Biomedical subjects

Wilma A M Vollebergh

Publications and source records attributed to Wilma A M Vollebergh.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Mental health problems in early adolescents in the Netherlands: differences between school and household surveys.

OBJECTIVE: A large representative sample of early adolescents in the Netherlands was investigated to assess mental health problems in a school survey. These results were compared to results from former household surveys. In addition, several socio-demographic determinants were analysed. METHOD: A random sample of schools in the Netherlands was approached for participation in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey study (response rate at school level, 60% in primary education and 45% in secondary education). Within schools, a random selection of classes from the schools participated in the study (response rate within schools >95%). We analysed the percentage of children scoring in the problem range on each of the syndromes of the Youth Self Report and compared these to the percentages found in a former population study. The impact of several socio-demographic background variables was assessed. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of the boys and 23% of the girls have total problem scores in the problem range. These percentages are much higher than those found in population studies in the Netherlands so far, particularly in girls. In multivariate analyses, gender, socio-economic status and family composition were found to be of influence. Migrant status does not appear to be of importance once other background variables are taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: In school surveys on mental health problems, higher problem rates may be found than in population surveys conducted in household settings. This effect has seldom been discussed. It is suggested that this survey context has to be taken into account more explicitly when comparing results of surveys.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Body mass index and body weight perception as risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problem behavior among adolescents.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), body weight perception (BWP), and indicators of internalizing and externalizing distress and social, attention and thought problems in a large representative sample of Dutch youth. METHODS: A total of 1826 pupils in the eighth grade of primary education and 5730 students in the first four years of secondary education gave their height and weight to obtain an estimate of their BMI. They reported their evaluation of their body weight and completed Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (YSR) (1991), which assesses eight types of problem behavior. Data were analyzed in a multivariate framework with BMI and BWP as predictors and the YSR scores on different kinds of problem behavior as dependent variables, controlling for background characteristics. RESULTS: Both BMI and BWP are associated with internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, and social, attention and thought problems. Multivariate tests show that BWP is more closely linked to problem behavior than BMI. Adolescents who were either underweight or overweight but considered themselves in good shape had no more problems than the group with normal BMI and BWP 'good'. The perception of being 'too thin' and particularly the perception of being 'too heavy' best predict problem behavior in both male and female adolescents. Overweight youngsters with an adequate perception of their weight have less somatic complaints than their normal-weight peers who perceive themselves as too heavy, but they show higher withdrawnness, social problems, and anxiety/depression. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent girls are more dissatisfied with their weight than boys; however, the relationship between weight perception and problem behavior is the same for both genders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The three year course of alcohol use disorders in the general population: DSM-IV, ICD-10 and the Craving Withdrawal Model.

AIMS: To determine the course of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in a prospective general population study using three different classification systems: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version IV (DSM-IV), International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10) and the craving withdrawal model (CWM). The latter is an alternative classification, which requires craving and withdrawal for alcohol dependence and raises the alcohol abuse threshold to two criteria. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS), a large (n=7,076) representative general population study with a baseline and 1- and 3-year follow-up assessments. MEASUREMENTS: Diagnostic status according to DSM-IV, ICD-10 and CWM at baseline and at follow-up was established using a structured interview (Composite International Diagnostic Interview: CIDI). FINDINGS: DSM-IV abuse, ICD-10 harmful use and CWM abuse all showed a favourable course with remission rates of 81, 89 and 71%, respectively, at 1-year follow-up and 85, 92 and 79% at 3-year follow-up. Dependence according to DSM-IV, ICD-10 and CWM had a somewhat less favourable course, with remission rates (no dependence) of 67, 67 and 57% at 1-year follow-up and 74, 69 and 73% at 3-year follow-up, respectively. Subjects who were remitted at 1-year follow-up showed relapse-rates of 0-14% for dependence and 4-12% for abuse at 3-year follow-up. Although CWM diagnoses tended towards greater diagnostic stability than DSM-IV and ICD-10, most differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: The conviction that addiction is a chronic relapsing disease may apply to treatment-seeking alcoholics, but our data show a far more favourable course of alcohol use disorders in the general population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Predicting internalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing number of immigrants worldwide, it is essential to have insight into the factors associated with internalizing problems in immigrant youth. However, little research on this subject has been conducted. The aim of the current study is to contribute to the knowledge in this field. METHODS: Data were obtained from the general population of 11- to 18-year-old Moroccan immigrant adolescents in The Netherlands. Using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Teacher's Report Form (TRF), 415 parent, 376 self-, and 238 teacher reports were available for analysis. RESULTS: The data showed relations between internalizing problems and several child (externalizing and chronic health problems), proximal family (paternal and maternal support and parent-child conflict), contextual family (conflicts between parents about parenting and total number of life-events), school/peer (being bored), and migration variables (adolescent's perceived discrimination). Moreover, a modest relation was found between internalizing problems and parental psychopathology. Few associations occurred with the global family factor (e.g., family educational level). Several relations between the predictors and YSR internalizing proved to be gender-specific. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the child, school/peer, and proximal family factors are the most important in predicting the development of internalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents. The impact of the migration factor was small.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2005

Seasonal variations in mental disorders in the general population of a country with a maritime climate: findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study.

Seasonal variations in the prevalence of mental disorders in general population surveys have rarely been noted. Using a representative sample of the Dutch population, the authors studied the seasonality of 1-month mental disorders and gender-by-season and age-by-season interactions. Data were obtained from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, a psychiatric epidemiologic study in which 7,076 adults aged 18-64 years were interviewed (1996) using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Seasonal statistical differences were not found for the category "any diagnosis", although prevalence was higher in winter (18.1%) and lower in summer (16.0%). Seasonal variations were also not found for the main categories "mood disorders", "anxiety disorders", "substance-use disorders", "eating disorders", and "schizophrenia". Some differences were found for individual disorders, mostly anxiety. Panic disorder was more frequently reported in winter than in summer, generalized anxiety disorder more frequently in winter than in other seasons, and obsessive-compulsive disorder more frequently in autumn than in summer. Only a few gender and age differences in seasonal variation were found. The authors conclude that there are only limited seasonal variations in mental disorders in general population studies, at least in countries with a mild maritime climate. For reliable estimation of the prevalence of some disorders, these findings have implications for the design of large-scale population studies.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Predicting externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Although an increasing proportion of the population in Western countries originates from non-Western parts of the world, little research has been conducted on predictors of externalizing problems in immigrant adolescent samples. This study on the predictors of externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands was aimed to contribute to the knowledge in this field. METHODS: We obtained 415 parent-reports, 376 self-reports and 238 teacher-reports on problem behavior in a general population sample of randomly selected 11- to 18-year-old Moroccan immigrant adolescents, using the Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report and Teacher's Report Form. RESULTS: The data revealed a clear relation between externalizing problems and several child (gender, internalizing problems), proximal family (parental monitoring and affection, support from father and mother, and parent-child conflict), contextual family (conflicts between parents about parenting, destructive communication between parents, and total number of life-events), school/peer (problems at school, involvement with deviant peers, hanging out), and migration variables (adolescent's perceived discrimination). Hardly any association was observed between externalizing problems and parental psychopathology, and between externalizing problems and global family variables (e.g., family employment level). Most findings matched results found in earlier studies on non-immigrant youth. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the child, school/peer, and proximal family factors are essential in models predicting the development of externalizing behavior. The impact of the migration factor on externalizing problems turned out to be relatively small.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2005

Alcohol abuse and dependence criteria as predictors of a chronic course of alcohol use disorders in the general population.

AIMS: To investigate whether DSM-IV abuse and dependence criteria and the ICD-10 criterion for craving differentially predict a chronic course of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in the general population. METHODS: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, a large representative sample of the general Dutch population with a baseline and a 1- and 3-year follow-up assessment. In the present study, a cohort of subjects with a DSM-IV AUD diagnosis at baseline was followed (n = 382). Diagnostic criteria of AUD according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). RESULTS: In our cohort of subjects with an AUD diagnosis at baseline, the presence of all dependence criteria, except tolerance, significantly increased the risk for dependence at 1 and 3 years follow-up. Abuse criteria displayed much lower and often non-significant risks for dependence at follow-up, with the exception of the criterion 'legal problems'. The ICD-10 criterion 'craving' had the highest relative risk (RR) of all criteria for dependence at 1 year (RR = 12.4, 95% CI = 5.5-27.8) and 3 years follow-up (RR = 12.9, 95% CI = 4.4-37.7). CONCLUSION: With the exception of tolerance, all DSM-IV dependence criteria are useful in predicting the course of AUD in the general population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

The craving withdrawal model for alcoholism: towards the DSM-V. Improving the discriminant validity of alcohol use disorder diagnosis.

AIMS: To compare the discriminant validity of the DSM-IV and the ICD-10 classification of alcohol use disorders (AUD) with an alternative classification, the craving withdrawal model (CWM). CWM requires craving and withdrawal for the diagnosis of alcohol dependence and raises the alcohol abuse threshold to two DSM-IV AUD criteria. METHODS: Data were derived from The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, a large representative sample of the general Dutch population. In the present study, only non-abstinent subjects were included (n=6041). Three diagnostic systems (DSM-IV, ICD-10, and CWM) were compared using the following discriminant variables: alcohol intake, psychiatric comorbidity, functional status, familial alcohol problems, and treatment sought. RESULTS: The year prevalence of CWM alcohol dependence was lower than the prevalence of ICD-10 and DSM-IV dependence (0.3% vs 1.4% and 1.4%). The year prevalence of abuse was similar for CWM and DSM-IV (4.7 and 4.9%), but lower for ICD-10 harmful use (1.7%). DSM-IV resulted in a poor distinction between normality and abuse and ICD-10 resulted in a poor distinction between harmful use and dependence. In contrast, the CWM distinctions between normality and abuse, and between abuse, and dependence were significant for most of the discriminant variables. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that CWM improves the discriminant validity of AUD diagnoses. The predictive validity of the CWM for alcohol and other substance use disorders remain to be studied.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Mental health in immigrant children in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Background In the past decades, the ethnic diversity of the population in the Netherlands has rapidly grown. At present, approximately 10% of all people in the Netherlands belong to immigrant families that originate from a very large variety of non-Western nations. Although it is often assumed that migration has a stress-inducing effect, leading to heightened levels of mental health problems in both immigrant children and their parents, research into this group of children is very scarce in Europe. In this paper, we want to report on the mental health of immigrant children originating from non-Western countries enrolled in a large cohort study in the Netherlands. METHOD: A large sample of 11-year-old children in the Netherlands (n=2230) participated in the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Approximately 10% of these children (n=230) belong to immigrant families originating from non-Western countries. Mental health problems were assessed using self-report measures (Youth Self-Report), using parent-report measures (Child Behaviour Check List) and using teacher report (Teacher Checklist for Psychopathology). In this paper, we report on the mental health problems of these children from all three perspectives (child, parent, teacher). In analysing the impact of immigrant status, the effect of gender and of socio-economic inequality was taken into account. RESULTS: According to self-report measures, mean level of mental health problems in immigrant children is comparable to that in non-immigrant children. Immigrant parents report higher problem rates for their daughters, in particular for internalising problem behaviours, social problems and attention problems, but not for their sons. In contrast, teachers perceive higher levels of externalising problem behaviour, but lower levels of anxious/depressed problems, social problems and thought problems in immigrant children. This last effect is most strongly found with respect to boys: teachers perceive less withdrawn/depressed problems, social problems, thought problems and attention problems in immigrant boys. CONCLUSIONS: Children from immigrant families do not appear to experience more problems than their non-immigrant peers. However, parents from immigrant families do report more problems in their daughters than non-immigrant parents, in contrast to teachers who perceive lower levels of internalising, social and thought problems in particular in boys, and higher levels of externalising problems in both immigrant boys and girls. In describing problem behaviour in immigrant children, the effect of diverging social contexts for and multiple perspectives on immigrant youth has to be taken into account.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2004

Functioning after a major depressive episode: complete or incomplete recovery?

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown improved functioning after a depression, but often substantial limitations at follow-up remained. The goal of this study is to examine (1) whether functioning returns to pre-morbid levels after a major depressive episode (MDE), (2) predictors of incomplete functional recovery, and (3) how these functional levels relate to those in a non-depressed sample. METHODS: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, a prospective general population study with three waves. Psychopathology was measured with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and functioning with the Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). One hundred and sixty-five individuals who met criteria for MDE between baseline and third wave, but not in the 12 months preceding baseline and third wave were selected. RESULTS: Mean post-morbid levels of functioning did not differ from pre-morbid levels although this level still differed significantly from the non-depressed sample. Sixty to eighty-five percent of the respondents did better or showed no change on different scales after recovery from MDE. Co-morbid substance use disorder and anxiety disorder, presence of somatic illness, external mastery, low social support and high baseline functioning were predictors of worsened functioning. LIMITATIONS: Lay interviewers used fully structured diagnostic interviews to determine MDE and functioning was measured using self-report. CONCLUSIONS: In general, people who recover from a MDE will also recover from functional impairments. The most important predictors of incomplete functional recovery are clinical and social in nature whereas personality and demographic characteristics are less important.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Pathways to comorbidity: the transition of pure mood, anxiety and substance use disorders into comorbid conditions in a longitudinal population-based study.

BACKGROUND: To describe transitions to comorbidity within a 3-year period in three cohorts of subjects with at baseline a 12-month pure mood, anxiety or substance use disorder but no lifetime history of any other disorder category. To assess the role of personal and social vulnerability factors, life events, clinical factors and functional disability in the pathway to comorbidity. METHODS: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS), a prospective epidemiologic study of a representative sample of 7076 adults aged 18-65, interviewed in three waves (baseline, 1 and 3 years after baseline) with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: 15.2% of 99 pure mood, 10.5% of 220 anxiety and 6.8% of 192 substance use disorder cases became comorbid. Comorbid transition from pure mood disorder was multivariately associated with higher age, external mastery and severity of the disorder. Comorbidity developing from pure anxiety disorder was associated with past and recent stressful life circumstances (childhood trauma, negative life events) and physical functional disability. Predictors of comorbid transition from pure substance use disorder were personal and social vulnerability variables only (high neuroticism, low social support). LIMITATIONS: Although NEMESIS was performed among a substantial number of cases, the number of cases with a pure disorder at baseline subsequently developing comorbidity was low. This limited analysing determinants of different comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for comorbid transitions vary depending on whether subjects have a primary mood, anxiety or substance use disorder. Interventions aimed at primary prevention of comorbidity to reduce psychiatric burden in populations with a history of pure disorders are indicated in response to clearly identified risk factors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Negative and positive participant responses to the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the emotional responses of participants in community surveys to standardised psychiatric interviews like the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). This study investigates the proportion of subjects responding negatively or positively to the CIDI, and identifies their sociodemographic, psychopathological, personality and social characteristics. METHODS: At the end of the three-wave Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, 4796 participants aged 18-64 at baseline were questioned about how the interviews had affected them. RESULTS: In all, 2.7% found the interviews quite distressing and 9.5% somewhat distressing. Compared to those without distress, they were more likely to be female, not living with a partner, not in paid employment, and to have a somatic disorder. A total of 5.7% of subjects reported that participation had helped them cope better with problems, and 3.4% reported they could now seek help more easily. These were more likely to be older, less educated, not in paid employment (except those seeking help more easily) and to have a somatic disorder. Both negative and positive responses were associated with mood, anxiety and substance use disorders and comorbidity, as well as with neuroticism, external mastery, low self-esteem and low social support. CONCLUSION: Only a small minority of participants reported distress from the interviews. This is an important finding for ethics committees charged with approving general population surveys that use the CIDI. It can also be valuable for planning such studies, enabling researchers to inform participants more fully about the effects of the interview before asking them for informed consent.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Parent, teacher and self-reported problem behavior in The Netherlands: comparing Moroccan immigrant with Dutch and with Turkish immigrant children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Although literature leaves little doubt that migration from one country to another is stressful, empirical studies do not warrant general conclusions regarding the impact of migration on psychological development. Moroccans and Turks are two of the largest immigrant groups in The Netherlands, and share a similar migration history and religion. However, there are important differences between Turkish and Moroccan society, for example, in the level of education and illiteracy. In this study, emotional and behavioral problems of Moroccan immigrant children were compared to those of Dutch native children and Turkish immigrant children. METHODS: Our samples consisted of 819 Moroccan immigrant children, 2,227 Dutch native children and 833 Turkish immigrant children between the age of 4 and 18. Parent, teacher and self-reports were obtained, using the Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher's Report Form and Youth Self-Report. RESULTS: Moroccan parents reported as many problems as Dutch parents, but less problems than Turkish parents. Teachers, however, presented a different picture: substantially more externalizing problems were reported for Moroccan pupils compared to Dutch and Turkish pupils. Moroccan adolescents themselves reported less problems than Dutch and Turkish adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of migration on children and adolescents of two populations with a similar migration history and religion can be rather different. Problem levels vary widely with the informant questioned. The results of the present study may reflect true differences in children's behavior, both across ethnic groups and across the contexts of home and school. Perceptual biases, social desirability in answering patterns and differences in thresholds to report problem behaviors may also be responsible for the observed differences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Bulimia nervosa following psychological and multiple child abuse: support for the self-medication hypothesis in a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To unravel the complex role of child abuse as a risk factor for bulima nervosa (BN), from the perspective of the self-medication hypothesis which asserts that in abused BN cases binge eating is primarily a way of coping with the anxiety or mood disorders that stem from the abuse. METHOD: In a population-based study (N = 1,987) DSM-III-R diagnoses were assessed with the CIDI. Differences in exposure rates to child abuse between BN cases versus healthy, psychiatric, substance use, and dual diagnosis controls were employed to test the self-medication hypothesis. RESULTS: A history of psychological or multiple abuse was found to be a specific risk factor for dual diagnosis disorder (cases with psychiatric and substance use disorders) and for BN. Nearly all BN cases that experienced multiple or psychological child abuse, showed such comorbid anxiety or mood disorders. DISCUSSION: We found tentative support for the self-medication hypothesis.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Gender and age-specific first incidence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the general population. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies in the general population are needed to identify risk factors for mental disorders. Samples of sufficient size are needed, but large-scale studies that assess the incidence of psychopathology are rare. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the 12-month first incidence rates (IR) by age and gender for 15 specified DSM-III-R disorders in the general population. Methods The study was based on a representative sample (N = 5618) of the Dutch population aged 18-64. RESULTS: The IR for any disorder was 5.68 per 100 person-years at risk (men 4.45, women 6.94). IRs for both men and women were highest in the youngest age category. The most common 12-month incident disorders in men were alcohol abuse (IR = 4.09) and major depression (1.72). In women, the most common incident disorders were major depression (IR = 3.90) and simple phobia (3.17). CONCLUSIONS: The results show the rarity of first-onset of mental disorders. IRs vary strongly between the different life phases, as well as between men and women. This suggests potential target areas for age-specific and gender-specific prevention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Risk factors for 12-month comorbidity of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders: findings from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined risk factor profiles of pure and comorbid 12-month mood, anxiety, and substance use disorder in the general population. METHOD: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study, a prospective epidemiologic study in which a representative sample of 7,076 adults age 18-64 years were interviewed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Logistic regression was used to compare subjects with a diagnosis of pure and comorbid disorders with non-psychopathological comparison subjects and to compare subjects with comorbid disorders with those with pure disorder on sociodemographic characteristics, chronic somatic conditions, parental psychiatric history, and childhood traumas and adversities. RESULTS: Only 39.5% of the subjects with a 12-month mood disorder, 59.3% of those with an anxiety disorder, and 75.4% of those with a substance use disorder exhibited the disorder in the pure form. Comorbid anxiety and mood disorders, the most prevalent comorbid condition, showed associations with eight of the nine sociodemographic and long-term vulnerability factors investigated; pure mood disorder and pure anxiety disorder were each linked to only about half of the factors. Female gender, younger age, lower educational level, and unemployment were associated with comorbid anxiety and mood disorders but not with pure mood disorders. The risk profiles of pure anxiety disorder and pure substance use disorder similarly diverged from those of the comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of psychiatric comorbidity exist in the general population. The risk factor profiles for comorbid disorders differ considerably from those for pure disorders. Primary prevention of secondary disorders in populations with a history of a primary disorder are important for reducing psychiatric burden.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The prevalence of treated and untreated mental disorders in five countries.

We analyzed survey data from Canada, Chile, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United States to study the prevalence and treatment of mental and substance abuse disorders. Total past-year prevalence estimates range between 17.0 percent (Chile) and 29.1 percent (U.S.). Many cases are mild. Although disorder severity is strongly related to treatment, one- to two-thirds of serious cases receive no treatment each year. Most treatment goes to minor and mild cases. Undertreatment of serious cases is most pronounced among young poorly educated males. Outreach is needed to reduce barriers to care among serious cases and young people at risk of serious disorders.

Adolescent↗