Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology最新文献

Research examining the link between emotion dysregulation and youth social impairments has focused almost exclusively on the dysregulation of negative emotions. Yet some youth experience dysregulation of positive emotions, which also may influence social functioning. The present study sought to extend previous research by examining whether negative emotion reactivity and positive emotion reactivity were each uniquely associated with children's social impairments. These effects were examined in a sample of 9-13-year-olds (N = 186; 47% female) enriched for clinical elevations in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, a disorder associated with significant social impairments and emotion dysregulation. Children's negative and positive emotion reactivity were assessed using parent report, ADHD symptoms were assessed with a combined parent and teacher report, and social impairments (social acceptance, aggression, victimization, and prosocial behavior) were assessed using teacher report. Partial correlations indicated that positive emotion reactivity was uniquely associated with greater ADHD symptoms and social impairments even when accounting for overlapping variance with negative emotion reactivity. Additionally, regression analyses indicated that ADHD symptoms moderated the effect of positive emotion reactivity on physical aggression, physical victimization, and social acceptance, with children high in both positive emotion reactivity and ADHD symptoms being the most socially impaired. These results are the first to indicate that especially for youth with elevated ADHD symptoms, positive emotion reactivity may be uniquely associated with social impairment. Results underscore the need for additional research examining positive emotion dysregulation, especially in youth with ADHD.

Callous-unemotional (CU), daring-impulsive (DI), and grandiose-manipulative (GM) specifiers are considered informative for the treatment of youth with conduct disorder (CD), but empirical evidence is limited. This study examined the relationship between the specifiers and treatment engagement (TE) in boys (n = 286) and girls (n = 69) with a CD diagnosis. CD symptoms and diagnosis were assessed via a diagnostic interview and self-report questionnaires were used to assess the specifiers, TE, internalizing problems, and features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine unique associations between the specifiers and TE, after controlling for their overlap and control variables (i.e., number of CD symptoms, internalizing problems, and ADHD and ODD features). At the zero-order level, the three specifiers were negatively correlated to TE in boys, while no significant correlations were found in girls. After controlling for their overlap and control variables, only CU traits were significantly negatively related to TE in boys, while GM traits were unexpectedly but significantly positively related to two TE dimensions in girls. Additional analyses revealed significant sex differences in the associations between TE and GM traits. Results underscore the importance of CU traits in boys and GM traits in girls with CD for understanding individual differences in TE levels. The unexpected positive link between GM traits and TE in girls warrants replication, though further investigation is required to clarify (sex-specific) associations between the proposed specifiers and clinically relevant correlates other than TE, such as treatment outcomes.

Social cognition processes like mentalizing and mental functioning (i.e., specific psychological capacities underlying how individuals experience themselves and others, regulate emotions, form relationships, and manage internal conflicts) are crucial during development. Rooted in early attachment relationships, they contribute to determining the level of organization of an individual's personality. However, little is known about how these processes differ by age and clinical status, especially in middle childhood and early adolescence (aged 8-13). This study investigates (1) age-related differences in mentalizing, attachment, mental functioning, and personality organization, (2) the impact of internalizing and externalizing problems, assessed both by their parents and clinical providers, compared to non-clinical groups on these processes, and (3) the interaction between age and clinical status. The sample included 137 children and early adolescents, including non-clinical (N = 67, M_age = 11,08, 40,3% female), and with internalizing (N = 40, M_age = 10,85, 52,5% female) and externalizing symptoms (N = 30, M_age = 10,77, 10% female) groups. Participants were assessed using the Child Reflection Functioning Scale and the Psychodiagnostic Chart of the PDM-2 (Child and Adolescent version) applied to the Child Attachment Interview. Parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist. Younger children showed lower levels of mentalizing, attachment security, and personality functioning than older peers. Groups with externalizing and internalizing problems exhibited significant deficits in mentalizing abilities and personality organization compared to non-clinical participants. The interaction between age and clinical status revealed that mentalizing and personality deficits were most pronounced in middle childhood for internalizing groups. The findings suggest that social cognition processes evolve with age but are significantly disrupted in clinical groups, particularly in middle childhood. Differential deficits in populations with externalizing and internalizing problems highlight the need for specific interventions targeting mentalizing, mental functioning, and attachment relationships to support healthy development during these critical stages.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) differ in adaptive functioning, executive functioning, and the distribution of intellectual abilities compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. Research consistently demonstrates a link between executive functions and various aspects of adaptive behavior. This study aims to compare cognitive abilities, executive functions, and adaptive behavior in non- or minimally verbal preschool-aged (3-6 years) children with ASD (n = 53) and TD peers (n = 79). The study examines broad cognitive abilities and executive functions as predictors of adaptive behavior. For this purpose, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool Version, and the SON-R 2½-7 intelligence test were utilized. The results indicate that non- or minimally verbal preschoolers with ASD exhibit significant executive difficulties, particularly in working memory, and show marked differences in cognitive abilities compared to TD controls. Significant group differences were observed across all adaptive behavior domains, with the largest effect on Socialization and the smallest on Daily Living Skills. In the ASD group, executive functions and cognitive domains accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in the Communication domain, with slightly less influence observed in Daily Living Skills and Socialization. In contrast, the significant role of cognitive abilities and executive difficulties as predictors of adaptive behavior in everyday functioning was not confirmed for TD children. These findings highlight the critical role of executive functioning as a predictor of adaptive behavior in preschool children with ASD.

As the prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) in late adolescence increases, understanding the etiology of CUD is paramount. Consistent with resilience frameworks, the current study examined whether parent cannabis use and genetic risk predicted offspring cannabis use and CUD symptoms in late adolescence. Parental positive behavior support in early childhood was considered as a possible buffer of intergenerational transmission and genetic risk for CUD. The sample consisted of 731 18-year-olds (M = 18.74, SD = 0.50; 50.2% female, 49.8% male; 50% White, 28% Black, 13% Hispanic, 9% Indigenous, Native Hawaiian, or Asian) from the Early Steps Multisite Study. Parent cannabis use was measured at offspring ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 8.5, and 9.5, and observational positive behavior support was measured at offspring ages 2, 3, 4, and 5. A polygenic risk score for CUD (CUD PRS) was formed using the PRS-CSx Bayesian technique for genetically diverse samples. CUD symptoms were measured with the SCID-IV interview. Using negative binomial logistic regressions with maximum likelihood, parent cannabis use significantly predicted whether offspring used cannabis, while offspring CUD PRS did not. Further, parental positive behavior support significantly buffered the effect of parent cannabis use on the number of offspring CUD symptoms. Findings suggest that positive parenting in childhood may provide resilience for the intergenerational transmission of cannabis use.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity are both independently associated with emotion dysregulation, including low frustration tolerance. There is a lack of research examining shared and unique aspects of emotion dysregulation in relation to ADHD and obesity separately and when they co-occur. This study examined emotion dysregulation as assessed with questionnaires and tasks involving frustrative non-reward in children with and without ADHD with varying body mass index (BMI). Participants included 163 8-17 year-olds with varying levels of ADHD symptoms and BMI. Emotion regulation was assessed through parent- and youth-report questionnaires of trait-based emotion regulation, lability/negativity, and irritability. In addition, youth-report state-based measures of frustration were obtained pre- and post-frustrative non-reward tasks assessing cognitive control and task persistence. On trait measures, higher ADHD symptoms were associated with less emotion regulation and more irritability and lability/negativity, regardless of BMI. On state measures, ADHD symptoms tended to be positively associated with increased frustration and less persistence during a frustrating task, but these effects were not significant. Our results suggest that emotion dysregulation, as assessed in this study, may be largely specific to ADHD. Larger studies including children with stringent ADHD diagnostic classification and objective measures of body fat and eating behavior are warranted to advance our understanding of the role of emotion dysregulation in pediatric ADHD and overweight/obesity.

The risk of child emotional and conduct problems elevates in the context of food insecurity. However, it is unclear whether these relationships could vary when considering the fact that food insecurity may change by time. Addressing this research gap can help clarify which specific patterns of food insecurity over time present the highest risk to children's emotional and behavioral well-being, an important step forward to informing prevention efforts. Utilizing data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Main Study and Child Development Supplement, this study examines the associations between food insecurity trajectories and child emotional and conduct problems using negative binomial regression models applied with Growth Mixture Modeling. For causal inference, this study applies generalized propensity score weight. The results reveal that long-term food security is predictive of lowest risk of children's emotional and conduct problems. This study also reveals that a high initial level of food insecurity is associated with higher risk of children's emotional and conduct problems, even if such food insecurity improves across time. Moreover, their risk of developing emotional and conduct problems is as high as children who experience worsening food insecurity across time. These findings suggest that sustained food security acts as a protective factor for children's emotional and behavioral health. For children facing food insecurity, early intervention and efforts to prevent further deterioration are both important to lower the risk of children's emotional and conduct problems.

Childhood behavioral problems are associated with significant long-term consequences, yet the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed computational modeling alongside traditional reaction time (RT) measures to investigate cognitive control during a flanker task. We evaluated the predictive utility of these methods in explaining variance across eight transdiagnostic symptom domains in late childhood (mean age = 10.0 years; n = 10,343) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. We compared simultaneous regression models across congruent and incongruent conditions using an RT-only model and a drift-diffusion model (DDM) that incorporated boundary separation, bias, drift rate, and non-decision time parameters. Results from the RT-only models indicated that slower reaction times across both task conditions were associated with higher scores on most symptom subscales, suggesting more behavioral problems. For both task conditions, DDM regressions accounted for more total variance across symptom domains compared to RT models. Additionally, DDM regressions demonstrated that impoverished evidence accumulation emerged as a shared feature of both internalizing and externalizing behaviors, while reductions in non-decision time, indicative of increased impulsiveness, were unique to rule-breaking and aggressive behaviors. These findings suggest that different aspects of cognitive control are associated with specific behavioral problems in children, rather than just overall response speed. Present results provide new insights into cognitive control dynamics and suggest that targeting ineffective cognitive control could be crucial for the prevention and intervention of childhood psychopathology.

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by heightened emotionality. Past research indicated that the biased interpretation of social situations (i.e., interpretation bias) might contribute to these aberrant affect dynamics in adolescents' daily life. Social situations are, however, constantly changing. Therefore, the ability to flexibly revise social interpretations (i.e., interpretation flexibility) might be equally important as interpretation biases for explaining affective outcomes during adolescence. The present study examined whether interpretation bias and inflexibility predicted two major affect dynamics features (i.e., mean and standard deviation) in children and adolescents. At baseline, N = 154 children and adolescents (M = 12.81 years; 48.70% female; 49.35% male; 1.95% non-binary; 72.08% White) completed a task assessing bias and inflexibility in interpreting social situations. Then, for 28 days, participants rated their positive and negative affect. Results showed that inflexibility in revising positive and negative interpretations in light of disconfirming evidence predicted higher intensity of negative affect. When controlling for interpretation inflexibility, positive interpretation bias predicted higher positive affect, whereas negative interpretation bias was associated with more variable negative affect. The results emphasize the predictive utility of interpretation biases and inflexibility for daily affective experiences in youths.

Academic underachievement is often reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research shows working memory (WM), and processing speed (PS) have a predictive role in their academic difficulties. Recent evidence suggests both cognitive functions are related, where slower PS underlies WM deficits. This relationship is not accounted for in the current literature on academic underachievement in children with ADHD. In the current study, the role of PS and WM in the association between ADHD symptom severity and academic achievement is investigated in a sample of 504, 6 to 12 years old children diagnosed with ADHD. Academic achievement is assessed across three subjects (mathematics, reading and spelling), by three measurement methods (standardized tests, parent, and teacher ratings). In addition, the role of PS is investigated in the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and WM. Findings show the association between inattention symptom severity and achievement on all three academic subjects is statistically mediated by PS and WM sequentially. For mathematics and spelling performance, PS was a single mediator in this association. Further, PS statistically mediated the relation between inattention symptom severity and WM performance. Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom severity predicted mathematics performance directly, but none of the indirect effects were significant. The current results show that PS plays an important role in the academic achievement of children with increased inattention symptoms, as well as the WM deficits often reported in this population. These findings have important implications for theoretical accounts of ADHD, as well as academic interventions, currently focusing primarily on WM deficits.