Background Family accommodation has been studied in obsessive compulsive disorder using the Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) and predicts greater symptom severity, more impairment, and poorer treatment outcomes. However, family accommodation has yet to be systematically studied among families of children with other anxiety disorders. We developed the Family Accommodation Scale—Anxiety (FASA) that includes modified questions from the FAS to study accommodation across childhood anxiety disorders. The objectives of this study were to report on the first study of family accommodation across childhood anxiety disorders and to test the utility of the FASA for assessing the phenomenon. Methods Participants were parents (n = 75) of anxious children from two anxiety disorder specialty clinics (n = 50) and a general outpatient clinic (n = 25). Measures included FASA, structured diagnostic interviews, and measures of anxiety and depression. Results Accommodation was highly prevalent across all anxiety disorders and particularly associated with separation anxiety. Most parents reported participation in symptoms and modification of family routines as well as distress resulting from accommodation and undesirable consequences of not accommodating. The FASA displayed good internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity. Accommodation correlated significantly with anxious but not depressive symptoms, when controlling for the association between anxiety and depression. Factor analysis of the FASA pointed to a two-factor solution; one relating to modifications, the other to participation in symptoms. Conclusions Accommodation is common across childhood anxiety disorders and associated with severity of anxiety symptoms. The FASA shows promise as a means of assessing family accommodation in childhood anxiety disorders.

Family accommodation of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder was associated with global family dysfunction and stress. This study suggests that families' efforts to accommodate patients may be intended to reduce patient anxiety or anger directed at relatives.

While inadequate follow-up of abnormal exams undermines the potential benefits of mammography screening for all women, the observed race difference in this study may have implications for the persistent race difference in breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to poor follow-up among African-American women.

Context Ionizing radiation is a consistently identified and potentially modifiable risk factor for meningioma, the most frequently reported primary brain tumor in the United States. Objective To examine the association between dental x-rays, the most common artificial source of ionizing radiation, and risk of intra-cranial meningioma. Design and Setting Population-based case-control study design. Participants The study includes 1433 intra-cranial meningioma cases aged 29-79 years diagnosed among residents of the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, the San Francisco Bay Area and eight Houston, Texas counties between May 1, 2006 and April 28, 2011 and 1350 controls that were frequency-matched on age, sex and geography. Main Outcome Measure The association of intra-cranial meningioma diagnosis with self-report of bitewing, full-mouth, and panorex dental x-rays. Results Over a lifetime, cases were more than twice (Odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-2.9) as likely as controls to report having ever had a bitewing exam. Regardless of the age at which the films were received, persons who reported receiving bitewing films on a yearly or greater frequency had an elevated risk with odds ratios of 1.4 (95%CI: 1.0-1.8), 1.6 (95%CI: 1.2-2.0), 1.9 (95%CI: 1.4-2.6), and 1.5 (95%CI: 1.1-2.0) for ages <10, 10-19, 20-49, and 50+ years, respectively. Increased risk of meningioma was also associated with panorex films taken at a young age or on a yearly or greater frequency with persons reporting receiving such films under the age of 10 years at 4.9 times (95%CI: 1.8-13.2) increased risk of meningioma. No association was appreciated with location of tumor above or below the tentorium. Conclusion Exposure to some dental x-rays performed in the past, when radiation exposure was greater than in the current era, appears to be associated with increased risk of intra-cranial meningioma. As with all sources of artificial ionizing radiation, considered use of this modifiable risk factor may be of benefit to patients.

Relatives frequently accommodate patients' obsessive-compulsive symptoms and clinicians hypothesize that such accommodations adversely affect patient outcome. This study's purpose was to develop a valid and reliable measure, the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (FAS), and to investigate the family accommodation construct. We administered the FAS and additional family and patient measures to 36 adult obsessive-compulsive patients and their primary caregivers. The FAS demonstrated excellent interrater reliability and good internal consistency and performed well on assessment of its convergent and discriminant validity. Family accommodation was significantly associated with patient symptom severity and functioning, and with relatives' own obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Although most relatives accommodated patient symptoms, many did not believe that such accommodations improved the patient's clinical status. The FAS will provide researchers and clinicians with a useful tool for assessing family accommodation and for identifying families who may benefit from interventions aimed at developing more adaptive coping strategies.