Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology最新文献

Classroom environment may play a significant role in shaping adolescent development. This one-year longitudinal study investigated the moderating effects of classroom cultural norms on the relations between aggression and adjustment among Chinese adolescents. Participants included 2,671 students (47.7% boys) in middle schools, initially in 7th grade (M age = 12.91 years), in China. Data on self- and group-orientations, aggression, and adjustment variables were obtained from multiple sources including self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and school records. Classroom group-oriented norm significantly moderated the relations between aggression and later adjustment. More specifically, aggression was negatively associated with academic and social competence in classrooms with higher scores on group-oriented norm. Aggression was also positively associated with distinguished studentship and negatively associated with loneliness in classrooms with lower scores on group-oriented norm. The results suggested that adolescents who were more aggressive performed worse in classrooms with a higher group-oriented norm and better in classrooms with a lower group-oriented norm. The study indicates that the context of classroom may affect school and psychosocial adjustment of adolescents high on aggression.

Childhood social withdrawal is linked to increased risk of depression and peer difficulties. While data suggest that some child temperaments are more likely to be socially withdrawn, empirical data investigating whether distinct child temperament profiles, characterized by different social approach and avoidance motivations, influence the development of depression into late adolescence are lacking. Additionally, it is unclear whether peer difficulties in mid-adolescence explain such associations. This study addressed these research gaps using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC: n = 9491). Based on parent reports of shyness and sociability across ages 3 to 6, four distinct temperament profiles were identified: introvert (29.6%), extravert (26.6%), conflicted-shy (24.6%), and avoidant-shy (19.2%). Depressive symptoms in adolescence were self-reported using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at ages 13 and 18. Peer difficulties were parent-reported through the peer problems subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at age 13. Results from the latent change score models indicated that introverted and avoidant-shy adolescents exhibited more depressive symptoms compared to conflicted-shy adolescents at both ages 13 and 18. A further mediation analysis revealed that introverted and avoidant-shy adolescents experienced more peer difficulties in mid-adolescence compared to their conflicted-shy counterparts, which in turn predicted more depressive symptoms at ages 13 and 18, as well as a greater increase in depressive symptoms over time. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the roles of social withdrawal subtypes and peer relations and how they might shape the development of depressive symptoms.

Adolescent impulsivity is a robust risk factor for adolescent problem behaviors. Historically, impulsivity has been conceptualized as a trait characteristic; however, recent work conducted with adult samples indicates impulsivity also exhibits state-like qualities, fluctuating within persons from day to day. If this is also true for adolescents, it suggests that there are days of higher and lower risk for problem outcomes. This study was designed to (a) demonstrate that impulsivity exhibits meaningful within-person variability in adolescents as it does with adults, and (b) to evaluate family and peer relationship dynamics that may explain daily within-person changes in impulsivity. This study collected baseline surveys and 21 consecutive daily surveys from a sample of 135 parents and adolescents (54.8% female). Parents and adolescents reported on daily family cohesion and conflict and parent-adolescent closeness and conflict; adolescents reported on daily peer relationship satisfaction and rejection, and impulsivity. Multilevel models indicated that on days of elevated family conflict, parent-adolescent conflict, and peer rejection, adolescents experienced higher than usual impulsivity, especially in analyses of adolescent-reported data. In parent-report data, days of elevated parent-adolescent conflict (in the context of low parent-adolescent connectedness) also was associated with elevated adolescent impulsivity. These findings underscore the dynamic quality of adolescent impulsivity and indicate that interpersonal conflict may be a key day-level risk factor for elevated impulsivity.

Despite research exploring preadolescent mood disorders, the ability to predict increases in depression severity and risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) remains poor, leaving clinicians few markers to predict increases in individual risk. One promising area of research has focused on sleep disturbances as an acute and proximal risk factor for depression and SITBs. However, little of this research has focused on children prior to adolescence or incorporated designs that enable us to disentangle the directionality of the associations between these constructs. The current study explored the temporal dynamics and directionality of the association between sleep disturbances and psychological symptoms, including depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm behaviors in a sample of preadolescents enriched for a history of early childhood mood disorders. Participants completed weekly electronic assessments for one year to examine week-by-week associations between sleep disturbances (i.e., trouble sleeping and fatigue) and depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm behaviors. Both trouble sleeping and fatigue were found to predict and precede increased depression severity, and trouble sleeping predicted endorsement of self-harm behaviors the following week, even when controlling for prior depression severity and self-harm behaviors, respectively. There was no evidence for the reverse association (i.e., depression severity or self-harm behaviors predicting subsequent sleep disturbances). Our findings provide the first evidence for a temporal and directional association between sleep disturbances and subsequent depression severity and self-harm behaviors in preadolescents. These findings highlight the potential utility targeting sleep within existing treatments for depression and self-harm behaviors in preadolescents.

Peer problems are a pervasive issue for children with ADHD, but less is known about the role of peers in the development of executive functioning (EF). We examined the predictive relation between childhood peer preference (i.e., the extent to which one is liked vs. disliked by peers) and the development of various EF skills (response inhibition, working memory, and global EF) from childhood to early adulthood within a diverse female sample enriched for ADHD. We sampled 140 girls diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and 88 neurotypical comparison girls, matched for age and race. Girls were 6-12 years old at baseline and followed for three additional waves across 16 years. Peer preference was assessed via sociometric interviews in childhood; EF data were collected at all waves via neuropsychological tests. Through multilevel modeling, we evaluated relations between childhood peer preference and the development of each EF skill from childhood to early adulthood, adjusting for ADHD diagnostic status, verbal IQ, and socioeconomic status. We found that lower peer preference in childhood (a) was associated with poorer global EF across development and (b) predicted significantly less improvement in response inhibition from childhood to adulthood. Childhood ADHD diagnostic status was also related to lower global EF and response inhibition across development, but unlike peer preference, ADHD was not predictive of differences in EF growth. Secondary analyses revealed that peer rejection, not acceptance, drove these core findings. Findings highlight the influence of childhood peer preference on EF development, particularly response inhibition. We discuss intervention implications.

Adolescent depression is heterogeneous. Given maturational changes in reward systems during adolescence, we examined how differences in reward sensitivity (RS) and punishment sensitivity (PS) relate to the presence of manic symptoms during depressive episodes (i.e., mixed features depression) in adolescents. Participants included 161 12-18 year-olds (104 assigned female at birth), including 124 with moderate to high levels of depression (DEP_nomix) of which 54 endorsed mixed features (DEP_mix), and 37 healthy controls (HC). We compared groups based on their questionnaire and behavioral measures of RS and PS. Compared to HC, DEP_mix and DEP_nomix had trait RS characterized by higher impulsivity (p's < .001; η² = .21) and lower reward responsiveness (p's < .003-.006; η² = .08), as well as higher trait PS (p's < .001; η² = .08). DEP_mix had higher RS drive than DEP_nomix when controlling for acuity of mixed features (p < .05). These results indicate the potential utility of integrative treatments that can target both excesses and deficits in RS, particularly in youth with DEP_mix.

The nature of the associations between physical activity and depressive and anxious symptoms, as well as the differences between adolescent girls and boys, remain poorly understood. The benefits of physical activity may depend on other lifestyle habits, including screen time and sleep duration, but the mechanisms underlying these associations have not often been explored. Thus, the present study aimed to examine (1) the bidirectional associations between physical activity and depressive and anxious symptoms during adolescence while controlling for screen time and sleep, (2) whether these associations are mediated by screen time and sleep, and (3) sex differences. The variables used were mostly self-reported by participants of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development at ages 13, 15 and 17 (N = 1556). Random intercept crosslagg panel models and multigroup analyses were conducted. A high level of physical activity significantly but weakly predicted a low level of depressive symptoms from 15 to 17 in girls and boys. Physical activity was also associated with less screen time in girls aged 13 to 15, and in everyone aged 15 to 17. No associations between physical activity and anxious symptoms were found significant. The sample is more representative of White Quebec adolescents from a higher socioeconomic status, from 2011 to 2015. In conclusion, among all life habits, promotion of physical activity should be a part of prevention efforts for depression in youth, especially among older adolescents. Physical activity could also be promoted to reduce screen time in adolescents, and earlier for girls.

Problematic gaming has emerged as a significant problem among adolescents today, yet there is still an ongoing debate over the validity and relevance of its diagnostic criteria. Some critical steps have been recommended, including examining the structure of problematic gaming and exploring its comorbidity with generalized and social anxiety. To address these research aims, this study used network analysis, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, to identify the most central symptoms of problematic gaming and elucidate the mechanisms underlying its co-occurrence with generalized and social anxiety in adolescents. A sample of 1893 Chinese adolescents (52.85% boys, 47.15% girls; M_age = 15.42 years, SD = 0.52) participated in a two-wave longitudinal study with a 12-month interval. The findings showed that giving up other activities, loss of control, tolerance, and continuation were the most central problematic gaming symptoms for both waves, as revealed by cross-sectional analyses. Moreover, the social anxiety symptom of social avoidance and distress-general was the most prominent in bridging different constructs across cross-sectional and longitudinal networks. The longitudinal findings further revealed that the generalized anxiety symptom of restlessness was closely connected to problematic gaming symptoms, indicating its influential role as a harmful mechanism underlying problematic gaming. Our results underscore the necessity to reconsider the criteria of problematic gaming. In addition, the symptoms of social avoidance and distress-general and restlessness can be prioritized as targets for preventing and treating problematic gaming in adolescents.

Self-harm is a growing phenomenon among young people. This study examined self-harm rates in youths over five years, before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we explored risk factors influencing self-harm repetition. We conducted a retrospective analysis of people under 25 years who presented with self-harm at an emergency department in Seville, Spain, from January 1st 2018 to December 31st 2022. Participants were identified through hospital records. We used Joinpoint regression analysis to assess changes in trends and compared demographic and clinical variables between pre- and post-pandemic periods. Cox regression analysis was employed to identify predictors of repeated self-harm. The study included of 726 individuals, with 282 (38.84%) and 444 (61.16%) first-time self-harm cases before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset, respectively. A significant increase in self-harm rates was observed from December 2020 to March 2021. Post-pandemic, there was an over-representation of 10-14-year-olds, increased substance use rates, and a higher proportion of suicide attempts compared to non-suicidal self-injuries. Affective disorders, personality disorders, lifetime psychiatric history, and previous non-suicidal self-injuries were associated with higher rates of recurring self-harm episodes. Self-harm among young people increased one year after the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Post-pandemic first-time self-harm cases exhibited higher rates of substance use and tended to engage in suicide attempts, particularly among 10-14-year-olds. Recurrence was associated with psychiatric diagnosis, psychiatric history and non-suicidal self-harm history.

Initiation of joint attention (IJA) is often impaired in children who may be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Traditionally, assessments of IJA have focused on visual and auditory means of communication. Recent research has expanded the understanding of joint attention to include tactile interactions. To investigate the early development of IJA in toddlers, particularly focusing on the differences in sensory modalities, we conducted a prospective study tracking 60 toddlers (30 males) up to 36 months of age, including 16 who were later diagnosed with ASD. We used videos taken during the administration of Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales-Developmental Profile to code for IJA corresponding to different sensory modalities. During the second year of life, autistic children displayed lower frequencies of visual, auditory, and combined visual-auditory IJA compared to typically developing peers. Conversely, autistic children exhibited higher frequencies of tactile IJA. Notably, the frequencies of tactile IJA at 12 months were correlated with social symptoms at 24 months, showing a positive correlation across all participants and a negative correlation specifically within the ASD group. These results suggest that differences in the use of different sensory modalities of IJA may influence the development of future social communication abilities. Clinical Trial Registration: www.chictr.org.cn , identifier ChiCTR2100049811, 2021-08-10.