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Background Cyclothymic-hypersensitive temperament (CHT) has been related to both depression and bipolarity, as well as to suicidality. Recently, a psychometrically sound way of assessment has been validated in youth (Cyclothymic-Hypersensitive Temperament Questionnaire, CHTQ), but data on clinical populations are still scant. Aim of our study is to further explore the structure and other psychometric properties of the revised version of CHTQ and its clinical implications in clinical samples. Methods The study is based on a dataset of patients with unipolar depression, bipolar disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (243 patients, 135 males, mean age 14.22 ± 2.16 years, age range 9–18 years), compared to a community sample of adolescents (398 subjects, 95 boys, mean age 15.47 ± 1.96 years, age range 10–18 years) Results The two-correlated factor structure of CHT has been confirmed, with a moodiness/hypersensitiveness factor, correlated with internalizing symptoms, and an impulsiveness/emotional dysregulation factor, correlated with externalizing symptoms. All CHTQ scores correlate with global functioning. CHTQ total scores discriminate patients from healthy controls. Only CHTQ impulsiveness/emotional dysregulation subscale score is higher in bipolar patients, compared to unipolar depression and ADHD, whereas neither CHTQ moodiness/hypersensitiveness subscale score nor CHTQ total score discriminate between clinical groups. Limitation Data on current mood states are unavailable. Patients were recruited in a third level clinic. The unipolar depression group is relatively small. Conclusion CHT may be a rapid and reliable screening and diagnostic tool in the clinical practice with youth, exploring the cyclothymic dimension in different psychiatric disorders.

Early adolescence, with its several changes and demands, represents a delicate period of life. Several studies highlighted that during early adolescence, emotional and behavioral problems tend to increase. Using a person-centered approach, the present study explored the emotional and behavioral functioning profiles in a sample of Italian preadolescent students. Participants were 2959 youths (1533 males and 1426 females; age 10–14 years); they completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Inventory of Callous Unemotional traits (ICU). Findings revealed four different profiles: "no psychopathology" (41.5%), "low psychopathology with sub-threshold hyperactivity" (33%), "predominantly internalizing" (19%), and "predominantly externalizing" (6.5%). The two latter clusters are characterized by high levels of SDQ Total Score. The “predominantly internalizing” is distinguished by a higher prevalence of females, and the “predominantly externalizing” by a higher prevalence of males and higher CU traits. A person-oriented approach allowed for identifying subgroups of early adolescents who may significantly vary in their configuration of internalizing and externalizing problems. Such subgroups may reflect youths for whom the creation of prevention and intervention programs could be more tailored.

Background Several studies have shown that during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, emotional symptoms increased in the general population. Less is known about youths. Methods We surveyed a sample of Italian adolescents during the strictest quarantine period and assessed the effects of socio-demographic and psychological factors on current emotional symptoms. A convenient sample of 326 adolescents (age range 14–19 years) participated in a web-based survey. We collected data on several socio-demographic and psychological variables (summarized into three indexes: environmental context, changes in lifestyle, and worries about infection) and psychopathological symptoms (previous psychopathological status, current anxiety and depressive symptoms). Results Descriptive analysis showed that adolescents have experienced quarantine under very different conditions; they reported 47.5 and 14.1% of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Regression analyses indicated that previous psychopathological status and worries about infection are linked to anxiety and that female gender, previous psychopathological status (moderated by change in lifestyle), worse environmental context are linked to depression. Conclusion This study indicates that, facing the COVID-19 pandemic and its related safety measures, adolescents show relevant emotional symptoms and therefore should be monitored, assessed and supported.

Background: Psychosis recognizes an interaction between biological and social environmental factors. Adversities are now recognized to be consistently associated with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). The purpose of this study was to describe the contents of paranoid symptoms and to focus on their relationship with bullying and victimization in help-seeking adolescents. Methods: Help-seeking adolescents who screened positive for PLEs participated in the study. They performed a battery self-report questionnaire for data collection (paranoia: the Specific Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire (SPEQ), the content of paranoid thoughts: the Details of Threat (DoT), bullying victimization: the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS), depression: the Children&rsquo, s Depression Inventory (CDI), and anxiety: the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale (MASC)). Results: The participants were 50 adolescents (52% female, mean age: 170 months). The contents of their paranoid symptoms were related to victimization and, in particular, the certainty of threats was correlated with physical (0.394, p &lt, 0.01) and verbal bullying (0.394, p &lt, 0.01), respectively. The powerfulness of the threats correlated with verbal victimization (0.295, p &lt, 0.05). The imminence of the threats was linked to verbal (0.399, p &lt, 0.01) victimization. Hours under threat correlated with verbal (0.415, p &lt, 0.01) victimization. The sureness of the threat had a moderate correlation with physical (0.359, p &lt, 0.05) and verbal (0.443, p &lt, 0.01) victimization, respectively. The awfulness of the threat was linked to social manipulation (0.325, p &lt, 0.05). Conclusions: We described the content of the persecutory symptoms. The powerfulness, imminence, sureness, and awfulness of threats correlated with the level of physical, verbal and social manipulation victimization. Teachers and family must actively monitor early signs of bullying victimization, and school psychologists should promote preventive and therapeutic intervention. From a social psychiatry perspective, the prevention of bullying victimization is necessary.

Background Although a better understanding of the prodromes of affective disorders in youth has important clinical and research implications, empirical data are still unconclusive. Cyclothymic-hypersensitive temperament (CHT) has been linked to both depression and bipolarity, as well as to suicidality. Its conceptualization is still debated, as well as a comprehensive, psychometrically sound way of assessment. Methods factor structure, reliability, measurement invariance, convergent and divergent validity of the previously published CHT questionnaire (a youth version derived from Temperament Evaluation in Memphis Pisa and San Diego (TEMPS) was assessed in a school-based sample of 2959 students aged from 10 to 14 years (mean age = 11.8 ± 0.97 years). Furthermore, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were calculated for a new cut-off score related to the presence of general psychopathology symptoms. Results CHT is better conceptualized in a two-correlated factors model, a moodiness/hypersensitiveness factor, more associated with internalizing symptoms, and an impulsiveness/emotional dysregulation factor, more associated with externalizing symptoms. The revised 22-items version of the CHT questionnaire with a cut-off score of 15 for females and 17 for males results accurate, sensitive and specific enough for the recognition of cyclothymic adolescents with clinical symptoms. Limitation the cross sectional design and the self-report nature of the measures limit the findings. Discussion Cyclothymic-hypersensitive temperament is a relevant concept in the realm of affective disorder and can be reliably assessed in youths. It may describe youths with the coexistence of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms that can be difficult to diagnose with a DSM perspective.

Nomophobia and cyber-bullying are of particular interest for their intrinsic interplay. This study aims to describe the association between the two phenomena. The data presented in this study derived from a large school-based population survey that included 2959 students in 12 middle schools in the (place omissed for double blind peer review metropolitan city of Naples, Italy). The survey included several questions for nomophobia phenomena (smartphone addiction (SA), Check the smartphone (CS), Phantom phone signal (PPS), and for cyber-bullying (victimization and perpetration). SA was associated with cyber-perpetration; CS was associated with both cyber-victimization and cyber-perpetration. PPS was associated with both cyber-victimization and cyber-perpetration. Correlation analyses confirmed the association of nomophobia and cyber-bullying with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Nomophobia and Cyber-bullying were widespread phenomena among adolescent population. Data on their interplay showed that nomophobia was associated with an increase in cyber-perpetration behaviours. Both phenomena are associated with emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems and total problems. Therefore these situations should be assessed and targeted carefully in their intrinsic relationship and potential impact on psychopathological risk. Information interventions are needed and psychotherapeutic treatments should consider these findings. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, the direction of the relationships remains uncertain and will require longitudinal and intervention studies to determine.

Recently, social anxiety disorder (SAD) and paranoia have been demonstrated to be closely related. However, data were primarily drawn from adult community samples or patients with schizophrenia. The present study used a cross-sectional design to evaluate a sample of adolescents with SAD (n = 30, mean age 15.3 ± 0.9 years) compared with an age- and sex-matched group of healthy controls (n = 26, mean age 15.9 ± 1.6 years). The SAD group displayed more frequent and intense paranoid thoughts than the control group (t = 4.16, p