Search

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by pervasive alterations in self-regulation. Attachment patterns could be involved in maintaining the clinical features of ADHD during development. This meta-analytic review summarizes the findings of 26 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that assessed correlations between attachment styles and ADHD features among children and adolescents. Results show that insecure attachment highlighted significant correlations with ADHD inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Dismissive/avoidant attachment was associated with inattention features. Ambivalent/preoccupied attachment correlated with hyperactivity symptoms. Disorganized attachment was associated with inattentive symptoms. Insecure attachment was prospectively associated with later ADHD symptoms. Cross-sectional correlations between insecure attachment and ADHD symptoms were comparable to longitudinal ones. This might suggest a transactional developmental model of ADHD considering mutual reinforcement effects of insecure attachment patterns and core clinical features of the disorder. Clinical samples with ADHD should be assessed in order to support this theoretical framework.

Individuals with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are at risk of increased psychological distress, such as internalising (e.g. anxiety) or externalising (e.g. aggressive behaviour) symptoms. This study investigates the psychopathological profile of children and adolescents with SLD from their point of view and the point of view of their mothers. The sample included 98 mother-child couples, with children having a single identified disability area (e.g. only dyslexia) or multiple disability areas. Children having SLD presented a higher than expected (based on the normal distribution) percentage of clinically relevant and borderline scores in internalising symptoms, as well as in the DSM-oriented scales of affective, anxiety, and somatic problems, ADHD and oppositional defiant problems; rates of symptoms were higher in mothers' reports. More symptoms of ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder were reported for children with multiple learning disability areas, and more internalising symptoms were associated with dyscalculia. These results highlight the presence of both internalising and externalising symptoms in individuals with SLD, with stronger difficulties observed by mothers compared to children themselves. Also, having multiple learning disability areas in comorbility and having dyscalculia could be risk factors for more severe psychopathology in children with SLD; this information could guide clinical work.

Literature has shown the importance of social cognition for emotional wellness. However, to our knowledge, few studies so far investigated the relationship between social cognition and anxiety in childhood. No study systematically examined social cognition in relation to specific domains of anxiety. By a correlational design and multivariate models, we explored in a sample of 337 children the association between five anxiety phenotypes and two social cognition domains (Mentalization/Attributional style). After controlling for depressive symptoms, we found that a good performance in the mentalization task was predicted by high levels of generalized anxiety and low levels of separation anxiety. Moreover, positive attributions for good events were predicted by low levels of social anxiety. The present findings remark the importance of rehabilitating social cognition skills in children with social/separation anxiety and depressive symptoms.

This study investigates the role of individual and contextual factors as potential concurrent predictors of bullying and victimization in male and female high school students. The sample included 517 adolescents and their teachers. With a multi‐informant approach, measures of bullying and victimization, personality traits, psychopathological symptoms, peer ratings of popularity, loneliness, bothersomeness, as well as school climate, were collected. A series of regression analyses showed gender differences in the dysfunctional personality traits resulted as predictors of bullying (e.g., impulsivity for males and deceitfulness for females). As for victimization, also the role of contextual predictors (i.e., negative relations with peers and safety problems) was significant, with some differences between males and females. These results highlight the importance of a multi‐informant and multifactor (i.e., individual, contextual) approach when investigating the dynamics of bullying and victimization. Practitioner points: Different patterns of concurrent predictors are related to bullying and victimization in males and females.Both individual and contextual factors predict victimization; only individual factors predict bullying.A school climate with negative school relations (males and females) and safety problems (females) concurrently predicts victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate if a questionnaire measuring the sense of time, filled in by teachers and parents in the last year of kindergarten, was able to predict children's time‐processing skills at the end of 1st grade. The sample included 131 children (initial mean age = 4.77 ± 0.29 years) tested three times in a 2‐year period with tasks of time reproduction, time discrimination, and comparison of durations. One of their parents and teachers filled in a questionnaire about children's sense of time both in kindergarten and 1st grade. The teacher version of the questionnaire administered in kindergarten was able to predict most of the time‐processing tasks at the end of 1st grade. The parent version of the questionnaire was not able to predict children's performance in these tasks. Different developmental trajectories of time reproduction and time discrimination were observed. This study supports the role of preschool teachers as skilled evaluators of children's time‐processing skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Institutionalization from birth offers a unique opportunity to investigate the effects on brain and endocrine system of psychosocial deprivation in early infancy. Nonetheless, a systematic review about institutionalization and biological anomalies does not exist. Objective: The purpose of this paper was to systematize all the studies about biological correlates of early institutionalization. Methods: GoogleScholar, PsycINFO, and PubMed electronic databases were used in order to select English language articles published on this topic. Reference lists of included studies were reviewed to capture additional studies. Only quantitative, peer reviewed studies, conducted on children and youths who had experienced institutional care from birth and assessing neurobiological features were included. Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Results: The studies reported that the experience of institutionalization may lead to reduced brain volume, larger amygdala volume, decreased cortical activity, altered frontal and limbic activity, white matter abnormalities, and irregular hormone levels. These outcomes are similar to those displayed by children who have experienced harmful events. Although the body of literature is conspicuous enough to highlight anomalies in these children's neurobiology, only few studies specifically address each brain component or function. Conclusions: Adverse early experience can lead to aberrant brain development and functioning. Nevertheless, the comprehension of these neurobiological pathways requires further clarification.

Impulsivity is a complex construct that has been operationalized considering personality dimensions (e.g., negative urgency [NU], lack of perseverance [LPe], lack of premeditation [LPr], positive urgency [PU]), and neuropsychological processes (i.e., cognitive disinhibition, motor disinhibition, impulsive decision-making). Empirical research suggested that they could represent core features of substance use disorders (SUDs). However, there are no studies that have comprehensively assessed them among patients with SUDs. Furthermore, the quality of relationships among such domains remains unclear. The current case–control study included 59 abstinent patients with SUDs and 56 healthy controls (HCs). There were two independent assessment phases: i) the administration of UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale; ii) a computerized neuropsychological battery (i.e., Attentional Network Test, Go/No-Go task, Iowa Gambling task). Patients with SUDs reported higher levels of NU and PU than HCs. NU, LPe, and LPr were associated to the co-occurrence of multiple SUDs. Motor disinhibition was the core dimension of SUDs. Cognitive disinhibition and Impulsive decision-making were also associated to SUDs. Self-report and neuropsychological dimensions of impulsivity were not correlated within the clinical group. HCs showed significant associations among these domains of impulsivity. Impulsivity should be viewed as a complex system of personality traits and neuropsychological processes among individuals with SUDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is a neuropsychiatric construct including lethargy, behavioral sluggishness, and confusion. A growing number of studies in the literature suggest that this set of symptoms refers to neuropsychological constructs such as sustained attention. However, studies focusing on SCT and its neuropsychological correlates in developmental age are scarce. The present study aims to fill this gap. The Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI – Teacher and Parent versions, also including the school functioning scale, and the Child Concentration Inventory (CCI-2) were administered to a sample of 128 Italian primary-school children (57.6% F, mean age 8.81, SD 1.07); the neuropsychological constructs involved in the study were sustained attention and reaction times to two computerized tasks. Bivariate non-parametric correlation analyses yielded significant negative associations between teacher-referred SCT and measures of sustained attention (e.g., the Attentional Network Test and the Hearts and Flowers task) as well as CABI-T school-functioning scale; a small-to-moderate positive correlation was found between CABI-T SCT scores and mean reaction times, as a measure of the slowness of behavioral responses on the Attentional Network Test: this result would appear to represent a fine operationalization of the SCT-characteristic of behavioral sluggishness. Implications of these results for operationalizing the SCT construct in developmental age are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social impairment, difficulties with communication, and restricted repetitive behaviors are central features of Autism Spectrum Disorders, physical clumsiness is a commonly co-occurring feature. In a sample of 398 twin pairs (aged 8-17 years) from the Italian Twin Registry we investigated the nature of the co-variation between a psychometric index of Clumsiness and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Autistic scale. Bivariate twin analyses showed that a genetic etiological overlap, rather than direct causation, is a plausible explanation for the association between clumsiness and autistic-like traits, as measured by indices derived from the parent-rated CBCL scale. Additive genetic influences that impinge upon clumsiness/motor problem and autistic-like traits coincided remarkably, with a genetic correlation of 0.63.

Objective: To explore the contributions of genetic and environmental influences to individual variation and covariation of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) DSM-oriented scales (DOS) originally proposed by Achenbach and associates in 2001. Method: A classic twin study of 398 twin pairs ages 8 to 17 years belonging to the population-based Italian Twin Registry, assessed by parents using the CBCL for Ages 6 to 18 (CBCL/6-18). Results: Univariate analyses showed that compared with the classic CBCL/6-18 empirical subscales, the DOS have higher heritability (lowest 0.54 for Anxiety Problems, highest 0.71 for Conduct Problems) and simpler causal structure in that the phenotypic variance was satisfactorily explained by additive genetic and unique environmental factors only. Multivariate analyses showed that the causes of phenotypic correlation among the different DOS can be attributed to one common genetic factor and to two idiosyncratic environmental factors, each loading differently on the Internalizing (Anxiety and Affective Problems) and the Externalizing(Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity, Oppositional Defiant, and Conduct Problems) CBCL/6-18 DOS. Conclusions: Several common risk factors of both genetic and environmental nature can simultaneously affect a child's proneness to develop the psychopathological signs and symptoms captured by the CBCL/6-18 DOS. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Objective: To conduct an exploratory investigation of possible relationships between individual levels of social anxiety and the ability to classify emotional expressions in a group of schoolchildren observing pictures of children of similar age. Method: One hundred forty-nine second- and third-grade schoolchildren underwent a facial expression discrimination trial. Children were characterized on the basis of the number of spontaneous comments they made during a pause in the trial, and on their scores on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Stevenson-Hinde and Glover Shyness-to-the-Unfamiliar Scale, and the Cloninger Harm Avoidance scale. The scales were filled in by appropriately trained teachers. Results: The overall rate of correct identification was 72%, without gender-associated differences. Regression analyses showed that higher rates of misidentifications were significantly associated with higher scores on the Liebowitz scale and fewer spontaneous comments. Misidentifications of the "anger" expressions (most often misclassified as "disgust") were associated with higher ratings on the Liebowitz scale when children were exposed to a boy's picture and by fewer spontaneous comments when children were exposed to a girl's picture. Misidentification of a neutral expression of a girl's picture (most often misclassified as "sadness") was significantly associated with fewer spontaneous comments. Conclusions: These pilot results suggest that a child's ability to correctly identify other children's basic emotions is partially associated with his or her level of observed social shyness.

Objective: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been introduced to treat eating disorders (EDs), especially Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa (AN and BN) and other EDs not otherwise specified (NOS). Provisional rTMS single-case studies and clinical trials have been carried out for the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED) and obesity. However, it is still unclear whether and to what extent rTMS might be considered an effective intervention for these conditions. Method: This meta-analysis includes 15 independent studies examining the clinical effects of rTMS among different EDs and obesity (N = 402 patients). Several primary and secondary treatment outcomes have been considered. Cohen's d was used as an effect size measure. The analyses estimate heterogeneity across findings, sources of variability and publication bias together with an assessment of the quality of the studies. Results: The analyses show that rTMS induced large improvements in body mass index (BMI) among obese individuals. Null clinical effects have been detected for primary outcomes (i.e., BMI, binge eating and compensatory behaviors; urge to binge and to eat; severity of EDs symptoms) among individuals with AN, BN and other EDs-NOS. rTMS shows moderate therapeutic effects on the affective functioning (i.e., negative affectivity, depressive and anxious symptoms) of individuals with EDs. rTMS should be considered a promising intervention for the treatment of obesity. Conclusions: This evidence might provisionally support the hypothesis on the implementation of rTMS for BED. Furthermore, rTMS could be included as an ancillary intervention for the other EDs, especially considering secondary treatment outcomes. Future controlled trials are needed to clarify the clinical effects of rTMS for EDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contradictory nature of behavioral addictions has sustained a nondefinitive debate regarding their construct validity. Objective(s): The current study aims at exploring mechanisms underlying two distinct classes of behaviors—behavioral addictions characterized by core alterations in reward processing systems (ARPS) and behaviors with a main function of maladaptive coping. Methods: This case-control study included 99 treatment-seeking individuals with a primary diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (male: N = 68; female: N = 31) and 74 healthy control (HC) subjects (male: N = 38; female: N = 36). The severity of maladaptive behaviors was measured through the Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire (SPQ). Latent mechanisms were assessed by the Disinhibition Domain of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-DI) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Results: The clinical group showed higher severity of behavioral addictions than HC. This difference was not replicated for the other class of maladaptive behaviors, except for compulsive buying. Ordinal regression analysis showed that the clinical group significantly predicted SPQ scores reflecting ARPS, SPQ shopping and starving subscales. This was not replicated for the overall SPQ score capturing maladaptive coping and binge eating behaviors. Controlling for PID-5-DI and AAQ-II scores, which were significantly associated to SPQ subscales, effects of the aforementioned clinical group were not significant. Conclusions: The study highlighted distinct and common mechanisms underlying different classes of maladaptive behaviors. Results supported future neuroscience research for clarifying the role of ARPS in compulsive sex and buying in order to consider them as addictive disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]