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Socio-demographic characteristics and psychopathological assessment in a sample of 13 paediatric patients with [FND]s...., 2021, Paleari et al

Discussion in 'Other psychosomatic news and research' started by Andy, Nov 9, 2021.

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  1. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    Hampshire, UK
    Full title:
    Socio-demographic characteristics and psychopathological assessment in a sample of 13 paediatric patients with functional neurological disorders: A preliminary report

    Abstract

    This observational study aims to characterize, from a socio-demographic and psychopathological perspective, a sample of children with Functional Neurological Disorders (FND). Thirteen paediatric patients (below 18 years old) with FND and their parents completed a battery of anamnestic and neuropsychological tests, assessing socio-demographic status, cognitive level, behavioural and emotional issues, depression, anxiety, alexithymic traits and dissociative symptoms.

    Five patients presented movement disorders (tremor, myoclonus and gait disorder), three patients psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and five patients sensitivity disturbances (pain, anaesthesia and paraesthesia). Cognitive profile was normal in 11 patients; academic performance was good in nine patients, but three had a diagnosis of Specific Learning Difficulty or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Precipitating events occurred in 11 patients. At the self-report questionnaires, mean scores close to the clinical cut off were documented with respect to affective and somatic problems. At the parent-report questionnaires, clinically significant mean scores were observed in the subscales assessing anxious–depressive symptoms and somatic complaints.

    We speculate that paediatric FND patients, although acknowledging the relevance of somatic symptoms, have difficulties in recognizing internal emotional states (that, instead, are easily recognized by their parents). The case of one FND patient was described. These preliminary data might help identifying different clinical phenotypes of paediatric FND.

    Paywall, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13591045211055084
     
    Hutan and Peter Trewhitt like this.
  2. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    They really should have had a control group carefully matched for age, gender, family circumstances, academic level etc.. I bet a lot of healthy adolescents would have difficulty 'recognising internal emotional states.' Isn't that a lot of what adolescence is like? Especially when confronted with lots of confusing questionnaires to fill in and knowing some sort of judgement will be made about them. And who says the parent knows better than the child what the child's internal emotional state is?
    Too much speculation in the abstract. I haven't read the paper.
     
  3. hibiscuswahine

    hibiscuswahine Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    464
    “We speculate” - sums it up really.
     
    Michelle, rvallee, Mithriel and 3 others like this.

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