title: Depressive symptoms in parents of adolescents with myelomeningocele: the association of clinical, adolescent neuropsychological functioning, and family protective factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine if neuropsychological functioning and family protective factors are related to depressive symptoms in parents of adolescents with myelomeningocele (MMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty adolescents (28 females, 22 males; predominately Caucasian; ages 12-21 years, M=15.7, SD=2.4) and their parents from a large Midwestern MMC Program participated in a cross-sectional descriptive mixed-methods study. Participants completed measures of adolescent clinical status (WeeFIM®, Demographic and Clinical Information Form), neuropsychological (NP) functioning, family protective factors and parents' depressive symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents' depressive symptoms correlated significantly with NP functioning in the domains of Mental Processing Speed, Psychomotor Speed, Executive Functioning, Fine Motor Skills, and Language, and with each self-reported family protective factor. Multiple regression analysis revealed independent main effects for the NP variable, Executive Functioning and the Family Protective Factors Composite (p< 0.05); there was no interaction (p> 0.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians are especially encouraged to include assessment of parental depressive symptoms if the adolescent has executive functioning impairments or if the parents have few family protective factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA Developmental Pediatrics, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Brei
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Purdue School of Science, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Stacey E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Woodrome
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Purdue School of Science, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Fastenau
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory Administrations, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Constance F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Buran
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sawin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D065840:Protective Factors; D012044:Regression Analysis; D058028:Research Report; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Myelomeningocele; adolescent; cognition; depressive symptoms; mental health; parents; spina bifida