Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology最新文献

Parents of children with special needs often face persistent mental health challenges. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown promise via the psychological flexibility framework, but reported effects have been heterogeneous. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials of ACT delivered to parents of children with special needs that reported standardized effect sizes for parental anxiety. Eleven studies (n = 768) met the inclusion criteria. A fixed-effects meta-analysis revealed that ACT significantly alleviated parental anxiety symptoms (standardized mean difference (SMD) = - 0.26; 95% CI - 0.40 to - 0.12; P = 0.0003). Subgroup analyses indicated that the most substantial effects were observed among parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (SMD = - 0.50). Interventions conducted four times a week, lasting 120 min per session over 6-8 weeks, resulted in more pronounced effects (SMD = - 0.42). Integrated intervention approaches also produced positive results (SMD = - 0.35). Meta-regression analysis highlighted mean parent age and child condition as key moderators; studies involving parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders exhibited greater effects (β = -0.37, p = 0.021), while each additional year of parent age correlated with a 0.05-unit increase in SMD (indicating a slightly reduced treatment effect). In summary, ACT seems effective in reducing parental anxiety symptoms among parents of children with special needs, with the most significant advantages noted in high-frequency/high-intensity standardized programs and among those caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The latent structure of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in early childhood remains poorly understood. This study aimed to assess PTSS in young children, identify underlying latent constructs, and evaluate their construct validity. Participants included 190 children (M_age = 5.4 years, 53.7% female) and their mothers (M_age = 35.4 years), recruited from local communities and domestic violence shelters in an urban-suburban region of the U.S. Northeast. All children had experienced at least one potentially traumatic event (25.3% violence exposed). Mothers completed a semi-structured clinical interview and questionnaires at baseline and six months later. Exploratory structural equation modeling of early childhood PTSS did not support the four-factor structure adopted by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, nor did it replicate any individual symptom cluster. Instead, findings provided preliminary evidence for two distinct, interrelated latent dimensions: Avoidance/Arousal and Intrusions/Fear. These dimensions included developmentally specific symptoms not currently represented in prevailing diagnostic frameworks. Both factor-derived scales demonstrated strong internal consistency and were significantly associated with various trauma exposure types, convergent symptom measures, and concurrent impairment indicators. Notably, only the Intrusions/Fear factor predicted impairment at follow-up. These results raise questions about the applicability of existing posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters for preschool-aged children and highlight the need for developmentally sensitive, dimensional approaches to understanding early childhood posttraumatic stress and related psychopathology.

Although substantial research has focused on the academic outcomes of youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), less is known about factors that promote positive adaptation among these youth in the school setting. Perceived fairness, a subcomponent of school climate, is associated with improved academic functioning and may play an important role among youth with ADHD who have been shown to display heightened reactions to injustice. This study examined perceived fairness in relation to academic functioning in early adolescents and whether this association differed for adolescents with or without ADHD. Participants were 341 early adolescents (ages 10-12), with approximately half (48.7%) diagnosed with ADHD. Teachers completed measures of learning problems and study skills, and adolescents completed measures assessing perceived fairness and attitude to school. Students with ADHD perceived their school to be less fair than students without ADHD, though the effect size was small. Regression analyses controlling for adolescent medication use, demographic characteristics, and co-occurring psychopathology revealed significant main effects wherein higher levels of perceived fairness predicted lower negative attitude to school, and ADHD status predicted a more negative attitude to school and lower study skills. A significant perceived fairness × ADHD interaction was found in relation to learning problems, wherein higher perceived school fairness was more strongly associated with fewer learning problems for students with ADHD than for students without ADHD. These findings contribute to research exploring promotive factors among adolescents with and without ADHD and have implications for interventions aiming to improve academic functioning.

While existing studies highlight the significance of mothers' emotional abilities and family environment in shaping children's callous-unemotional (CU) traits, few clarify the dynamic trajectories and reciprocal relationships among maternal emotional expressiveness (EE), family cohesion (FC), and children's CU traits in Chinese families. To address existing gaps, this study examined the co-development processes among maternal positive and negative EE, FC, and children's CU traits, with a focus on FC as a mediator of the bidirectional relationship between maternal EE and children's CU traits. This study investigates 561 Chinese mothers with children aged 6-12 years across three time points, each separated by a 6-month interval. The results show bidirectional relationships between maternal negative EE and children's CU traits from T2 to T3. However, maternal positive, rather than negative EE at T1, is negatively associated with children's CU traits at T3 through FC at T2. Interestingly, children's CU traits at T1 in turn are indirectly associated with maternal positive and negative EE at T3 via FC at T2. These findings imply a dynamic interplay between maternal EE and CU traits in children, while FC may ameliorate the adverse bidirectional spillover between them. Future prevention and intervention programs should prioritize enhancing maternal EE and FC, particularly in families with children exhibiting elevated CU traits.

Prior work links Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with risky internet use (RIU), yet the family and intergenerational processes that might underlie this association remain uncertain. This study examined whether the ADHD-RIU association was statistically accounted for by parent-child conflict and whether maternal childhood trauma moderated these associations. The sample comprised 120 children aged 6-12 years (58% boys, M = 8.73, SD = 1.80), including 60 with a first-time ADHD diagnosis and 60 controls. Standardized parent- and self-report measures were used to assess RIU, parent-child conflict, and maternal childhood trauma. A dual first- and second-stage moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model 58) tested whether the ADHD-RIU association was linked to parent-child conflict and whether maternal trauma moderated both the ADHD-conflict and conflict-RIU associations. Analyses statistically controlled for child sex, age, parental education, and maternal depression and anxiety. ADHD status was significantly associated with parent-child conflict (0.75, 95% CI [0.42, 1.08]), which was significantly associated with RIU (0.42, 95% CI [0.22, 0.62]). Conditional indirect associations via conflict at low (-1 SD), mean, and high (+ 1 SD) levels of maternal childhood trauma were 0.17, 0.31, and 0.49, respectively, indicating a stronger association at higher trauma levels, while no significant direct ADHD-RIU association remained after accounting for conflict. Findings suggest that the ADHD-RIU link was largely shared with parent-child conflict, and this shared association was more pronounced when mothers reported higher trauma histories. These findings highlight potential relevance for trauma-informed, family-focused approaches that address conflict when considering RIU in children with ADHD.

Wearable technologies offer promising opportunities for non-invasive, continuous monitoring of physiological processes relevant to paediatric mental health. Although their use in adult psychiatry is growing, little is known about their application in mental health care for youth. This scoping review maps the current state of research on wearable technologies used to assess or support mental health in children and adolescents, with special attention to externalizing behaviours and forensic or residential settings. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Embase) for peer-reviewed English-language studies involving participants aged 0 to 17, using wearable devices to assess physiological markers related to mental health. A total of 85 studies were included. Most studies focused on monitoring sleep (54) using wrist-worn actigraphy, particularly in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or internalizing problems. A smaller number examined autonomic nervous system responses (19), motor activity (8), or brain activity and eye gazing (5). Of all 85 studies, 10 focused on externalizing behaviours or youth in forensic or residential care. Although feasibility was generally good, wearables were almost exclusively used for assessment, not intervention. Wearables are increasingly used to assess physiological parameters linked to mental health symptoms in youth. However, there is a lack of clinical implementation studies, particularly in high-risk populations. Future research should move beyond feasibility and direct assessment, and explore wearable-based interventions and just-in-time feedback strategies in clinical and forensic youth care.

Public speaking is one of the most commonly feared situations by socially anxious adolescents, often prompting behavioral anxiety markers including gaze avoidance and speech disruptions. While the potential adverse social consequences of behavioral anxiety markers in public speaking contexts have been established, research into how these markers might alter through cognitive behavior therapy is still in its infancy. In this preliminary study, we investigated changes in gaze behavior and speech disruptions from before to after 12 weeks of disorder-specific group cognitive behavior therapy among 41 adolescents aged 11-17 years (M = 14.46, 48.78% girls) with social anxiety disorder. Participants spoke for five minutes in front of a pre-recorded classroom audience while wearing an eye-tracker, before and after the Skills for Academic and Social Success program. Following treatment, we found an increase in frequency of gaze towards the faces of the audience while speaking, with greater changes among older participants. There were no changes in speech disruptions at the group level. We conclude that therapy may have a positive effect on gaze behavior, and discuss the clinical implications and opportunities for future research in this emerging field of study.