Factors associated with depression and anxiety in children with intellectual disabilities.
Bullying, pain, ASD, and ADHD each hike depression/anxiety odds in kids with ID—screen and act on them fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Amaral et al. (2019) asked 423 kids with intellectual disability about mood and worry.
They also asked parents and teachers about bullying, pain, and other diagnoses like ASD or ADHD.
The team ran odds ratios to see which things stacked the deck for depression or anxiety.
What they found
About one in three children had depression or anxiety.
Kids with ASD, ADHD, daily pain, or a history of bullying had much higher odds.
Children with Down syndrome had lower odds than other kids with ID.
How this fits with other research
Koskentausta et al. (2007) and Fine et al. (2005) saw the same red flags years earlier: language delays, poor social skills, and living in poverty all raised risk.
Hove et al. (2016) studied adults and also found bullying spikes depression; good care can soften the blow.
Vassos et al. (2016) adds that harsh parenting and depressed dads raise anxiety in preschoolers with ID, so risk starts early and runs in families.
Why it matters
When a child with ID walks into your clinic, screen for ASD, ADHD, pain, and bullying in the first hour. These are quick checks you can do with parent forms or a few questions. Targeting pain or adding bully-response plans may cut mood problems before they grow. Share the Down-syndrome finding with families; it can ease worry and guide planning.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at increased risk for depression and anxiety disorders; however, there is a paucity of research that pertains to associative factors for these mental health disorders in this population. The objective of this investigation was to determine factors associated with depression and anxiety problems in children with ID. METHODS: Children 6-17 years with ID (n = 423; 63% male) from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health were included in this cross-sectional study. Outcome measures included depression and anxiety problems. Predictor variables included sociodemographics, ID severity, co-morbid conditions (autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), physical factors (i.e. physical activity, sleep duration and pain) and social factors (e.g. participation in activities and bully victimisation). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association between all factors and depression and/or anxiety problems among children with ID. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression and/or anxiety problems was 35.4%. After adjusting for sociodemographics, Hispanic race was associated with lower odds [odds ratio (OR), 0.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1-0.8] of depression and/or anxiety problems. After adjusting for race, co-morbid conditions, and physical and social factors, autism spectrum disorders (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.1-10.1), Down syndrome (OR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 2.5-14.3), pain (OR, 7.0; 95% CI, 2.9-17.1) and bully victimisation (OR 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0-5.3) were each associated with depression and/or anxiety problems. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified both treatable and modifiable, as well as unmodifiable, factors associated with depression and/or anxiety problems in children with ID.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2019 · doi:10.1111/jir.12583