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Author(s): Leslie A. Rescorla [sup.1] , Allison Adams [sup.1] , Masha Y. Ivanova [sup.2] , Niels Bilenberg, Gudrun Bjarnadottir, Christiane Capron, Sarah De Pauw, Pedro Dias, Anca Dobrean, Manfred Döpfner, [...], Previous research supports the CBCL/1½-5's DSM-ASD scale (and its precursor, the DSM-PDP scale) as a Level 1 ASD screener. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) with data from population samples in 24 societies (N = 19,850) indicated good measurement invariance across societies, especially for configural and metric invariance. Items 4. 25, 67, 80, and 98 may be especially good discriminators of ASD because they have tend to have low base rates, strong loadings on the ASD latent construct, and the best measurement invariance across societies. Further research is needed to test the discriminative power of these items in predicting ASD, but our strong measurement findings support the international psychometric robustness of the CBCL/1½-5's DSM-ASD scale.

This study tested societal effects on caregiver/teacher ratings of behavioral/emotional problems for 10,521 preschoolers from 15 societies. Many societies had problem scale scores within a relatively narrow range, despite differences in language, culture, and other characteristics. The small age and gender effects were quite similar across societies. The rank orders of mean item ratings were similar across diverse societies. For 7,380 children from 13 societies, ratings were also obtained from a parent. In all 13 societies, mean Total Problems scores derived from parent ratings were significantly higher than mean Total Problems scores derived from caregiver/teacher ratings, although the size of the difference varied somewhat across societies. Mean cross-informant agreement for problem scale scores varied across societies. Societies were very similar with respect to which problem items, on average, received high versus low ratings from parents and caregivers/teachers. Within every society, cross-informant agreement for item ratings varied widely across children. In most respects, results were quite similar across 15 very diverse societies. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

International comparisons were conducted of preschool children's behavioral and emotional problems as reported on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1 1/2-5 by parents in 24 societies (N = 19,850). Item ratings were aggregated into scores on syndromes; "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"-oriented scales; a Stress Problems scale; and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems scales. Effect sizes for scale score differences among the 24 societies ranged from small to medium (3-12%). Although societies differed greatly in language, culture, and other characteristics, Total Problems scores for 18 of the 24 societies were within 7.1 points of the omnicultural mean of 33.3 (on a scale of 0-198). Gender and age differences, as well as gender and age interactions with society, were all very small (effect sizes less than 1%). Across all pairs of societies, correlations between mean item ratings averaged 0.78, and correlations between internal consistency alphas for the scales averaged 0.92, indicating that the rank orders of mean item ratings and internal consistencies of scales were very similar across diverse societies. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Objective: To test the fit of a seven-syndrome model to ratings of preschoolers' problems by parents in very diverse societies. Method: Parents of 19,106 children 18 to 71 months of age from 23 societies in Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the seven-syndrome model separately for each society. Results: The primary model fit index, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), indicated acceptable to good fit for each society. Although a six-syndrome model combining the Emotionally Reactive and Anxious/Depressed syndromes also fit the data for nine societies, it fit less well than the seven-syndrome model for seven of the nine societies. Other fit indices yielded less consistent results than the RMSEA. Conclusions: The seven-syndrome model provides one way to capture patterns of children's problems that are manifested in ratings by parents from many societies. Clinicians working with preschoolers from these societies can thus assess and describe parents' ratings of behavioral, emotional, and social problems in terms of the seven syndromes. The results illustrate possibilities for culture-general taxonomic constructs of preschool psychopathology. Problems not captured by the CBCL/1.5-5 may form additional syndromes, and other syndrome models may also fit the data. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Caregivers and teachers from 14 societies rated 9,389 1.5 to 5-year-olds on the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). General population samples were obtained in Asia; the Middle East; Eastern, Northern, Central, Western, and Southern Europe; and South America. The 2-level 6-syndrome C-TRF model derived on a mostly U.S. sample was tested separately for each society. This model or a slightly modified 2-level 5-syndrome version of the model fit the data for 10 of the 14 societies. The findings generally support use of the C-TRF with children of diverse backgrounds. The multicultural generalizability of C-TRF syndromes suggests that they can be used as taxonomic constructs for preschoolers' psychopathology, which can facilitate international communication and collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and educators working with young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Drug abuse is a significant contributor to premature disease and mortality. Drug users are less likely to attend traditional Primary Health Care and more likely to present to Emergency Departments with their problems. Drug users often present late for treatment and find difficult ot engage and follow through treatment in standard models of health services., Materials and Methods: The study is retrospective. 108 intravenous drug users were identified upon admission to one of three intpatient addiction treatment centres in Iceland in the years 2012-2013. Case notes for the two years leading to admission were examined., Results: The study group had significantyl more contacts with Emergency Departments than a matched sample from the community (p<0.001). Mean number of visits for the study group per year was 4.8 (median 3.5) and 43% had four or more visits in a year. Majority of visits were for pshychiatric symptoms with a third considered serious. The two main medical reasons were infections from injecting and accidents/violence. There was no significant difference in study parameters between those who mainly use methylphenidate vs other substances. Mortality rate for the study group compared to the general population of same age was 26.4 (CI 16.7-41.5, (p<0.01))., Conclusion: Intravenous drug users are a vulnerable group with high level of psychiatric and medical problems and high mortality. It is important that this group has good access to evicence based addiction treatment, but also to medical and psychiatric services that are adapted to their needs.

Loperamide is a μ-opioid receptor agonist with antidiarrhoeal effects. It is considered to have a low abuse potential because of substantial first-pass metabolism and P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux at the level of the blood-brain barrier. Previous case reports have described that high dosage of loperamide can induce an opioid-like effect on the central nervous system. The most common presentation of loperamide intoxication is syncope which is caused by serious cardiac dysrhythmia and can lead to death. Therefore, it was decided to analyze whether drug prescriptions in the prescription drug database from The Directorate of Health would indicate loperamide misuse in Iceland from 2006-2017. In total 94 individuals used more than one DDD (10 mg) and 17 individuals used more than two DDD (20 mg), if taken daily over one year. These results indicate that loperamide is being used excessively but the reason for each prescription and the total amount sold over the counter is unknown. Increased surveillance and decreased availability of prescription opioids might possibly boost the usage of drugs with similar function such as loperamide. Loperamide overdose can result in serious adverse effects and thus, it is important to inform healthcare employees about such severe consequences.