Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology最新文献

Both theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) have difficulties with emotion regulation (ER), but little is known about which deficits are disorder-specific or involved across different anxiety disorders for this age group. Furthermore, the available repertoire of ER strategies as an important component of ER flexibility has so far received little attention in research on this age group. Self-reported use of individual ER strategies, the overall repertoire of used ER strategies, and the ratio of adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies were assessed in children and adolescents (aged 10-15 years) with SAD (n = 60), clinical controls with specific phobia (SP, n = 41), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 63) in a cross-sectional study. Children and adolescents with SAD reported using several maladaptive ER strategies (e.g., giving up) more frequently and several adaptive ER strategies (e.g., problem-oriented action) less frequently than both other groups. No group differences in the amount of used ER strategies (repertoire) were identified, but children and adolescents with SAD were found to report a higher ratio of maladaptive and a lower ratio of adaptive ER strategies compared to both other groups. Results suggest that the extent of emotion dysregulation varies with disorder severity, with deficits being more pronounced in children and adolescents with SAD. Potential approaches for SAD treatment, including a shift in repertoire ratios, are discussed.

Although positive parenting in childhood consistently predicts less adolescent antisocial behavior (ASB) over time, the etiology and direction of their association remain unclear. To fill this gap, we sought to illuminate prospective associations and potential changes in the etiology of the relationship between maternal positive parenting and youth ASB from middle childhood to adolescence using a cross-lagged, twin differences design. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal study with planned missingness (1,422 twins ages 6-11 at Wave 1 and 852 twins ages 11-19 at Wave 2) within the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Phenotypic analyses indicated that more childhood ASB significantly predicted less positive parenting in adolescence, but not the reverse. Twin difference-score analyses similarly revealed that, within both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, co-twin differences in the positive parenting received in middle childhood did not significantly predict differences in adolescent ASB. However, DZ (but not MZ) co-twin differences in childhood ASB significantly predicted differences in positive parenting during adolescence, whereby the DZ co-twin exhibiting more ASB in childhood received less positive parenting in adolescence. These results collectively suggest a child-driven, genetically mediated effect of early ASB on later positive parenting, such that genetic influences on ASB in middle childhood appear to evoke reductions in positive parenting during adolescence. Moreover, because effect sizes did not differ across zygosity, results also suggest that shared familial/environmental confounds at least partially underlie the association. These findings have important implications for interventions and etiologic models of youth ASB across development.

Exposure to air pollutants during early life may impair children's neurodevelopment and increase the risk of ADHD. The study aimed to explore the association between exposure to prenatal air pollutants and ADHD in the school population from Tarragona, Spain. Data were obtained from the EPINED study, a two-phase epidemiological research involving preschool-aged (4-5 years) and school-age (10-11 years) children. The screening phase assessed ADHD symptoms in 3,727 participants, followed by a diagnostic phase with 781 children (549 without ADHD, 174 with ADHD). Multivariable regression showed that higher prenatal exposures to PM₁₀ (β-1.88; CI: 0.65-3.12), PM_coarse (β-1.25; CI: 0.52-1.98), NO₂ (β-1.11; CI: 0.56-1.66), and NO_x (β-1.29; CI: 0.66-1.91) were significantly associated with increased teacher-reported ADHD symptoms in school-age children. No significant association was observed between exposure to air pollutants and any ADHD presentation. Trimester-specific analyses revealed significant associations between prenatal exposure to air pollutants during early pregnancy and inattentive symptoms, as assessed by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for school-age children and teacher reports. In the first and second trimesters, exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, PM_coarse, NO₂, and NO_x was significantly associated with increased inattention, highlighting critical windows of gestational susceptibility to air pollution and ADHD risk, with effects more pronounced in males. Our findings suggest that even modest increases in ADHD symptoms may reflect subtle neurodevelopmental effects of prenatal air pollution exposure. These results highlight early gestation as a vulnerable period and the need for further research on long-term impacts.

The current study investigated the relationship between CU traits, autistic traits, and empathic disequilibrium, which reflects the imbalance between cognitive empathy (CE) and affective empathy (AE). Based on previous findings with adults, we hypothesized that children with elevated CU or autistic traits exhibit either AE or CE dominance in their empathy profiles. A total of 163 children aged 4 to 10 years (Mage = 7.30) participated in the study and were evaluated using reliable parent-report instruments. Polynomial regression with response surface analysis (PRRSA) was used to analyse the relationships between empathic disequilibrium and trait scores, while adjusting for age, sex, and overall empathy levels. The results indicated a notable association between AE dominance and autistic traits, reinforcing previous findings that suggest a different developmental profile of children with autistic characteristics. Conversely, lower levels of empathic disequilibrium (both AE and CE dominance) were linked to CU traits. CU traits were also related to a general reduction in empathy across both empathy types, indicating a broader empathic deficit. Additionally, age showed a positive correlation with both CU and autistic traits, while no gender differences were observed for either trait. These findings imply that empathic disequilibrium could serve as a valuable framework for understanding the emotional profiles of children with autistic traits and CU traits.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., blunted affect, low guilt) develop through the interplay of neurophysiological and environmental factors. However, critical gaps remain in understanding the relative importance of different physiological systems and early experiences over time. The goal of the current study is to identify which early-life biological and environmental features at which time points most strongly predict later CU traits in middle childhood. Using prospective longitudinal data from a rural community sample (N = 725; 48% female; 34% Black) and machine learning models, this study examined the relative predictive influence of biological stress systems (Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis) and adversity indices (exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), economic hardship, and lack of socially and cognitively stimulating toys or activities in the home) between 6 and 48 months on CU traits and conduct disorder (CD) at age 7. Models explained 7.3% of the variance in CU traits at 7 years. Exposure to IPV and sociocognitive resources across several time points, particularly in toddlerhood, emerged as influential predictors of later CU traits. Additionally, SNS functioning (i.e., salivary alpha-amylase) in early childhood was the most influential physiological predictor of CU traits. Prediction for CD was limited, with the final model explaining only 3.4% of the variability. Findings highlight the role of sympathetic regulation and early life experiences in shaping CU traits, providing important insights for the development of targeted interventions.

Prenatal tobacco (PTE) and tobacco cannabis co-exposure (PTCE) are associated with higher risk for child externalizing problems. However, developmental mechanisms for the PTE association and the PTCE related associations are poorly understood. We tested multiple mechanistic developmental pathways (emotion regulation, temperament, maternal negative mood, and continued postnatal tobacco exposure) from PTE and PTCE to early school age externalizing problems. The sample consisted of 293 diverse (48% Black, 27% White, 14% Hispanic, and 11% other or mixed race; 64.8% WIC recipients) mother-child dyads grouped as: PTE (n = 89; 62.92% male), PTCE (n = 105; 47.62% male), and demographically similar non-substance-exposed mother-child dyads (n = 99; 43.43% male). Substance exposure was assessed using multiple methods, maternal negative mood using self-report, emotion regulation using physiological methods in infancy and observations in toddlerhood, temperament with maternal-report in infancy and toddlerhood, and child postnatal tobacco exposure using salivary cotinine across time points. Externalizing problems were assessed in toddlerhood and early school age using maternal-report and at school age using teacher-report. PTCE was associated with an emotion regulation pathway and PTE was associated with a combined maternal negative mood and temperament pathway to externalizing problems. Although both PTE and PTCE were associated with heightened externalizing problems at early school age, PTE and PTCE were significantly related to unique underlying pathways to externalizing problems. Therefore, targets for prevention efforts for children with PTE and PTCE may need to vary based on the type of exposure a child experiences.

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common disorders in adolescence. It is associated with severe distress, negative long-term consequences, and chronicity. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is the recommended treatment for social anxiety disorder. However, adolescents with social anxiety disorder consistently show poorer outcomes than any other anxiety disorder. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of a disorder-specific group CBT to a generic group CBT in treating adolescents with social anxiety disorder. The disorder-specific group CBT was specifically enhanced for adolescents with social anxiety disorder, while the generic group CBT was based on traditional CBT methods designed for all types of anxiety disorders. Ninety adolescents aged 12-17 with social anxiety disorder as their primary disorder participated in the randomized controlled trial. Semi-structured diagnostic interviews and questionnaires were completed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. The disorder-specific group CBT and the generic group CBT showed no significant difference over time. However, both the disorder-specific group CBT and the generic group CBT showed significant improvements in outcomes over time equivalent to medium to large effect sizes. These results indicated that, regardless of treatment condition, the group format exclusively for adolescents with primary social anxiety disorder could be a feasible approach.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier NCT03986827.

A subset of trauma-exposed youth follows a "delayed" posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trajectory, where initially low symptoms escalate over time. This pattern poses a significant clinical challenge as these individuals resemble the resilient group and are often missed by early screening, requiring sensitive identification. This study aimed to identify youth on delayed versus resilience trajectories using specific symptom dimensions from the refined 8-factor model of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. 659 middle-school students exposed to a major chemical explosion accident were assessed at 4, 8, and 13 months post-trauma using the PTSD Checklist-5. First, latent class growth analysis identified four distinct trajectories, including delayed and resilience trajectories. Second, using baseline demographics and eight symptom dimensions, logistic regression predicted the odds of membership in the delayed trajectory (vs. resilience). The primary model (dichotomous predictors) found female gender (OR = 2.38), internally-cued intrusions (OR = 2.77), dysphoric arousal (OR = 2.61), and anxious arousal (OR = 2.77) were significant predictors. A subsequent sensitivity analysis (continuous scores) confirmed internally-cued intrusions and anxious arousal as robust predictors but revealed that the gender effect was no longer significant. Our results suggest that current severity-based screening can be enhanced by incorporating profile-based approaches. Internally-cued intrusions and anxious arousal are potent early predictors for the delayed trajectory, even among individuals with low total symptom scores. Our findings highlight the need for integrating profile-based strategies into early identification and targeted prevention, while the role of gender in this process warrants further investigation.