Bruno Lars Hägglöf

Umeå University | UMU · Department of Clinical Sciences

Aim: Few studies have examined the parents of moderately preterm children. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of parents of both extremely and moderately preterm children. Methods: Qualitative telephone interviews were conducted in 2013-2014 with 13 mothers and 10 fathers of extremely preterm children and with 11 mothers an...

Aims and objectives: To explore how parents of preterm infants express the constructive aspects of their experiences. Using the notion of post-traumatic growth as a back-drop, this study supplements the research on parents' difficulties by providing a more nuanced understanding of what it is like to have a preterm child. Background: Researchers...

Background: Low birth weight infants (LBW) are at increased risk of iron deficiency which has been associated with impaired neurodevelopment. We hypothesized that iron supplementation of LBW infants improve cognitive scores and reduce behavioral problems until school age. Methods: We randomized 285 marginally LBW (2000-2500 g) infants to receive...

Background: This study examined mental health outcomes in extremely preterm children (EPT) born at 23 to 25 weeks of gestation between 1992 and 1998 at 2 Swedish tertiary care centers that offered regional and active perinatal care to all live-born EPT infants. Methods: We assessed 132 (98%) of the 134 EPT survivors at 10 to 15 years of age alon...

Objective: We examined chronic conditions, functional limitations, and special health care needs in extremely preterm children (EPT; 23-25 weeks' gestation) born between 1992 and 1998 at 2 Swedish tertiary care centers that offered regional and active perinatal care to all live-born EPT infants. Methods: Of 134 surviving EPT children, 132 (98%)...

INTRODUCTION: This longitudinal case-controlled study examined the effects of universal parent-focused interventions on parents’ perceived competence in terms of parental efficacy and satisfaction.METHOD: The study sample consisted of parents from northern Sweden in the general population who participated in parent training programmes from 2010 to...

This is a confirmatory study that assessed the effects of parent training programs on parental stress in a general population. There is a need to repeat and confirm earlier findings to acquire solid knowledge for policy stakeholders. In a quasi-experimental design, self-reported data were gathered at three occasions from 83 parents of children betw...

The aims of the present study were to: 1) compare scores and scales of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) reported by healthy adolescents 15-17 years of age from Greece, Japan, Russia, and Sweden, 2) analyze gender and age effects of the YSR syndrome scores between and within countries, and 3) compare scores of competence scales and their associations to...

Introduction: A significant minority of children with enuresis do not respond to either desmopressin or the enuresis alarm. Anticholinergics have not proven as successful as expected. The fourth evidence-based treatment, the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine, is cardiotoxic when overdosed, which has led to diminished use. Aim: The aim was to d...

Aim: Active perinatal care (APC) increases the survival of extremely preterm (EPT) infants, but may increase the rate of disabilities. We examined neurodevelopmental outcomes in adolescents aged 10-15 years who were born EPT and received APC in two Swedish tertiary care centres. Methods: Cognitive function was assessed using the Wechsler Intelli...

Aims: To assess the cognitive and behavioral aspects of executive functioning (EF) and learning skills in extremely preterm (EPT) children compared with term control children aged 10 to 15 years. Methods: A total of 132 of 134 (98% of all eligible survivors) EPT children born at the 2 Swedish regional tertiary care centers from 1992 to 1998 (mea...

Aims and objectivesThe aim of this study was to describe stress symptoms among adolescents before and after scoliosis surgery and to explore correlations with postoperative pain. Background Scoliosis surgery is a major surgical procedure. Adolescent patients suffer from preoperative stress and severe postoperative pain. Previous studies indicate th...

Aim: Little is known about the association between school experiences and mental health in young schoolchildren. The present study explored the cross-sectional and prospective associations between children's school experiences and mental health in middle childhood METHODS: We gathered comprehensive population-based data on the school experiences a...

Background There are inherent methodological challenges in the measurement of mental health problems in longitudinal research. There is constant development in definitions, taxonomies and demands concerning the properties of mental health measurements. The aim of this paper was to construct composite measures of mental health problems (according to...

Aims: Mental problems and their potential socio-demographic determinants were investigated in young schoolchildren in Sweden, a high-income country in the top of income- and gender-equality rankings. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 1465 schoolchildren in grades 3 and 6. Mental health was measured by the Child Behavior Checklist and the Youth S...

The study aimed to analyze whether poor mental health in adolescence predicts heavy alcohol consumption over the long term. Alcohol consumption in the population cohort (n = 1010) was surveyed at the ages of 16, 18, 21, 30 and 42. Utilizing latent class growth analysis, six consumption trajectories ranging from 'Late Onset Low' to 'Early Onset High...

Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important subjectively evaluated outcome of adolescents physical, mental, and social functioning. It gives us the possibility to assess the disease impact on life of adolescents, and to sort out target groups of adolescents for future psychological interventions. The objective of this cross-sectional sur...

Objective: This work aims to study self-esteem in adolescents with diabetes, asthma and epilepsy; compare the results with those of the representative sample of healthy adolescents; and evaluate the predictive value of certain demographic, family-related, and disease-related factors on self-esteem. Methods: A total of 148 chronically ill adolesc...

Aim: We investigated a national cohort of children born extremely immature (<26 weeks gestation, EI) regarding the nature, frequency and severity of the behavioural problems related to the executive functions (EF) and concerning learning skills, from the perspectives of parents and teachers. Methods: At 11 years of age 86 of 89 survivors of this...

This paper aims to describe the nature of pediatric cardiology teams (PCTs) based in Sweden through the use of a mixed methods approach. Questionnaires examining issues about the organization/ways of working, functions/tasks and attitudes were answered by 30 PCTs. Focus group interviews were conducted with six PCTs, selected purposefully by size an...

ABSTRACT The pathogenetic involvement of the serotonergic system in eating disorders is an established finding. Conclusions from platelet studies are based on results from investigations of subjects with a mean age of 20 years or more. The aim was to investigate whether previous findings in adults are valid also for adolescents who are examined wit...

Objective Low birth weight infants (LBW) are at increased risk of cognitive and behavioral problems and at risk of iron deficiency (ID) which is associated with impaired neurodevelopment. We hypothesized that iron supplementation of LBW infants would improve cognitive scores and reduce behavioral problems. Patients and methods: In a randomized cont...

This prospective study investigated the self-assessed family climate of adolescent patients and their parents during treatment of and recovery from eating disorders. One hundred two girls aged 13-17 years with eating disorders, answered the self-report Family Climate Scale (FCS) and Eating Disorders Inventory for Children at initial assessment and...

Technical developments in paediatric cardiology over the last few decades have increased expectations on professionals, demanding of them more emotional competence and communicative ability. The aim of this study was to examine the approach of paediatric cardiologists in informing and communicating with the family of the patient. A qualitative inte...

Uncertainty continues regarding the extent to which neonatal morbidities predict poor long-term outcome and functional abilities in extremely preterm infants. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), ultrasonographic signs of brain injury, and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on 11-year outcomes...

To evaluate effects of growth hormone (GH) treatment on behaviour and psychosocial characteristics in short-stature children. 99 referred prepubertal non-familiar short-stature children (32 GH deficiency; 67 idiopathic short stature) aged 3-11 years, randomized to fixed or individual GH doses and their parents completed questionnaires (Child Behavi...

A systematic review of the literature on the prevalence, theories and correlates of child labor was done with emphasis on mental health. The methodologies of these literatures are variable in their strength and weakness. Some surveys are intensive and informative. Exploitation of young children's labor is extensive in developing countries such as E...

This systematic literature review has identified the litterature on the epidemiology of mental health in children and adolescents in Sweden and investigated the time trends of mental health during the period 1945 until 2009. It connects to an ongoing discussion about a gradual increase in mental health problems among children and adolescents in Swe...

We examined the associations between perceived parental rearing, attachment style, self-concept, and mental health problems among Japanese adolescents. About 193 high school students (143 boys and 50 girls, mean=16.4) completed a set of self-report questionnaires including EMBU-C (My Memories of Child Upbringing for Children), AQC (Attachment Quest...

The goal of the current study was to investigate self-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a general population of young schoolchildren with recurrent pain (ie, headache, stomachache, or backache). The study was performed in Umeå, a university city in Sweden. All children in grades 3 and 6 were invited, and 97% participated (313 girl...

Twenty-seven adolescents in psychiatric care, assessed by means of DSM-IV, and 33 healthy controls were tested using the projective percept-genetic Defense Mechanism Test (DMT). Three diagnostic subgroups were created: psychotic (Axis 1), borderline personality disorder (Axis 2), and a non-patient group. The test protocols were scored with regard t...

To study the psychometric performance of the Swedish version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 generic core scales in a general child population in Sweden. PedsQL forms were distributed to 2403 schoolchildren and 888 parents in two different school settings. Reliability and validity was studied for self-reports and proxy repor...

We examined the associations and likely pathways underlying the relationships between peer attachment style, self-concept, and Internalizing/Externalizing Problems among high school students in Japan. A total of 228 senior high school students (186 boys and 82 girls; mean age=16.4) completed the Attachment Questionnaire for Children, Self-Descripti...

This 10-week study assessed the efficacy of atomoxetine in combination with psychoeducation compared to placebo and psychoeducation in the improvement of Quality of Life in Swedish stimulant-naive children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A total of 99 patients were treated with atomoxetine (49 patients) or placebo (50...

The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of atomoxetine in combination with psychoeducation, compared with placebo and psychoeducation, on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in Swedish stimulant-naïve pediatric patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). HRQL results will be presented elsewhere. Here, psych...

To study family functioning of adolescents with chronic physical illnesses and factors related to it. The following research questions were addressed: (i) if families with adolescents with chronic physical illnesses were at increased risk for problematic functioning compared to the healthy control families; (ii) was disease severity associated with...

This longitudinal study analyses self-reported perfectionism, eating disorders and psychiatric symptoms during recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN). With a recovered design, a group of 68 previous patients with AN was studied in two follow-up studies, 8 and 16 years after 1st admission to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP). Levels of perfectionis...

This study compares clinician appraisal of Bosnian refugee children with independent parent, child and teacher reports. From whom and by what means can children "at risk" be reasonably identified? Forty-eight Bosnian refugee children (aged 7-20), resettled in Sweden 1994-95, were assessed clinically by means of a semi-structured interview. Thereaft...

This is a prospective study of the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in children 0–14 years of age, including all newly diagnosed cases in the whole of Sweden from July 1, 1977 until June 90, 1980. All 45 Swedish departments of paediatrics participated. During the three-year-period studied, 1108 Swedish children, 0–14 years of...

We investigated a national cohort of extremely immature children with respect to behavioral and emotional problems and social competencies, from the perspectives of parents, teachers, and children themselves. We examined 11-year-old children who were born before 26 completed weeks of gestation in Sweden between 1990 and 1992. All had been evaluated...

To study the behaviour/emotional problems and depression in adolescents with and without physical illnesses; to compare the same psychological parameters in adolescents with different disorders. The sample consisted of 148 adolescents aged 13-16 years with one of the following physical chronic conditions: diabetes (n = 55), asthma (n = 59), or epil...

To identify hospital care factors which are associated with problematic behaviours in children after hospitalization. A cohort of 340 children ages 2-13 was studied in connection with elective procedures which included anaesthesia. Data collected: sociodemographic, type of procedure, anaesthesia induction technique and premedication. Staff and pare...

To examine the association between enuresis and psychopathology in urban Ethiopian children. A two-stage mental health survey of 5000 urban children found enuresis to be by far the most common disorder. Logistic regression modelling was carried out to determine the independent associations of a number of socio-demographic and psychopathological cha...

This qualitative study describes the perspectives of former anorexia nervosa (AN) patients with respect to why they believed they developed AN. Previous patients with initial treatment in child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in northern Sweden were interviewed 8 and 16 years after initial assessment. The question, "What do you think today about...

In the process of validation of the Swedish translation of the Post-Hospital Behaviour Questionnaire (PHBQ) to assess its relation to the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and to describe its relation to sociodemographic factors. Three hundred and forty children 2-13 years studied in connection with elective procedures which included anaesthesia. Pa...

This paper focuses on competences, behavioural/emotional problems, self-esteem and sense of coherence as reported by Swedish and Greek school-aged adolescents, aged 13 through 18 years. Achenbach's Youth Self Report (YSR), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem and Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC) scales were completed by 583 Swedish and 238 Greek adolescent...

Knowledge of long-term growth of extremely preterm infants in relation to gestational age is incomplete, and there are concerns regarding their poor growth in early childhood. As part of a longitudinal study of a national cohort of infants born at <26 weeks' gestation (extremely immature), growth development from birth to the age of 11 years was ex...

Children born extremely immature (gestational age < 26 weeks' gestation) increasingly reach school age. Information on their overall functioning and special health care needs is necessary to plan for their medical and educational services. This study was undertaken to examine neurosensory, medical, and developmental conditions together with functio...

Child labor refers to a state when a child is involved in exploitative economical activities that are mentally, physically, and socially hazardous. There are no prevalence studies on the magnitude of psychiatric disorders among child laborers. A cross-sectional population survey was conducted in Addis Ababa using the Diagnostic Interview for Childr...

The aim of this qualitative study was to describe the patients' perspective of the recovery process from anorexia nervosa. On average 16 years after initial assessment at child and adolescent psychiatric clinics, 68 women were interviewed about what they attributed as important factors in the recovery process of their adolescent onset anorexia nerv...

To study the validity and liability of a Swedish translation of the Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) in children in Sweden. The PHBQ was translated using a back-translation method. The subjects were 340 children, ages 2-13 y, admitted for elective surgery or diagnostic procedure with anaesthesia. The results were analysed using ex...

The role of social factors in the aetiology of aggression is still very unclear. To examine the interrelations between aggression and parental rearing factors, 133 delinquent adolescents and 108 same-aged schoolchildren from north western Russia were studied by means of the Aggression Questionnaire and the own memories of parental rearing questionn...

This interview study examined attitudes about life issues in 47 Greek adolescents. Adolescents stressed personal problems, family problems, social concerns, fears of future and social dangers, and using own coping and family support to face these issues. Mental-health and gender patterns are shown. More support is recommended for family and educati...

To describe the psychosocial situation of children/adolescents with heart disease and their families, an inventory method was worked out. Ninety-seven children/adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) were graded into three categories with respect to complexity of CHD. Group I included 42 patients with malformations requiring standardized op...

Resumen Se ha encontrado que tanto los estilos de apego como los rasgos de personalidad en los adolescentes y los adultos están asociados con la evolución de su salud y con sus trastornos de personalidad. En este estudio exploratorio transversal, investigamos la relación entre los estilos de apego que derivan de nuestros datos, empleando los elemen...

Attachment styles as well as personality traits in adolescents and adults have been found to be associated with their health outcomes and with their personality pathology. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, we study the relationship between attachment styles that derive from our data employing the items of Feeney et al. (1994) self-report a...

Objective This study examines the long-term outcome of adolescent onset anorexia nervosa, 8 and 16 years after first admission to child and adolescent psychiatric (CAP) treatment in northern Sweden.Method Two follow-ups (1991 and 1999) were made of 68 women who were first admitted to CAP between 1980 and 1985. The follow-ups included interviews and...

Objective To evaluate the Swedish version of the Eating Disorder Inventory for Children (EDI-C) from a gender and developmental perspective and to provide normative data. Methods Data were collected within seven cross-sectional projects. Completed questionnaires, from 2070 boys and 2655 girls in grades 4–12, were included.ResultsThe psychometric pr...

To study self-reported competencies and problems in adolescent girls with eating disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) compared to matched normal controls. The Youth Self-Report (YSR) was completed by 211 girls between 13 and 17 years of age with eating disorders and 211 controls...

To evaluate the Swedish version of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-C) for the internal consistency, factor structure and ability to discriminate between adolescent girls with and without a known eating disorder (ED). Completely answered EDI-C questionnaires were available from 201 girls diagnosed with an ED and from 2073 schoolgirls. The girls w...

Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with a high degree of associated behavioural problems. In order to study characteristics of ADHD with and without oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in a representative group of young children with clinical impairment in Sweden, 131 children (101 males, 30 fema...

This paper focuses on the difficulty of capturing child war trauma: the appropriateness of a standardized trauma questionnaire and the value of recruiting multiple reports. Three independent assessments of the war exposure of 75 Bosnian refugee children and teenage youths (aged 1-20), resettled in Sweden, are compared: clinician assessment based up...

Dutch self-report questionnaire for measuring parental: i) subjective stress, ii) global appraisal of the child-rearing situation, iii) attribution of child-rearing outcomes, and iv) expectation for help was translated into Swedish and applied to mothers of two groups of 3- to 7-year-olds: one with DSM-IV ADHD (n = 131) and one without DSM-IV ADHD...

We investigated the relationship between season of birth and the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory of Personality (Junior TCI, JTCI) in adolescents. The Temperament Scale of Novelty Seeking (NS) is significantly higher for females born during October-January as compared to females born otherwise. This association is opposite to that obtain...

Considering the increase in substance use and problem behaviors among teenagers, the aim of the present study was: (1) to assess the level of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in delinquent adolescents from the Arkhangelsk region, Russia; (2) to compare the levels of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, personality traits and parental rear...

The aim of the study was to provide a standardisation of self-reported competencies and emotional/behavioural problems among Swedish adolescents, using the Youth Self-Report (YSR). The YSR was completed by 2522 adolescents aged 13-18 years, recruited from secondary and upper secondary schools in different regions in Sweden. The results showed that...

To study characteristics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a representative group of clinically impaired young children in Sweden with the disorder. One hundred thirty-one children with ADHD (aged 3-7 years) were examined, and their parents were interviewed. Independent parent questionnaire data (Child Behavior Checklist, ADHD R...

The purpose of the present study was 1) to assess the predictive value of conduct problems prior to the age of 12 for the severity of antisocial behaviour during adolescence, and 2) to investigate the relationships between personality traits/parental rearing and childhood conduct problems/teenage antisocial behaviour. A group of 193 delinquents was...

While standardized questionnaires produce counts of isolated events, a semi-structured interview derives a story, a complex narrative in time and place. Ninety Bosnian refugee children and adolescents (ages 1-20), resettled in Sweden, were assessed in a semi-structured clinical interview designed to identify and offer support to children at risk. A...

There is research evidence to suggest the presence of dysfunctional families and rearing practices in the background of behavioural problems among adolescents. This study aimed to validate the Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI) in a Russian sample (n = 219) of juvenile delinquents and to compare the influence of family functioning and of parental r...

A number of recent studies have shown avoidant coping to be related with diverse types of somatic and mental pathology. In order to investigate the relevance of coping for both psychological and somatic problems in delinquent subjects, 185 boys from juvenile correction and 96 boys from secondary schools in Arkhangelsk, Northern Russia, were assesse...

The current study examined whether maternal prenatal attachment is associated with the mother-infant relationship. One hundred pregnant women and their infants at 12 weeks participated in the study. The sample was part of the Umeâ Child and Family Development project and was randomly recruited by midwives or health visitors. The expectant women com...

Hospital care and treatment by invasive procedures produce significant psychological effects on children. Urogenital surgery deserves particular study. The developmental aspects of different ages are highly relevant. A proposed multidimensional model of contributing factors includes type of medical treatment, any previous surgery, the child's tempe...

The aim of the present study was to compare coping styles in delinquent adolescents (n=178) versus matched controls (n=91) from the Arkhangelsk region in Northern Russia and to test for possible interrelations with personality traits and parental rearing factors. The samples were assessed by means of the Coping Scale for Children and Youth (CSCY),...

Possible age effects on binding of [(3)H]lysergic acid diethylamide ([(3)H]LSD) to serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors and of [(3)H]paroxetine to serotonin uptake sites were studied in platelets from healthy children (11-12 years of age), adolescents (16-17 years of age) and adults. Significant overall age effects were found both for the number of binding...

The aim of the present study was to test for possible interrelations between hopelessness, loneliness, self-esteem, and personality in samples of delinquent adolescents (n = 187) and controls (n = 103) from the Arkhangelsk region in Russia. The subjects were assessed by means of the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, Rosenberg’s Self...

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between parental rearing practices and problem behaviours in a sample of male delinquent adolescents versus controls. A total of 133 subjects from a juvenile correction centre and 108 matched school-children in the Arkhangelsk region, Russia, were assessed by means of the EMBU ques...

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of post-traumatic stress in juvenile male rape victims and to test for its relationships with perceived parental rearing and personality dimensions. Fifteen subjects (mean age of 16 years) were recruited from a correctional camp for juvenile criminals in Arkhangelsk, Russia. They were investigated b...

A comparison between 192 male delinquent adolescents and 121 controls from Northern Russia using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and Own Memories of Parental Rearing (EMBU) questionnaire on perceived parental rearing showed significant differences. The delinquent group had a higher level of Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, and Self-tr...

The relationships between aggression and both hereditary and social factors are still very unclear. To examine the interrelations between aggression, temperament and character dimensions and parental rearing factors, 188 delinquent adolescents and 118 same-aged schoolchildren from north-western Russia were studied by means of the Buss-Durkee Hostil...

A study of self-esteem before and after medical treatment was performed in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (NE) and urinary incontinence (UI). The NEUI children and the controls were recruited from the normal population in the town of Umeå, Sweden. In total, 66 NEUI children and 64 controls entered the study. Clinical examination, laborato...