claims of more than 3.2 million youth aged 11 to 25 years who filled an initial opioid prescription between 2006 and 2016.” The findings were published online March 19 in the journal Addiction.

Related Links:

— “Study Identifies Risk Factors for Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose in Youth, Psychiatric News, April 9, 2021

Healio (4/9, Gramigna) reported, “Hospitalized individuals who had mood disorder history were at increased risk for greater COVID-19 morbidity and mortality,” investigators concluded in a study that sought “to assess the link between prior mood disorder diagnosis and hospital outcomes among 2,988 individuals, of whom 717 had a prior mood disorder diagnosis, who were admitted with COVID-19 to two academic medical centers and four community hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts between Feb. 15, 2020, and May 24, 2020.” The findings of the “retrospective cohort study” were published online April 6 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Mood disorder diagnosis increases risk for COVID-19 mortality among hospitalized patients “Joe Gramigna, Healio, April 9, 2021