Research

Citation (APA formatting)

1. Dougherty, L. R., Smith, V. C., Bufferd, S. J., Stringaris, A., Leibenluft, E., Carlson, G. A., & Klein, D. N. (2013). Preschool irritability: longitudinal associations with psychiatric disorders at age 6 and parental psychopathology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(12), 1304–1313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.09.007

2. Luby, J. L., Belden, A. C., Pautsch, J., Si, X., & Spitznagel, E. (2009). The clinical significance of preschool depression: impairment in functioning and clinical markers of the disorder. Journal of affective disorders, 112(1-3), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2008.03.026

Aim or Scope (problem being addressed)

To examine the association of chronic irritability with psychiatric disorders at the ages 3 and 6.

To examine whether chronic irritability at age 3 predicts DSM-I disorders.

To investigate functional impairment that is associated with depression and depression severity among two groups.

Participants,

when and where

Families with three-year-olds within 20 miles of Stony Brook University.

305 pre-school children between the age of 3 and 6 were recruited in Saint Louis area. This was between May 2003 to March 2005.

Context and framework

The relationship between child irritability and psychiatric disorders were to be determined using the Preschool age Psychiatric Assessment.

6000 Preschool feelings Check list were distributed randomly in daycare and preschools. The preschoolers and the caregivers participated in a 3-4 hour laboratory assessment.

Main results

or findings

Chronic irritability was associated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders and functional impairment at the age three and six. Irritability is also associated with parental depression and anxiety.

Depressed pre-school children exhibited symptoms like guilt and extreme fatigue. Depression did not have an impact on the development of the pre-school child.

Implications Practice or Research

The results are consistent with similar studies in older children which show that chronic irritability is a predictor of depression later in life. Early interventions should be applied to preschool children with chronic irritability.

The findings replicate earlier evidence for the validity of MDD diagnosed in pre-school children. The lack of impact on development presents a window for early interventions in the area of public health.

Your comments (include limitations)

Depression in preschoolers has been ignored due to various assumptions. The study was able to link the two variables of child irritability and psychiatric disorders and recommend early interventions.

The study was limited by reliance of parents and teachers informants. This is a good study highlighting the importance of early interventions.

Reference

3. Gaffrey, M. S., Luby, J. L., Belden, A. C., Hirshberg, J. S., Volsch, J., & Barch, D. M. (2011). Association between depression severity and amygdala reactivity during sad face viewing in depressed preschoolers: an fMRI study. Journal of affective disorders, 129(1-3), 364–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.08.031

4. Luby, J., Belden, A., Sullivan, J., Hayen, R., McCadney, A., & Spitznagel, E. (2009). Shame and guilt in preschool depression: evidence for elevations in self-conscious emotions in depression as early as age 3. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 50(9), 1156–1166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02077.x

Aim or Scope (problem being addressed)

To examine the brain functioning of depressed preschoolers. To determine whether symptoms severity during viewing of facial expression of emotion is related to depression.

To determine whether there are emotions of shame and guilt in early childhood depression.

Participants,

when and where

Fourteen preschool children between the ages 2 and 6 with PO-MDD were recruited for the study.

305 participants who were preschoolers were obtained from various community sites.

Context and framework

The study was to show the relationship between early childhood depression and brain activity in the amygdala and other regions that are responsible for face processing.

The study explored the tendency of preschoolers to experience shame and guilt. The use of a story stem completion task was used to measure guilt experience and reparation behavior.

Main results

or findings

The findings show that depressed preschoolers display a positive relationship between severity and amygdala activity when viewing the facial expressions of negative effect.

The findings showed that depression severity was related to the child’s more frequent expressions of guilt feelings and less frequent attempts of guilt reparation.

Implications Practice or Research

The results from the examination of brain activity of depressed preschoolers show similarities to older children and adults. This calls for early interventions on depressed preschoolers.

The findings show that guilt and shame should be explored in clinical assessments.

Your comments (include limitaitons)

The study had a small sample size which reduced the power of the study while increasing the margin of error. This makes it difficult to rely on the results of the study. It needed a bigger sample size.

The study provides another avenue that should be explored when looking at the impact of depression on the general health of preschoolers. It looks at the emotions that are present in depressed preschoolers.

Your research focus

Research Question: State your question(s).

1. What are the main causes of depressive symptoms among pre-school children in Memphis?

2. What effects do depressive symptoms have on the performance and general health of the pre-school children in the area?

Synthesize the information in the table above. The observations below will provide a conclusion for the literature review.

Common Important Issues or Criteria

1. Symptoms of depression among preschoolers.

2. Factors that are associated with depression among preschoolers.

3. Impact o depression on the general health of the preschoolers.

Common Frameworks

Theoretical framework.

Common Findings

Most findings are able to link the two variables in the research.

Implications or Recommendations

Most of the findings recommend for early interventions to reduce the impact of depression in later ages.

Discrepancies or Limitations

Small sample size

Was your focus maintained?

Yes?

No?

Partially?...

Partially. There are limited studies on depression on preschoolers due to the assumption that it is not a major issue at that age.

Based on your work, how would you modify or reframe your initial research question?