Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology最新文献

Two primary methods of quantifying executive functioning include self- or other-reports (i.e., questionnaire-based EF) and cognitive test performance (i.e., task-based EF). Despite their lack of concordance with one another and relatively inconsistent associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, both approaches have been utilized in attempts to advance our understanding of the role of EF in symptoms of ADHD. The current study is the first to incorporate a direct assessment of behavior (i.e., actigraphy) to further clarify the relation between EF and hyperactivity using a multi-method approach in a sample of children with a range of ADHD symptoms. Fifty-two children between the ages of 8 and 12 completed a testing session during which performance on working memory and inhibition computerized tasks, as well as actigraphy data, were collected. Additionally, parent reports of hyperactivity/impulsivity, working memory, and inhibition were obtained. As expected, questionnaire-based measures of working memory and inhibition were strongly associated with parent-reported hyperactivity/impulsivity, whereas only the latter was associated significantly with mechanically assessed movement. In contrast, task-based working memory performance was more strongly associated with parent-reported hyperactivity/impulsivity relative to task-based inhibition. Further, both task-based working memory and task-based inhibition were similarly associated with mechanically-assessed movement. Finally, compared to questionnaire-based EF, both measures of task-based EF accounted for more variance in objectively-assessed movement. Collectively, these results highlight the measurement issues in the present literature, the importance of careful task and questionnaire design, and the value that alternative approaches (e.g., actigraphy) may provide with respect to advancing our understanding of EF.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been associated with atypical responses to reward and punishment cues, with evidence suggesting that such traits may shape caregiver use of reward and punishment practices over time. To date, research has predominantly focused on parental rewards and discipline, with far less attention paid to teacher behavior management strategies. The first aim of the current study was to investigate the potential moderating effect of CU traits on the relationship between teacher classroom management strategies (rewards and discipline) and two important school-related outcomes: student engagement and academic motivation. The second aim was to examine whether CU traits were related to teachers' use of discipline and reward strategies over time. Children attending South Korean primary schools (N = 218; aged 10-12 years; 52% boys) reported on CU traits, antisocial behavior, teacher classroom management strategies, school engagement and academic motivation at two time points (the beginning and end of a single academic year). First, harsh teacher discipline predicted lower school engagement, but only for children low in CU traits. Second, cross-lagged longitudinal models showed that CU traits predicted decreased use of teacher rewards, over and above associations with antisocial behavior. CU traits were not related to harsh discipline cross-sectionally or longitudinally in models that accounted for antisocial behavior. Findings show that CU traits are related to reduced sensitivity to teacher discipline, suggesting that teachers may need additional support to implement both discipline and reward-based strategies with children high in these traits.

Recent efforts to improve access to evidence-based parent training programs using online delivery have largely neglected findings that young children with callous-unemotional (CU)-type conduct problems receive less benefit from parent training than children with conduct problems alone. The current study aimed to examine the moderating effect of child CU traits on efficacy and engagement outcomes associated with Internet-delivered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (iPCIT) versus standard, clinic-based PCIT. Forty families (57.6% non-Hispanic Caucasian) with a 3-5 year-old (M = 3.95 years, SD = 0.9; 83.5% boys) child with a disruptive behavior disorder were randomized to either iPCIT or clinic-based PCIT. Families participated in four assessments across time; child conduct problems, global functioning and treatment responder status, and parent-rated treatment satisfaction were measured. Analyses revealed that the negative influence of CU traits on functional gains was not uniform across treatment formats. Specifically, the detrimental effect of CU traits on functional gains was significantly more pronounced among children treated with iPCIT than clinic-based PCIT. CU traits also predicted lower parental treatment satisfaction across delivery formats, but this effect was more pronounced among iPCIT parents. In contrast, CU traits did not moderate differential effects across iPCIT and clinic-based PCIT for conduct problem severity or treatment response status. Findings suggest that iPCIT is a promising treatment option for early conduct problems, particularly when access-to-care barriers exist, but that further research is needed to determine whether strategic adaptations to online programs can more optimally address the distinct needs of children with clinically significant CU traits.

Early institutional-deprivation has been found to increase risk for inattention/hyperactivity (ADHD). Notably, studies suggest that children with a history of adversity evidencing an enhanced ERP (the error-related-negativity; ERN) may be protected against attention problems. However, such protective effects of the ERN have been studied in children whom typically experienced residential instability. It is unknown whether error-monitoring is similarly protective for children with stable post-deprivation placements. The present study examined the protective effect of the ERN in a sample of children who experienced at least 3-years of stable, relatively enriched caregiving after being internationally-adopted as infants/toddlers from institutional-care. We included two groups of children adopted internationally before age three, one group adopted from institutional-care (PI:n = 80) and one comparison group adopted from foster-care (FC;n = 44). A second comparison group consisted of non-adopted children (NA;n = 48) from demographically comparable families. At five-years of age, we assessed child ADHD symptoms (parent-report) and behavioral performance and neural correlates of error-monitoring (Go/No-Go task). PI children displayed lower Go/No-Go accuracy relative to FC children, and higher levels of ADHD symptoms relative to NA controls. In both FC and PI groups, longer duration of pre-adoptive out-of-home placement was associated with inattention, especially for children with deficits in error-monitoring. Enhancing cognitive control in the form of error monitoring might be a useful intervention target to protect children from some of the negative outcomes associated with adverse early care. Furthermore, results underscore that regardless of type of pre-adoptive care, we should aim to place children in stable/permanent homes as early as possible.

Anxiety is one of the most common comorbidities in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study's aims were: To examine the frequency of elevated anxiety symptoms in adolescents diagnosed with ASD in toddlerhood; To explore the impact of comorbid anxiety in adolescents on clinical presentation; To evaluate variables in toddlerhood that associate with anxiety symptom severity in adolescence. The study included 61 adolescents (mean age = 13:8y) diagnosed with ASD in toddlerhood (T1). Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment of cognitive ability, adaptive skills and autism severity at T1 and again as adolescents (T2), and an evaluation of anxiety symptoms at T2. For the first aim, the most prevalent anxiety subtypes noted in adolescence were separation (39.3%), social (27.9%) and generalized anxiety (18.0%). For the second aim, cognitive ability, autism severity and adaptive skills in adolescents with and without elevated anxiety symptoms scores of any type did not differ significantly. For the third aim, younger age at adolescence was associated with more severe separation and generalized anxiety symptoms. Higher cognitive ability and adaptive skills in toddlerhood were associated with elevated generalized anxiety symptoms in adolescence. Lower adaptive behaviors and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) correlated with elevated social anxiety symptoms. Lower cognitive abilities and more severe RRBs in toddlerhood predicted separation anxiety in adolescence. The study sheds light on early characteristics in ASD that associate with anxiety symptom severity in adolescence. The type of elevated anxiety symptoms presented in adolescence associated with the level of cognitive ability, adaptive skills and RRBs in toddlerhood.

Adolescent females are disproportionately at risk for depression, which is expected to represent the leading cause of disability in 2030 (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH] 2019). Although prior research has suggested that both child maltreatment and adolescent pregnancy increase the risk for depressive symptoms, less is known about how these two interact to influence depression in late adolescence. The present study tested the unique and interactive effects of adolescent pregnancy and child maltreatment on late-adolescent depressive symptomatology (N = 186) with a prospective, longitudinal design that utilized documented records of maltreatment and included demographically comparable (i.e., economically disadvantaged), nonmaltreated and non-pregnant comparisons. Participants were assessed at ages 10-12 and 18-21. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether adolescent pregnancy amplified the effect of child maltreatment on late-adolescent depressive symptoms. In the context of economic disadvantage, results indicated that the effect of child maltreatment on late-adolescent depressive symptoms was significantly enhanced for those who experienced an adolescent pregnancy. This effect remained after controlling for prior depressive symptoms, peer and maternal relationship quality, and romantic relationship violence. The findings are translated to preliminary guidance for practitioners regarding precision depression screening and tailored preventive interventions.​.

The present study investigates the underlying cognitive, social, and behavioral tendencies that may explain why some girls are more likely to perceive the adolescent transition as disrupting and difficult, otherwise characterized as role disruption. It was hypothesized that individual differences in rumination, rejection sensitivity, peer problems, and pubertal status would contribute to why some girls perceived more role disruption during the transition from childhood to adolescence, and that girls who reported more role disruption would be at increased risk for subsequent depression. N = 188 girls (M_age = 11.70 years) reported on their level of pubertal development, rumination, rejection sensitivity, peer problems, and depressive symptoms at three time points approximately 4 months apart. Structural equation modeling results suggested that baseline levels of rumination and angry rejection sensitivity explained perceptions of role disruption at Time 2 more than overall levels of pubertal development, and that greater role disruption predicted subsequent depressive symptoms at Time 3. These findings highlight the importance of individual tendencies in understanding who will find early adolescence challenging.

Adolescents with ADHD demonstrate increased risk-taking behavior (RTB) like substance abuse and dangerous traffic conduct. RTB in adolescence is more likely under peer influence. The current investigation (1) tests the hypothesis that adolescents with ADHD are particularly susceptible to such influence and (2) tests whether groups differed in autonomic reactivity to peer influence. Adolescent boys between 12 and 19 years with (n = 81) and without (n = 99) ADHD performed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task twice. In the peer condition, a highly credible virtual peer manipulation that encouraged risk taking was added, in the solo condition this was absent. Autonomic reactivity was indexed by heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). All adolescents engaged in more risk taking in the peer condition relative to solo condition. Autonomic differences between groups were only found on PEP: a stronger sympathetic response to peer influence was observed in typically developing adolescents relative to adolescents with ADHD. Increased physiological stress (as indexed by PEP) in the peer relative to the solo condition predicted peer-induced risk taking in all adolescents. We conclude that susceptibility to peer influence is not exaggerated in ADHD but rather reflects a general tendency of adolescents. As adolescents experiencing peer influence as stressful are most susceptible to peer influence, we suggest that increasing resistance to peer influence may be an important treatment aim for these adolescents specifically.

Despite the pervasive nature of various forms of impairment associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the precise nature of their associations with ADHD and related sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), particularly at the heterogeneous item level, remains ambiguous. Using innovative network analysis techniques, we sought to identify and examine the concurrent validity of ADHD and SCT bridge items (i.e., those demonstrating the most robust relations with various forms of impairment) with respect to Overall, Home-School, and Community-Leisure impairment domains. Parents of a nationally representative sample of 1742 children (50.17% male) aged 6-17 years completed rating scales of ADHD, SCT, and impairment. Assessment of Bridge Expected Influence suggested eight bridge items primarily from impulsive and Task Completion (i.e., overlapping SCT and inattentive) domains that demonstrated relations with impairment in school performance, completing chores at home, interacting with family members, following rules, and playing sports. Sum scores only including bridge items exhibited relations with Overall, Home-School, and Community-Leisure impairment domains comparable to that of sum scores including all items. Bridge impairment areas were generally consistent across "Childhood" (6-11 years) and "Adolescence" (12-17 years). Problems listening and slowness emerged as bridge items in Childhood, whereas difficulties following through on instructions, problems waiting one's turn, and social withdrawal emerged in Adolescence. Given the comparable validity of ADHD- and SCT-related bridge items versus all items, bridge items, together, may be the most efficient indicators of impairment. Further clarification is needed across development to inform personalized assessment and intervention protocols that account for item-level heterogeneity in ADHD, SCT, and impairment phenotypes.

Premature birth and maternal emotional distress constitute risk factors for feeding disorders. This study examined the roles of maternal cognitions in the link between prematurity, emotional distress and mother-infant maladaptive mealtime dynamics in a sample of 134 families (70 preterm, low medical risk; 64 full-term) followed longitudinally. Specifically, maternal cognitions related to eating and health (perception of child vulnerability and concerns about child's eating) and understanding of mental states (interactional mind-mindedness) were considered. A multiple-mediators model was tested, controlling for infants' weight and breastfeeding history. Although prematurity did not directly predict mealtime dynamics, multiple-mediation analyses revealed indirect pathways: mothers of preterm newborns reported higher emotional distress, which subsequently predicted perception of child vulnerability and concerns about child's eating at 6-months; perception of child vulnerability predicted more conflictual mealtime dynamics, whereas concern about child's eating predicted less reciprocal mealtime dynamics at 12-months. Mind-mindedness at 6-months predicted more reciprocal and less conflictual mealtime dynamics but did not act as a mediator. Implications for understanding pathways from prematurity to feeding disorders are discussed.