Depression, anxiety, and functional impairment in children with trichotillomania.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: Trichotillomania (TTM) remains understudied in children. Adult research suggests that TTM is accompanied by significant depression, anxiety, and functional impairment. The purpose of this study is to examine the occurrence of depression and anxiety in a relatively large sample of youth with TTM and the extent to which these symptoms mediate the relationship between TTM severity and associated impairment. METHODS: The study utilized data from the Child and Adolescent Trichotillomania Impact Project (CA-TIP), an internet-based sample of 133 youth aged 10-17 (inclusive) with TTM. RESULTS: Over 45% of children with TTM endorsed depressive symptoms and 40% endorsed anxiety symptoms in excess of one standard deviation (SD) above published community norms. More remarkably, 25% of our sample reported depressive and 20% reported anxiety symptoms in excess of 2 SD above these norms. Older participants reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety than younger ones; age of onset (children with later onset), but not duration of illness, was predictive of higher reports of both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Neither depressive nor anxiety symptoms were related to pulling site. Depressive symptoms partially mediated the relationship between TTM severity and functional impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Based on an internet sample recruited from the homepage of the Trichotillomania Learning Center, data from this study suggests that symptoms of depression and anxiety may be pervasive among youth with TTM and likely impact functional impairment. Longitudinal studies using directly assessed samples are needed to replicate and extend these findings. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author information

Author/s: Lewin, Adam B (AB); Piacentini, John (J); Flessner, Christopher A (CA); Woods, Douglas W (DW); Franklin, Martin E (ME); Keuthen, Nancy J (NJ); Moore, Phoebe (P); Khanna, Muniya (M); March, John S (JS); Stein, Dan J (DJ); TLC-SAB;

Affiliation: UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, USA. alewin(-atsign-)mednet.ucla.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Depression and anxiety (Depress Anxiety), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-; vol 26 (issue 6) : pp 521-7

Dates: Created 2009/06/08; Completed 2009/08/21;

PMID: 19016486, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.