Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry最新文献

The attachment relationships of 33 high-risk premature infants, all with moderate to severe respiratory illness and hospitalizations of more than 1 month at birth, are compared to the attachment patterns of 23 healthy, premature infants who were initially hospitalized for less than 1 month. Infants with respiratory illness and moderate to lengthy hospitalizations displayed a significantly different pattern of attachment that was more anxious-resistant (C) (36% vs. 9% C relationships) than that of infants in the healthy, premature group. Moreover, the pattern of attachments of the healthy preterm group was statistically indistinguishable from the attachment relationships reported by Ainsworth for her normative Baltimore study. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that high-risk preterm birth uniquely and specifically shapes the quality of the care giving relationship into the second year of life.

Second-grade children were observed in classrooms on normal school days and on test days from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. Levels of excreted cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine were determined for the same time periods. Comparison of excreted hormones on normal days and test days indicated that on test days the group mean cortisol excretion rate was elevated over normal days while epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were depressed. Individual differences in excreted hormones were more significantly related to personality variables observed in the classroom then to the effects of academic stress. Cortisol and epinephrine levels correlated positively with social affiliative behavior. Epinephrine and “fidgeting” were inversely related. Norepinephrine levels correlated positively with aggressiveness and negatively with inattentiveness. Teachers' ratings tended to confirm the investigators' observations of children's behavioral traits. Multiple regression analysis of psychological assessments and catecholamine determinations are presented.

A paired comparison paradigm was used to explore 7-month-old infants' affective reactions to stimuli and their visual preferences for novelty and familiarity. Ninety-two infants were pretested for baseline looking preferences with two hand puppets. Following a familiarization period with one of the puppets, posttests were given after a 2-minute delay and a 1-week delay. The familiarization period consisted of two conditions designed to evoke (1) positive or (2) neutral affect by playing peekaboo with one of the two puppets. Results indicated that infants who responded with positive affect to the familiarizing stimulus displayed significant familiarity preferences during both the immediate and delayed posttests. Infants who responded with neutral affect during familiarization displayed significant novelty preferences during both posttests. This study indicates that infant visual preferences cannot be considered independent of the affective value that the stimulus situation holds for the infant. These results are discussed in terms of the information processing hypothesis that the speed of processing is the basis of shifts in visual preferences.

Data regarding the prevalence and use of transitional objects is limited. Most studies in this area are based upon the information gathered from mothers of small children rather than directly from children or adolescents. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 233 adolescents ages 13–14 years. The return rate was 98.7% Eighty-eight percent of the girls and 71% of the boys reported having at least one transitional object (p < 0.01). Significant differences between male and female subjects were found in the areas of prevalence, naming, present whereabouts, and discontinuation of the use of transitional objects.

This paper examines developmental aspects of type A behavior and physiological stress responses in children. It is shown that adrenal medullary activity sensitively reflects the impact of various stressful conditions in children, and that antecedents of type A behavior (aggressiveness, impatience, competitiveness) can be found at an early age. As with adults, type A-like behaviors in children seem to correlate with sympathetic reactivity to “challenge.” Higher type A scores and higher catecholamine levels were found in boys than in girls. As elevated blood pressure and catecholamine reactivity are assumed to predispose to coronary heart disease (CHD), individual differences in sympathetic reactivity from early childhood may be of relevance for susceptibility to CHD in adulthood.

A nonreferred elementary school population of 315 children participated in a screening for behavioral problems. The prevalence of inattentive-overactive symptoms suggestive of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was determined to be 2.3%; 3.6% of the children had aggressive/oppositional symptoms suggestive of Conduct Disorder (CD). Another 3.0% showed both ADD and CD symptoms. Index children comprise 8.9% of the school population and were more likely to come from broken homes and had more remedial education. They also had higher scores on the ADD Interview (DICA) and were more impulsive and disorganized on a computerized attentional battery. There were no symptoms or characteristics that differentiated the inattentive-overactive (ADD) from the aggressive/oppositional (CD) child. Multivariate statistical techniques indicated a different relative importance of individual symptoms in the two groups. These results suggest the interdepencence of symptoms commonly associated with ADD and CD diagnoses.

Considerable evidence is accumulating which demonstrates a relationship between immune function and behavioral states such as object loss or depression. Findings have been described using animal and clinical models, and a complex chain of biological and psychological processes may be involved. Further research on behavioral, central nervous system, and immune interactions in childhood is needed and is especially important since the developing immune system may be particularly susceptible to behavioral effects. Effects on the immune system in early life may have profound long-term effects on immune capacity.