bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Memories of Childhood Neglect and Abuse: Corroboration in a Series of Sisters
Authors: Bifulco A. , Brown G. W. , Lillie A. , Jarvis J.
Published: December 2006

Reports from 87 community‐based sister‐pairs, selected for high rates of neglect or abuse in childhood, have been used to establish validity of the CECA, a retrospective interview measure of childhood experience. Corroboration was based on independent assessments of sisters accounts of what happened to each other in childhood. Corroboration of scales assessing parental neglect, physical abuse in the household and sexual abuse either household or nonhousehold I was satisfactory, with a mean correlation for the three experiences of.60 (weighted kappa [kw]).

Concordance reflected the degree to which experience was shared and was judged by comparing the sisters' accounts of their own experience. Among sisters with shared (concordant) experience for neglect or abuse, corroboration was high (mean of 74), but for those with nonshared (nonconcordant) experience it was largely absent (mean of .011. The degree to which I he experiences of neglect or abuse were concordant was related to whether the perpetrator was a member of the household. Neglect and physical abuse were by definition from household members i mainly parents I and involved high concordance of experience. Sexual abuse occurred from many sources and in practice was commonly from an adult living outside the household and such experiences were less likely to be shared by sisters. An overall index indicating the presence of at least one abusive experience before the age of 17 showed a concordance of .64 with corroboration between sisters as high as 70, Issues involving retrospective recall and measurement are discussed.
Subclinical Hallucinations and Delusions in Nonpsychotic Adolescents
Authors: Altman Heather , Collins Melinda , Mundy Peter
Published: December 2006

A number of studies have suggested that clinical populations of adolescents may report hallucinations and/or delusions without meeting criteria for a psychotic disorder. The purpose of this study was to provide information about the prevalence and symptom correlates of these subclinical hallucinations and delusions that occur in a nonpsychotic population of adolescents. Thirty‐eight adolescents from a residential program and day treatment center were assessed with respect to hallucinatory experiences, ideas of reference, paranoid ideation, dissociative experiences, depressive symptomatology, and schizotypal cognitions. Results of this study indicated that 33% of the participants reported having experienced auditory hallucinations, and 24%, reported having had delusional ideas In addition, the results suggest that subclinical auditory hallucinations may have an especially strong relation with dissociative processes, whereas subclinical delusions appeared to be most strongly correlated with schizotypal thought processes. The results of this study begin to clarify the phenomenon of hallucinatory and delusional experiences in a nonpsychotic population.
Diagnostic Agreement between Clinicians and the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents‐DICA‐R‐in an Outpatient Sample
Authors: Ezpeleta L. , de la Osa N. , Doménech J. M. , Navarro J. B. , Losilla J. M. , Júdez J.
Published: December 2006

The paper examines the diagnostic agreement between clinicians and the Diagnostic interview for Children and Adolescents. One hundred and thirty‐seven outpatients—children and adolescents, and their parents were diagnosed independently following DSM‐III‐R criteria by clinicians and by the DICA‐R. The diagnostic concordance between clinicians and DICA‐R ranged from low to moderate in the majority of the categories. The only exception was Conduct Disorder. Differences depending on the informant and the quality of the information (cognitive vs. observable) were observed. Combining the information from the child/adolescent and their parents ameliorates the concordance. The reasons for the scanty agreement found could be due lo the fact that clinicians and structured interviews differ in what they evaluate (conditions on which they focus), how they evaluate (strictness in the criteria application, use of different informants and different information, etc.), and when they evaluate (present condition vs. lifespan). After analysing (he pros and cons of both, the use of structured interviews is advisable for research purposes Micro is a clear need for a variety of informants, and the com bi nut ion of information from different sources is recommended, depending on the age of the children and the type of disorder.
Kindergarten‐aged Children's Reactions to an Emotionally Charged Naturalistic Event: Relations between Cognitions, Self‐reported Emotions, and Emotional Behaviour
Authors: Olthof Tjeert , Engelberts‐Vaske Annelies
Published: December 2006

Relations between kindergarten‐aged children's cognitions, self‐reported emotions, and expressive behaviour regarding an emotion‐eliciting event were examined by investigating 32 Dutch children's reactions to meeting “Sinterklaas”. who they think brings present for children, but who might also punish them. Measures included cognitions about Sinterklaas, emotion self‐reports, and expressive behaviour when meeting Sinterklaas. Girls', but not boys', self‐reports were related to their expressive behaviour. Boys' cognitions were not related to their emotions, whereas girls' cognitions and emotions were related inversely. That is girls who reported the most positive cognitions about Sinterklaas showed the most, rather than the least, fear.
Anxiety, Antisocial Behavior, and Heart Rate Regulation in Adolescent Males
Authors: Mezzacappa Enrico , Tremblay Richard E. , Kindlon Daniel , Saul J. Philip , Arseneault Louise , Seguin Jean , Pihl Robert O. , Earls Felton
Published: December 2006

We explored relationships between anxiety and antisocial behavior and autonomic heart rate regulation in a homogenous sample (N= 175 (of 15‐year‐ofd males. Measures for anxiety and antisocial behavior were obtained at yearly intervals over a period of 4–6 years. Components of heart rate variability associated with postural (sympathetic) and respiratory (vagal) change and transfer of respiratory to heart rate variability were estimated an age 15 using Spectral analytic techniques. Anxiety and antisocial behavior were predictably related to enhanced and diminished levels of mean heart rate, respectively. Anxiety was also predictably related to enhanced sympathetic mediation of phasic postural effects on heart rate. Antisocial behavior was unexpectedly related to disruption of vagally mediated, phasic respiratory effects on heart rate. Anxiety and antisocial behavior showed distinct relationships to heart rate, and to the autonomically mediated component, of heart rate variability from postural and respiration sources. Spectral analytic techniques helped elucidate these unique regulator; patterns, suggesting utility for future research in this area.
Child and Family Factors Influencing the Clinical Referral of Children with Hyperactivity: A Research Note
Authors: Woodward Lianne , Dowdney Linda , Taylor Eric
Published: December 2006

This study examined child and Family factors associated with the clinical referral of pervasively hyperactive children. Fourteen children with pervasive hyperactive behaviour problems referred to a London child guidance service were compared with 13 nonreferred pervasively hyperactive children resident in the same geographic area. Child behaviour, parenting, and Family life factors were examined as determinants of referral. Preliminary results suggest that both child and parenting factors play an important role in determining whether a child with hyperactivity will be referred for child guidance. The best predictors of clinical referral were a parent's ability to cope with child behaviour, child emotional disturbance, School relationship problems, and parental disciplinary indulgence. Implications of referral bias for research and service planning are discussed.
Dimensions and Disorders of Adolescent Adjustment: A Quantitative Genetic Analysis of Unselected Samples and Selected Extremes
Authors: Deater‐Deckard Kirby , Reiss David , Hetherington E. Mavis , Plomin Robert
Published: December 2006

One of the fundamental questions for developmental psychopathology concerns the etiological links between the normal and abnormal. To what extent do disorders differ quantitatively or qualitatively from variation in the normal range? Genetic research on the normal and the abnormal differs in terms of concepts, methods, statistics, and target audiences. An approach, referred to as “DF” analysis, provides a framework for integrating these two worlds of genetic analysis. We applied traditional correlational analyses as well as DF (DeFries & Fulker, 1985) analyses to mother and father ratings of adjustment of adolescent siblings in a 3‐year longitudinal twin and step‐family study. At wave 1, the sample included 720 sibling pairs (average age of 12.9 years for the younger sibling and 14.5 years for the older siblings) and, in wave 2, 395 pairs still living at home. Both correlational analyses of the entire sample and DF analyses of selected extremes suggested moderate genetic influence and modest shared environmental influence for internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Similar estimates were found for unselected individual differences and selected extreme groups. A framework is proposed that focuses on quantifying the etiologies of disorders (QED) as measured on continuous dimensions.
Information Processing in Clinically Depressed and Anxious Children and Adolescents
Authors: Dalgleish Tim , Taghavi Reza , Neshat‐Doost Hamid , Moradi Ali , Yule William , Canterbury Rachel
Published: December 2006

The investigation of cognitive content and processes in childhood anxiety and depression has lagged behind similar research in the adult population. What studies do exist have largely restricted themselves to examining the nature of the thoughts that anxious and depressed children report. There is almost no research examining the ways in which anxious and depressed children perceive, attend to, remember, or think and make judgements about, emotional material. The present study investigated the subjective probability judgements that anxious and depressed children make concerning future negative events. Subjects generated probability estimates either for themselves or for other children for a range of events on a visual analogue scale. Events were either physically‐threat‐related or socially‐threat‐related. The results revealed no differences of interest with respect to type of threat but interesting differences between the groups with respect to reference. Depressed subjects estimated that events were equally likely to happen to themselves as to other children whereas both the controls and anxious children estimated that negative events were more likely to happen to others than to themselves, with this effect being stronger in the anxious group. These results are discussed in the context of the adult literature and also the limited literature on emotion‐related cognitive processing in children.
Detection of Major and Minor Depression in Children and Adolescents: Evaluation of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire
Authors: Kent Lindsey , Vostanis Panos , Feehan Catherine
Published: December 2006

The detection of major and minor depression in children and adolescents was evaluated in an outpatient sample of 113 children employing the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (both child and parent versions) and the K‐SADS interview. Differences between depressed and nondepressed groups, those with major or minor depression, and depressed children compared with those comorbid for anxiety, were examined. Our findings support the validity of the MFQ as a screening instrument for major and minor depression in a population with a high proportion of depressed cases. High agreement between parent and child ratings was found, with cognitive items being the best predictors of depression.
Malaise Scores in Adulthood of Children and Young People Who Have Been in Care
Authors: Cheung Sin Yi , Buchanan Ann
Published: December 2006

Data from the National Child Development Study are used to assess the risk of high Malaise scores (indicating a tendency towards depression) amongst young adults at age 23 and 33. Results indicate that adults who have been in care are more likely to have high Malaise scores than are those who have not been in care. For men this risk increases as they grow older. Those with an early experience of social disadvantage are also more vulnerable to a high Malaise score than those not so disadvantaged. Overall, when other factors are controlled, the risk of a high Malaise score in adulthood is significantly greater for young adults who have been in care than those who have experienced severe social disadvantage in their childhood, except for women at age 33, where an early experience of social disadvantage carries a greater risk than the care experience.
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A Research Note
Authors: Goodman Robert
Published: December 2006

A novel behavioural screening questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), was administered along with Rutter questionnaires to parents and teachers of 403 children drawn from dental and psychiatric clinics. Scores derived from the SDQ and Rutter questionnaires were highly correlated; parent‐teacher correlations for the two sets of measures were comparable or favoured the SDQ. The two sets of measures did not differ in their ability to discriminate between psychiatric and dental clinic attenders. These preliminary findings suggest that the SDQ functions as well as the Rutter questionnaires while offering the following additional advantages: a focus on strengths as well as difficulties; better coverage of inattention, peer relationships, and prosocial behaviour; a shorter format; and a single form suitable for both parents and teachers, perhaps thereby increasing parent‐teacher correlations.
Behavioural Development in Children of Divorce and Remarriage
Authors: Pagani Linda , Boulerice Bernard , Tremblay Richard E. , Vitaro Frank
Published: December 2006

We employed an autoregressive modelling technique with data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study to prospectively examine the developmental impact of family transition on behaviour while controlling for predivorce and preremarriage effects. Teachers rated children's anxious, hyperactive, physically aggressive, oppositional, and prosocial behaviour every 2 years from kindergarten through to the end of elementary school.Once individual and parental characteristics and antecedent family events were controlled, children who experienced parental divorce before age 6 exhibited comparatively more behavioural disturbance than their peers whose parents divorced later. With the exception of a protective effect on hyperactive behaviour, remarriage did not have a significant impact on children's behaviour when the legacy of divorce was controlled.Although the results suggest that children of divorced parents show difficulty in many areas of functioning, the effects of family transition on behavioural development were dependent on the child's age and the specific behavioural dimension assessed.Compared to other points in development, early childhood divorce was associated with long‐term increases in anxious, hyperactive, and oppositional behaviour during later childhood.The effects of divorce on children's fighting were short‐lived.Unlike previous prospective studies that suggest predivorce effects, we did not observe behavioural disturbance prior to divorce or remarriage.
Another Advanced Test of Theory of Mind: Evidence from Very High Functioning Adults with Autism or Asperger Syndrome
Authors: Baron‐Cohen Simon , Jolliffe Therese , Mortimore Catherine , Robertson Mary
Published: December 2006

Previous studies have found a subgroup of people with autism or Asperger Syndrome who pass second‐order tests of theory of mind. However, such tests have a ceiling in developmental terms corresponding to a mental age of about 6 years. It is therefore impossible to say if such individuals are intact or impaired in their theory of mind skills. We report the performance of very high functioning adults with autism or Asperger Syndrome on an adult test of theory of mind ability. The task involved inferring the mental state of a person just from the information in photographs of a person's eyes. Relative to age‐matched normal controls and a clinical control group (adults with Tourette Syndrome), the group with autism and Asperger Syndrome were significantly impaired on this task. The autism and Asperger Syndrome sample was also impaired on Happe's strange stories tasks. In contrast, they were unimpaired on two control tasks: recognising gender from the eye region of the face, and recognising basic emotions from the whole face. This provides evidence for subtle mindreading deficits in very high functioning individuals on the autistic continuum.
The Impact of Childhood Non‐malignant Life‐threatening Illness on Parents: Gender Differences and Predictors of Parental Adjustment
Authors: Mastroyannopoulou Kiki , Stallard Paul , Lewis Mary , Lenton Simon
Published: December 2006

Mental health, family functioning, effects on employment and relationships, coping style, and perceptions of prognosis were assessed in 93 mothers and 78 fathers of children with a life‐threatening non‐malignant condition. Results indicated high levels of psychological distress, significant effects upon employment and relationships, and a family environment characterised by low expressiveness, cohesion, and high conflict. Differences between mothers and fathers were found on a number of variables. Length of time since diagnosis, level of family cohesion, and sex of parent significantly predicted parental mental health.
Sleep Problems in Children of Affectively Ill Mothers
Authors: Stoléru Serge , Nottelmann Editha D. , Belmont Barbara , Ronsaville D.
Published: December 2006

The objective of the study was to determine whether the frequency and severity of sleep problems were greater in children of affectively ill mothers than in children of control mothers. Sleep problems were studied in children of mothers with a diagnosis of unipolar (N= 38) and bipolar (N= 23) affective illness and children of mothers with no current or past psychiatric diagnosis (N= 24). Mothers' reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were obtained three times, 4 years apart, on sibling pairs (ages 1.5–3.5 and 5–8 years, respectively, at first assessment). In addition, on the third assessment, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents was filled out by mothers and children. In both siblings, sleep problems, as assessed through the CBCL, were more frequent and severe in children of affectively ill mothers. In younger siblings, the persistence of sleep problems was more frequent in children of affectively ill mothers. Co‐occurrence of sleep problems among siblings was more frequent in children of affectively ill mothers than in those of control mothers.
Emotional and Semantic Priming as a Measure of Information Processing in Young People with School Refusal: A Research Note
Authors: Foreman D. M. , Dover S. J. , Hill A. B.
Published: December 2006

We investigated semantic and emotional priming of lexical decision‐making in 20 school refusers and 20 attenders aged 11–16 years, matched for sex and reading ability. We hypothesised that: semantic and emotional priming would be demonstrable in both samples; and that the school refusers would show emotional priming of school‐related words to aversive primes. Both samples showed semantic priming; emotional priming was shown by the attenders and 11 school refusers without a history of depression. School‐refusing children did not show emotional priming for school‐related words. Nine school‐refusing children with either current or past depression showed a general reduction in their priming. These results show that both semantic and emotional priming can be detected in this age‐range. They do not support school refusal being typically associated with anxiety about school. The reduction in priming in those with a depressive history is similar to inhibition in information processing in depressed adults. Priming is therefore sensitive to at least some psychiatrically relevant states or traits in this age‐range. It is concluded that priming could be a useful measure of information processing in this age‐group, and further research is warranted.
Parental Divorce and Adult Psychological Distress: Evidence from a National Birth Cohort: A Research Note
Authors: Rodgers Bryan , Power Chris , Hope Steven
Published: December 2006

An association was found between childhood parental divorce and adult psychological distress in a British national birth cohort at ages 23 and 33. No moderating effects were found for gender, age at separation, or remarriage of the custodial parent. Participants who were young adults when their parents divorced also showed increased levels of symptomatology, whereas those who experienced parental death in childhood showed no increased risk. An interaction between parental divorce and own divorce in women, giving particularly high symptom levels, arose from a selection process in those from divorced families of origin only, with high 23‐year scores predicting subsequent divorce. Own divorce was associated with an increase in distress between age 23 and 33, but this was irrespective of family of origin.
Early Reading Difficulties and Later Conduct Problems
Authors: Fergusson David M. , Lynskey Michael T.
Published: December 2006

The relationships between early reading difficulties and later conduct problems were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied from the point of school entry to the age of 16. Children with early reading difficulties had increased rates of conduct problems up to the age of 16 years. These associations depended on context, being more evident for boys and tending to reduce with increasing age. However, the associations between early reading difficulties and later conduct problems were explained by the fact that children with early reading difficulties tended to be characterised by a number of disadvantageous features (and notably early‐onset conduct problems) that were present before the onset of reading difficulties. When the associations between reading difficulties and conduct problems were adjusted for confounding factors there were no statistically significant associations between reading difficulties and conduct problems. These results were found to hold for various age and gender subgroups of the sample, for measures of reading difficulties defined in different ways, and for a wide range of outcome variables. It is concluded that, when due allowance is made for potentially confounding factors (and notably early conduct problems) and for factors correlated with these problems, it is unlikely that reading difficulties in early childhood are related to later conduct problems.
Vulnerable Adolescent Girls: Opposite‐sex Relationships
Authors: Pawlby Susan J. , Mills Alice , Quinton David
Published: December 2006

This interview‐based study compares the opposite‐sex relationships of 50 girls, aged 15–16, identified as being at risk for difficulties in early adult partnerships, with 50 girls of the same age from an inner‐city school. The high‐risk girls had begun solo‐dating earlier than the school girls, were more likely to have had a sexual relationship, to have had more sexual partners, to have been pregnant, and to have had a child. A third of the girls in both groups were solo‐dating at the time of the interview. In contrast to the school girls, the high‐risk girls attached a prominence and permanence to their current dating relationships, which already bore the hallmarks of later unsupportive partnerships.
Genetics and Developmental Psychopathology: 1. Phenotypic Assessment in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development
Authors: Hewitt John K. , Rutter Michael , Simonoff Emily , Pickles Andrew , Loeber Rolf , Heath Andrew C. , Reynolds Chandra A. , Silberg Judith L. , Meyer Joanne M. , Maes Hermine , Neale Michael C. , Erickson Marilyn T. , Kendler Kenneth S. , Truett Kim R. , Eaves Lindon J.
Published: December 2006

We introduce an overlapping cohort sequential longitudinal study of behavioral development and psychopathology in a representative sample of 1412 pairs of twins aged 8 through 16 years. Multiple phenotypic assessments involve a full psychiatric interview with each child and each parent, and supplementary parental, teacher, and child interview material and questionnaires. For the first wave of assessments, the numbers of reported DSM‐III‐R symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Overanxious Disorder (OAD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), assessed through interviews, confirm patterns of age and sex trends found in other epidemiological samples, but underscore their dependence on whether the child or the parent is the informant. Correlations across domains for symptoms reported by the same informant are often as large as correlations across informants for the same domain of symptoms. Factor analyses of these symptom counts, taking account of informant view and unreliability of assessment, show the high degree of correlation between SAD and OAD, between MDD and OAD, and between CD and ODD. ADHD symptoms are relatively independent of the other domains, but show moderate correlations with CD, ODD, and MDD. Factorially derived dimensional questionnaire scales, based on child, parental, and teacher reports, show patterns of relationship to symptom counts consistent with both convergent and discriminant validity as indices of liability to clinical symptoms. Across informants, questionnaire scales provide as good a prediction of symptoms as do clinical interviews. Multitrait‐multimethod confirmatory factor analysis reveals the patterns of relationship between symptoms of psychiatric disorder in children taking due account of informant and unique sources of variance. Gender differences are consistent within the correlated clusters of ODD/CD and MDD/SAD/OAD, although there are disorder‐specific age trends. There are large informant‐specific influences on the reporting of symptoms in clinical interviews. Dimensional questionnaire scales provide a useful source of additional information. In subsequent analyses of genetic and environmental etiology of childhood psychopathology we must expect that results may differ by informant and method of assessment. Multivariate and developmental analyses that explore the sources of these differences will shed new light on the relationship between genetic and environmentally influenced vulnerability and the manifestation of psychopathology in specific circumstances.
Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Ratings of Emotional Disorder Symptoms in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Boyle Michael H. , Pickles Andrew
Published: December 2006

This study uses information collected on two occasions from a probability sample of families with 8‐ to 12‐year‐old children (N= 718) participating in a general population study in 1983 and follow‐up in 1987. It focuses on the association between maternal depressive symptoms and emotional disorder in children and adolescents, taking into consideration the influences of informant rating errors, contextual variables (economic disadvantage and family dysfunction), and child gender. Covariance structure analysis revealed a strong association between maternal depressive symptoms in girls (β= .59 in 1983 and β= .39 in 1987) but not in boys. This association is independent of the impact of contextual variables and the treatment of teacher rating errors. Among adolescent boys, maternal depressive symptoms are correlated with mother rating errors, suggesting the possible presence of maternal bias.
Normative and Pathological Obsessive‐compulsive Behavior and Ideation in Childhood: A Question of Timing
Authors: Zohar Ada H. , Bruno Rotem
Published: December 2006

This study was designed to test whether obsessive‐compulsive behavior declines over development. A cross‐sectional design was used on a large community sample of children. Children in grades four, six, and eight (N= 1083), 8 to 14 years of age, were administered the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Scales. Whereas the mean MOCI score was significantly lower in the eighth grade than in the sixth and fourth, there was an elevation of children with very high MOCI scores in the eighth grade. Obsessive ideas and compulsive behaviors that were common for fourth‐grade children were present in only a minority of children in the eighth grade, and were associated with high levels of anxiety. No gender differences were observed for overall obsessive‐compulsive behavior, but checking behavior was higher in boys, and cleaning behavior in girls. State anxiety was higher in girls than in boys, and was also higher in older than in younger children.
Can Young People with Autism Refer to Knowledge States? Evidence from Their Understanding of “Know” and “Guess”
Authors: Kazak Sibel , Collis Glyn M. , Lewis Vicky
Published: December 2006

A number of studies have reported that most individuals with autism have difficulty in attributing mental states. The primary aim of the present study was to compare the ability of children with autism to refer to knowledge states with that of mainstream school children and children with Down's syndrome. The second aim was to investigate the role of verbal mental age in referring to knowledge states. The third aim was to compare the ease with which the children referred to their own mental state and to that of others. The results suggest that some individuals with autism are able to attribute knowledge to themselves and others but that they need to have higher verbal skills than is necessary in normal individuals. The level of language skill predicted the performance of the individuals with autism, but not that of the children in the other groups. There was no good evidence that referring to one's own mental states was easier than referring to another person's, a finding which supports representational theory rather than the simulationist position.
Planning and Execution of Action in Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Smyth Mary M. , Mason Uschi C.
Published: December 2006

Ninety‐five children from six English primary schools were identified on the basis of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC) as having developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and, together with age‐ and ability‐matched controls, were given three tasks that involved proprioception in the control and discrimination of limb position, and two tasks that involved planning for end state comfort after a bar was grasped and turned. The children in the DCD group performed less well on the majority of the proprioceptive tasks, but did not differ from controls in planning of grip selection. There was an improvement in grip planning with age. The results are contrasted with research indicating that people with autism do have a difficulty with planning grip selection.
Associations between Different Diagnostic Approaches for Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Authors: Kasius Marianne C. , Ferdinand Robert F. , van den Berg Henk , Verhulst Frank C.
Published: December 2006

Objective: To test the convergence between the empirical‐quantitative approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the clinical‐diagnostic approach of the DSM. Method: The parent version of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC), version 2.3, was administered after completion of the CBCL for 231 children and adolescents consecutively referred to an outpatient mental health clinic. Results: Of the subjects with a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis, 60% scored in the clinical range of the CBCL total problem score. The Withdrawn scale predicted affective and anxiety disorders. The Somatic Complaints scale predicted anxiety and mood disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The Anxious/Depressed scale predicted anxiety and mood disorders and, to a lesser extent, disruptive behavior disorders. The Social Problems scale predicted Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The Attention Problems scale was the only significant predictor of “pure” Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Aggressive Behavior scale predicted several disruptive behavior disorders, and Major Depression. The Delinquent Behavior scale was strongly associated with Conduct Disorder. Conclusions: Empirically based CBCL scale scores and DISC‐P based DSM‐III‐R diagnoses converged. However, both approaches do not converge to a degree that one approach can replace the other. Instead, combining both approaches may be valuable by adding information from one approach that is not captured by the other.
Attentional Difficulties in Middle Childhood and Psychosocial Outcomes in Young Adulthood
Authors: Fergusson David M. , Lynskey Michael T. , Horwood L. John
Published: December 2006

The associations between (dimensionally scored) measures of attentional difficulties at age 8 and psychosocial outcomes at age 18 were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Increasing attentional difficulties during middle childhood were associated with increased risks of academic failure or difficulties, juvenile offending, and substance use behaviours in young adulthood. However, those with early attentional difficulties were a high‐risk group characterised by social disadvantages, early conduct difficulties, lower 1Q, and related characteristics. Statistical adjustments showed: (a) that attentional difficulties were related to later academic success even when due allowance was made for potentially confounding factors; and (b) early attentional difficulties were unrelated to later juvenile offending or substance use behaviours after adjustment for confounding. In all cases there was evidence of consistent dose/response relationships between the extent of early attentional difficulties and later academic outcomes, suggesting that these associations were not confined to those with extreme symptoms.
Cause and Effect Beliefs and Self‐esteem of Overweight Children
Authors: Pierce Jeanne Walsh , Wardle Jane
Published: December 2006

In this study, beliefs of the cause and effect of weight were examined in a sample of 9‐ to 11‐year‐old clinically overweight children. Lower self‐esteem was found in the children who believed they are responsible for their overweight as compared to those who attributed their overweight to an external cause. Lower self‐esteem was also found in the children who believed that their overweight hinders their social interaction. Other evidence gathered here lends some support to the view that the overweight child is more vulnerable to low self‐esteem. The negative experiences in school and at home that the children reported and the premise that childhood obesity is a stigmatising condition is discussed.
A Family Study of Autism: Cognitive Patterns and Levels in Parents and Siblings
Authors: Fombonne E. , Bolton P. , Prior J. , Jordan H. , Rutter M.
Published: December 2006

First‐degree relatives of 99 autism probands and of 36 Down's syndrome controls were assessed with standardised tests of intellectual functioning, reading, and spelling. Higher mean verbal IQ scores, and discrepancies in favour of verbal scores, were characteristic of autism relatives. No consistent differences were found on performance scales, reading, and spelling tests. Among autism relatives, siblings affected with the broad phenotype of autism had significantly lower IQ scores and poorer reading and spelling performances than unaffected siblings. However, the small size of the cognitive difference and the lack of a distinctive cognitive profile indicates that standardised cognitive measures used in this study are unlikely to improve the operationalised definition of the broad phenotype of autism. The slightly superior verbal performance of relatives in the autism group might represent some form of heterozygote advantage.
Overly Literal Interpretations of Speech in Autism: Understanding That Messages Arise from Minds
Authors: Mitchell Peter , Saltmarsh Rebecca , Russell Helen
Published: December 2006

Children with autism and children with Down's syndrome watched the following enactment. A protagonist put one item in location A and another in location B and then left the scene. Subsequently, the items were swapped the other way round. Finally, the protagonist (who remained ignorant of the swap) requested the item in A. The observing child participant was asked to judge (1) which item the protagonist wanted and (2) which item the protagonist put in A. Unlike children with Down's syndrome, those with autism made more errors in judging that the speaker wanted the item in B than in judging that the item the speaker put in A is now in B; children with autism wrongly tended to interpret utterances literally, and they did this significantly more frequently than children with Down's syndrome. We conclude that children with autism have a difficulty making non literal interpretations that cannot be explained as (1) a realist bias, (2) an inability to inhibit a prepotent response, and (3) a failure to keep track of the exchange of items.
Reliability of the Dominic‐R: A Young Child Mental Health Questionnaire Combining Visual and Auditory Stimuli
Authors: Valla Jean‐Pierre , Bergeron Lise , Bidaut‐Russell Michelle , St‐Georges Marie , Gaudet Nathalie
Published: December 2006

Reliability of the Dominic‐R, a. questionnaire combining visual and auditory stimuli, was tested in 340 community children aged 6 to 11 years. Test‐retest reliability of symptoms of, and of symptom scores of, DSM‐III‐R disorders including simple phobias, separation anxiety disorder, overanxious disorder, depression/dysthymia, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder was assessed. Most symptoms yielded kappas greater than .40, and ICCs ranged from .74 to .81. In conclusion, reliability of the Dominic‐R compares favourably with that of other child assessment questionnaires.
Reliability of Theory of Mind Task Performance by Individuals with a Learning Disability: A Research Note
Authors: Charman Tony , Campbell Adam
Published: December 2006

The aim of the present study was to test the reliability of theory of mind task performance by individuals with a learning disability. Across a series of three false belief tasks and two belief‐desire reasoning tasks reliability was moderate–although it was no lower than has been found over a period of 3 weeks in normally developing children. The overall level of performance on the tasks was also only moderate, with approximately half the subjects passing on any one false belief task, and one quarter on any one belief‐desire reasoning task. Reliable passers had higher VMA and NVMA than unreliable passers and subjects who failed. Given the important interpretations made regarding the representational skills of individuals on the basis of their responses in such experimental tasks, further work investigating the psychometric properties of the tasks is required with both typically and atypically developing individuals.
The Impact of Paternal Alcoholism and Maternal Social Position on Boys' School Adjustment, Pubertal Maturation and Sexual Behavior: A Test of Two Competing Hypotheses
Authors: Malo Jocelyn , Tremblay Richard E.
Published: December 2006

Two competing hypotheses concerning the effects of stressful environments on the onset of puberty were tested using longitudinal data for a sample of boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Paternal alcoholism and maternal social position were used as indicators of family stress. School placement was monitored from school entry to 14 years of age. Teachers rated the boys' disruptive and anxious behaviors, while the boys reported on parenting behaviors at 10 years of age. Pubertal maturation, age of first sexual intercourse and sexual behavior were assessed between 11 and 14 years of age. The prepubertal data indicated that boys with an alcoholic father, or a mother from a low social position, were more stressed and had more behavior problems: the boys with alcoholic fathers perceived their parents as being more punitive, and as setting fewer rules concerning their behavior; those who had at least one maladjusted parent were more often placed out of an age‐appropriate regular classroom, and were rated more disruptive and more anxious by their teachers. Paradoxically, the results for the onset of puberty gave support to the two rival hypotheses. Paternal alcoholism led to a delay of male pubertal onset, as suggested by the hypothesis that stress activates the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis, and inhibits the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal axis. However, sons of alcoholic fathers had more frequent sexual intereourse and more sexual partners, as suggested by the evolutionary theory of socialization. High maternal social position acted as a protective factor for school placement of boys with an alcoholic father. These results challenged a key hypothesis of the evolutionary theory of socialization for males. They indicated that the link between childhood family environment, behavior development, pubertal maturation and sexual promiscuity are more complex than anticipated.
The Effects of Neonatal Jaundice and Respiratory Complications on Learning and Habituation in 5‐ to 11‐month‐old Infants
Authors: Weir Catherine , Millar W. Stuart
Published: December 2006

The influences of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and respiratory complications were examined in 5‐ to 11‐month‐old infants in two studies. One study focused on habituation performance and the other on contingency learning. In both experiments, three neonatal jaundice conditions (no jaundice history, measured bilirubin, phototherapy) were crossed with two levels of neonatal respiratory risk (no oxygen intervention, oxygen intervention). For low respiratory risk subjects there were increasingly adverse effects for both habituation and learning the more severe the jaundice history. A complex pattern emerged for the high respiratory risk groups. Only for the learning task were the results consistent with a summative effect of neonatal jaundice and respiratory risk factors.
Asperger Syndrome, Autism and Attention Disorders: A Comparative Study of the Cognitive Profiles of 120 Children
Authors: Ehlers Stephan , Nydén Agtieta , Gillberg Christopher , Sandberg Annika Dahlgren , Dahlgren Sven‐Olof , Hjelmquist Erland , Odén Anders
Published: December 2006

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) was applied (in a Swedish version) in 120 children with Aspcrger syndrome, autistic disorder, and attention disorders. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the WISC's discriminating ability was investigated. The overall rate of correct diagnostic classification was 63%. Further. WISC profiles were analysed within each group. The group with autistic disorder was characterised by a peak on Block Design. The Asperger syndrome group had good verbal ability and troughs on Object Assembly and Coding, The group with attention disorders had troughs on Coding and Arithmetic. The results suggest that Kaufman's Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organisation and Freedom from Distractibility factors rather than verbal IQ and performance IQ account for the variance on the WISC. Furthermore, the Asperger syndrome and autistic disorder groups differed in respect of “fluid” and “crystallised” cognitive ability.
The Identification of Pervasive Hyperactivity: Is Clinic Observation Necessary?
Authors: Tripp G. , Luk S. L.
Published: December 2006

Three groups of hyperactive children (clinic observed, reported and situational) and a normal control group were compared on measures of behavioural, developmental and cognitive functioning. The clinic observed and reported groups did not differ significantly on any of the dependent variables. Situationally hyperactive children were less active, and had fewer behavioural and social difficulties than children with pervasive hyperactivity. Normal control subjects were distinguished by their better academic and social performance, and the absence of behaviour problems, language delay and hearing concerns. The data support the distinction between pervasive and situational hyperactivity, but not the separation of pervasive hyperactivity into clinic observable and reported hyperactivity.
What do clinicians want from us? An evaluation of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust clinical librarian service and its implications for developing futureworking patterns
Authors: Brookman Amanda , Lovell Alan , Henwood Flis , Lehmann Judy
Published: December 2006

Background:   The Clinical Librarian (CL) Service at Brighton was established in 2003 with the aim of providing high‐quality evidence to designated teams and fostering an evidence‐based culture.

Objective:   To evaluate the CL service at Brighton and discuss the implication of the findings.

Methods:   A combination of internally collected data (n = 167), and an external evaluation of the service by questionnaires (n = 86) of users and non‐users and interviews (n = 9) of users.

Results:   Internal data suggest that the service is valued by its users and that patient care and continuing professional development are the most common uses for searches (confirmed by the external study); that searches generally result in some change in knowledge; and that this knowledge is disseminated. The external study found that visibility of the CL was crucial to the effectiveness of the role and that clinicians used the service mostly to get access to a wider range of resources and/or to save time. Users wanted the CL to include evaluative annotation with the results, and for the CL role to become more embedded in the team. Interview results expanded on the issues of integration of the CL and the need for annotation of results.

Conclusions:   To be most effective, CLs would be dedicated to one team, but financial constraints make this unlikely. Alternative working patterns are suggested as a possible compromise.
Opportunity for change in the future roles for the health library and information professional: meeting the challenges in NHS Scotland
Authors: Maclean Gerry
Published: December 2006

Background:  NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the Special Health Board responsible for supporting best practice in education, training and development for all staff groups within NHS Scotland. As part of its remit, the Knowledge Services Group within NES is responsible for the e‐Library, a national electronic resource providing and supporting access to the evidence base. The Knowledge Services Group also supports the national development of library services to NHS Scotland.

Aims:  This article aims to provide a reflective overview of some recent challenges within the health library and information field in Scotland, and the positive role opportunities these have afforded.

Methods:  The information was gathered through extensive professional interaction with staff across the sector over the first year of establishing the new role of Librarian Staff Development Manager.

Focus:   New roles have emerged for health library and information professionals generally; for example, in response to new technology or new user groups. The development of the NHS Scotland e‐Library provides examples of role development that emerges symbiotically from core skills applied to a new situation or applied in an innovative way. Role development among health library and information professionals operating at the local service level can be both reactive and proactive. Working together, the partnership between the national Knowledge Services Group and local library and knowledge services for NHS Scotland has resulted in the emergence of additional new roles, extending the role portfolio of the local professional (for example, the Librarian–Tutor role) and supported by other national infrastructures (for example, the competency framework initiative).