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- Beckman, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Economic Costs of Antidepressant Use: A Population-Based Study in Sweden
- 2019
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In: Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. - Italy. - 1091-4358 .- 1099-176X. ; 22:4, s. 125-130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Prescription of antidepressant drugs (ADs) has increased in recent decades, with rising costs for patients as well as for the health care system. There is sparse evidence of which factors explain the high economic costs and financial burden for the general population. Aims of the study: The aim was to assess individual-level determinants of out-of-pocket and total health care costs of AD use in the Swedish general population. Methods: We randomly sampled 400,000 individuals aged 18+ from Statistics Sweden's population register from 2010 to 2013. Two-part regression models were used for our two primary outcome variables: (i) total health care costs for AD use per year and individual, and (ii) total out-of-pocket costs of AD use per year and individual. Results: Women, the unemployed, unmarried people and residents of big cities have both higher use of ADs and higher associated total health care and out-of-pocket costs. Today, ADs are relatively inexpensive and average cost differences among all groups are therefore minor. The elderly have higher use of ADs, but are more commonly low-volume users and do not have higher total health care or out-of-pocket costs. Discussion and limitations: Groups with relatively low socioeconomic status are at risk of higher costs for antidepressant use. However, given the Swedish system of drug subsidies, differences in financial burden for individuals are minor. The limitations of this study included that we lacked data on diagnosis and could therefore not categorize the reasons for AD consumption. Furthermore, our results may not be generalized to other countries with a lower AD prevalence then Sweden's, since our estimates are dependent on the point prevalence of antidepressant use in the population. Implications for health care provision and use: Groups with higher AD consumption and economic costs may suffer from more severe depression owing to more risk factors and less social support in their surroundings, and may be in greater need of additional treatment and support than other groups. Implications for health policies and further research: Our results offer insight at an aggregate level, and more information on the underlying causes of higher costs is needed to discern the policy implications.
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| 3. |
- Beckman, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Effects on alcohol use of a Swedish school-based prevention program for early adolescents: a longitudinal study
- 2017
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In: BMC Public Health. - London, United Kingdom : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The aim of the study was to address the lack of evaluations of school-based substance use prevention programs and to conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation of the alcohol use part of the Triad intervention. Methods: Eleven Swedish intervention schools (285 pupils) and three control schools (159 pupils) participated in the evaluation. Baseline measurements were conducted in 2011 before the alcohol part in the prevention program was implemented in the intervention schools (school year 6, ages 12-13). We estimated an Intention-To-Treat (ITT) Difference-in-Difference (DD) model to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention on subsequent alcohol use measured in grades 7, 8 and 9. Results: The main results show no effect on the likelihood of drinking alcohol or drinking to intoxication. Conclusions: The lack of positive effects highlights the need for policy-makers and public health officials need to carefully consider and evaluate prevention programs in order to ensure that they are worthwhile from school, health, and societal perspectives.
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| 4. |
- Beckman, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Preference-based health-related quality of life among victims of bullying
- 2016
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In: Quality of Life Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0962-9343 .- 1573-2649. ; 25:2, s. 303-309
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: No previous study has estimated the association between bullying and preference-based health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (“utility”), knowledge of which may be used for cost-effectiveness studies of interventions designed to prevent bullying. Therefore, the aim of the study was to estimate preference-based HRQoL among victims of bullying compared to non-victims. Methods: A cross-sectional survey data collection among Swedish adolescents aged 15–17 years in the first year of upper secondary school was conducted in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden (N = 758). Preference-based HRQoL was estimated with the SF-6D. Regression analyses were conducted to adjust for some individual-level background variable. Results: Mean preference-based health-related quality of life scores were 0.77 and 0.71 for non-victims and victims of bullying, respectively. The difference of 0.06 points was statistically significant (p < 0.05) and robust to inclusion of gender, age, and parental immigrant status. Conclusions: The preference-based HRQoL estimates in this study may be used as an upper bound in economic evaluations of bullying prevention interventions, facilitating a comparison between costs and quality-adjusted life-years.
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| 5. |
- Beckman, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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The cost-effectiveness of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program : Results from a modelling study
- 2015
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In: Journal of Adolescence. - : Academic Press. - 0140-1971 .- 1095-9254. ; 45, s. 127-137
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Exposure to bullying affects around 3-5 percent of adolescents in secondary school and is related to various mental health problems. Many different anti-bullying programmes are currently available, but economic evaluations are lacking. The aim of this study is to identify the cost effectiveness of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). We constructed a decision-tree model for a Swedish secondary school, using a public payer perspective, and retrieved data on costs and effects from the published literature. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis to reflect the uncertainty in the model was conducted. The base-case analysis showed that using the OBPP to reduce the number of victims of bullying costs 131 250 Swedish kronor ((sic)14 470) per victim spared. Compared to a relevant threshold of the societal value of bullying reduction, this indicates that the programme is cost-effective. Using a relevant willingness-to-pay threshold shows that the OBPP is a cost-effective intervention. (C) 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.
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| 6. |
- Lin, Ping-, I, et al.
(author)
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A Framework-Based Approach to Assessing Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in Psychiatry. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-0640. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has yielded extensive impacts globally in the year of 2020. Although the mental health of children and adolescents may be particularly susceptible to stressors stemming from the pandemic and anti-contagion policies, most ongoing efforts are geared toward curbing the viral spread. In the current perspective, we have identified four domains of factors corresponding to an ecological framework that may directly or indirectly influence the mental health of children and adolescents during the pandemic. The evidence suggests that anti-contagion policies might trigger cascades that impact the mental health of children and their families through multiple different sectors that used to form a safety net for youths. Additionally, children with neuropsychiatric disorders could experience exacerbated symptoms during the pandemic. Furthermore, the risk of domestic violence has surged during the pandemic, which further compounds the imminent mental health crisis. A mental health pandemic could be inevitable if no proactive prevention strategies were in place. Therefore, we recommend understanding each individual mental health risk pathway via the ecological framework in order to develop integrative prevention and intervention strategies.
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| 7. |
- Persson, Mattias, PhD, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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The Cost-Effectiveness of the Kiva Antibullying Program : Results from a Decision-Analytic Model
- 2018
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In: Prevention Science. - : Springer. - 1389-4986 .- 1573-6695. ; 19:6, s. 728-737
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bullying causes substantial suffering for children and adolescents. A number of bullying prevention programs have been advocated as effective methods for counteracting school bullying. However, there is a lack of economic evaluations of bullying prevention programs assessing the “value for money.” The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Finnish bullying prevention program KiVa in comparison to “status quo” (treatment as usual) in a Swedish elementary school setting (grades 1 to 9). The cost-effectiveness analysis was carried out using a payer perspective based on a Markov cohort model. The costs of the program were measured in Swedish kronor and Euros, and the benefits were measured using two different metrics: (1) the number of victim-free years and (2) the number of quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Data on costs, probability transitions, and health-related quality of life measures were retrieved from published literature. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were carried out to establish the uncertainty of the cost-effectiveness results. The base-case analysis indicated that KiVa leads to an increased cost of €829 for a gain of 0.47 victim-free years per student. In terms of the cost per gained QALY, the results indicated a base-case estimate of €13,823, which may be seen as cost-effective given that it is lower than the typically accepted threshold value in Swedish health policy of around €50,000. Further research is needed to confirm the conclusions of this study, especially regarding the treatment effects of KiVa in different school contexts
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| 8. |
- von Kobyletzki, Laura B., et al.
(author)
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Eczema and educational attainment : A systematic review
- 2017
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In: British Journal of Dermatology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0007-0963 .- 1365-2133. ; 177:3, s. e47-e49
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Eczema (syn. atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema) accounts for the largest global burden of disability due to skin disease (1) . Eczema affects up to 20% of children (1) , and is associated with impaired quality of life (QoL) of a similar magnitude to cancer and epilepsy. Yet, although eczema is common in children, little is known about long-term outcomes such as educational attainment (EA) of those affected. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Beckman, Linda, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Associations between neurodevelopmental disorders and factors related to school, health, and social interaction in schoolchildren : Results from a Swedish population-based survey
- 2016
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In: Disability and Health Journal. - : Elsevier. - 1936-6574 .- 1876-7583. ; 9:4, s. 663-672
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to be surrounded by different risk factors. In order to work preventively with decreasing ADHD and ASD symptoms, there is a need of more knowledge concerning risk factors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate school, health, lifestyle and social interactions association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among schoolchildren aged 6-17 years. Methods: Data for 18,416 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in the county of Varmland, Sweden, from the school year 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 were obtained from the Student Health Database, which includes information on health examinations by school nurses and self-reported information of mental and physical health, social relations, physical activity, and school conditions. Results: Of all participants, 2.4% reported only ADHD and 1.6% reported only ASD. The results confirmed that ADHD or ASD was significantly associated with worse school experiences, lower socioeconomic status, less physical activity, more substance use, weaker social network and more impairments than those without ADHD or ASD. Conclusions: Knowledge of risk or protective factors during school years is needed to develop interventions to reduce symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents.
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| 10. |
- Beckman, Linda, Docent, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Children and youth's perceptions of mental health-a scoping review of qualitative studies
- 2023
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In: BMC Psychiatry. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-244X. ; 23:1
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundRecent research indicates that understanding how children and youth perceive mental health, how it is manifests, and where the line between mental health issues and everyday challenges should be drawn, is complex and varied. Consequently, it is important to investigate how children and youth perceive and communicate about mental health. With this in mind, our goal is to synthesize the literature on how children and youth (ages 10-25) perceive and conceptualize mental health.MethodsWe conducted a preliminary search to identify the keywords, employing a search strategy across electronic databases including Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Sociological abstracts and Google Scholar. The search encompassed the period from September 20, 2021, to September 30, 2021. This effort yielded 11 eligible studies. Our scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR Checklist.ResultsAs various aspects of uncertainty in understanding of mental health have emerged, the results indicate the importance of establishing a shared language concerning mental health. This is essential for clarifying the distinctions between everyday challenges and issues that require treatment.ConclusionWe require a language that can direct children, parents, school personnel and professionals toward appropriate support and aid in formulating health interventions. Additionally, it holds significance to promote an understanding of the positive aspects of mental health. This emphasis should extend to the competence development of school personnel, enabling them to integrate insights about mental well-being into routine interactions with young individuals. This approach could empower children and youth to acquire the understanding that mental health is not a static condition but rather something that can be enhanced or, at the very least, maintained.
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