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Aims: This study examined medication use for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children and adolescents by gender in Finland during 2008–2018. Methods: Aggregated data on medication use for ADHD from 2008 to 2018 were extracted from the nationwide register on reimbursed prescriptions. The annual prevalence of ADHD medication use was calculated as the number of children (6–12 years) and adolescents (13–17 years) per calendar year with at least one ADHD medication purchase divided by the number of children and adolescents in the population. Population prevalence for children was also examined by birth month. Results: In 2008, the prevalence rates for males were 1.26% in children and 0.93% in adolescents, and for females 0.21% and 0.14%, respectively. In 2018, the prevalence rates for males were 4.42% in children and 4.21% in adolescents, and for females 0.99% and 1.28%, respectively. Male-to-female ratios decreased during the study period from 6.0:1 to 4.5:1 (children) and from 6.6:1 to 3.3:1 (adolescents). ADHD medication use was more common among males and females (aged 6–12 years) born in May–August or September–December than among males and females born in January–April. Conclusions: The prevalence of ADHD medication use has continued to increase in Finland. Although use has increased more rapidly among females resulting in lower male-to-female ratios, medication use among females is considerably lower compared with males. Consequently, gender discrepancy in 2018 was relatively large, particularly among children. Future studies should also consider reporting annual prevalence by children’s birth month.

Background: Being among the youngest in class has previously been associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and academic disadvantage, but the relative age effect on learning disorders is less well understood. This study examined whether relatively young children are more likely to be diagnosed with specific learning disorders than their older peers. Methods:The setting included all 388,650 children born singleton in Finland from 1996 to 2002. Cases diagnosed with specific learning disorders in specialized health care by the age of 10 were identified from national registers. Cumulative incidences of specific learning disorders and the corresponding incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each birth month compared to January.Results: During follow-up, 3162 (0.8% of 388,650) children were diagnosed with a specific learning disorder. Children born in December displayed higher cumulative incidences for specific learning disorders than children born in January (IRR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.50-2.11). The findings were similar for girls (IRR: 2.01, 1.44-2.83) and boys (IRR: 1.70, 1.39-2.08). ADHD did not explain the association, as the IRR for the youngest children with specific learning disorders and ADHD was 1.59 (1.13-2.26) compared to those without ADHD (IRR: 1.84, 1.51-2.24). Conclusions:Relatively younger children in Finnish schools were more likely to be diagnosed with a specific learning disorder by the age of 10. Increased awareness of how relative age differences affect the likelihood for children to be diagnosed with specific learning disorders is needed among parents, clinicians, and teachers.

Background Studies have shown a high prevalence of depression during pregnancy, and there is also evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychosocial interventions. Emerging evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has shown that technology has been successfully harnessed to provide CBT interventions for other populations. However, very few studies have focused on their use during pregnancy. This approach has become increasingly important in many clinical areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our study aimed to expand the knowledge in this particular clinical area. Objective Our systematic review aimed to bring together the available research-based evidence on digitalized CBT interventions for depression symptoms during pregnancy. Methods A systematic review of the Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and EBSCO Open Dissertations databases was carried out from the earliest available evidence to October 27, 2021. Only RCT studies published in English were considered. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines were followed, and the protocol was registered on the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. The risk of bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Results The review identified 7 studies from 5 countries (the United States, China, Australia, Norway, and Sweden) published from 2015 to 2021. The sample sizes ranged from 25 to 1342 participants. The interventions used various technological elements, including text, images, videos, games, interactive features, and peer group discussions. They comprised 2 guided and 5 unguided approaches. Using digitalized CBT interventions for depression during pregnancy showed promising efficacy, with guided intervention showing higher effect sizes (Hedges g=1.21) than the unguided interventions (Hedges g=0.14-0.99). The acceptability of the digitalized CBT interventions was highly encouraging, based on user feedback. Attrition rates were low for the guided intervention (4.5%) but high for the unguided interventions (22.1%-46.5%). A high overall risk of bias was present for 6 of the 7 studies. Conclusions Our search only identified a small number of digitalized CBT interventions for pregnant women, despite the potential of this approach. These showed promising evidence when it came to efficacy and positive outcomes for depression symptoms, and user feedback was positive. However, the overall risk of bias suggests that the efficacy of the interventions needs to be interpreted with caution. Future studies need to consider how to mitigate these sources of biases. Digitalized CBT interventions can provide prompt, effective, evidence-based interventions for pregnant women. This review increases our understanding of the importance of digitalized interventions during pregnancy, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial Registration PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020216159; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=216159

Children's positive self-ratings of social competence relative to adult ratings increased within intervention sample when compared with population sample. The intervention sample children appeared to acknowledge their social competence deficits, yet self-perceptions were inflated relative to adult ratings when focusing on peer relationship difficulties, particularly, aggression to peers.