Investigation of the Emotional and Psychosocial Dimensions of Girls Diagnosed with Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty

Arzu Jalilova; Taş Begüm Yuluğ; Emrullah Arslan; Özalp Deniz Kızılay; Balkı Hanife Gül; Samim Özen; Damla Gökşen; Burcu Özbaran; Şükran Darcan

Introduction: Idiopathic central precocious puberty (CPP) is frequently associated with psychological issues.

Materials and Methods: The study comprised 21 cases with CPP and their parents, as well as 22 healthy controls and their parents. All participants underwent the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime (KSADS-PL) during psychiatric evaluation. Additionally, patients completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale –Child (RCADS-CV), and the Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire. Parents completed the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (ADHD), Children Empathy-Systemize Scale (EQ-SQ), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales-Parent Version (RCADS-P), Quality of Life (QOL) for their children, and the Beck Depression Inventory for themselves.

Results: The median age of the CPP and control groups was 7.6 years (range: 6 to 8years) and 7.2 years (range: 6.5 to 8 years), respectively. Based on the KSADS-PL assessment, only anxiety disorder was significantly higher in the CPP cases compared to the control group. Additionally, disparities were noted in various aspects, including impulsivity, physical and school functioning, peer and social problems, emotion regulation, and separation anxiety (Table 1).

Table 1: Comparison of Psychosocial Aspect Scale Scores of Children and Parents Diagnosed with CPP with Healthy Group (only meaningful data is included in the table)
		25-75p	Median	SD	P
RCADS-CV Social Phobia	Case	2,25-7,75	5,30	3,7	*0,01*
RCADS-CV Social Phobia	Control	1-2	2,95	3	*0,01*
RCADS-CV Separation Anxiety	Case	2-8,75	6,05	4,7	0,00
RCADS-CV Separation Anxiety	Control	1-4.2	3,55	3,5	0,00
RCADS-P Separation Anxiety	Case	4-8,7	6,6	4	0,05
RCADS-P Separation Anxiety	Control	1-3	3	3	0,05
SDQ Peer Problems	Case	3-5	4,4	1,2	0,03
SDQ Peer Problems	Control	1,7-5	3,1	1,9	0,03
SDQ Social Problems	Case	8-10	8,9	1,4	0,00
SDQ Social Problems	Control	1,7-8	4,7	3,6	0,00
ERC Emotion Regulation Subscale	Case	11-25	16	3,2	0,04
ERC Emotion Regulation Subscale	Control	7-20	14	4	0,04
ADHD Impulsivity Subscale	Case	2-6,7	4,2	2,8	0.04
ADHD Impulsivity Subscale	Control	0-3	2,5	4	0.04
QOL (child) Physical Functioning	Case	556-725	642	115	0,03
QOL (child) Physical Functioning	Control	643-781	704	114	0,03
QOL (child) School Functioning	Case	225-500	380	83	0,05
QOL (child) School Functioning	Control	368-500	428	75	0,05
QOL (parent) Physical Functioning	Case	518-743	606	172	0,02
QOL (parent) Physical Functioning	Control	687-775	689	142	0,02
QOL (parent) School Functioning	Case	406-475	431	58	0,05
QOL (parent) School Functioning	Control	425-500	455	60	0,05

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that patients diagnosed with precocious puberty are at an increased risk for psychiatric comorbidities compared to the control group. It is crucial to consider children's psychiatric comorbidities before initiating GnRH therapy. Additionally, this study provides data for future investigations aimed at assessing stress levels following GnRHa treatment.

ESPE Abstracts

P1-178