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Research has found an association between irritability and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) in children and adolescents, but the overall evidence has been mixed and the nature of this association remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether the link between irritability and STB might be more pronounced among older youth and those with lower levels of hope. Participants were 142 children and adolescents (ages 6–18) referred for mental health services at a university outpatient clinic. At intake, clinicians administered self-report measures assessing irritability, STB, hope, and depression. Multiple regression models with robust maximum likelihood estimation were used to test irritability's association with STB, as well as age and hope as moderators. Irritability, hope, and age all showed significant associations with STB. Further, hope and age moderated the associations between irritability and STB; specifically, the link between irritability and STB was evident only at older ages (among adolescents, not children) and only at lower levels of hope. These findings are consistent with the view that hope may be a protective factor, and adolescence a vulnerability factor, in the association between irritability and STB. Results may help explain previous mixed findings on this association while also underscoring the role of irritability as a risk factor. Further research is warranted to better understand irritability and hope as transdiagnostic mechanisms in STB from childhood through adulthood, and through other informants and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the influence of intent understanding on children's moral development has been long studied, little research has examined the influence of belief understanding on that development. In two studies we presented children with morally relevant belief vignettes to examine the extent to which they incorporate both intent and belief information in their moral judgments. In Study 1 (N = 64), 5-year-olds with higher false belief understanding (FBU) rated agents with false beliefs as more positively intentioned in good intent trials (even though the outcome was bad) than in bad intent trials (even though the outcome was good). In contrast, 4-year-olds with higher FBU were generally unable to integrate their belief understanding with their moral evaluations, performing no better on intention questions than children with lower FBU. Neither age group significantly differentiated reward and punishments as a function of intent when a false belief was involved. In Study 2 (N = 109 children, N = 42 adults), we found that by simplifying our study design and reducing the task demands, 4-year-olds with higher FBU were able to make appropriate intent judgments. Yet, as in Study 1, all children had difficulty assigning punishment/reward based on intent. For both moral intentions and moral consequences, 4- and 5-year-olds with higher FBU differed from those of adults in several respects, indicating that moral reasoning develops substantially beyond the preschool years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of getting up from the floor from a supine position (Supine-to-Stand task, STS) can be considered a milestone in motor development and a potential indicator of motor competence in global terms. However, the knowledge about the performance of STS task and anthropometric characteristics is limited. This study examined the relationship between STS task performance and anthropometry in youth and the differences between the sexes, range age and nationality. Participants (n= 397; 45% girls) from Spain and Brazil (M= 9.13 years; SD= 3.79) had the following variables measured: timed STS task, mass, height, chronological age, hip, and waist circumference; Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist/Hip Ratio (WHR), Waist/Height Ratio (WHtR) were calculated. The analysis included ANOVA, Pearson's correlation test and Stepwise multiple regression analysis in four age groups. Age was the variable that obtained statistically significant associations with timed STS task in the youngest age group; the BMI in the children group corresponded to the second childhood phase, and the WHR and the WHtR in the oldest age group. The timed STS task decreased as age groups were increasingly older, confirming that timed STS is strongly associated with growth and maturation processes; there were little differences between sexes or nationalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rate of various anxiety disorders in early childhood and whether they continue into middle childhood or adolescence is not known. We therefore report on the prevalence and stability of DSM‐5‐defined anxiety disorders and their symptoms, capturing the period from preschool to adolescence. Methods: By means of interviewer‐based clinical interviews, anxiety was measured in a sample of Norwegian children at six measurement points from age 4 to 14 (n = 1,041). To adjust for time‐invariant factors, we applied random intercept cross‐lagged panel models (RI‐CLPMs) capturing within‐person changes. Results: Nearly 10% (95% CI = 7.29, 12.63) had an anxiety disorder at some timepoint. Specific phobia was the most prevalent disorder in early and middle childhood, whereas generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) increased in prevalence and became the most common anxiety disorder at age 14 (4.51%, 95% CI = 2.78, 6.23). When time‐invariant confounding was adjusted for, homotypic continuity in anxiety symptoms typically first emerged in late middle childhood or adolescence. Even so, such within‐person analyses revealed a heterotypic path from increased number of early childhood symptoms of specific phobia to increased number of GAD symptoms in middle childhood (B =.41, 95% CI =.06,.75). Increased separation anxiety in middle childhood predicted increased symptoms of GAD in adolescence (B =.38, 95% CI =.14,.62), and vice versa (B =.05, 95% CI =.00,.09). Only minor gender differences were revealed. Conclusions: Anxiety disorders are prevalent in childhood. In early childhood, anxiety symptoms generally do not predict later anxiety symptoms. In middle childhood, however, such symptoms are less likely to vanish, indicating this developmental period to be particularly important for preventive and treatment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many sports, elite players outperform novices on tests for perceptual-cognitive skills, such as anticipation, decision-making and pattern recall. However, the developmental trajectory of these perceptual-cognitive skills has received limited attention. Therefore, this study examined the development of anticipation, decision-making and pattern recall in 202 female volleyball players aged between 7 and 26 years old. Participants were categorized into six age groups: U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 and Seniors. Using a video-based occlusion protocol, we assessed participants' ability to predict pass direction, decide the most optimal attack zone, or recall the opponents' defence positions. The results demonstrated that U17 and adult players had superior accuracy and shorter response times than younger players on all three tests. Notably, U9 players performed worse than older players on all tests. Binomial distributions showed that decision-making was above chance for U17 players and adults, whereas anticipation was above chance for almost all players. Our findings indicate that age-related improvements of perceptual-cognitive skills are evident at 11 years old. However, decision-making seems to develop considerably later than anticipation and pattern recall, suggesting different developmental trajectories for the different perceptual-cognitive skills. Longitudinal research regarding the development of perceptual-cognitive skills and their underlying mechanisms is warranted, as this could have important implications for talent detection and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood physical fitness relative to adult health outcomes coupled with scant longitudinal research indicates that tracking of fitness components throughout childhood/adolescence is imperative. The study examined the stability/tracking of 9 measures of fitness for boys and girls at 5 points throughout childhood/adolescence. Tracking coefficients between individual fitness measures at various age comparisons were calculated. Using a sample with recorded data at 4 time-points, tertiles (high, moderate, low) were calculated for each fitness measure for boys and girls. Stability of fitness measures was calculated. Boys outperformed girls on fitness measures at most time points. Significantly low to moderately high tracking coefficients for each fitness measure at all time points for boys (r =.21-.79) and girls (r =.23-.89) were found. Tertile ratings remained stable across the 4 time-points. Findings highlight the importance of developing healthy fitness behaviors early in life and the significance of intervention during adolescence in low-fit youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined differences in generalized and social anxiety symptoms across two age groups of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while accounting for overall anxiety level, gender, and intellectual functioning. Older children (12–18 years) expressed more overall and social anxiety symptoms than younger children (6–11 years), and social anxiety symptoms were predominant in the older group. Younger children expressed more generalized anxiety symptoms than the older youth, and there was a trend for generalized anxiety symptoms to be more dominant in the younger group. Findings are consistent with theory of differential expression of specific anxiety symptoms across different ages seen with typically developing children, yet social evaluative concerns may be even stronger for adolescents with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in motivation during adolescence relative to childhood and adulthood in autism was tested in a cross-sectional study. 156 Typically developing individuals and 79 individuals with autism ages 10–30 years of age completed a go/nogo task with social and non-social cues. To assess age effects, linear and quadratic models were used. Consistent with prior studies, typically developing adolescents and young adults demonstrated more false alarms for positive relative to neutral social cues. In autism, there were no changes in attention across age for social or non-social cues. Findings suggest reduced orienting to motivating cues during late adolescence and early adulthood in autism. The findings provide a unique perspective to explain the challenges for adolescents with autism transitioning to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma is associated with alterations in cortisol activity and reactivity that may vary in relationship to development, time, predisposition, personality, the nature of a traumatic event, and other circumstances. This article reviews existing research findings related to cortisol in laboratory, general stress, and traumatic conditions. We discuss variables that may influence cortisol activity and reactivity in an effort to discover what is known and what still needs to be learned about cortisol levels in youth exposed to traumas. The extant literature points to a number of potentially negative physical, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of altered cortisol reactivity, which suggests a clear need for early and effective interventions. Furthermore, research has often provided mixed findings from relatively small samples of youth. Improving the understanding of cortisol activity and reactivity in children and adolescents will necessitate examining large samples of different developmental age groups across time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The goal of this study was to examine incidental and intentional spatial sequence learning during middle childhood and adolescence. We tested four age groups (8–10 years, 11–13 years, 14–17 years, and young adults [18+ years]) on a serial reaction time task and used manual and oculomotor measures to examine incidental sequence learning. Participants were also administered a trial block in which they were explicitly instructed to learn a sequence. Replicating our previous study with adults, oculomotor anticipations and response times showed learning effects similar to those in the manual modality. There were few age-related differences in the sequence learning indexes during incidental learning, but intentional learning yielded differences on all indexes. Results indicate that the search for regularities and the ability to learn a sequence rapidly under incidental conditions are mature by 8 to 10 years of age. In contrast, the ability to learn a sequence intentionally, which requires cognitive resources and strategies, continues to develop through adolescence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]