Adolescent Psychiatry Research Round Up: March 1, 2025

In this Research Roundup, learn more about how grandparent behavior impacts adolescent mental health, how internet addiction interferes with an adolescent’s mental health, and the therapeutic effects of pairing short-term trauma stabilization techniques with escitalopram.

Grandparent Style Influences Adolescent Mental Health

A systematic review and meta-analysis examines the impact of different grandparenting styles on the mental health of children and adolescents.

Using the findings of 20 studies, involving 11,434 children, investigators categorized grandparenting styles into positive and negative. Positive grandparenting styles were associated with warmth, support with autonomy, and authoritative parenting, while negative styles were associated with rejection, coercion, and chaos or inconsistency. Findings from the study showed that positive grandparenting is moderately linked to lower levels of depression (r = -0.3) and anxiety (r = -0.12), with no significant effect on internalizing symptoms. Negative grandparenting was associated with higher levels of depression (r = 0.15), anxiety (r = 0.15), and internalizing symptoms (r = 0.25). A sensitivity analysis found that positive grandparenting has a more profound effect on younger children than older children.

“Because multigenerational families and grandparent–mother co‑parenting are prevalent in Chinese culture, additional studies in such social contexts are needed to examine the potential interactive effects of parenting and grandparenting on children’s and adolescents’ mental health outcomes in multigenerational families,” the investigators wrote.

Reference

1. Zhao L, Tian M, Wang Z, et al. Associations of grandparenting dimensions/styles with mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Behav Sci (Basel). 2025;15(2):180.

Internet Addiction Correlated With Increased Suicidal Behavior and Aggression in Adolescents

Adolescents have more access to the internet now than any generation before them, and unfettered internet access can be damaging to their mental health. A meta-analytic review examined the relationship between internet addiction and adolescent mental health, synthesizing findings from 33 studies involving 303,243 participants.

Investigators analyzed 9 psychological variables: depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal behavior, psychological well-being, self-esteem, externalizing problems, aggressiveness, and impulsiveness. Investigators found that internet addiction is significantly associated with increased depression (r = 0.318), anxiety (r = 0.252), suicidal behavior (r = 0.246) and aggressiveness (r = 0.391). Internet addiction was also found to correlate negatively with psychological well-being (r = -0.312) and self-esteem (r = -0.306). The findings indicate poorer mental health among participants with problematic internet use. No significant associations were found for externalizing problems, impulsiveness, or stress.

“The study of the consequences of problematic internet use on mental health is a fundamental requirement for making progress in the design and implementation of more effective and efficient interventions in a population as vulnerable as adolescents,” the investigators concluded.

Reference

1. Soriano-Molina E, Limiñana-Gras RM, Patró-Hernández RM, et al. The association between internet addiction and adolescents' mental health: a meta-analytic review. Behav Sci (Basel). 2025;15(2):116.

Pilot Study Finds Trauma Stabilizing Techniques Paired With Escitalopram Effective in Treating MDD in Adolescents

A pilot study investigating trauma stabilizing techniques combined with escitalopram in the treatment of adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) showed that participants in the study group had significantly lower symptom assessment scores than the control group, signaling the effectiveness of trauma stabilizing techniques combined with escitalopram.

A total of 76 hospitalized adolescents diagnosed with MDD were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. The study group, with 39 participants, received escitalopram with trauma stabilization techniques. The control group, with 37 participants, received escitalopram with mental health education.

Participants were assessed using the adolescent self-rating scale life events checklist, impact of event scale-revised (IES-R), 17-item Hamilton Depression scale (HAMD-17), and the Hamilton Anxiety scale (HAMA). Measures were taken at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks.

Although both groups showed improvement, the study group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in IES-R, HAMD-17, and HAMA scores at both weeks 2 and 4. The IES-R assessment saw a baseline of 20.69 ± 3.46 for the study group and 19.38 ± 4.23. At week 2, the study group’s score dropped to 15.43 ± 2.74, compared with the control group at 18.36 ± 3.37. In week 4, the score dropped to 10.68 ± 2.84 with the control group’s score being 15.59 ± 3.77. The HAMD-17 baseline was 22.42 ± 3.06 for the study group and 21.92 ± 2.63 for control. At week 2, the study group came in at 18.5 ± 2.55 while the control was at 19 ± 2.2. Week 4 showed the study group rating at 12.36 ± 2.31, while control ranked at 14.35 ± 2.19. The HAMA baseline was 18.83 ± 2.7 for the study group and 19.54 ± 2.74 for the control. At week 2, the score dropped to 15.25 ± 2.48 for the study group and 16.11 ± 2.29 for the control group. At week 4, the study group tested at 10.58 ± 1.92 and the control at 12.43 ± 1.85.

The study findings suggest trauma stabilization techniques enhance the effectiveness of escitalopram in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms. “These findings indicate that the affective symptoms of adolescent patients with MDD can be alleviated using antidepressants combined with short-term trauma stabilization techniques, which provides a good therapeutic idea for the treatment of MDD,” the study investigators conclude.

Reference

1. Xu J, Wu J, Wang X, et al. Therapeutic effects of short-term trauma stabilization techniques combined with escitalopram in treating adolescent major depressive disorder: a pilot randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2025;25(1):176.